Chapter 618 - Chapter 618: An Eye for an Eye
Chapter 618: An Eye for an Eye
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence fell to the ground with a thud. “I was wrong. I know my mistake. Please spare me this time…”
Yin Jinwei’s lowly life was not enough, and the old princess consort even had to abandon her to survive.
The old princess consort was indifferent and continued, “You took a fancy to Eldest Miss Yu and wanted a marriage alliance with the Yu Residence. Worried that Old Madam Yu wouldn’t say anything, you asked Fifth Miss to lure Eldest Miss Yu to the crepe myrtle garden to meet Brother Zhang’er privately. You didn’t expect that Brother Zhang would actually lure Third Prince to the crepe myrtle garden without knowing anything. It almost harmed the Third Prince and tainted Miss Yu’s reputation…”
The crepe myrtle garden was the best place in the residence.
Brother Zhang did not know about his mother’s arrangements in advance. Seeing that the crepe myrtle garden was cleared and there was no reason to be afraid of having an encounter with a girl, he brought the Third Prince to the crepe myrtle garden to admire the scenery. It made sense.
It hadn’t been a day or two since Yin Jinwei had coveted her legitimate sister’s snow satin shawl. Not many people in the residence knew that she had lured Eldest Miss Yu to the crepe myrtle garden for a snow satin shawl.
Yin Jinwei had no evidence so this excuse was reasonable.
As a result, the Third Prince had suffered an undeserved calamity. Brother Zhang knew nothing about it, and all the fault was on the Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence.
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence collapsed to the ground and said miserably, “This, this is all the Prince’s idea. I was doing as he wanted. It was the Prince who was worried that if he wanted to marry into the Yu Residence, he would offend Consort Xu. He wanted to walk on the same path as Consort Xu and inherit the throne. He wanted to take the opportunity to please Consort Xu…”
Ning Yuanbo’s residence was sealed, and Concubine Lu was sent to the Cold Palace. Although the second prince was very valued by the emperor, without his mothers planning and the help of an external family, it was difficult for him to become a Marquis.
Imperial Consort Xu was the “head of the concubines.” The Xu family was an old noble family. The Third Prince was smart and the emperor liked him very much.
Comparing the two, it was obvious.
Although the Duke Rong’s Residence had been reinstated, it did not have any real power. Only by making contributions to the imperial family could they gain power. If they stood on Imperial Consort Xu’s side early, they would be able to enjoy endless wealth in the future.
“I know.” The old princess consort’s tone was very calm, and her eyelids did not even move. “A woman should stand by her man. You’re a woman of the inner residence. If it weren’t for Eldest Son’s approval, you wouldn’t have had the guts to scheme against the daughter of an official.”
Fire lit up in the Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence’s eyes as she looked at the old Princess Consort excitedly.
The old princess consort looked at her pitifully. “But so what? You’re husband and wife. If you push this matter to Eldest Son, if anything happens to him, it’ll be the fault of the entire Duke Rong’s Residence. What good will happen to you? Think about it again. The person who brought Third Prince to the crepe myrtle garden is Brother Zhang. If no one takes the initiative to bear this sin, he won’t be able to escape responsibility.”
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence felt a chill run down her spine and her mouth trembled…
The old princess consort knew what she wanted to say. “Yin Jinwei is just an insignificant daughter of a concubine. How can she send away all the servants in the crepe myrtle garden? How can she arrange for Eldest Miss Yu to meet another man in private? Previously, everyone who was present saw the scene.
You can’t deny it even if you want to.”
It was only now that she understood!
Previously, when Yu Youyao returned to the reception pavilion, her words in public were heart-wrenching. With just a few words, she had pushed the blame to the Duke Rong’s Residence.
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence fell to the ground and cried miserably. “Isn’t Yu Youyao fine? Isn’t Fifth Miss’s life enough?”
“How can an insignificant daughter of a concubine be compared to the eldest daughter of the first wife who was meticulously raised?” The old princess consort did not expect her eldest daughter-in-law to have such a naive thought. “If I compare Yin Jinwei to Sister Rou, do you think it is fair? The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence subconsciously shook her head, her face pale.
The old princess sighed slightly. “Eldest Miss Yu is fine, but it’s precisely because she’s fine that the Yu Residence dares to pursue the matter fearlessly.”
If Yu Youyao’s reputation was really ruined, the Yu Residence would be wary and not dare to make a fuss.
The Princess Consort finally understood that she was at her wits’ end. “I’ll apologize to Eldest Miss Yu and kowtow to Old Madam Yu. I know my mistake…
She was her daughter-in-law for more than ten years and Brother Zhang’s biological mother. The old princess consort couldn’t bear to see her like this. “It’s useless. Eldest Miss Yu didn’t plan to settle the matter nicely from the beginning.”
The Princess Consort did not believe it. “She’s just a young lady…”
The old princess consort also said, “That’s right. She’s just a young lady, but
Eldest Miss Yu keeps saying that Fifth Miss brought her to the entrance of the crepe myrtle garden and left. You don’t know that it was an old woman who discovered Fifth Miss and her maidservant unconscious in the pavilion.” The Princess Consort’s eyes widened. “Eldest Miss Yu did it?”
The old princess consort did not answer and only said, “Eldest Miss Yu has a maidservant called Chun Xiao in front of her. Previously, when Eldest Miss Yu returned to the reception pavilion, she did not return with her. As soon as the matter of the Third Prince falling into the water blew up, she returned silently without even alarming anyone…”
The Princess Consort began to feel dizzy again, and even her teeth chattered. “Eldest Miss Yu was the one who instructed Chun Xiao to push the Third Prince into the water?” At this point, she suddenly raised her voice. “How dare she? The Third Prince has a noble status. It’s a capital crime to harm the royal family. She…”
The old princess consort looked at her arrogantly. “Do you have evidence? Do you dare to tell anyone about this?”
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence understood that she was accused of trying to ruin Eldest Miss Yu’s reputation.
Yu Youyao dared to openly return the favor.
As there was no evidence in court, there was no way to accuse Eldest Miss Yu. However, Eldest Miss Yu did not need evidence to accuse Duke Rong’s Residence of ruining her reputation.
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence’s body went limp. “But she pushed Third Prince into the water. Consort Xu won’t…”
The old princess consort sneered. “I can already guess the truth. Imperial
Consort Xu has lived in the palace for a long time, so how can I not know?
What do you think Imperial Consort Xu can do to her?”
The Princess Consort of Duke Rong’s Residence’s face was ashen.
Yu Youyao was the daughter of an official. Even if Consort Xu wanted to punish her, she couldn’t do it for no reason. However, under everyone’s gaze, everyone already knew that Eldest Miss Yu had almost ruined her reputation because of the Third Prince.
Of course, the Duke Rong’s Residence had a plan.
However, the Third Prince was also a suspect.
The crepe myrtle garden was in the inner courtyard. There was nothing inappropriate for Yu Youyao to go to the crepe myrtle garden to admire the flowers. However, as a man, the Third Prince did not avoid it. It was already
rude.
The old princess consort was a little breathless. She coughed hard. “If anything happens to the Third Prince, Consort Xu definitely won’t let it go. However, now that the Third Prince is fine, Consort Xu has to think about how to deal with the aftermath so that she won’t implicate him.”
Yu Youyao had already calculated all of this before she schemed against the Third Prince..