The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 88 - 87

Chapter 87

"That day in Xiangzhou Alley, not far from the commercial district, there was a carriage bearing the Cheng family crest parked at the corner. The woman in that carriage was definitely this woman, Your Highness!" De Ye, who remembered the event clearly, tried to explain the details of the day, time, and place of the sighting. Cheng Fuyuan, who was about to shout in protest as usual, suddenly paused at his words.

Xiangzhou Alley?

Why did that name sound familiar?

Before Cheng Fuyuan could fully contemplate the event she had just heard, the shadows of the guards sent by Duan Wang to find evidence against her appeared. Trained well and highly skilled, the guards moved swiftly. It didn’t take long for them to find the evidence and return to report to their master.

"Your Highness, I found this in Young Miss Cheng’s storage at the academic building."

Duan Wang took the small cloth bag from the guard and opened it, handing it to the doctor for examination. As the doctor dipped a finger into the fine powder in the cloth bag and sniffed it, he immediately recognized it as the same finely ground peanut powder found on the kitchen worker.

"Your Highness, it is the same finely ground peanut powder," the doctor reported, his words striking Cheng Fuyuan like a bolt of lightning to the head. What was that cloth bag? And how did it end up in her storage?

"Cheng Fuyuan...With such clear evidence, do you still deny it?" Duan Wang’s cold voice brought Cheng Fuyuan back from her confused stupor. She looked up at the cloth bag in the doctor’s hand in disbelief, as if staring at something impossible.

"Th...this isn’t mine, Your Highness."

"It was found in your storage. If it’s not yours, then whose is it?" Duan Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, the light in them dimming to a dangerous glint.

Cheng Fuyuan couldn’t refute it. Each storage unit was securely locked, and only the owner had the key. She had kept her storage key with her at all times. So, who could have sneaked the bag into her storage?

"I...I," She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. The fierce look from Duan Wang made her heart feel unbearably heavy.

At the same time, another group of guards sent to search Cheng Fuyuan’s quarters returned. They didn’t come back empty-handed; they brought along Cheng Fuyuan’s personal maid and an unfamiliar old man.

Thud!

The bodies of the two individuals were forced to kneel on the ground, causing them significant pain. As the maid saw the silhouette of her mistress not far away, she quickly pleaded for help.

"Miss! Miss! Please help me!"

Cheng Fuyuan looked at her personal servant crying for help with a tense expression. When she saw the old man who had been brought along, her blood ran cold instantly. She held her breath for a moment, her face turning pale as if she had seen a ghost. That old man was none other than the owner of the ingredient shop where Cheng Fuyuan had bought the finely ground peanut powder!

"Your Highness, when we went to search for evidence at Young Miss Cheng’s quarters, we found this maid trying to destroy evidence of the purchase of the finely ground peanut powder. We stopped her and brought her here. Additionally, another group of guards went to fetch the shopkeeper who sold the ground peanut powder to Young Miss Cheng."

Upon hearing the report, the old man immediately bowed low before Duan Wang, begging for his life. "Your Highness, I...I truly didn’t know what they intended to do with the finely ground peanut powder. I was merely conducting my usual business. Please spare my life, Your Highness!"

Duan Wang read the purchase documents for a moment before throwing them forcefully in front of Cheng Fuyuan. "With such solid evidence, do you still deny it?"

"Th...this,"

Cheng Fuyuan looked at the documents in front of her with alarm. Even though she wanted to make excuses, she couldn’t find any reason to refute it.

"Not only did you come up with this vile scheme, but you also hired someone to slip the peanut powder into the food to harm the young miss. You are braver than your father ever was!" Duan Wang said sternly, his piercing eyes burning with anger.

Cheng Fuyuan pondered for a long time before suddenly realizing something. Her eyes widened in shock. She did buy the finely ground peanut powder, but she wasn’t the one who hired the worker!

Recalling the kitchen worker’s earlier statement about the hirer, Cheng Fuyuan remembered that she had indeed asked her coachman to wait in Xiangzhou Alley a few days ago. She was there to meet Su Baimiao’s people, who had arranged to meet her there. Su Baimiao wanted to meet her outside the manor to tell her about the plan and she had given her Xiangzhou Alley as the meeting point. When the time came, Cheng Fuyuan waited at the corner to meet Su Baimiao’s servant. This meant everything the kitchen worker said was true.

The woman he saw was indeed her, but if she wasn’t the one who hired him, it had to be someone from Su Baimiao’s side!

“It wasn’t me! I wasn’t the one who hired him!”

Cheng Fuyuan, without careful consideration, hastily blurted out in her panic, not realizing that her words confirmed her involvement and that she knew who the hirer was.

Mu Qingxuan, watching the events unfold, couldn’t help but smile. She shook her head slightly at Cheng Fuyuan’s foolishness, secretly laughing at her past self. Why had she lost to such a fool in her previous life, allowing this woman to bully her?

Duan Wang looked at Cheng Fuyuan with dimmed eyes and raised his eyebrows. "Oh...Then who hired him?"

"It was Su Baimiao! It was Su Baimiao, Your Highness!" Cheng Fuyuan quickly responded. Since she was in a difficult position, she wouldn’t let her accomplice, Su Baimiao, get away.

Absolutely not!

"The eldest young miss of the Su family?" Duan Wang repeated the name in surprise, trying to think of the motive and the likelihood.

Wan Ningtong, who had been listening, frowned deeply. She hadn’t paid much attention to Young Miss Cheng before, but now the woman was accusing her friend of being the culprit. It didn’t look good at all. Su Baimiao was known throughout the capital for her gentle nature and had a good relationship with Miss Fei Yang. There was no reason for Su Baimiao to harm Miss Fei Yang at all!

"Young Miss Cheng, some matters cannot be spoken of recklessly. It’s known that you have a grudge against Miss Fei Yang, but Su Baimiao has no such issues with her,"

Wan Ningtong said coldly, her gaze as icy as a vicious serpent in hibernation. Cheng Fuyuan couldn’t help but shiver.

"I...I’m not lying!"

Cheng Fuyuan swallowed hard and replied defiantly. She recounted the truth. "Young Miss Wan might not know, but a few days before the Imperial Academy reopened, Su Baimiao came to my manor to inquire about Meng Liting’s weaknesses..."

"Just the daughter of an official, and you dare call the young miss by her name without respect. Your boldness is as high as the heavens," Duan Wang interrupted with a laugh. The intimidating laughter sent Cheng Fuyuan’s heart racing.

"I...I apologize, Your Highness,"

Cheng Fuyuan said with a trembling voice. Though Duan Wang spoke half-joking, she felt he was not joking. After calming herself, she continued.

"After Su Baimiao inquired and found out from me that Miss Fei Yang is allergic to peanuts, she instructed me to cooperate to find a way to cause harm to Miss Fei Yang. Su Baimiao ordered me to buy the finely ground peanut powder, while she handled the rest of the plan, including hiring people."

"That day in Xiangzhou Alley, it was Su Baimiao who arranged for me to wait to meet her person to discuss the plan. I had my carriage wait at the corner, and Su Baimiao’s servant came out of Xiangzhou Alley and got into my carriage. That servant must be the one he saw, Your Highness!"

Without needing any further pressure from Duan Wang to extract the truth, Cheng Fuyuan confessed everything herself. She revealed the entire truth, hoping everyone would see Su Baimiao for who she really was and to avoid taking all the blame alone. However, despite her intentions, when she finished her confession, everyone in the room had the same strange expression. Their gazes towards Cheng Fuyuan were as if they were looking at a villain spouting nonsense.

"Young Miss Cheng, I don’t know what grudge you hold against Su Baimiao to fabricate such slander against her!"

Wan Ningtong cast a cold glance at Cheng Fuyuan before rising to bow to Duan Wang. "Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness, but I cannot tolerate Young Miss Cheng’s false accusations against my friend."

Seeing that Duan Wang did not object, Wan Ningtong turned to Cheng Fuyuan with a frosty expression.

"Young Miss Cheng, you claim that Su Baimiao orchestrated this. Do you have any evidence that Su Baimiao visited the Cheng manor herself?"

"Of course! The servants at my manor all witnessed it, and even my mother can testify!" Cheng Fuyuan lifted her chin confidently. On the day Su Baimiao visited, no fewer than ten people saw her. With so many witnesses, she had no fear of the truth being distorted.

But after Cheng Fuyuan finished speaking, Wan Ningtong laughed mockingly. "Young Miss Cheng...all your so-called witnesses are from the Cheng family! If you want them to say anything, wouldn’t they naturally side with you?"

"Such biased witnesses are credible?"

Many in the room agreed with Wan Ningtong. According to Cheng Fuyuan, the witnesses were Cheng family servants and Cheng Furen, her mother. They were all Cheng Fuyuan’s people. It would be easy for them to collaborate on a lie.

Indeed, such witnesses were not credible...

Upon hearing this, Cheng Fuyuan’s face turned pale. She hadn’t anticipated that her witnesses would be deemed unreliable. In truth, apart from her manor’s servants, only Su Baimiao’s maid knew about that day. But would Su Baimiao’s people ever admit it?

How infuriating! 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

But she wouldn’t give up!

She would never be the only one held responsible!

Wan Ningtong didn’t allow Cheng Fuyuan a chance to make excuses. She continued, "Moreover, you claim that Su Baimiao ordered you to act, yet all the evidence is at your manor and in your storage. You also said that the person in Xiangzhou Alley wasn’t your servant but Su Baimiao’s. Who can prove that the servant wasn’t actually yours?"

“I...I.”

Cheng Fuyuan, being bombarded with questions, was momentarily confused and tried to think of a reason to counter, “Send someone to identify the servant the kitchen worker saw and check if she matches any of Su Baimiao’s servants.”

“And if none match? Who’s to say you didn’t bribe a servant from the Su manor or that it wasn’t one of your servants that you dismissed to cover your tracks?”

Wan Ningtong cornered her, speaking with pressure. What she said wasn’t far-fetched; it was entirely plausible. Combined with the credibility between the two, Cheng Fuyuan’s words seemed baseless and irrational. Everyone in the room leaned toward Wan Ningtong’s words.

“What color clothes was the servant wearing?” She turned to ask the small man who had been hired. When he heard the question, he recalled the memory and responded,

“D...deep blue, Miss.”

Upon hearing this, Wan Ningtong immediately smirked coldly, “That confirms one thing: that maid wasn’t from the Su household. All Su household maids wear green! That’s the Su family’s designated uniform!”

Wan Ningtong’s words sparked doubt in everyone in the room, making them recall this fact. They then remembered that whenever the Su family attended banquets or ran errands outside the manor, or even when Su Baimiao’s servants came to the academy occasionally, they all wore green!

“I...impossible.”

Cheng Fuyuan widened her eyes in shock and began to ponder the past. She had never noticed what color the servants around Su Baimiao wore or what color the Su family servants wore. Because she had never paid attention, she never thought about it.

Reflecting on past events, she realized that Su Baimiao’s personal servants and the general servants of the Su family all wore green uniforms! Meanwhile, the servant Su Baimiao sent to meet her at Xiangzhou Alley wore blue!

Was this a coincidence or intentional?

As Cheng Fuyuan thought through the events again, she realized that since the day Su Baimiao visited her at her manor, through all the planning stages, there was no evidence linking back to Su Baimiao. Everything pointed only to Cheng Fuyuan!

Firstly...All witnesses who knew about the relationship between her and Su Baimiao were from the Cheng family.

Secondly...Su Baimiao’s actions were like using a borrowed knife to kill, leaving no trace of evidence against herself. What she ordered Cheng Fuyuan to do, however, created evidence that incriminated Cheng Fuyuan alone.

Thirdly...Up until now, Su Baimiao hadn’t even considered extending a hand to help her. Instead, she had let her be interrogated alone, as if she wanted to pin all the blame on her.

When Cheng Fuyuan realized this truth, her eyes widened in shock, and the blood in her body ran cold for a moment. It turned out...she had been used by Su Baimiao from the very beginning!

Everything that happened was orchestrated by Su Baimiao!

That demon Su Baimiao planned to use her as a scapegoat!

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