Chapter 258 Wrangle in Summer Palace
Xue Chang guessed correctly. Qiu Yelan was going all the way nasty at the moment. In front of Empress Dowager Gu and Empress Jiang, she condemned Kuang Qingwu harshly, saying he was less than a pig and he could die without anyone missing him. Kuang Qingwu also arrived at that moment, even though he expected that things would come out since the day he seduced Qiu Jinzhu intentionally, but he never imagined Qiu Yelan was so good with words. He wanted to interrupt her for a few times, but he couldn’t find a moment. His face went red and then pale. He was extremely embarra.s.sed.
Finally, Qiu Yelan came to an end, “Please make a justice decision for my cousin, Your Graces! Kill this pervert and clear her name!”
Before Kuang Qingwu said anything, Qiu Jinzhu called out first!
Stupid teammate!
Even though Qiu Yelan was prepared, she sighed in her heart at this moment!
Empress Dowager Gu indeed took the chance, “Ningtai, do you want to say something? Did Ningyi say something wrong?”
Xiuyan pinched Qiu Jinzhu hard. Qiu Jinzhu didn’t dare to publicly rebut Qiu Yelan. She held back her tears and said, “Your Grace, what she said were all true…”
“Think carefully!” Empress Dowager interrupted her with a faint smile, “According to Ningyi, she wanted to kill Young Prince of Marquess Zhang. Do you think what she said is right?”
“…” Qiu Jinzhu’s expression changed. She subconsciously looked at her lover in the near distance. And she caught the sad glance of Kuang Qingwu. He then looked back, saluted at two Empresses, “Your Graces, I did betray Commandery Princess Ningtai. Now if she wants me dead, I won’t say another word!”
He looked like he was retreating, but in fact, he was advancing. His intention was clear to Qiu Yelan. Yet it disturbed the mind of Qiu Jinzhu at once, “Why is this happening? Didn’t Qiu Yelan say she would save me? Why does she want to kill Qingwu?”
She thought about Qiu Yelan mentioning before that Qiu Zhongyan was killed by Kuang Shihan, “Now she’s using the chance to kill Qingwu to revenge for uncle?”
“What should I do?! If I go along with Qiu Yelan, Qingwu will… If I don’t, she won’t forgive me afterward for her personality!”
“Mother and Qiu Yelan all told me that Qingwu lied to me, but now he’s willing to die… If he wanted to lie to me, why would he admit he betrayed me? Does he have some difficulties?”
She was dazing, but others didn’t have time to wait.
Empress Dowager Gu sneered, “Ningtai, did you hear what Young Prince said? This is a huge matter. How can you not say anything and let your cousin speak for you?!”
Empress Jiang who usually loved to argue with Empress Dowager didn’t say anything, even though she did come in time to support Qiu Yelan. She looked at Qiu Yelan meaningfully while holding the teacup. It looked like she wanted to test Qiu Yelan with this.
Without the Empress stopping Empress Dowager Gu from coaxing Qiu Jinzhu, Qiu Yelan had to do it herself, “Your Grace, that’s not true. My cousin is still not married. How could she say this publicly? Therefore, I have to speak for her. What the Young Prince just said is clearly a confession! Since then, Your Grace, why are you still taxing my cousin? You should announce the punishment and bring justice to my cousin and my maiden family!”
Even though Empress Jiang didn’t say anything, but she was a support to Qiu Yelan just by sitting here.
For example, Qiu Yelan could be arrogant. Because even though the Empress was testing her, she wouldn’t just watch Qiu Yelan being dragged down and got beaten by Empress Dowager Gu’s man.
A killing intent pa.s.sed through Empress Dowager Gu’s eyes quickly. She glanced at the Empress who was sitting under her and held back the urge to call someone to drag Qiu Yelan out and beat her to death. With Empress Jiang here, this order would never be executed. It would only be a waste of time.
Empress Dowager Gu wanted to deal with the Empress’s party while Marquess Qin was sick, so she had racked her brain recently. She was a great-grandmother now. Her energy was very precious. So Empress Dowager Gu didn’t want to waste it.
Therefore, she only glanced at her trusted maid.
The maid understood. She said coldly, “How dare you Commandery Princess Ningyi! Empress Dowager has asked a question. You’re in no position to doubt it! Besides, why can’t Commandery Princess Ningtai say it herself? She already did all that shameful things yet she’s afraid to say it now?!”
“That’s ridiculous.” Empress Jiang who was watching saw Empress Dowager’s maid talking. She frowned and looked at Maid Lin standing by her side. Maid Lin immediately spoke, “Why can’t Commandery Princess Ningyi say that? Kuang Qingwu is the Young Prince of a Marquess, yet he is shameless, seducing a young Commandery Princess. He should have learned better at school! Commandery Princess Ningyi is the legitimate cousin of Commandery Princess Ningtai. They are close. It’s normal that she would want to see Kuang Qingwu punished! Why can’t she say it?”
Empress Jiang was drinking the tea calmly and looking at Empress Dowager Gu provokingly. A maid would always be a maid in front of royals. Of course, the royal family’s maids were not like others, but there was still a rank. So when Maid Zheng scolded Qiu Yelan, Su He and others couldn’t talk back. If Empress Jiang had not asked Maid Lin to pick up the conversation, Qiu Yelan would have had to do it herself.
“Using a maid to humiliate my nephew’s wife? Nice try!” Empress Jiang sneered in her mind, “You think I’m dead?”
“Commandery Princess Ningyi is already married. Even if she hasn’t, Commandery Princess Ningtai’s parents are all alive. Such a serious thing happened, and they didn’t come over to say anything. How can Commandery Princess Ningyi take care of it?” Maid Zheng and Maid Lin were old rivals. Hearing Maid Lin, she frowned and said coldly, “Besides, Commandery Princess Ningyi once exposed Duke of Xihe not respecting his official mother, regardless of their blood relation. So it shows they are not close at all! Now Duke of Xihe and his wife haven’t arrived. We can’t believe Commandery Princess Ningyi’s word!”
Honestly speaking, Qiu Yelan felt like the situation was a mess. When she and Qiu Jinzhu came over, Tang Zimo and Qiu Dian were all here. They were sent away by Empress Jiang. She arrived later and said, “It’s family business. No one can interfere before it’s clear”.
Empress Jiang did that because she received a piece of information on the way, saying that Qiu Jinzhu still had feelings for Kuang Qingwu. She was worried that if Tang Zimo and others had stayed and they hadn’t controlled the situation well, Qiu Jinzhu would have protected Kuang Qingwu and it would have been a mess.
The problem was that even though Empress Jiang sent many people away to control the situation and only allowed a few to stay, but Qiu Mengmin and his wife should have come. Yet they still hadn’t shown up now!
Now Maid Zheng mentioned them. Empress Dowager Gu and Empress Jiang started to feel something was wrong. They asked the servant by the door, “Did Duke of Xihe and his wife come?”
“No, Your Graces.” The servant went outside and asked around before coming back hurriedly, “They haven’t even come to the Palace!”
Hearing that, everyone was surprised, “Is Qiu Mengmin just going to abandon his daughter? But even so, he still needs to announce that in the Palace.”
“Ask someone to go to the Qiu Family residence!” Empress Dowager Gu thought for a while and ordered decisively.
Qiu Mengmin and his wife hadn’t arrived, but the ones in the Hall would not just sit and wait.
At this moment, Empress Dowager Gu seized on the grudges Qiu Yelan had with her eldest uncle, doubting why she would argue for Qiu Jinzhu this time. Of course, Qiu Yelan didn’t back off. She a.s.serted that no matter how they fought, they were still families, “Don’t you think I need to fight for my cousin? Do you think I should just hit her when she’s in trouble?”
Empress Jiang smiled relaxedly beside her, “Mother, no one would hold grudges with their family for that long. Besides, wasn’t Duke of Xihe tricked by some mean servants to disobey his official mother’s order? Commandery Princess Ningyi is generous enough to forgive them. We should award her not doubt her.”
Empress Dowager Gu was not angry at this moment. She said calmly, “I can’t just believe her words. Let’s discuss it when Qiu Mengmin and his wife come.” Empress Dowager Gu thought in her heart, “You really think I don’t know Jiang Family is trying to stall? But I want to stall it till tomorrow too. After all, we need time to collect the evidence of Qiu Jinglan instigating Commandery Princess Ningtai to seduce my nominal grandson Kuang Qingwu…”
Therefore, the ones in the Hall argued with each other for a while, and finally, the servant who went to get Qiu Mengmin and his wife came back. But the result was surprising: they knew they should come, but they couldn’t.
At least for now.
The reason why they couldn’t come was simple: Qiu Mengmin heard that his daughter did such a shameful thing. He was furious. Concubine Bian and Ding Qinghong added more fuel to the fire. So when he got back to the residence, because he didn’t find Qiu Jinzhu who already went to see Qiu Yelan at Jiang’s residence, he rushed over to scold Princess Yang!
Princess Yang was furious too. Her daughter was hurt, and the rumor went wild. She didn’t know whom she could tell all her grievance to! At this point, Qiu Mengmin said things like “how did you raise your daughter, b*tch”, “I know people from Yang Family are all dissolute”. Princess Yang couldn’t bear it anymore, so she went on and fought with Qiu Mengmin!
She was a woman. Even though she scratched Qiu Mengmin at first, she was then pressed on the ground and beaten up by Qiu Mengmin. Princess Yang was of course battered. Shen was now unconscious. She wouldn’t be able to come to the Palace in a short time.
And Qiu Mengmin, he was almost stripped by Princess Yang’s long nail. He was now busy to apply medicine to his wounds. So he couldn’t come either.
“Why is Qiu Family such a mess?!” Hearing that, Empress Dowager Gu looked at Qiu Yelan somberly. She smiled coldly and said to Empress Jiang, “It’s no surprise that they raise an inappropriate daughter!”
Empress Jiang wouldn’t let her win, “Kuang Family is not so good too. I remember Kuang Shihan’s birth mother took the money and eloped after her husband just died. How can this dissolute woman’s blood know how to behave?”
“They say that it takes two to make a quarrel. If Ningtai is chaste, how can he seduce her?” Empress Dowager Gu smiled coldly, “She is flippant after all!”
Hearing that, Qiu Jinzhu’s heart froze: Empress Dowager said she was flippant. Could she still survive? Even if she was lucky to live, what would be her future? Thinking about that, she couldn’t help but look at Kuang Qingwu. This time he wasn’t looking at her but watching the two Empresses fight indifferently.
Qiu Yelan who was standing in front of her spoke calmly, “Your Grace, if my cousin was flippant, Kuang Qingwu would be treacherous and deserve to die. Besides, my cousin is not even 15. Who was not young and innocent once?
Empress Dowager Gu glanced at her disgustedly and said coldly, “What? You want to teach me how to handle this?!”