"Madam Duan, did you bring that lantern?" Ji Youran suddenly turned around and looked at Madam Duan who was following Madam Ji with a smile.
"Lantern?" Mrs. Duan was stunned and didn't react.
"It's the lantern that cousin Qu told you about, the one that belongs to the Crown Princess." Ji Youran continued to ask with a smile, his tone friendly, as if he was just asking casually.
She heard from Xiao that Qu Moying and Duan were sitting together just now, and they must have been talking about the lantern. Duan must know something about it. The point of her question now was on the last sentence. After hearing what Qu Moying said, Duan would definitely have a reaction.
"Miss Qu Si was talking about the Crown Princess' lantern?" Mrs. Duan looked confused. She really didn't know why this sentence suddenly came out.
This reaction was different from what Ji Youran had imagined. It looked like he really didn't know. Ji Youran's heart skipped a beat and she turned to look at Xiao. Xiao nodded silently, indicating that Qu Moying had indeed talked to Duan at that time and it was impossible for Duan not to know.
No matter what Qu Moying said, it was impossible for Duan to not know about it. I didn't expect Duan to be so good at pretending. Did he notice that something was wrong
But so what? She just didn't believe that Duan could keep acting so confused.
The smile on his face became softer: "Don't you know about the lantern?"
"I don't know. Miss Qu Si never told me about the lantern. Is it the Crown Princess's lantern?" Mrs. Duan shook her head again this time without any hesitation, her eyes remained blank.
Xiao couldn't hold back her anger anymore, and stepped forward and said, "It's the thing that Fourth Miss Qu specifically mentioned, have you forgotten it?"
"What did you say?" Duan blinked and said bluntly, "Miss Qu Si hasn't contacted me recently. We only met for the first time today after the matter of Yuejin Pavilion was resolved."
"Didn't Fourth Miss Qu send people here before?" Xiao became aggressive.
The two things have a sequence, but they can also be confused and talked about together. If the sequence is not made clear, they can easily be mistaken for the same thing.
"Yes, they came, but after the incident at Yuejin Pavilion, they didn't send anyone again. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone to investigate this matter." Madam Duan still answered in confusion. She looked at Xiao and finally couldn't bear it anymore, so she added, "What happened today? Why do you keep mentioning the Crown Princess's lantern? Which lantern does the Concubine want?"
She didn't think Fourth Miss Qu had mentioned this matter before.
With just one sentence, the smile on Ji Youran's face froze. This reaction was nothing like what she expected. Was Duan too good at pretending, or did Qu Moying really say nothing
"Mrs. Duan..."
Sensing the prince's gaze on her, Ji Youran panicked a little. She tried hard to calm her heartbeat and continued.
"Okay!" Pei Luoan interrupted Ji Youran coldly, his face was gloomy, and it was obvious that he was unhappy.
In front of all the servants, everyone in the Ji Mansion, and Madam Qu, Ji Youran's face turned red, but she couldn't say anything. She lowered her head and gritted her teeth secretly, not knowing what went wrong.
Fortunately, the lantern had not appeared yet, otherwise the matter would be difficult to explain. He winked at Xiao, who understood and knew that something unexpected had happened. She shook her head silently at a maid beside her.
The old woman secretly wanted to go out and stop the man.
But just as the old woman was about to move, she was coldly stopped by a guard. The old woman was so scared that she turned around and took two steps back, almost stepping on Xiao. Although Xiao dodged, she looked at the guard with a cold face and her expression did not look good.
"The two madams and the two wives, please go and have a rest!" After Pei Luoan sat down, he waved his hand, signaling everyone else to leave.
This is because they don't want anyone to interrupt them when they are talking.
Both ladies were experienced and wise, especially Lady Qu, who was still a little worried after hearing Ji Youran and Xiao mention their little granddaughter again and again. But looking at the current situation, it didn't seem like her little granddaughter was causing trouble. She glanced at Lady Ji beside her and turned around first.
Since the prince doesn't want them to watch from the side, let them withdraw first and send someone to find Ying girl to ask about the situation later.
Madam Ji also noticed something, but she has always been like this. She only cares about herself and always avoids misfortune and seeks fortune. Although she was a little worried, she still turned around and followed Madam Qu and left.
Duan naturally followed her.
Xiao was the most worried, but she had to go. She looked back at Ji Youran every few steps, feeling very worried.
But when everyone left, leaving only the people from the East Palace and the old woman who was under guard and could not leave, Pei Luoan picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip. After slowly putting it down, he asked, "Ji Youran, what do you want to do now?"
“Your Highness, I… don’t have…” After saying this, Ji Youran could no longer stand and fell to her knees with a plop.
"Ji Youran, the Crown Princess's lantern? Are you talking about the lantern that she made at the memorial service for her biological mother? How did this Fourth Miss Qu know about this? Why did she suddenly mention this lantern? Why did she mention the cage?" Pei Luoan said coldly, his eyes falling on Ji Youran with a chill in his eyes.
"Your Highness, I am... I am..."
Ji Youran had already tasted something wrong and didn't dare to say anything in the same way as before. Although she looked aggrieved, her eyes were wandering and it was obvious that she was feeling guilty.
Originally, she wanted to say that Qu Moying had just told her this in private on the path. As for why she knew about the lantern, she would of course blame it on Nanny Zhou, which was the same thing that Qu Moying thought of.
She would say that Qu Moying picked up the lantern on the path, and that she would put the lantern into the Crown Princess's offerings herself, saying that it was to show her respect for the Crown Princess, and that the Crown Princess also worshipped her aunt in the same way.
As for Qu Moying's purpose, Ji Youran could not say it explicitly, but she could hint at it, suggesting that Qu Moying deliberately came to the Crown Prince to show the friendship between her and the Crown Princess, and to express that the sisterhood between her and the Crown Princess was more cordial than the sisterhood between herself and the Crown Princess.
It hinted that Qu Moying had some plans against the prince.
This matter could have achieved several goals at once. First, it would have made the Crown Prince angry and punish Duan. It would have been better to deal with Duan directly. Once Duan was gone, there was only one child, and her mother would surely be able to deal with her. At that time, the entire Ling'an Marquis Mansion would have to return to the hands of her parents.
Of course, they would not say that the lantern was found in Ji Yanyue's yard. They had to say that Duan secretly took it from the old residence of the Crown Princess. Duan did not take the Crown Prince's words seriously, but just this one crime was enough to make Duan pay the price.
The second one was Qu Moying. Although Ji Youran called her cousin all the time and seemed to be very affectionate towards her, for some reason, she always disliked Qu Moying and even felt a little hostile when she saw her.
This feeling had already been there when they first met.
This feeling was very uncomfortable. Sometimes, Ji Youran even felt that there was a faint shadow of Ji Hanyue on Qu Moying. This was the thing she could not tolerate the most.
Ji Hanyue was already dead, so dead that even the grave was overgrown with weeds. Why did he jump out to disturb her mind and make her unconsciously nervous
Together with Duan, she took the lantern from the Crown Princess's former residence for no apparent reason, hoping to show her sisterly affection for the Crown Princess in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, or to attract His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's attention. No matter which purpose it was, it would cause the Crown Prince's disgust. Since Duan had punished her, Qu Moying could not escape either.
As for whether Qu Moying told him at that time, it would be useless even if Qu Moying denied it. At that time, there were only himself and his servant and Qu Moying and his servant on the path. Of course, the prince believed his words more.
The third point is Liu Jingyu. This kind of thing happened during the sacrifice to the Crown Princess. The Crown Prince pays the most attention to his reputation, especially when it comes to his relationship with Ji Hanyue. Something happened during the sacrifice, which is disrespectful to the Crown Princess. Some people may say that this is a warning from the Crown Princess, otherwise how could Duan and Qu Moying make such a stupid move.
Of course, this is just the prospect. She has a backup plan. After the Crown Prince punished Duan and Qu Moying, she hinted that the Crown Princess was unwilling to give in, which is why such a thing happened during the sacrifice to her.
The so-called reluctance naturally refers to the fact that Ji Hanyue does not want His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to marry a new person into the palace so soon. When the time comes, although the Crown Prince will be annoyed, he will also feel that this is not the best time to announce Liu Jingyu as the Crown Princess, and this marriage can be delayed.
As for the high and mighty Liu Jingyu, Ji Youran felt that she had to make use of the dead Ji Hanyue, and she also had more specific preparations...
But now that such a big mistake has been made, how could Ji Youran not panic? She stuttered and couldn't even speak, trying desperately to think of excuses in her mind. It was obvious that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had noticed something.
Pei Luoan did notice it. With Qu Moying's words in his mind, Pei Luoan observed very clearly just now. He saw some small actions between Ji Youran and Xiao's mother and daughter. He also asked the guards to stop the maid sent by Xiao, in order to see what she would do next.
Ji Youran and Xiao's actions have explained everything. Pei Luoan was a little confused before, but now he is sure that Ji Youran is causing trouble. Anger rises in his heart, and he wants to see how Ji Youran will justify himself.
While Ji Youran was stuttering and thinking about how to exonerate herself, two old women suddenly came outside the hall, holding a lantern in their hands. Seeing the guards guarding the door, they were stunned for a moment and were about to leave, but saw the guards stepped forward, took the lanterns from the old women's hands, turned around and walked inside.
The two old women were frightened and dared not move anymore. They stood trembling outside the hall.
The guard presented the lantern to Pei Luoan. Looking at the obvious scratch on the base of the lantern, Pei Luoan sneered and pointed, "Ji Youran, what is this?"
"Your Highness, I really don't know. I just heard that Madam Duan brought a lantern, which seemed to be the Crown Princess's lantern. I wanted to teach Madam Duan a lesson. I misunderstood what my mother said and thought that Madam Duan was just a concubine and was incapable of sitting in the position of a lady!"
Ji Youran's tears immediately rolled down, feeling extremely aggrieved. She knew at this point that the situation was hopeless, and she no longer dared to push the blame onto Duan and Qu Moying, so she directly pulled Xiao out to take the blame.