"What! It really is them!"
"What Three Talents and Three Appearances? I think these two are just shameless scoundrels who openly engage in despicable acts. What qualifications do such people have to be the Three Talents and Three Appearances? They might as well be the Three Scoundrels!" Some young masters were eyeing the position of the Three Talents in the capital. Seeing Hong Yicheng make a fool of himself was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so they immediately began to slander him.
“That’s right, it’s an insult to the Great Zhou to have such people as role models for young men and young women in the capital. They are simply despicable!” The young ladies who had always been jealous of Ouyang Hua’s talent and reputation also condemned and denounced him.
Ning Baichuan, who was already quite angry, was also stunned when he saw that it was Hong Yicheng and Ouyang Hua in the room.
Although Ouyang Hua was a concubine's daughter from the General's Mansion, she was still considered his niece. The previous mess hadn't been resolved yet, and Ouyang Hua and Hong Yicheng had caused this trouble. His face turned ashen, and he didn't even stop the Ning Mansion guards from continuing to beat the two of them.
Hong Wantang had originally come to watch the commotion, but upon seeing his son being beaten, he rushed out of the crowd. He had indeed urged Hong Yicheng to quickly find a way to connect with the General's Mansion, but he never imagined that his son, who always had a backup plan, would be so humiliated in front of everyone. His old face was filled with shame and indignation, but he couldn't bear to watch his son be beaten to death by the servants of the Ning family!
"Stop! Stop it now!"
Hong Wantang rushed into the room, and the servants of the Ning family had no choice but to stop. It was one thing to beat someone like Hong Yicheng who had no official rank, but beating an official of the imperial court would be a serious crime!
As soon as Hong Yicheng entered the room, the guards immediately stopped. Hong Yicheng, who had been naked and entangled with someone, suddenly became vicious and struck one of the guards who was closest to him. The guard was immediately beaten until he spat out blood and fell to the ground.
Those outside couldn't help but change their expressions upon seeing this: "This Hong Yicheng has gone too far! He behaves improperly himself, and relying on his father's intervention, he even beat up a guard. He's utterly despicable!"
"Hmph! You can know a person's face but not their heart!"
"He got caught and got so angry! Any family with such a shameless son will be ashamed to face the rest of the clan!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Wantang's old face flushed red, his eyes wide with anger. He grabbed Hong Yicheng, who was about to strike again, and slapped him twice.
"Ah!" Hong Yicheng covered his face, and was shocked when he saw Hong Chengtang. "Father, what are you doing here!"
Hong Wantang was trembling with rage: "You bastard, if I'm not here, where am I?!"
Only then did Hong Yicheng turn his head and see a crowd gathered outside, all looking at him with contempt and disgust. He was immediately startled. Ever since he had aligned himself with Ouyang Yue and Hong Wantang had been promoted by Ouyang Zhide, Hong Yicheng had been living a life of praise. He had never seen such expressions before, and he was momentarily stunned.
At this moment, a woman's cry of pain caught his attention. He turned his head and the first thing he saw was Ouyang Hua's snow-white body. However, her body was covered with several bruises from being beaten by the guards. The many blue and purple marks on her body still startled him, because Ouyang Hua was lying on the ground and he could clearly see her face.
It's not Ouyang Yue!
"Ah!" Hong Yicheng immediately turned around and ran into the room, trying to grab some clothes to put on, completely ignoring Ouyang Hua. Ouyang Hua was secretly angry. She had been beaten by the guards earlier and had gradually come to her senses, but no matter how much she cried out, no one paid attention to her, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise.
Aunt Ming, who had followed, was utterly terrified. Her daughter, whom she had always been so proud of, was with Hong Yicheng, and in front of so many people! How could this be! Even if Ouyang Hua's scheme had failed, she shouldn't be like this now. Aunt Ming trembled, her usual shrewdness completely gone, her face filled with horror. She hadn't even rushed to Ouyang Hua's aid, leaving her lying naked on the ground…
Old Madam Ning and Madam Ning, who had come over intending to berate the adulterous couple, felt all their strength drain away when they saw it was Ouyang Hua. They hadn't even recovered from the earlier blow to Ouyang Rou, and now Ouyang Hua had pulled this stunt, repeatedly tarnishing the General's Mansion's reputation. Old Madam Ning glared at him, her eyes rolling back in anger, and she shakily collapsed against Granny Xi.
"Madam, Madam, wake up! Someone come quick, help Madam to see a doctor!" Mama Xi didn't care about anything else. She shouted and tried to help Madam Ning out, but in such a chaotic situation, no one cared about her. Even the crowd behind her didn't make way for her. Mama Xi shouted for a long time, but no one could squeeze in.
"Shut up, all of you!" Ning Baichuan's face darkened with anger. He had originally brought his men in a furious attempt to seek justice for his son, but now he had lost all face. "Get them dressed and take them to the main hall. I have questions for them!"
As soon as Ning Baichuan spoke, servants immediately dressed Hong Yicheng and Ouyang Hua, but they were then forced to leave. At this moment, Hong Wantang wanted to save Hong Yicheng, but he also knew that saying more at this time would be detrimental to them.
This is, after all, the Ning residence. If guests cause trouble here, the Ning residence is responsible. And if someone causes trouble here, the Ning residence naturally has some right to punish them. Besides, Ning Xihai has just died, and his body is still warm. Even if Ning Baichuan maintains a calm demeanor, everyone knows how angry he is inside. Naturally, no one wants to provoke him at this time!
Those who were questioned included Ouyang Rou and her maid Cao'er, as well as the nine men from overseas besides Ning Xihai.
Today was probably the day the guests walked the most during the banquet. They came in a grand procession and left in a grand procession, but no one complained. Instead, they kept gossiping with those around them, showing utter contempt for Hong Yicheng, Ouyang Hua, Ouyang Rou, and the others who were being dragged along. They looked like they were about to spit on them to death! The three of them walked in the crowd, their faces dark. They had painstakingly planned and schemed, but in the end, they had only made themselves lose face in front of everyone. Now they were filled with regret and had no other thoughts left!
Ouyang Yue was being supported by Dongxue the whole time, and at this time, Old Ning was not in good health, so Ouyang Zhide had to take care of her as well. Therefore, the two walked at the very back and did not attract anyone's attention.
However, she wasn't the only one; several other people were also walking at the end of the crowd...
"Miss Ouyang looks so pale, it seems she is really ill." Baili Chen sighed. His pale face seemed even paler because he had been accompanying these people for so long, almost transparent, which made his eyes look like unfathomable pools.
Ouyang Yue leaned against Dongxue: "Thank you for your concern, Seventh Prince. I am fine, but I don't know who is so cruel as to humiliate the General's Mansion like this. Alas, my heart is not at peace for a moment. Please forgive my loss of composure, Seventh Prince."
Baili Chen's lips curled up slightly. It was a simple gesture, but when he did it, it was like a beautiful scene. His eyes were extremely bright, like bright flowers blooming quietly: "Of course not. This prince understands Miss Ouyang's worries at this moment. Anyone would be at a loss in this situation. Miss Ouyang has already done very well. How could this prince blame you for being impolite?"
Ouyang Yue pursed her lips slightly, then smiled, looking at Baili Chen with a half-smile. She closed her eyes, leaned her head against Dongxue, and said nothing more.
Dongxue looked at Bingren with some doubt, and finally helped Ouyang Yue with care, while thinking to herself, "Let's get to the main hall quickly..."
Leng Caiwen, who had been walking beside Baili Chen, suddenly abandoned his usual jovial demeanor, his face unusually serious. He gazed intently at Ouyang Yue, then smiled faintly before falling silent. Dai Yu, meanwhile, frowned slightly, appearing thoughtful from the moment they had spoken.
Soon, led by Ning Baichuan, the crowd gathered in the main hall of the Ning residence. Ouyang Hua, Hong Yicheng, Ouyang Rou, and others stood in two rows in the middle of the hall, men and women alike. Ning Baichuan looked at the densely packed guests who had followed him in, standing on both sides and outside the door, and felt a headache coming on. He knew he should send them all away now, but he also understood that after what had happened, he couldn't hide it anymore. If these people didn't hear what happened, who knows what they would speculate and gossip about in private, and the rumors would only become more offensive! Although he hated these troublemakers, he could only let it go!
"Guards, gather all the servants who served the young master today. I will question them one by one. Who served the young master? Why did he go to the pavilion? What are you servants doing?!"
Those who served Ning Xihai were in a terrible predicament today. The young master had suddenly died, and no matter how they explained, they would be guilty. Besides, those favored by Ning Xihai were mostly lazy, cunning, and quick-witted—they could easily shirk responsibility when something went wrong. In fact, some of them knew very well that Ning Xihai was up to no good today, but they didn't know the specifics. Now that a major incident had occurred in the manor, word had already spread, and who dared to claim to know anything?
"Master, I'm just a servant. Today is the old lady's birthday banquet, and I was called away by the head steward to greet the guests long ago. I don't know anything about it. It was the young master's servant who was serving him today..."
"Pah! You're slandering me! I've been busy these past few days arranging things for the maids in the various courtyards of the manor. The eldest young master also said that he doesn't need me to serve him these days. Master, I don't know what's going on..."
"Master, this is not my turn to serve you today..."
"This servant doesn't know either..."
In Ning Xihai's courtyard, a bunch of people were crying foul, which infuriated Ning Baichuan so much that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. He couldn't believe his master had died out there while he was out having fun, and not a single servant in his courtyard knew. It wasn't that Ning Xihai's ways were too underhanded to keep his servants around; it was that Ning Xihai didn't know how to manage people; or it was that the Ning family didn't know how to discipline their servants—they were all so irresponsible. Whichever it was, it was a disgrace to Ning Baichuan and the Ning family!
"And you guys, aren't you always by happy Hai's side? Why is happy Hai there today? What does his death have to do with you!"
The nine scoundrels who had originally planned to humiliate Ouyang Yue were now terrified and in a daze. Knowing they were in deep trouble, they exchanged glances and said scrambling to answer, "Lord Ning, we don't know what Young Master Ning is up to. Just two days ago, he suddenly approached us and said that at the birthday banquet at his manor today, he would take us to play something fun that would make us forget all about home. We were curious at the time, wondering what kind of fun Young Master Ning had discovered, and we even asked him a couple of questions. At the time, Young Master Ning just shook his head and said we would find out in a couple of days, but he guaranteed it would be something that would make us happy."
"Yes, yes, that's how it is. It was Young Master Ning who brought this up, and we don't know much about it. Today, we entered the mansion at the time Young Master Ning had arranged, and then we went to the pavilion with him."
"Yes, yes, that's right. We waited for quite a while and still didn't see anyone. We even asked Young Master Ning what was going on, but he just said to wait a little longer."
"Later, while I was waiting, I fell asleep. When I woke up again, it was... a happy time."
"Yes, we don't know the specifics of what happened. We thought it was just some new trick Young Master Ning was playing on us, so we didn't think much of it, and that was it..."
As soon as these nine scoundrels finished speaking, everyone understood perfectly well that Ning Xihai was the one who had acted improperly and acted lecherously, and in the end, he died of excitement. He couldn't blame anyone else.
Ouyang Rou's expression changed drastically upon hearing this: "No, you're lying! You clearly drugged me! I didn't go to see you at all!"
One of the rascals, with a pointed chin, sneered: "We brothers don't know what kind of agreement you had with Young Master Ning. Now that Young Master Ning is dead, it was this woman who seduced him. It has nothing to do with us brothers!"
"No, no, I helped my third sister here because I thought this place was secluded and quiet. But as we were walking, a dark shadow suddenly flashed in front of me, and then I fainted. I don't know anything after that. As for you... I was completely unconscious. I had no idea what was going on. I was framed!" Ouyang Rou kept shaking her head and trying to explain.
Ouyang Hua, who had been standing to the side with a sullen face, was frantically thinking of a way to exonerate herself when her eyes suddenly lit up: "I saw the shadowy figure too! I was chasing after my second and third sisters, but I couldn't catch up with them. Suddenly, I was drugged by a shadowy figure, and I don't know what happened after that. I've been framed! I've been framed! Who is so wicked as to ruin my reputation? Waaah!" After saying this, Ouyang Hua collapsed to the ground and burst into tears. It wasn't an act; her reputation was truly ruined, and she had no face left at all.
If she were to bring up her agreement with Ning Xihai now, it would only make things worse for her. Since she's already stuck there, and she didn't even see clearly if it was the shadowy figure, at least she could find a victim!
Hong Yicheng nodded in agreement: "That's right. I was enjoying the scenery of Ning Mansion when I was knocked unconscious from behind. I don't know what happened after that. Someone deliberately tried to harm me!" At this moment, Hong Yicheng still had the nerve to call himself "young master." Even if someone had really harmed him before, everyone had seen how he went crazy when he was pulled away after his affair with Ouyang Hua. It wasn't someone else who forced him to do that. Many people snorted coldly.
Mu Cuiwei stepped forward and said coldly, "Oh, you all say you were knocked unconscious, and Miss Ouyang also said she suddenly fainted. You were all unconscious, so why were you all harmed, while Miss Ouyang was found by her maid without any problems? Doesn't everyone find this strange? Miss Ouyang, what do you think about this?"
Ouyang Yue was also one of the parties involved, and she was standing at the front. As soon as Mu Cuiwei finished speaking, everyone looked at her with scrutiny, which meant that they agreed with her words.
Ouyang Yue shook her head: "This is also what I find strange. I fainted and was helped down by my second sister. I had no idea what happened in between. But my second sister was found like that. If someone was trying to harm them, why did they let me go?"
Mu Cuiwei sneered, "That's simple. It's all your doing. General Ouyang just returned to the manor, and to make your sisters vie for the emperor's favor, you plotted to ruin their reputations so you could monopolize the emperor's attention. Your fainting was clearly planned. When Miss Ouyang helped you leave, you knocked her unconscious in a secluded place and then brought these men to defile your own sister. I consider myself well-informed, but I've never seen a woman with such a vicious heart as you. You're utterly wicked!"
Ouyang Yue feigned indignation: "Yes, when something like this happens, everyone's first thought is that it's related to me. Even Miss Mu could think of that, let alone the other shrewd adults, ladies, and young ladies." Ouyang Yue shook her head, "Miss Mu, I only beat you in a talent competition in the garden. You lost and were punished, which has nothing to do with me, so why are you so fixated on this? You speak as if it were the truth, describing the scene as if you witnessed it yourself. I don't have Miss Mu's ability to explain things so clearly..."
"Ah!" Ouyang Yue suddenly exclaimed, pointing a trembling finger at Mu Cuiwei, "Miss Mu, how could you know so much about this? Could it be that you did it! Your father is the Minister of Justice, specializing in torture and beating of prisoners. You're familiar with these things, aren't you? Since you know so much, you must have been involved. Otherwise, you'd make it sound so real, who would believe you didn't know? Miss Mu, we only had a minor disagreement, yet you've gone to such lengths to harm me and even try to ruin the relationship between the sisters in our household. You've done such a vicious thing! If you truly hate me this much, you could have just killed me with a single blow. You didn't need to go through all this trouble. My two older sisters haven't offended you, yet you could be so cruel. Waaah..."
Tears streamed down Ouyang Yue's face like a waterfall, falling with a soft "plop" and continuing unabated. Her shoulders trembled incessantly, and her appearance was one of utter grievance, causing those in the hall to feel a pang of pity. They couldn't help but nod in agreement; Ouyang Yue was right. How could Mu Cuiwei make things sound so real? Although it was suspicious that the Third Miss Ouyang had fainted elsewhere and was found by her maid, if Mu Cuiwei had deliberately orchestrated something to damage the sisterly bond in the General's Mansion, then it would be perfectly plausible.
After all, Ouyang Rou had an accident, but Ouyang Yue woke up as if nothing had happened, which immediately made people suspicious. But the problem was that this whole affair was far too suspicious; as soon as something happened, Ouyang Yue was the first person suspected. Even the most foolish person wouldn't try to shift the blame onto themselves; it was clearly as if someone had deliberately framed her.
There are suspicious points about Ouyang Yue, but it is precisely these suspicious points that allow people to rule out the possibility that she is the mastermind. On the contrary, Mu Cuiwei is more suspicious than Ouyang Yue.
"Miss Mu, is it really because of a conflict with Miss Ouyang that you've framed the General's Mansion to this extent? You're truly heartless!"
"She dared to kill even her own father's woman. What else wouldn't she do? Compared to that incident, isn't it just a drop in the ocean?"
"That's right!"
Mu Cuiwei was furious. She thought she had caught Ouyang Yue red-handed, but now the blame had been shifted onto her. She had died innocently: "You're talking nonsense! I know nothing about this. I have no conflict with Miss Ouyang or Miss Ouyang. Besides, my father and Lord Hong have such a good relationship. How could I harm Young Master Hong? Don't talk nonsense!"
Minister Mu and Hong Wantang are both men of the Crown Prince, so it's normal for them to have a friendly relationship. Mu Cuiwei herself is right; if she were to scheme, she wouldn't scheme against the son of her father's friend. Unfortunately, she was willing to walk into the line of fire and even devised a harmful scenario for Ouyang Yue. Doesn't that make people suspicious?
Baili Jing slapped Mu Cuiwei across the face, saying, "Enough, you shameless thing." She then added, "This princess can testify for Miss Mu that she has been by my side all day and could not possibly have been plotting anything. Everyone, please don't overthink it."
Many people secretly wondered why the princess wasn't around when Mu Cuiwei bullied Li Rushuang; she was always by her side. Unfortunately, Baili Jing's influence remained, so others dared to think but not speak out. Furthermore, Mu Cuiwei genuinely had no other motive. Thus, after all this, the matter has now come to Ouyang Hua, Ouyang Rou, and Ouyang Yue.
Leng Caiwen turned around, fanning himself: "This matter is full of suspicious points. Everyone says they fainted and are unconscious. I think unless a fairy marries into the world, no one can solve this mystery. Look at the three young ladies of the Ouyang family, they've all fainted and don't know what happened. Originally, Young Master Ning knew the truth, but he died while having fun. These nine were simply brought here to play around, so there's no way to verify anything. I think the third young lady of the Ouyang family is suspicious, as are the eldest and second young ladies and Young Master Hong. They all have their own version of events, so who should we believe?"
Ning Baichuan sneered, "Since they dare to tarnish my family's reputation in my residence, I'll simply suppress them all and interrogate them separately. Someone will inevitably confess the truth!" This matter has dragged on for so long, yet no one has any witnesses or evidence; everyone has their own version of events. Even if he wanted to deal with it, Ning Baichuan didn't know where to begin. But if he let it go like this, it would become clear that Ning Xihai acted despicably, framing the people of the General's Mansion. Although Ouyang Hua, Ouyang Rou, and Hong Yicheng would bear the stigma of impropriety, the impact on the Ning family would be the greatest! How could he give up so easily? His son was already dead; he had to regain his dignity.
As long as he can bring Ouyang Yue and her two daughters, along with her nine sons and Hong Yicheng, to the capital for questioning, he'll find a way to pin the blame on them. After all, although the Ning family and the General's family are related by marriage, they are still a different level. When it comes to his own reputation, he'll naturally have to abandon the kinship ties with the General's family. He's a third-rank Imperial Censor, in charge of impeaching officials. If he can't even control his own sons, he might be dismissed by the Emperor. So Ning Baichuan is trying to cut off their supply lines!
Ouyang Zhide and Hong Wantang's expressions both changed, and they naturally understood Ning Baichuan's thoughts.
Ouyang Zhide refused, saying, "No, Yue'er is in poor health. If you interrogate her, she might die."
Hong Wantang also said, "Since someone has framed this person and someone has died, I think it should be handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture for trial. There is no need for Lord Ning to handle it himself."
Ning Baichuan sneered: "This person's incident happened in my residence, so naturally it is my residence's responsibility to give everyone an explanation. The two lords should also understand this principle. This also involves the negligence of my servants, which is not the responsibility of the Prefect of Jingzhao!"
This matter is indeed very complicated. It involves a life, but the implications are far-reaching, and it's still within the Ning family's residence. In a sense, Ning Baichuan has reason to intervene. Unfortunately, this involves the daughter of an official. Even if it were handed over to the Jingzhao Prefecture for processing, it would be justified. But if Ning Baichuan refuses to release her, a fierce battle is inevitable.
Suddenly, Ning Baichuan, Ouyang Zhide, and Hong Wantang's expressions changed; just now, they had a sudden inspiration.
This incident not only created a huge rift between the General's Mansion and the Ning Mansion, two closely related families through marriage, but also alienated them from Hong Wantang, who was the Crown Prince's tutor and teacher. This also meant antagonizing the Crown Prince. Thinking about it this way, the situation becomes much more complicated. Clearly, someone deliberately orchestrated this to prevent the Crown Prince from winning over Ouyang Zhide. Considering this, there are very few people who would have such a motive!
Suddenly, all their eyes were drawn to Baili Chen, who was sitting in the main hall. He was holding his chin with his hand and looked very weak. When he saw the three of them looking at him, a look of doubt flashed in his eyes.
The three of them were slightly shaken!
They had no evidence for this speculation. Even if they did, he was a prince, and what were their children compared to him? In the end, to protect the prince, Ouyang Hua, Hong Yicheng, and the others would only be sacrificed. Furthermore, considering Baili Chen's presence at the banquet today, they immediately suspected that Baili Chen was plotting to damage the crown prince's reputation. However, the seventh prince had always been in poor health, all for the sake of his elder brother, the third prince. But the third prince was frequently transferred by the emperor to harsh, cold regions, and he was utterly ordinary, never catching the emperor's eye. It was the third prince who had tarnished the crown prince's reputation. They had no right to be so smug.
After thinking it over and over, I realized there was only one person!
That was none other than the Fifth Prince, Baili Jian, who was highly respected in the court and whose ambition rivaled that of the Crown Prince. If they were to hold a grudge against the Seventh Prince and the Third Prince as a result, and also become enemies with the Crown Prince, wouldn't the Fifth Prince be reaping the benefits of their misfortune?
Although they thought this in their hearts, they could not say it out loud because it would have too far an impact, and they had no evidence at all. Ning Baichuan's eyes turned cold. Since he could not avenge Hai'er's death, he would take someone down with him!
"Guards! Take the three young ladies of the General's Mansion, Young Master Hong, and these nine people away. Lock them up in separate rooms and interrogate them one by one. This matter must be thoroughly investigated!" In the end, Ning Baichuan still believed that sacrificing Ouyang Hua, Ouyang Rou, Ouyang Yue, and Hong Yicheng, even though it would alienate the two mansions, would preserve the reputation of the Ning family and his official position, which was worth it.
"How dare you!" Ouyang Zhide shouted immediately, and Hong Wantang's eyes widened as well. The two stepped forward to stop him.
"Stop!" Just then, a rather authoritative female voice rang out, and the crowd blocking the entrance in the lobby spontaneously parted.
Inside the hall, all that could be seen was a noblewoman dressed in a long golden robe, with an elegant demeanor, noble bearing, and great majesty, being helped in by an old maid in brown. Behind her were two guards dressed in black, carrying sharp swords, with cold, murderous expressions, protecting her.
Baili Chen, Baili Jing, and Baili Cai were all startled when they saw the woman enter. They immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Grandsons Baili Chen/Baili Jing/Baili Cai greet our Imperial Grandmother!"
The moment Baili Chen and the other two knelt down, everyone was startled, but they quickly followed suit and knelt down to the woman in gold, bowing and greeting her: "Your subject/your wife/student/commoner/woman/servant greets Princess Shuangxia."
The noblewoman in golden robes was none other than the renowned first princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty—Princess Shuangxia.
Princess Shuangxia was not only of noble birth, but her seniority was also frighteningly high. According to the ranking of the royal family, she was even one generation higher than the current emperor, Emperor Mingxian. She was the youngest and most beloved younger sister of the late emperor, and the most favored princess of the late emperor, named Baili Shuang. Even if Emperor Mingxian were present now, he would have to call her Imperial Aunt. Her appearance immediately made everyone present dizzy.
Ning Baichuan was even more surprised. He hadn't received any news of Princess Shuangxia's arrival at the mansion today, otherwise the entire mansion would have turned out to welcome her. Her appearance naturally surprised them.
Princess Shuangxia simply hummed in response, "Get up, all of you." Her voice was extremely soft, yet it carried an imposing authority that could chill anyone to the bone.
"I was about to leave the manor when I heard about what happened in the backyard. I have come here to testify for Miss Ouyang that she was indeed thrown into the pond! At that time, she was still unconscious!"
"What!" everyone exclaimed in surprise.