Free Web NovelChapter 223: Chapter 223
Chapter 223
The Second Prince felt as if he was being repeatedly slapped in the face. His expression was filled with a murderous aura, wanting to deal with those who dared to play him like this, but he had to remain silent for now.
Although he was a man of broad vision, being trampled on his face like this, as if he were a fool, made him feel he must deal with those behind this matter no matter what!
"It seems the intention behind this move is to cause a rift with the Governor of Red Earth City, isn’t it?" The highest-ranking individual spoke casually. This was a way to remind the Second Prince, his nephew, of the importance of the Governor of Red Earth City. If the Governor’s presence weren’t truly significant, he wouldn’t have been targeted in such a manner.
"Eldest Young Miss Ming, I also want to know the exact details of what you mentioned earlier," he continued, pointing towards the eldest young miss of the Ming family, who wielded considerable power.
Originally, the other party was on the Second Prince’s side, but why did she dare to do this? It seemed that the long-simmering undercurrents were beginning to surface. For the Wang, this wasn’t surprising. Power struggles and conflicts of interest could happen to anyone, and this was why he had been wary of those seeking benefits for a long time. He just didn’t expect them to carry out such a clumsy plan.
It seemed they were in a hurry to please someone, losing all professionalism. Sending their daughter to act in this drama was truly a life-risking move.
"G-Governor, I will thoroughly investigate who provided my daughter with this false information. Once found, I will severely punish them," said the head of the Ming family, who had been sitting calmly. His demeanor suggested that he had already anticipated this course of action.
Upon hearing this, both the Wang and the Second Prince understood immediately that the Ming family was looking for a scapegoat to conclude this matter. After all, this eldest young miss was his daughter. If she were deemed responsible, wouldn’t the entire family be considered traitors?
Yueqian smirked upon hearing their words. Mu Heng was also furious. Wasn’t it this eldest young miss who had initially insisted that his wife was the one who contacted and gave the poison to the two concubines? But when things got serious, she acted as if it wasn’t her concern, even promising to find the real culprit. Wasn’t the young lady herself the real culprit?!
Although everyone was aware of the situation and reluctant to admit it, the arrest was successful. The Governor of Red Earth City’s men had captured the intruder related to the incident. From here on, it was up to the Second Prince’s investigation. He knew very well what was happening now—it was all about him. His consort and their unborn child were merely victims.
With the matter in the Second Prince’s palace concluded, the consort’s miscarriage brought about great sorrow, and people widely discussed the tragedy. While this was a hot topic, another piece of news suddenly emerged, causing even more shock among the people.
"Did this really happen?" A male villager exclaimed loudly in astonishment, his face showing great excitement.
"It’s absolutely true. When that woman fainted, many people witnessed it. Plus, the doctor who examined her confirmed she was pregnant!"
"Oh, dear Buddha, isn’t this self-inflicted harm? I heard that Young Miss of the Ming family—ah! I mean, that woman was involved in the attack on the Second Prince’s consort and falsely accused the Governor’s furen of Red Earth City, who was also pregnant. Who would have thought she was in the early stages of pregnancy herself? So, the poison caused her to lose her child as well?"
"This is severe punishment indeed. If anyone says karma doesn’t exist, I’ll use this as an example."
"Exactly. She tried to harm others, but in the end, she was the one who faced the consequences. It’s a pity for the consort, though, for trusting the Ming family."
"Wait a moment, if the news of her pregnancy is true, then who is the father of the child?"
"Ah! That’s another pitiful matter. The father of the child is actually..."
"Who is it?"
"Are you stupid or pretending to be? The father of the child is the minister, the grandfather of the Crown Prince!"
"What are you saying! Is this possible? If it were the Crown Prince himself, it might be one thing, but this..."
"Why wouldn’t it be possible? People might not have paid attention before, but if you think about it carefully, you’ll find the root of this matter. Just consider how, a month ago, the minister and Eldest Young Miss of Ming family were seen leaving the inn where there were accommodations."
"Ah, that’s something everyone witnessed. But wasn’t there a performance that lasted all night at the inn that day to boost the morale of the townspeople? So why is it strange that they left the inn together?"
"But someone saw them leave together."
"Who saw them? And what if it turns out not to be true?"
"I don’t know who saw them, but if it wasn’t him, who else could be the father of the child? So, it must be the minister. And thinking about it, doesn’t it make sense? Why would the Ming family, who has always been loyal to the Second Prince, suddenly plot to harm his consort?"
"Don’t shout about it. This matter has already been concluded with the blame falling on her deaf and blind servants. If you say that, when they find out, it could lead to a death sentence."
"Ha, I’m not afraid. Everyone in the world knows the truth. You see, even though she tried to blame her servants, karma still found the right person."
The villagers gossiped about this scandal incessantly, while the Ming household was burning with turmoil.
Crash!!
"Scream!! What nonsense is this? I’m not pregnant. How dare those vile mouths talk about me like that?" The owner of the once beautiful face, now twisted like a demon, roared. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red with fury.
"Y-Young Miss, please calm down. It’s just a rumor. It will fade away soon," her close maid tried to soothe her, but instead, she received a slap from her mistress.
Smack!
"You lowly servant! It’s easy for you to say; this has nothing to do with you. Hmph! All you do is flatter me, but when something like this happens, you’re useless! I told you to quash the rumors, and look at what happened. Why do I only get more trouble?"
"I’m-I’m sorry, young miss. I’m worthless. It’s my fault." Although she was not wrong, as a servant, she had no right to argue. Bowing her head and accepting blame she didn’t deserve was at least a way to avoid further angering her mistress.
Crash!
"If you know you’re wrong, then get out and die! You worthless slave." Even though she thought this, she underestimated the severity of the matter. If it were any other issue, this young miss of the Ming family might have just scolded and calmed down after a while. But this directly involved her reputation, so how could she stop?
This time, the young woman went as far as throwing things at the servants who served her. Each one received multiple injuries. Despite this, they didn’t dare to move, merely bearing the brunt of their mistress’s fury.
"Stop it already. What good does this tantrum do?" Fortunately, the heavenly voice of Old Master who was the head of the Ming family intervened in time. Otherwise, several servants in the residence would likely have died today.
He glanced at his daughter’s close maid with a trace of displeasure in his eyes. Who would have thought his daughter was so temperamental, causing such damage to beautiful things? So, he spoke to the other party in a voice neither loud nor soft.
"Go treat your wounds and then report this incident to the main house." With this said, he turned his attention to his daughter, ignoring the embarrassed expression of the little maid.
It was lucky for her that Young Miss of the Ming family was unaware of the affair. Otherwise, as a servant daring to climb into Old Master’s bed, who was her father, she would not be spared.
As she left the young miss’s residence, the maid’s previously embarrassed eyes turned to hatred. She could tolerate this for now. Once she became one of the master’s true wives, she would not be so lenient anymore!
Thinking this, she quickly went to apply medicine to her skin so that it would not leave any ugly scars. Then she changed clothes and applied perfume to regain her master’s favor, letting Eldest Young Miss’s scandalous situation escalate.
"Father, sob-sob, please help me. You know this isn’t true. How could that wretched doctor say I was pregnant when I’m not? You must have him killed," she said anxiously, her beautiful face streaming with tears as she sought solace in her last refuge.
"How could we do that? If the doctor dies now, wouldn’t it imply that the Ming family is admitting guilt and silencing him?"
"But even if we don’t act, people still believe that incident happened. Moreover, they’re gossiping about me and that wretched minister who is as old as my father..."
Slap!
Before his daughter could finish speaking, the head of the Ming family slapped her across the face. It wasn’t a hard slap, but it was meant to snap her back to reality.
The reason he hadn’t dealt with the matter decisively was that he saw a potential path forward. Whether or not his daughter was actually pregnant, this scandal had already tainted her prospects with the royal family. By venturing out and staying overnight, she had to accept the consequences.
The outcome was actually favorable. Becoming one of the minister’s wives wasn’t a bad outcome. The minister had made it clear he wanted to take responsibility for her reputation, even if he hadn’t caused the situation.
Aligning with the Crown Prince by sending his daughter to the minister wasn’t a bad strategy. His daughter was a young, blossoming woman. He didn’t believe the minister wouldn’t be captivated by her.
