After a moment of panic, Yu immediately calmed down. Thinking that something had happened to Qu Moying, she was overjoyed. She pretended not to notice the strange things around her and waited for the situation to develop.
Qu Moying was doomed to die for seducing the Crown Prince in front of the Crown Princess's mourning hall. She had just seen that Concubine Ji did not seem to be an easy person to deal with. It just so happened that even if Qu Moying did not die this time, she would be skinned alive and would be sent to marry someone far away in a remote area. By then, it would only take a word to take her life.
A maid ran in hurriedly, looked around, saw Yu, and ran over with a panicked look on her face.
"Madam Tai, Second Madam, Concubine Ji invites you to come over."
It turned out to be Qu Qiuyan's maid Qingju. The lady's face changed immediately. She was just talking to a lady with whom she had a good relationship. She didn't notice Yu, nor did she hear other people's discussions. But when she saw Qingju coming, her heart tightened. This was the Prince's Mansion. If this Concubine Ji came to ask her for something, she should send a servant from the East Palace.
"Mother, let's go over there now." Yu looked very calm, and said with a smile, standing up and lending a hand to the old lady. She knew what was going on and thought that it was Qu Moying who was in trouble. Of course, this kind of thing would be handled by Concubine Ji, but she didn't mind making a big deal out of it.
"Qingju, where is your young lady?" The old lady stood up and asked in a low voice. The old lady felt that something had happened to Qu Qiuyan and didn't understand why Yu was so bold that she could even laugh at this time.
“Our young lady… our young lady…” Qingju’s face flushed red for a moment and she was speechless. Concubine Ji’s words just now were so unpleasant that even though she was a maid, she was so ashamed that she wanted to crawl into the ground.
"What happened to Qiuyan?" Yu also felt something was wrong at this time. The smile on her face faded and she asked anxiously.
The voice unconsciously became louder, and all the ladies and young ladies who had originally focused their attention here looked over openly.
"Let's go over there first." The lady glared at Yu hatefully and turned around to walk out. Luo hurriedly followed. Qu Xuexin and Qu Caiyue also moved quickly. At a time like this, the two unmarried young ladies should of course follow closely behind their elders. After Yu was stunned for a moment, she also followed.
The group came to the room next to the mourning hall. As soon as they entered, they saw Ji Youran sitting in the middle of the room. She was wearing a veil so their face could not be seen clearly. The one kneeling in front of her crying was Qu Qiuyan. They didn't see Qu Moying, but they could smell a strong smell of medicine in the room. This situation looked bad no matter how they looked at it.
The lady's heart sank and she hurried forward to salute Ji Youran.
Yu, Luo and others followed behind.
"You are too polite, Madam. Please take a seat." Ji Youran said, and a maid came over and helped the Madam sit down on a chair beside her.
Luo and Yu also stood up and followed the others to sit down on both sides of Ji Youran. As soon as Yu sat down, she couldn't wait to ask, "Concubine Ji, what happened? Who bullied Yan'er?"
If the prince's concubine had not been there, Yu would have rushed forward with heartache and helped Qu Qiuyan up.
"I'm afraid Madam Qu doesn't know, right?" Ji Youran said with a smile in her voice, seeming very friendly, but her eyes were cold. "Just now, the third young lady in your house was dressed up beautifully. She took advantage of the time when the fourth young lady fainted and talked with the Crown Prince in front of the Crown Princess's coffin for a long time. She didn't even know that Princess Changyu and Prince Jing had entered."
"What?" The lady staggered and almost fainted.
Ji Youran's words did not sound as peaceful as they seemed.
She was so angry, dressed up beautifully, and was with the crown prince. And they were in front of the crown princess's coffin. Moreover, they were seen by Princess Changyu and Prince Jing after Qu Moying fainted
“This is impossible!” Yu also heard Ji Youran’s words clearly and screamed, “Concubine Ji, did you get the wrong person? Our Yan’er has always been very well behaved and never made mistakes. Even her words and deeds are exemplary. She is completely different from the Fourth Miss.”
There was still something else Yu hadn't said. It was obvious that she was the one who schemed against Qu Moying. Shouldn't Qu Moying be the one in trouble now
"What's wrong with Ying girl?" The lady took a deep breath and asked after calming down.
"Someone soaked the Fourth Miss's clothes with some grass juice, and they would become red and swollen after wearing them for a long time. Not only did the Fourth Miss become red and swollen, but my face also became swollen because the Fourth Miss wiped my tears. I heard that the funeral clothes in the mansion were all prepared by Madam Qu Er. Madam Qu Er is really good at it."
The wound on Ji Youran's face was aching slightly, so he spoke bluntly with a hint of sarcasm in his words.
She is still a concubine now, and she wants to climb up to the position of principal wife. If her face is disfigured because of the matter with Yu mother and daughter, she will definitely tear Yu mother and daughter to pieces.
"Yu, what's going on?" The lady turned around and asked Yu sternly.
"Mother... I... I don't know..." Yu looked bewildered and stuttered. She really didn't know about this. She only tampered with Juanhua and shoes.
"Madam Qu, please bring out the antidote." Although Ji Youran's voice was light, the threatening meaning in her words was very obvious. Of course, there was no so-called antidote. The imperial physician had already prescribed ointment and said that it would heal if she applied it for a few days. The worst thing about her right now was the scar, which was still aching.
The pain seemed to remind her of something she had always wanted to forget. She was so annoyed that she almost wanted to beat Qu Qiuyan to death with a stick, but she knew she couldn't do it, so she tried hard to suppress the anger that was rising in her heart.
She must do as the prince instructs, be magnanimous and decent, because she is the one who will become the crown princess in the future!
"Concubine Ji, I don't know, I don't know..." Yu was really confused, and turned to look at the lady, "Mother, I don't know..."
"Madam, I don't know how your family educates young ladies, but it is really disgusting to act like this in the Crown Princess's mourning hall. The Crown Prince also thinks that your family's third young lady needs to be taught a lesson. As for your family's second Madam Qu, her character is really unacceptable."
Ji Youran reached out and picked up the teacup beside him, drank it all in one gulp, then shone the cup in front of the lady, which was a very rude way of saying goodbye.
"I still have things to deal with, so I won't send you off, Madam." Ji Youran stood up. "Fourth Miss Qu is still resting inside. She is covered in wounds and it is not appropriate to move her now. Let her stay in the Prince's Mansion for two days. Send her back when she feels better."
"Your Majesty, can you leave a maid to accompany Ying?" The lady said with a suppressed voice.
"Of course you can, but don't let anyone like Miss Qu come again, otherwise don't blame me for being rude." Ji Youran snorted coldly, turned around and left with his men.
As soon as she left, Qu Qiuyan burst into tears and threw herself on Yu. Yu also hugged her and cried. She was extremely angry but couldn't tell why. She was so frustrated that she almost vomited blood.
The lady didn't want to pay attention to the mother and daughter and went into the inner room to see Qu Moying.
Qu Moying was lying weakly on the bed, her face pale, her sleeves rolled up high, and she had changed into a new set of clothes. Although it was still white, it was obviously not made by the Qu family. The corners of her lips were lightly curled.
She was almost as pale as her face, lying quietly on the bed with a veil on her eyes, which made people feel even more distressed.
"Your servant greets the Madam." Seeing the Madam come in, Yu Dong, who was standing aside, hurried forward to pay her respects. Qu Moying, who was lying on the bed, heard the voice and tried to sit up, but the Madam took a few steps forward and pressed her hand down.
"Sit down first and tell me what's going on."
“Grandma…” Qu Moying moved her cherry lips weakly.
"Madam, I have something to say." Yu Dong answered hurriedly and cleverly. The madam nodded, and Yu Dong recounted the whole story of Qu Moying's fainting. Of course, she also mentioned Qu Qiuyan in the process. She heard all these things when Ji Youran came and called Qu Qiuyan over to reprimand her.
It turned out that it was Yu and Qu Qiuyan who caused the trouble. The lady was so angry that she almost made Yu and Qu Qiuyan, mother and daughter, kneel down together. But she also knew that this was the East Palace and it was not a place where she could punish people as she pleased.
"Ying girl, you should rest here for two days first. If you feel better, send someone to the Qu Mansion to tell your grandmother to send someone to pick you up." The lady tried hard to suppress her anger and reminded her.
"Grandma, I know." Qu Moying nodded obediently.
"If your elder sister stays to accompany you, she can take care of the two of you here, and no bad words will be spread." The lady said again.
It is inappropriate for a girl to stay in the prince's mansion alone. Staying together with her can also help avoid rumors.
"Sorry to bother you, big sister." Qu Moying looked up at Qu Xuexin.
"It's not a trouble. It's my duty to stay and take care of my fourth sister." Qu Xuexin said softly.
After the lady gave them a few more instructions, she went outside to scold Yu and Qu Qiuyan, and took them back to the mansion. Qu Zhizhen, who was outside, also got the news and had been waiting outside for a long time. When he saw them come out, his face turned red with anger. He walked up to Yu, raised his hand and slapped her, saying hatefully: "Poisonous woman..."
"Okay, if you have anything to say, let's talk about it when you get back." The old lady glared at her son and said angrily, "The Eastern Palace was holding a funeral, and there would be many people coming and going."
Qu Zhizhen also understood this logic. He glared at Yu fiercely and turned around to mount his horse.
Yu also wanted to cry, but when she saw Qu Zhizhen's sharp, almost murderous gaze, she immediately softened and began to cry in a low voice of grievance.
Everyone in the Qu Mansion got on the carriages and horses, and left in a hurry through the side door of the East Palace.
With their departure, the matter had already been made public at the suggestion of someone with ulterior motives, and the fact that Yu framed his ex-wife's legitimate daughter became increasingly proven.
It is said that when Miss Qu Si's clothes got wet, she was supposed to change them, but Miss Qu San told her not to, and in the end she didn't change her clothes.
If she had changed it at that time, Miss Qu Si would not have been covered in redness and swelling.
Since Miss Qu San said so, she must have conspired with Yu to frame her own sister. She is also a vicious person. She said before that she had never framed her sister, and that it was only Yu's niece who framed Miss Qu Si. Now it seems that neither of these cousins is clean and good.
It is even possible that it was a plan made by Yu mother and daughter to harm Fourth Miss Qu, and Yu Qingmeng was just a pusher.
These words of explanation for Yu Qingmeng first came from the mouth of the wife of Marquis Yongning, but everyone found it more and more credible. It was clear that Yu was not a good person, and she had been trying to harm Fourth Miss Qu for a long time. The current situation further clarified the facts, as even Concubine Ji was implicated.
Speaking of which, Concubine Ji was also one of the victims!