“You go ahead and tell me then, what exactly is this major event?”
The little maid, who had been chattering incessantly, played coy, deliberately drawing out her words and refusing to say for a long time.
The surrounding maids were all extremely curious and urged her repeatedly. Only then did the little maid slowly open her mouth and say, “It’s said that a family outside the city died a very tragic death. Not only did the entire family perish, but their hearts were actually all gouged out.”
Ye Qingcheng, who was eavesdropping outside the wall, heard this and couldn’t help but freeze.
She had indeed stumbled upon a family outside the city that had all been killed that night, but she didn’t recall their hearts being missing.
Could it be that this family was not the one she encountered that night?
“Ah! Hearts gouged out?”
“Yes, it’s said only a gaping hole was left, pitch black, with blood everywhere.”
“That’s too terrifying! Who would do such a thing?”
“The killer hasn’t been caught yet. The officials must still be investigating. Apparently, someone saw an extremely beautiful woman enter that house during the day.”
Ye Qingcheng froze again.
During the day? A beautiful woman?
This matter was becoming more and more bizarre, and she couldn’t figure it out at all.
“Then, tell me, how does this matter relate to Miss Qingcheng from our manor?”
The original maid deliberately lowered her voice as she spoke. Ye Qingcheng, who was outside the wall, couldn’t hear clearly.
Just as she was preparing to press her ear closer to the wall, trying to hear what the little maid was saying, a hand suddenly reached out and gently patted her shoulder.
“Guess who I am?”
It was a very familiar voice.
Ye Qingcheng was startled, but didn’t cry out. Instead, she instinctively flicked her hand and slapped the person behind her.
After a loud “slap,” Gu Qingyuan, clutching his face, crouched in front of Ye Qingcheng and looked at her with a wronged expression, “Qingcheng, why did you hit me?”
Ye Qingcheng put her index finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet.
Gu Qingyuan understood, nodded, lowered his voice, and asked, “Qingcheng, why did you hit me?”
She didn’t speak, crouching down and leading Gu Qingyuan away from the spot.
Gu Qingyuan followed her until they reached the edge of a pond filled with lotus leaves.
“Why are you here?” Ye Qingcheng finally stopped and turned to look at Gu Qingyuan.
“I finally managed to seize an opportunity, knowing your Prince is away? I heard you ran away a few days ago and were in quite a mess, but I never had a chance to come over,” he said.
“Ah, let’s not talk about those things.” Ye Qingcheng waved her hand.
“I just didn’t expect you to borrow my dream-inducing pill just to escape! Qingcheng, didn’t you say you liked Xiao Wangye very much?” He seemed unable to understand.
She sighed, “So many things have happened recently, and I’m very helpless.”
After a pause, Ye Qingcheng looked at Gu Qingyuan, “How about it? Have you encountered anything particularly interesting recently? For example, how are things between you and Princess Xue Ji?”
He glared at her, “Qingcheng, you’re becoming more and more wicked, bringing up things that are painful.”
She smiled and said nothing.
Gu Qingyuan was silent for a moment and said, “Actually, Qingcheng, I came over today because of some things concerning you.”
“My matters? What matters of mine?” She was startled.
“Alas, Qingcheng, you know, your Prince protects you like a fragile treasure. No gossip can reach you. But there’s some extremely interesting gossip, and I feel that if I don’t tell you, you’ll find it boring,” Gu Qingyuan said.
She had a slight bad premonition. “Then tell me, what kind of gossip is so interesting?”
He smiled, “Just yesterday, I was wandering on the street and saw a tea house with many people, so I went to sit there and join the fun.”
“Mm, and then?”
“Then? Naturally, I was in the tea house and heard them talking. They said that the girl in the Regent’s Manor must be a fox spirit. Otherwise, with such beauty, how could she captivate the Regent so completely and wholeheartedly?” he said.
Ye Qingcheng glanced at him, “This isn’t very interesting gossip, is it?”
“They probably haven’t seen your radiant and ethereal appearance, Qingcheng,” Gu Qingyuan sighed. “Your proud demeanor, your astonishing beauty that could make a fish sink and a goose fall. It must be your spirit that captivated the Regent…”
Ye Qingcheng really couldn’t bear to tell him what a mess she made of herself in front of Xiao Wangye.
However, while she didn’t care much about Gu Qingyuan’s so-called gossip, she was quite concerned about what those little maids had said.
After that, Ye Qingcheng didn’t see Xiao Wangye for three consecutive days, and she felt a little uneasy.
This feeling of unease intensified when a team of soldiers stormed into the manor.
At that time, Ye Qingcheng was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. The soldiers surrounded the small pavilion where she was with an impermeable barrier. Each of them looked at her as if she were something terrifying.
The leading soldier stepped forward and cupped his hands at Ye Qingcheng, “Miss Qingcheng, forgive our intrusion.”
“What do you mean? How have you intruded upon me?” Ye Qingcheng pretended to be calm.
“A family outside the city was tragically murdered in their home, and their hearts were gouged out. Witnesses have informed the authorities that Miss Qingcheng was seen leaving the manor on horseback on the day that family died. Near that family’s residence, we found a dead horse, and that horse indeed bears the mark of the manor.”
The man spoke respectfully, and almost every word he uttered pointed the edge of his words towards Ye Qingcheng.
It was so well-reasoned and convincing.
And Ye Qingcheng had no witnesses. She did indeed leave the manor that day, and her horse did die near that family’s residence. But she had only discovered the bodies of the family; she hadn’t killed them.
But she couldn’t explain. She knew very well that her explanations were all pale.
“What? Coming to this Prince’s manor with such a large contingent, did you have this Prince’s permission?”
Xiao Wangye’s voice sounded at the opportune moment.
Seeing Xiao Wangye walking towards the pavilion from the crowd, Ye Qingcheng seemed to see a savior and called out to him with a face full of surprise, “Prince!”
“Mm, this Prince has returned to take a look,” he said faintly.
“Regent, this Miss Qingcheng is suspected of murdering a family, and the evidence is conclusive,” the soldier then explained the words he had just said to Ye Qingcheng to Xiao Wangye.
After listening to him, Xiao Wangye stroked his chin and looked at Ye Qingcheng, saying nothing.
Ye Qingcheng widened her eyes and looked at him, “Prince, didn’t you say you would believe this consort?”
“Miss Qingcheng, this is no longer a matter of whether the Regent believes you,” the leading soldier said. “Even the Son of Heaven commits a crime, he is punished the same as a commoner. Even if you, Miss Qingcheng, have killed someone, even if the Regent says he believes you, you will still be punished.”