Chapter 168

Chapter 168 Nanny Li stepped forward at this moment to pay her respects as well. "This old servant presumes to speak a few words, and begs the Prince's permission." Prince Jing glanced at her sideways. "Speak." Nanny Li's aged face was instantly covered in grievance. "Ever since the main kitchen was handed over to Side Consort Fang's management, that girl Qiu Lu has relied on Side Consort Fang's authority day after day, using the pretext of inspecting the meals to eat and take freely from the main kitchen, causing complaints to fill the place." "At the slightest dissatisfaction, she goes around scolding people, making everyone in the main kitchen avoid her like a snake or scorpion." "Before any evidence was found, she was already shouting threats at the young maids in front of the Princess Consort. Later, she even turned around and bit back, saying that if she had been poisoning the food every day, the people in the main kitchen must have been blind not to notice, and that they should be the ones punished." "Like mistress, like servant. When Side Consort Fang saw that the evidence was conclusive and could not be changed, she invoked the Prince's name to suppress the Princess Consort. Having harmed the Fifth Young Master, she still wanted to walk away scot-free—this is simply too arrogant, with no one else in her eyes!" As she spoke, Nanny Li wiped her tears, seeming to feel wronged on behalf of the Princess Consort and the Fifth Young Master. "It seems Side Consort Fang believes the Princess Consort's dignity and the Fifth Young Master's safety are nothing more than this." Nanny Li naturally did not dare to speak of Prince Jing directly, only insinuating how arrogant Side Consort Fang and the people in her courtyard were, while conveniently absolving the main kitchen staff of any fault. For Side Consort Fang to be so arrogant with no one in her eyes—naturally, it was Prince Jing who had spoiled her. This could also be considered a covert accusation. Prince Jing's eyes held an unreadable expression. Fang Yuan'er knew him well enough to recognize that Prince Jing was already displeased. She quickly stepped forward to pay her respects and explain: "Prince, it is not so!" "Today's matter is fraught with doubts. I am in charge of the main kitchen—no matter what fault arises there, I cannot escape responsibility!" "Moreover, if I wanted to poison someone, why would I choose a time when I myself am managing the main kitchen?" Fang Yuan'er said, both angry and aggrieved. "Before the Prince, am I really that foolish?" As she finished speaking, a few crystalline tears slid from her captivating eyes, making her look both alluring and pitiful. Xie Run, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke: "According to Side Consort Fang's reasoning, if one wanted to poison someone, it would be most convenient on ordinary days, and actually inconvenient during the time you manage the main kitchen?" "That reasoning doesn't hold, does it?" She said calmly: "If Side Consort Fang did not have authority over the main kitchen, how would Qiu Lu dare to linger and throw her weight around there every day?" "Isn't it precisely because Side Consort Fang manages the main kitchen that it was convenient for Qiu Lu to act?" Fang Yuan'er clenched her teeth, ignoring Xie Run, and looked only at Prince Jing: "Prince, I am truly wronged..." In many matters within the Prince's household, it was not just about the evidence—it was about whom Prince Jing believed and whom he favored. Whomever he believed was innocent. Fang Yuan'er assumed that since she had borne the Prince children, enjoyed his favor, and was deeply entangled with him in matters of interest, the Prince would surely protect her to some extent. Unexpectedly, Prince Jing turned the question back on her: "Then tell me—where exactly does your innocence lie?" Fang Yuan'er was startled, her voice slightly hoarse. "Are these words from the Prince... meaning you do not believe me?" Prince Jing lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and icy. "If I believed you, how would He Shou Wu powder have been found in your courtyard?" "Was Qiu Lu's daily display of authority and poisoning in the main kitchen all a false accusation by others?" Having been in the Prince's household for so long, Fang Yuan'er had seen others wrongfully accused and had wrongfully accused others herself. What she had never imagined was that one day she herself would be wrongfully accused and unable to defend herself! The various pieces of evidence pressed down upon her like mountains, and she bore wave after wave of pressure—only to be completely crushed by Prince Jing's few words. Her earlier confidence shattered into pieces in an instant. Her eyes reddened, and she gritted her teeth: "The one who could add He Shou Wu powder to the wet nurse's meals every day need not be only Qiu Lu!" She looked at Xie Run. "Consort Xie, would you not agree?" Xie Run said calmly: "If Side Consort Fang has something to say, why not speak directly?" Before Xie Run, Fang Yuan'er naturally would not show weakness. She raised her hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes and challenged: "What if someone from Chunsan Courtyard put the poison in the meals and then framed me?" "Everyone knows Qiu Lu was in the main kitchen every day! Wouldn't Sister Xie have been able to use exactly that to perfectly frame me?" Xie Run laughed in anger, but also felt a sense of crisis rising within her. "Does Side Consort Fang mean that I poisoned Taotao to frame you?" A hint of a smile appeared on Xie Run's usually calm face as she asked softly: "Do you think you are worth comparing to my son's safety?" At these words, the entire courtyard fell silent. The Princess Consort nearly could not hold back a laugh. This Consort Xie truly did not speak unless it was to make a stunning remark. Though what Xie Run said was the truth... speaking the truth to someone's face was an insult. Using the calmest words to say the most humiliating thing. Fang Yuan'er had long enjoyed favor and had always stood tall before the Princess Consort. When had she ever been so scorned? And before so many eyes at that. Fang Yuan'er was indeed furious, flames dancing in her eyes: "You claim to value the Fifth Young Master so much—then how is it you failed to take good care of him?" "It seems that is merely empty talk. Who knows what you have done behind closed doors?" Xie Run: "Side Consort Fang's words are laughable!" "You mean to say that Taotao was harmed by villains because I didn't value my son enough?" "Then let me ask—when you gave birth to the Third Young Master prematurely back then, I wonder if there was some other reason behind that as well?" Fang Yuan'er's face, still carrying its arrogant expression, went pale in an instant at these words. Regarding the matter of Fang Yuan'er's premature birth of the Third Young Master, there had actually always been vague rumors circulating within the household. It was just that Prince Jing paid no attention to it, and Fang Yuan'er, being favored and domineering, had managed to keep it suppressed without much stir. Now that Xie Run brought it up, it struck Fang Yuan'er right in the heart. Compounded by her own guilty conscience, her complexion turned especially ugly at this moment. Xie Run saw her face go pale but felt no particular satisfaction. Fang Yuan'er's counteraccusation was baseless—mere empty words—and Xie Run had originally not wished to waste her breath on it. But with matters like this, she wasn't afraid of others believing it; she was afraid that a seed of doubt might take root in Prince Jing's mind. That seed might not show its danger right away, but given time, it could prove fatal. So even knowing full well that Fang Yuan'er was slinging mud without any justification, she still had to defend herself. Xie Run rose to her feet and stepped closer to Fang Yuan'er, her face cold as she said, "I dare to swear—if I poisoned Taotao to frame you, then may both Taotao and I suffer retribution and never come to a good end in this life!" "Do you dare to swear the same?!" Fang Yuan'er, however, put no stock in such oaths.