Qu Moying's health is still good, at least much better than before, and he can meet guests.
So she met the Crown Prince.
After the greetings, she sat down aside and the maid brought her tea. Pei Luoan took a sip and put it down.
"Princess Ying, I'm here to ask you something." Pei Luoan looked at Qu Moying with a serious face and said.
"Your Highness, please speak." Qu Moying said calmly.
"I heard that the Ministry of Justice has made some progress in its search for the third young lady of the Ling Anbo Mansion. The Ministry of Justice said that some specific case files have been sent to Princess Ying."
Pei Luoan said, this is against the rules.
If someone else had done it, Pei Luoan could hold them accountable with his methods, but because it was done by the British Palace and was closely related to the British Princess, Pei Luoan condescended to come and ask Qu Moying for it in person. It can be said that he gave Qu Moying enough face. Of course, the most important thing was to give enough face to the King of England.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince wants to see these case files?" Qu Moying asked, turned around and called the maid, and asked someone to get them, which had been brought over earlier.
In fact, Qu Moying could not get this case file, and it had gone through a lot of twists and turns.
With Pei Yuanjun's intervention, the people from the Ministry of Justice did not dare to disobey the order, and the case was then transferred from Pei Yuanjun to Qu Moying's hands.
That being said, in reality, the case was sent directly from the Ministry of Justice to Qu Moying, and Pei Yuanjun did not intervene in the matter.
The case file was brought over, Pei Luoan took it and looked at it, frowning slightly.
Qu Moying waited quietly, his eyes once again falling on Master Ning Yin opposite him. Master Ning Yin had been standing there since she entered the room, as if she was Pei Luoan's maid.
With her head lowered, she couldn't see her face clearly. Only when she led Pei Luoan in just now could she see that her face was still pale and a little sick.
Other than that there is really no difference.
So, the person that Master Ning Yin was anxious to see before was Pei Luoan.
Pei Luoan went to Qingyun Temple...
"Princess Ying, is there any clue to find Miss Ji San?" Pei Luoan raised his head and asked.
"There may be some clues, but the details... are different now. My cousin must still be alive. No matter what, I must find her." Qu Moying said, his eyes clear and elegant with a hint of coldness.
Looking at Qu Moying like this, Pei Luoan frowned, subconsciously avoiding her too clear eyes, and stretched out his hand to rub his eyebrows: "I heard that the Princess of England is going to recognize her ancestors and return to her ancestral home."
"No matter which family I am from, a cousin will always be a cousin." Qu Moying said.
There was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes. Did Pei Luoan come here to inquire about the news because of her identity change
"My cousin has been so kind to me. Even if we are not related by blood, I will definitely investigate further to find out what happened and whether my cousin was framed." Qu Moying continued.
Pei Luoan was very annoyed. This Princess of England was really clinging to him and refused to let go. He originally thought that since she was no longer a daughter of the Qu family, there was also an advantage, but it seemed that she was not going to give up.
"It's best that Princess Ying thinks this way. Even though the Crown Princess is no longer here, her affairs are still my affairs. Finding Miss Ji San is also what I should do. Princess Ying is not feeling well, so there is no need to worry about her." Pei Luoan pointed to the case file in front of him and said.
Qu Moying leaned slightly sideways on the chair and said, "I'm afraid this won't work. The prince once said that even if my last name is not Qu, my gratitude to my cousin will always be in my heart. I must not be ungrateful. Even if we are not related by blood, we still have moral principles in our hearts. In the world, sometimes all we have to uphold is a sense of morality."
Anger welled up in Pei Luoan's eyes, but he had to suppress it.
He wanted to save some face for the Crown Prince in front of Pei Yuanjun, and he knew it very well...
What morality? Pei Yuanjun was so arrogant and domineering, and he actually talked about morality. He didn't believe it at all, but even if he didn't believe it, he had to believe it for the sake of face.
He stood up angrily and said, "In that case, I'll trouble Princess Ying to worry about this matter. If there is any news, please inform me immediately. I have a moral obligation to the Crown Princess, as well as a sense of affection."
After saying that, he turned around and strode away.
Master Ning Yin smiled apologetically at Qu Moying and followed him out.
Qu Moying stood up slowly, her eyes filled with coldness. "Crown Princess?" This identity made her feel sick, especially when it was said by Pei Luoan...
Liu Lanxin bowed to the emperor very respectfully, then slowly stepped aside and stood there, feeling uneasy and having a bad feeling in her heart.
Did the Queen ask her to come here today because of Princess Qia's matter? That painting had nothing to do with her, so was she trying to pin it on her
"Please take a seat." The Queen's voice was quite friendly.
Liu Lanxin sat down very carefully, bit her lip, tugged at the handkerchief in her hand, and became more and more flustered.
What was the purpose of the Queen's decree to summon her into the palace
"Princess Jing, it is said that Princess Qiya had a very pleasant conversation with you that day?" The Queen's eyes fell on Liu Lanxin. After examining her carefully, she asked slowly.
"Her Majesty, I happened to meet Princess Qiya. I thought she was a princess from Northern Frontier who came to negotiate peace, so I dared not neglect her." Liu Lanxin answered cautiously.
She had thought it through before she said this. She would never get involved in this matter. She heard that Princess Qia was frightened by her horse and fell into the lake, and almost lost her life.
Liu Lanxin was really panicked. She didn't think it was a big deal before, but now she realized that she might have really angered Pei Yuanjun.
"That painting is of you, right?" The Queen Mother had no intention of beating around the bush and asked the palace maid to deliver the painting to Liu Lanxin.
Liu Lanxin had known about this painting a long time ago, but this was the first time she saw it.
When Liu Lanxin saw Beizhu behind the veil, her head buzzed and she almost fainted, with an expression of extreme shame and anger on her face.
"Empress, someone is slandering me. Since I married King Jing, I have rarely traveled. How could... How could there be such a portrait?"
Liu Lanxin couldn't sit still anymore, so she stood up suddenly, knelt down and kowtowed.
"Do you think this portrait is not you?" the Queen asked in a deep voice.
"It's definitely not me." Liu Lanxin said affirmatively.
"Who do you think this portrait belongs to?" asked the Queen.
Liu Lanxin's face turned pale. How could she say it was Qu Moying's at this time? "I don't know. I think it's impossible no matter who painted it. The prince came back and asked me, and I just said it was ridiculous. I don't know who wants to deal with the royal family, who deliberately wants to damage the royal family's reputation."
Liu Lanxin chose her words carefully, silently expanding the matter of the portrait.
It wasn't because of her, nor because of Qu Moying, but because of their identities. They were all daughters-in-law of the royal family, and the King of Wei was also involved.
Even if not for the two of them, for the sake of King Wei, this matter should be investigated thoroughly.
"The King of Wei said that he had never painted it, and what he painted was indeed not like this." The Queen has checked this matter. She had not paid attention to it in the past, but now she discovered that Pei Qingmin's portrait painting style was slightly different from that of ordinary people. Someone specifically checked it, and the final result was that the King of Wei was absolutely innocent.
Since King Wei is innocent, it has basically been proven that Liu Lanxin is innocent.
But the Queen Mother didn't want to let Liu Lanxin go like this. It was not just her idea, the Emperor's idea was also involved.
The Empress was very happy to see that Concubine He's daughter-in-law was so unlucky. Now that Liu Lanxin was implicated, the matter could not be ended casually.
"This portrait cannot prove that it is not yours. Princess Jing, please think about where you were disrespectful." The Queen said coldly.
Liu Lanxin's face turned red and then pale.
"Empress, I am innocent only as God can testify. His Royal Highness Prince Jing can testify for me. Since I married into the family, I have worked diligently and have not dared to slack off in the slightest. I will not meet people casually. All my actions are for His Royal Highness Prince Jing. There is no way... there could be something..."
Liu Lanxin almost gritted her teeth when she said this.
She felt ashamed and angry. She was the Princess of Jing, but she was forced to this extent.
"I have verified this matter with Princess Qia, and Princess Qia said..." The Queen paused here and her burning eyes fell on Liu Lanxin.
Liu Lanxin stood there frozen, her hands tightly grasping the handkerchief. She didn't even notice that her long nails were digging into her flesh. She was so nervous that her breathing became much faster.
"Princess Qiya said... that she gets along best with you." The Queen said slowly.
Liu Lanxin didn't understand at first, then she suddenly looked up, looking at the Queen in disbelief: "Your Majesty... you mean... you mean..."
She couldn't say any more after that and thought of many excuses. She had discussed this with Prince Jing before coming here and even thought about asking Concubine He for help if all else failed. Even though Concubine He was not in a good condition now, at least she had some abilities and had some manpower in the palace.
“What do you think I mean? Princess Jing, you understand, right?” The Queen Mother smiled. Originally, she had some thoughts about Princess Qia, but now… they are gone. Not only that, but she was also very willing to see this happen.
Princess Qiya is a princess of the Northern Frontier, while Liu Lanxin is the daughter of a general who assists the country. These two are destined to be rivals. I wonder how lively things will be after they enter Prince Jing's Mansion.
Princess Qia can talk to anyone with ease, but that person will definitely not be Princess Jing.
The two sides fought for so long on the border, and so many people died. Even the general who supported the country narrowly escaped death. Liu Lanxin, who grew up on the border, was destined to have no chance of living in peace with Princess Qiya...
"Princess Jing, this matter is related to Princess Qiya. Princess Qiya has repeatedly expressed that she has a very good relationship with you. The two of you hit it off immediately that day and talked about some things in Prince Jing's mansion, so the two of you had a good conversation. There was nothing else to say."
The Queen Mother looked at Liu Lanxin and smiled very dignifiedly.
But the meaning of these words made Liu Lanxin shiver all over, and she almost couldn't control herself from yelling...