The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 89 - 88

Chapter 88

“N...no! No! It was Su Baimiao who set me up! It was that demon Su Baimiao who planned everything, Your Highness!” Cheng Fuyuan now looked like a cornered dog. She couldn’t accept the truth that she had been used by Su Baimiao, and this manipulation was leading her to severe punishment.

She wouldn’t accept it!

She wouldn’t let that demon Su Baimiao get away with this!

No, she wouldn’t!

“You!” Wan Ningtong frowned deeply, looking at the woman in front of her who was shouting like a madwoman with contempt in her eyes. She couldn’t understand where Cheng Fuyuan got this madness to keep accusing Su Baimiao so relentlessly.

Duan Wang narrowed his eyes and looked at Cheng Fuyuan for a long time. Her eyes nearly revealed all the truth in her heart. Although what she said seemed unreasonable and lacked sufficient evidence, her stubborn and unyielding eyes indicated that she wasn’t lying.

So, was this matter truly connected to Young Miss Su?

Duan Wang pondered for a moment before turning to command the guards beside him. “Send someone to bring Young Miss Su here.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard responded and immediately turned to leave the room, amidst the confusion of many people in the room, especially Wan Ningtong, who could only cast a questioning look at Duan Wang instead of asking directly.

“Yo...Your Highness,” Before Wan Ningtong could finish her question, Duan Wang raised his hand to stop her. “Go back to your seat. I will handle the rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Wan Ningtong lowered her eyes slightly and turned to walk back to her seat. Even though she felt uneasy, she couldn’t defy Duan Wang’s order.

Meanwhile, Mu Qingxuan, who had been sitting quietly the whole time, continued to act as if she were invisible. She glanced at Cheng Fuyuan, who now looked like a madwoman, briefly. The disappointment and unyieldingness on her face were more apparent than anything.

Tasting the torment of being used and manipulated must feel terrible. However, this was just a fraction of the suffering that she and Ying’er had endured in their previous lives!

Cheng Fuyuan, may you taste despair and defeat of not being able to do anything more profoundly than this...

Meanwhile, the guards of Duan Wang Palace, who had been ordered to bring back Young Miss Su, stepped outside the lounge. They didn’t have to search for long, as they quickly found Su Baimiao standing nearby, watching the events unfold. When the guards approached her to escort her back inside, she complied without any resistance or questions. This was because Su Baimiao had anticipated this would happen if something went wrong.

How could Cheng Fuyuan not implicate her?

That would never happen!

For this reason, Su Baimiao prepared herself for all possible scenarios. Throughout the entire incident, she hadn’t gone anywhere. Instead, she chose to stand outside the room, pretending to be innocent and waiting to be summoned.

When Su Baimiao was brought inside, she curtsied to Duan Wang with proper etiquette, her beautiful face still adorned with the usual gentle smile, appearing as a sweet and harmless lady.

“I heard that Your Highness wishes to see me?”

“Ben Wang has a few questions for Young Miss Su,” Duan Wang replied calmly, his face stern. “Three days ago, before the start of classes at the Imperial Academy, why did you visit Young Miss Cheng at her residence?”

Duan Wang didn’t ask directly if Su Baimiao had gone to Cheng Fuyuan’s residence, as claimed. Instead, he asked for the reason for her visit. If Su Baimiao answered with any reason, it would confirm that she had indeed visited Cheng Fuyuan.

Su Baimiao’s face showed a momentary confusion. “I apologize, Your Highness, but what are you referring to? I do not know Young Miss Cheng personally, so how could I have ever visited her residence?”

Su Baimiao’s response was completely different from Cheng Fuyuan’s claims, raising questions about who was actually telling the truth.

“You’re lying! You came to see me yourself. You’re lying!” Cheng Fuyuan shouted loudly, staring at the seemingly innocent face of the cunning woman before her with a piercing gaze. If looks could kill, Su Baimiao would have died a thousand times over.

“Young Miss Cheng, do not speak nonsense. You and I are not acquainted. Why would I have any reason to visit you?”

Su Baimiao continued to deny, her beautiful face showing confusion, her gentle eyes shining with innocent purity, as if she were being wrongfully accused. This convinced many teachers in the room that Su Baimiao was indeed innocent.

Over the years, Su Baimiao had built quite a good reputation. Everyone praised her as a virtuous, gentle, and sweet lady, a model of propriety. On the other hand, Cheng Fuyuan was notorious for her bad reputation. Besides being known for her malicious behavior, she was also infamous for being arrogant and frequently bullying others. This stark contrast was enough to sway many people’s opinions in favor of Su Baimiao, making it hard not to believe in her innocence!

“You’re lying! Su Baimiao, don’t think you can get away with lying! There were many witnesses who saw you visit me that day. What do you have to say about that!?”

Cheng Fuyuan argued, refusing to back down. She now realized that Su Baimiao intended for her to take the fall alone. But why should she bear the blame all by herself?

"What witnesses do you speak of, Young Miss Cheng? In that case, I also have witnesses." Su Baimiao raised her eyebrows in suspicion before turning to Duan Wang. "Your Highness, three days ago before the start of classes, I went to see Jiao Fangniang at the Jun Kong Building to look at study supplies together. You can summon Jiao Fangniang to verify this." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Duan Wang, instead of answering, nodded at the guard, who then left the room to bring Jiao Fangniang inside to verify Su Baimiao’s story.

Cheng Fuyuan stared at Su Baimiao in confusion. Why would she claim to have gone to the Jun Kong Building when that morning, she had clearly come to see her at her residence?...

Soon, Jiao Fangniang was brought into the room. After paying her respects to Duan Wang, she was questioned immediately. "Ben Wang has a question. Three days ago, before the start of classes, did you go anywhere with anyone?"

"Your Highness, I went to Jun Kong Building to look at new brushes with Su Baimiao," Jiao Fangniang answered truthfully, unaware of the situation. Seeing the perplexed expressions on everyone’s faces, she began to wonder what was happening.

"Impossible! That morning, Su Baimiao came to see me at my residence and then went elsewhere!" Cheng Fuyuan protested loudly. But Jiao Fangniang quickly retorted, "Young Miss Cheng, you are mistaken. That day, Su Baimiao came to Jun Kong Building early in the morning and was with me all day. So how could she have met you?"

Jiao Fangniang was not lying. On that day, when she arrived at Jun Kong Building, she found her friend Su Baimiao already there. When asked how long she had been waiting, Su Baimiao said she had been there since early morning. Therefore, Jiao Fangniang’s immediate response was without hesitation.

"It...it’s impossible!" Cheng Fuyuan shook her head repeatedly, muttering to herself in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.

Standing beside Jiao Fangniang, Su Baimiao secretly smirked at Cheng Fuyuan. In truth, after meeting Cheng Fuyuan at the Cheng manor that day, she had someone invite Jiao Fangniang to Jun Kong Building later.

Su Baimiao had lied to Jiao Fangniang, claiming she had been waiting there since early morning, to use her as a witness to refute any accusations Cheng Fuyuan might make. And it worked!

Upon hearing this conversation, Duan Wang and the others in the room could deduce the situation with more than eighty percent certainty. With clear evidence and witnesses, Cheng Fuyuan could not escape her guilt, while Su Baimiao, accused of being an accomplice, had no credible evidence linking her to the crime.

Moreover, Su Baimiao had a witness confirming she had not gone to the Cheng manor as Cheng Fuyuan claimed. This was enough to resolve the matter...

“N...no! You’re friends! You’re taking each other’s side! No!”

Cheng Fuyuan screamed shrilly. She struggled against the guards, trying to lunge at Su Baimiao, but they held her firmly in place, leaving her no choice but to shout her denials.

“So, what if we are friends? That day at Jun Kong Building, there were many customers. They would have seen us. If you want more witnesses, go ahead and find them!”

Jiao Fangniang glared at Cheng Fuyuan angrily. It was infuriating to be accused of bias just because they were friends. Such a despicable lady!

Duan Wang nodded in agreement upon hearing that. If Su Baimiao’s side of the story was true, there would be plenty of witnesses. There was no way she could be lying. It seemed more likely that Cheng Fuyuan was making false accusations.

“Alright...Ben Wang has made my decision.”

“With the evidence and witnesses presented, Cheng Fuyuan is found guilty of attempting to harm the young miss to her life, an offense punishable by law. She shall be branded on her face and exiled to serve as a royal slave on the border for the rest of her life!”

Thud!

The stern pronouncement from Duan Wang hit Cheng Fuyuan like a splash of cold water, snapping her out of her frantic state. The words echoed in her mind, leaving her weak and causing her to collapse to the ground.

Branded on the face?

Exiled as a royal slave for life?

If she had to endure such a punishment, wouldn’t it be better to just die and be done with it!?

“No! I won’t accept this! I’m not guilty! No!”

Cheng Fuyuan screamed wildly, flailing her arms, struggling against the guards until her hair came undone, making her look like a madwoman.

“Su Baimiao! This is all because of you! You won’t die a good death! You won’t die a good death!”

She cursed; her voice filled with hatred. In her current state, Cheng Fuyuan no longer resembled a noble young miss. Her eyes were bloodshot like a vicious beast, filled with malice as she glared at Su Baimiao, a sight so terrifying it made many shivers.

On the outside, Su Baimiao pretended to be shocked, but inside, she felt no remorse for Cheng Fuyuan’s words. Fools were always the prey of the wise. Regardless of how Cheng Fuyuan blamed her, everything that happened was due to Cheng Fuyuan’s own stupidity!

As for the curses...Su Baimiao didn’t believe in them at all.

Whether she would die a good death or not wasn’t determined by anyone’s words but by her own actions!

One thing she knew for certain right now was that Cheng Fuyuan would no longer live well from this point on!

"Take her to the authorities with the evidence. Pass on Ben Wang’s message to the judge that this case must be judged ‘according to the law’ to the fullest extent,"

Duan Wang turned to look at his two guards, holding Cheng Fuyuan down, and ordered sternly, his handsome face set in a grim expression. He had promised to make the culprit pay, and even though the perpetrator was Cheng Fuyuan, he wouldn’t show leniency, even considering her father, Master Cheng!

"Yes, Your Highness,"

The guards responded with firm voices, committed to their orders. They lifted Cheng Fuyuan to her feet to escort her to the authorities, ensuring the case would be handled properly according to the law. However, Cheng Fuyuan, unable to accept the truth, continued to scream.

"No! I won’t go! I won’t go! Let me go!"

"You vile Su Baimiao. You wretch! You are evil! You demon!"

Thump!

One of the guards, tired of her outburst, struck the back of her neck to stop the trouble, rendering her unconscious. They then carried the limp Cheng Fuyuan off to the courthouse along with the other witnesses.

With the situation finally under control, Duan Wang returned to check on his daughter’s condition. Meanwhile, Wan Ningtong approached Su Baimiao and Jiao Fangniang to discuss what had transpired. The three then went to talk with Mu Qingxuan together.

"I heard that you and Young Miss Cheng lived in Qingyun City together since you were young. Was she always this malicious?"

Jiao Fangniang asked eagerly. Mu Qingxuan simply smiled without responding. She raised her head and glanced at Su Baimiao briefly before lowering her eyes.

"Finally, it’s all over. If it had continued, I fear there would have been more bloodshed," Wan Ningtong sighed deeply. The tension from earlier had been heavy, and if there had been no resolution, Duan Wang would have resorted to harsher measures to find the culprit.

"I don’t understand why Young Miss Cheng harbored such animosity towards me to accuse me so," Su Baimiao said, feigning sadness. She looked as pitiful as a delicate, pure flower, evoking sympathy.

"The war isn’t over yet; it’s too soon to count the dead,"

Mu Qingxuan, who had been silent the whole time, said calmly, confusing those around her. However, seeing her faint smile, they dismissed their doubts. Su Baimiao, though slightly puzzled, quickly brushed it off.

To Su Baimiao, the matter was settled!

Though she couldn’t eliminate Meng Liting, she escaped unscathed, with Cheng Fuyuan taking the fall for everything!

Mu Qingxuan noted the brief smug expression on Su Baimiao’s face before it reverted to a sorrowful look. Mu Qingxuan allowed herself a small, enigmatic smile. It seemed Su Baimiao was quite at ease.

As Su Baimiao and her friends stood talking, a figure of a servant in the Su family uniform burst into the room, her face filled with alarm. She stood catching her breath for a moment before approaching Su Baimiao with urgency.

"El...Eldest Young Miss, something has happened with the Su family!"

Su Baimiao turned to look at her personal servant, her eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

"I don’t know, Miss, b...but soldiers have surrounded Su Manor!"

At the servant’s words, Su Baimiao’s body froze instantly. Her blood ran cold. Her grandfather was the Left Side Chancellor; there was no way anyone would dare to disrespect him so easily. For soldiers to surround their residence, it could only mean something significant had occurred!

Mu Qingxuan, sitting nearby, immediately smiled coldly. Her peach blossom eyes sparkled with amusement, as if she were watching an entertaining show. Seeing the pale face of Su Baimiao, the smug expression from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

She had warned that the war wasn’t over and not to count the dead soldiers just yet. This was only the beginning!

What followed would be the real bloodshed!

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