"Third Sister, Ninth Sister has been wronged today." As soon as the Princess Consort of Yi County spoke, she was already convinced that it was Li Shi who was behind it. "But even if there are villains causing trouble, we must make them admit it. You should know that villains are the most good at making false accusations, and they will not let go of any opportunity."
Princess Yi's words were practically an instruction to Third Sister.
Third Sister felt much more at ease.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mother. I will keep it in mind." Third Sister sincerely thanked her and bowed gracefully.
Princess Yi was very satisfied with the changes in San Niang, and Yun Shen also felt that San Niang was more understanding and reasonable, and his guilt deepened.
Before long, An Ran had changed into a dress and returned, along with Li Shi and the wet nurse.
Mother Wei stood at the lower end and replied.
"Ninth Miss's injuries are more severe, but the wet nurse is fine." With Yun Shen present, it was inconvenient to go into details, but this one sentence was enough to prove the point.
The wet nurse, carrying Dongge'er, claimed to have fallen without warning but was unharmed. There's only one explanation: she was prepared. If she had intentionally fallen, she would have deliberately minimized the impact. Anran, whose face was even bruised, seems more like someone who truly fell without warning.
“The shoe print matches the shoe print of Xiao Cui, who is next to Aunt Li.”
Upon hearing this, Li and her wet nurse turned pale and knelt down on the ground.
Only then did An Ran finally relax her tense nerves.
She took a gamble. Such an important matter, fearing a leak, would surely be assigned to a trusted confidante by Madam Li. Xiao Cui was Madam Li's head maid, and her attire would naturally differ from the other maids. That's why An Ran dared to speak so frankly about comparing shoe prints.
In retrospect, she made the right bet.
This was a premeditated frame-up; she wanted to see how Li would try to deny it.
"Li, what else do you want to say?" Princess Yi's face darkened, her expression turning icy.
Li didn't speak, but only raised her head, looking at Yun Shen with a pitiful, pleading expression. Yun Shen already knew the answer in her heart; she was too busy hating her to speak up for her.
Last time, it was this wet nurse who pinched Dongge'er until he was bruised, and even said that Third Sister had frightened Dongge'er.
“Your Highness, I went through so much hardship to give birth to Dong-ge’er, so of course I love him dearly.” Li Shi had no choice but to use Dong-ge’er as her shield: “In the past, I treated him like a precious gem, afraid he would fall if I held him in my hands or melt if I kept him in my mouth. During the days I was away… I was so worried about Dong-ge’er that I wrongly accused Ninth Miss…”
Li was incredibly bold, implying that she had reluctantly fled because of Third Sister's jealousy. And now her excessive guarding was not without reason. Ultimately, the blame lay with Third Sister.
Yun Shen snorted coldly and said, "I think it was you after all."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li was overjoyed. She had sought help from the young master precisely because he doted on Dong-ge'er. Could it be that the young master was thinking of their past relationship? After all, he had witnessed firsthand how hysterically Third Sister had tried to drive her away. Would the young master let her off the hook?
"It was my fault that you were so delusional as to think you could challenge the Crown Princess's authority." Yun Shen's usual gentle gaze was completely gone, replaced by eyes that seemed to hold two blocks of ice. He stared sharply at Li Shi and said coldly, "I never imagined you would be so audacious, so disrespectful to the mistress, and even attempt to frame her!"
Third Sister was clearly surprised that Yun Shen would say such a thing.
"...Master?" Madam Li was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Yun Shen to support Third Sister this time, showing her no mercy whatsoever.
"Bring Xiao Cui up here," Princess Yi ordered. "How is she going to explain this? That she was in such a panic that she didn't see Jiu Niang and stepped on her skirt?"
Li and her wet nurse were already drenched in cold sweat.
Xiao Cui was quickly brought up.
Everyone saw An Ran's skirt just now; it barely covered her shoes. If it weren't for an accident, there would have been no way to step on her hem. It's now confirmed that Xiao Cui did it on purpose.
And the wet nurse—she deliberately fell down.
The two people around Lady Li pointed directly to her as deliberately framing the Crown Princess's sister, and as their mistress, Lady Li naturally could not escape the accusations either.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, it was my fault! I wanted to frame Your Highness and Ninth Miss!" Suddenly, the wet nurse raised her head and said loudly, "Last time, I accidentally left a bruise on Dong-ge'er, but Ninth Miss made me lose face in front of Your Highness and almost dismissed me. She also made Aunt Li suffer punishment. I have been holding a grudge ever since!"
Before she finished speaking, a deep sense of sorrow flashed in Li's eyes.
An Ran raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit of admiration for her. Such courage to make a painful sacrifice was something not everyone possessed.
"This servant is not convinced! Since the Crown Princess and Ninth Miss are here today, this servant will have Xiao Cui help me plot against Ninth Miss!" The wet nurse said recklessly, "I'm thinking of pretending to fall and saying that Ninth Miss pushed me. It'll just be a way for Ninth Miss to experience being punished..."
"This servant never intended to harm Dong-ge'er!" The wet nurse admitted all her mistakes.
Seeing this, Xiao Cui knew that the situation was hopeless, so she followed her wet nurse's advice and admitted her mistake.
"How dare you!" Yun Shen was furious. First, these servants dared to use his eldest son to settle a personal score; second, his wife and sister-in-law had also been framed. "Fine, so you're holding a grudge and are unwilling to accept this—"
He glared angrily at Madam Li and said mercilessly, "If that's the case, then I think you don't need to raise Dongge anymore. Take Dongge to the Crown Prince's wife to raise!"
Li collapsed to the ground; this was what she feared most. She crawled on her knees to the prince, clutching his robes and sobbing, "Dong-ge'er is my lifeblood! You're taking my life!"
Yun Shen remained unmoved.
“The wet nurse and Xiao Cui should certainly be severely punished.” The Princess Consort suddenly stood up and said calmly, “However, this is a matter for the Crown Prince’s wife, and it is inconvenient for me to interfere.”
The Princess Consort seemed to completely trust Third Sister and was about to leave.
Li was truly afraid.
"Good child, you've been wronged." The Princess Consort defended An Ran in front of everyone, and said gently, "Your sister has other matters to attend to, I'll take you back."
Seeing the Princess Consort's attitude, An Ran was quite flattered. This meant she was fully supporting Third Sister.
It's a good opportunity after all, and I hope Third Sister can seize it. An Ran obediently nodded and followed the Princess Consort outside.
Li's crying gradually faded into the distance. Readers, you can search for "" to find this site immediately.
Chapter 57 Wives and Concubines
In the central hall, only Yun Shen and San Niang remained, sitting in the main seats, while Li Shi, the wet nurse, and Xiao Cui knelt on the ground.