He had even squandered all the remaining money in the family. Recently, he had been trying to raise funds. At first, he was too proud to borrow money from others, but recently he couldn't hold out any longer. There was hardly anything left to eat at home, and the servants' wages for this month hadn't been paid yet.
"Enough. I don't care about your personal affairs. I called you here today for only one thing. I just want to ask if you still want your daughter," Yuan Yuhan said impatiently, waving his hand.
Lord Zheng was startled and didn't understand what the Regent meant. But after glancing at Miss Zheng, who was kneeling on the ground in disheveled clothes, he knew it couldn't be anything good.
"Please clarify, Your Highness," Lord Zheng said after giving Miss Zheng a fierce glare.
"In that case, then..." Yuan Yuhan said, looking at Lord Wang beside him. "Lord Wang, explain to Lord Zheng what exactly happened. Leave out no details so that Lord Zheng can have a clear idea."
"Your Highness, please spare me. It's my fault for not disciplining my son well. Please be merciful and spare my son's life," Lord Wang dared not say anything. If he really told the truth, his head would surely be on the chopping block.
Yuan Yuhan smiled faintly and said coolly, "Since Lord Wang is reluctant to speak, then I'll tell you instead. Here's what happened. Miss Zheng from Lord Zheng's family and Master Wang from Lord Wang's family developed feelings for each other. In broad daylight, they had an illicit affair in my bedroom and even tried to frame the Princess!"
After Yuan Yuhan finished speaking, Lord Zheng was stunned. How could this be possible? His daughter had already been promised to the Prince of Wen. How could she be with another man?
On the other hand, Lord Wang was even more confused. There was no mention of framing the Princess just now. Why was there such a thing as soon as Lord Zheng came? Lord Wang looked up at Yuan Yuhan's cold face and silently swallowed the words in his mouth.
It was useless to refute now. The Regent had already spoken. If he said anything else, it would be like saying the Regent was lying. He couldn't bear the consequences.
"Your Highness, I'm innocent. I was really forced by him," Miss Zheng sobbed. But now, few people believed her words. After all, someone had gone to check, and there was really no blood on the bed.
If you say you were forced, then why weren't you a virgin?
"Father, you must stand up for me," Miss Zheng looked up at Lord Zheng hopefully. As long as he didn't give up on her, she still had a chance to turn things around.
Lord Zheng was still in a daze. His daughter had been defiled! This was an insult to the Prince of Wen. If this woman died, it wouldn't be a big deal. But the fact that she had been defiled and so many people had found out was a big problem.
The Prince of Wen would surely be angry when he found out about this. For a moment, Lord Zheng was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. His eyes kept darting around as he thought about how to solve this problem.
Master Wang was a hot - tempered man. Usually, no one dared to refute him at home. Now this woman dared to say such things!
"Slut! I really misjudged you. If you didn't want to be beaten, would you have come to me? I was blind to have taken a fancy to you," Master Wang didn't care about the looks of the people around him. He just wanted to vent his anger.
The more he looked at Miss Zheng, the more annoyed he became. He stood up and kicked her. Miss Zheng was caught off guard and was kicked to the ground. Her face turned as pale as paper.
"Slut! I'll kill you today!" Master Wang kicked Miss Zheng again and again. Watching her gradually stop resisting, he felt a strange sense of pride.
"Ah! Stop! She's bleeding," a sharp - eyed young lady screamed and stopped Master Wang.
Master Wang just glanced at her, spat on the ground, and thought it was really bad luck. She was so weak. He hadn't even used his full strength yet, and she couldn't take it anymore. She was not even as good as a prostitute in a brothel.
Lord Zheng quickly stepped forward to check on Miss Zheng. When he found that she was still alive, he frowned. Why wasn't she dead? In her current state, how could he ask the Wang family for an explanation?
"Someone, go and find a doctor for her. Don't let her die in my mansion. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble," he didn't want to be falsely accused for no reason.
"Lord Wang, you should give me an explanation. What's your son's excuse for what he did today? Is my innocent daughter going to be defiled by your son for nothing?" Lord Zheng looked at Lord Wang. Although this daughter was ruined, he could still use her to get some money to relieve the financial burden of the mansion.
If Miss Zheng knew what Lord Zheng was thinking, she would surely be so angry that she would vomit blood. She never thought that her father was already planning to abandon her.
"What kind of explanation does Lord Zheng want? As I said just now, your daughter is not a virgin. What explanation should we give you? Should we say that your daughter had already been defiled by someone else and my son just accidentally found out?" Lord Wang said sarcastically.
Lord Zheng was stunned. He never thought that his daughter had already had an affair with someone else. For a moment, his face turned red with anger.
Seeing this, Lord Wang kindly comforted him, "Lord Zheng, don't be too pessimistic. After all, this incident was discovered early. It's good that she hasn't gotten married yet. Otherwise, it would be a great disgrace." You should even thank us for this. If it weren't for my son, you wouldn't have discovered this secret.
While the two were talking, the servant brought the doctor over.
"I pay my respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness live a long and prosperous life. May the Princess live a long and prosperous life," the old doctor said nervously, trembling, when he saw so many noble people there.
"Enough with the formalities. Go and check on that woman over there. Just make sure she doesn't die," Yuan Yuhan said. He didn't care what happened to her after that. It wasn't his business anyway.
The old doctor bowed and walked over with his medicine box on his back. But as soon as he put his hand on her pulse, he frowned. This... The old doctor carefully looked around. After noticing two people glaring at him, he quickly averted his eyes.
"Doctor, how is she?" Lord Wang wondered if his son had really injured her badly.