lcionline Chapter 671 Repeated indulgence ultimately led to disaster.
Chapter 671 Repeated indulgence ultimately led to disaster.
The main hall of Prince Yong's Mansion.
Prince Yong sat in the main seat, with Princess Yong and Lin Jingchuan sitting on either side. One looked impatient, and the other had a furrowed brow.
Granny Zhang stood quietly in the center of the hall, her back slightly hunched, yet her presence was enough to rival that of the three noble ladies present.
Behind her knelt a trembling old woman, none other than Granny Qi, who had taken leave and left the mansion a few days ago.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Young Prince," Granny Zhang began, "This old servant has come today to seek justice for my young lady."
As soon as she finished speaking, two servants from the Zhao family carried forward a tray containing neatly sorted medicinal dregs and food boxes...
"In the past seven days, this old servant has searched the entire Zhilan Garden and the main kitchen of the Prince's Mansion. Since the eldest young lady became pregnant, the daily prenatal supplements, which seem precious, are actually too rich and greasy. Even ordinary pregnant women would find it difficult to digest, let alone the eldest young lady who is pregnant for the first time."
“Even worse,” Granny Zhang picked up a confession and said loudly, “someone secretly bribed Granny Qi in the main kitchen to tamper with the young lady’s meals, and also added cold-natured herbs to the silver frost charcoal used in Zhilan Garden.”
"If this continues, the fetus will become unstable, and childbirth will naturally be extremely dangerous!"
"And this kneeling old woman, Qi, packed her valuables and left the manor the day after the young lady's incident, but was caught and brought back by our Zhao family outside the city. She has already confessed who ordered her to do it."
Granny Zhang's gaze was sharp as she slowly swept over Princess Yong and finally landed on Lin Jingchuan's face.
"All the evidence and all the witnesses point to one person—Princess Lin Xingyao of your esteemed family."
"boom!"
The coffee table next to Lin Jingchuan hummed loudly after he punched it.
He stood up abruptly, his face ashen, his eyes filled with shock and rage.
He never imagined that his sister, whom he had repeatedly indulged, would dare to be so audacious as to harm his offspring!
Prince Yong's face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water, and the veins on the back of his hand gripping the armrest bulged.
"Nonsense!" Princess Yong was furious, but not at Lin Xingyao.
"Is your Zhao family deliberately trying to cause trouble? Xingyao is a princess of my Yongwang Mansion, a woman of noble birth. Why would she want to harm her sister-in-law's unborn child?"
Granny Zhang snorted coldly and argued, "Why the princess did this is something that the Prince Yong's mansion surely knows better than this old servant."
Princess Yong was speechless at her words and angrily pointed towards the direction of Zhilan Garden outside the door.
"A woman who can't even protect her own child, the fact that my Prince Yong's Mansion hasn't divorced her is already an immense favor!"
"You Zhao family are ungrateful and dare to come here to cause trouble. Do you really think my Prince Yong's Mansion is easy to bully!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Jingchuan's expression grew even more unpleasant.
Granny Zhang didn't even raise an eyebrow, but calmly asked in return, "The Princess Consort says she wants to divorce her wife, then this old servant would like to ask, which of the seven grounds for divorce has my eldest daughter Zhao violated? Is it childlessness, adultery, jealousy, or gossip?"
"Your Prince Yong's wife, whom you married with great ceremony and was carried in by eight bearers, has now been murdered by villains and lost her child. Instead of investigating the real culprit, the Prince's mansion wants to throw all the blame on my young lady. Is this the rule of your Prince Yong's mansion?"
"Insolence!" Princess Yong's chest heaved violently from the shove, and she slammed her hand on the table. "How dare a servant talk back to me like this! Guards, drag her out and slap her!"
"I'm afraid even the Princess Consort can't control my mouth." Granny Zhang straightened her back and her voice suddenly rose. "Although I am just a servant, I am here on behalf of the old lord of the Zhao family!"
"If the Prince Yong's Mansion does not give the Zhao family an explanation for this matter, our matriarch and master will personally submit a petition to the palace to clarify things before the Emperor! We will see whose daughter is so malicious as to harm their offspring!"
"enough!"
The Prince of Yong, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
Princess Yong's arrogance was suppressed, and she reluctantly sat back down.
Prince Yong's deep gaze fell on Granny Zhang, and he slowly said, "I will definitely give the Zhao family an explanation for this matter."
Granny Zhang bowed slightly and said, "I have said what I needed to say. My young lady is still waiting, so I will take my leave now."
After saying that, she turned and left with two Zhao family servants.
Princess Yong wanted to say something more, but when she met Prince Yong's icy eyes, she immediately fell silent.
"Somebody come!"
The guards standing outside the door immediately bowed and entered: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
"Immediately take men and surround the Princess's residence!" Prince Yong's voice was icy. "Without my order, not even a fly is allowed to escape!"
"Yes!" The guard accepted the order without daring to delay for even a moment.
"Your Highness!" Princess Yong could no longer hold back and stood up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief.
"What is Your Highness doing? Are you going to doubt your own daughter just because of a few seditious words from a servant?!"
Prince Yong slowly turned his head, and the look in his eyes chilled Princess Yong to the bone.
He practically gritted his teeth, "She is not my daughter!"
Lin Jingchuan suddenly raised his head and looked at his father in shock.
Princess Yong was struck dumb, her whole body swayed, and she staggered a step before she could barely stand by holding onto the table beside her.
Her face was deathly pale, her lips trembled, and it took her a long time to find her voice: "Your Highness, what... what do you mean? Why would you say such a thing?"
Prince Yong did not answer her.
He abruptly flicked his sleeve, not even glancing at his wife who was slumped there, and strode away.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, please explain yourself!" Princess Yong cried out in anguish, but Prince Yong's back did not falter at all.
Only the mother and son remained in the hall. Princess Yong slumped back into her chair, dejected, clutching Lin Jingchuan's sleeve as if grasping at the last straw.
"Jingchuan, what did your father mean by what he just said? Is he out of his mind?"
Lin Jingchuan's face was equally grim. He lowered his eyes, avoiding his mother's probing gaze, and said in a dry voice, "Father... he was just too heartbroken by his grandson's passing."
"No, no!" Princess Yong shook her head desperately, tears mingling with fear.
“Jingchuan, Xingyao would never do such a thing! You know your sister's character best. She's been closest to you since childhood. How could she harm your child! She…”
"Mother!" Lin Jingchuan interrupted her in a deep voice, "Everything will be clear when Father returns."