Qin was a little confused for a moment. Hadn't Sheng Qingyun's daughter been found and betrothed to the Crown Prince? Why would he suddenly break into her house and hold a maid and call her child
Is she crazy or am I dreaming, what is going on
And Chang Fu, what does he do? Wasn’t he asked to guard all the doors and not let anyone in? Why did he let this group of people in
While thinking, Chang Fu walked in tremblingly from outside the door.
"Madam, please forgive me. The Duchess' wife forced her way in wearing court robes and her guards, and I couldn't stop her..." He said while kneeling in front of Qin.
"Useless thing, get out of here!" Qin raised her eyebrows and cursed, kicking him to the ground.
Madam Cao felt sorry for her husband and wanted to help but didn't dare to. She signaled him with her eyes to stay away and not get scolded under her lady's nose.
Chang Fu grinned, climbed up, and backed away.
At this time, Qin Wanru came running in a panic, shouting, "Aunt, Aunt, what happened?"
Before Qin could answer, she rushed in. She was startled by the scene in front of her, and hurried over to grab Qin's hand, saying in panic: "Aunt..."
"Don't talk." Qin interrupted her with a cold face, pulled out her hand and went to meet Sheng Qingyun, "Young Madam is so arrogant that she led troops to break into my mansion. I wonder what she is doing?"
"How dare you! You meet the Duke's wife and you don't even pay your respects!" Before Sheng Qingyun could even open his mouth, a guard stepped forward and scolded him.
Although Sheng Qingyun was the wife of the Duke, her husband Su Xian had not yet inherited the title when she married into the Duke's Mansion, so people called her the Young Lady. Later, Su Xian became the head of the family, and out of respect for the old Duke's wife and secondly because her son Su Jincheng had not yet married, people still habitually called her the Young Lady, and only called her the Duke's Lady on formal occasions.
Qin was also a lady conferred by the imperial court, but her title was one rank lower than Sheng Qingyun's Lady of the State. Therefore, no matter what their relationship was, when she met Sheng Qingyun in formal court robes, she still had to perform the ceremony according to the rules.
But then again, no matter how high one's rank is, it is illegal to trespass into someone else's residence. Moreover, the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion is not an ordinary family, and it will not allow others to trespass at will.
Therefore, Qin did not intend to follow the rules and said with a gloomy face: "This is neither the court nor the government office. The Duke's wife came here aggressively, brought guards to break into my backyard, and injured my guards. Do I still have to kneel three times and kowtow nine times to greet her?"
Sheng Qingyun didn't say anything. With red eyes, he carefully checked Xie Nanjia from head to toe and from front to back. After confirming that she was fine, he glanced at Qin coldly: "I did break in. If you have the guts, sue me!"
"..." Qin almost choked to death and said angrily, "What are you talking about? Are you relying on your status as the Duke's wife to act like a rogue?"
"What about you?" Sheng Qingyun said in a deep voice, "You are the wife of a marquis, but you actually disregarded the law, set up a private torture chamber, beat and killed servants at will, and harmed concubines and children. Do you know your crime?"
As expected of the Duke's wife, she listed all the charges immediately, and each word was powerful and forceful. Qin's face turned pale during her questioning, and her momentum instantly weakened by half.
"You're talking nonsense. Which eye of yours saw my aunt kill someone?" Qin Wanru stepped forward to defend her aunt.
"With the evidence and witnesses, you still want to deny it." Sheng Qingyun pointed at the Fourth Aunt and the Fourth Young Lady who were lying on the ground and being treated by the guards, as well as Huangfu who was holding on, and Xie Nanjia who was leaning against his chest in a daze. "If I hadn't arrived in time, my daughter would have suffocated to death. You killed the Princess Jinping who was bestowed by His Majesty. Not to mention the Marquis Dingyuan, even if Prime Minister Qin climbed out of his coffin, he couldn't save you!"
Jinping County Lady? Qin swayed and, with the help of her niece, she managed to stand steady. She finally remembered her initial doubts and asked, "Jinping County Lady has been found, why did you come to my house and claim my daughter? Xiu'er is clearly from Hongou Manor, so how can she be your daughter?"
This is not only what Qin wanted to ask, but Xie Nanjia herself also wanted to ask this.
Although she had been holding her breath and had not inhaled much poison gas, the small amount still made her dizzy and confused. Sheng Qingyun rushed in and hugged her and called her son without saying a word. She was confused but did not have the strength to ask.
Now that Qin had asked, she persevered and listened attentively, and heard Sheng Qingyun say, "We made a mistake with the previous Jinping. Xiu'er is the real Jinping, my own flesh and blood."
These words shocked everyone in the room. The two guards who were responsible for executing Xie Nanjia looked pale and terrified. They dragged their legs, which were broken by the guards of the Duke's Mansion, and moved straight to the corner.
Xie Nanjia was confused and couldn't accept this sudden turn of events.
She was Xie Nanjia, who was reborn with the help of Xiu'er's body after being poisoned in the delivery room. How could she inexplicably become her cousin? Isn't this too absurd
"Madam, are you mistaken?" She looked at her aunt in confusion and said with a wry smile, "I am not your daughter. I have a mother. My mother is in Hongou Manor..."
"No, child, that's not your mother. I am your real mother." Sheng Qingyun's lips trembled with excitement, tears welled up in his eyes. "That woman is no longer in Hongou Manor. She is now in the Duke's Mansion. She has personally admitted that it was her man who stole you from the Lantern Market. My son, you have suffered so much over the years..."
As she spoke, she began to choke up and hugged Xie Nanjia, crying inconsolably.
It was as if a thunder rolled over his head. Xie Nanjia's scalp was numb and he froze in his aunt's arms, unable to speak for a long time.
In a trance, she recalled Zhao Jingyu's joking words, saying that maybe she was also a pearl from a wealthy family who was lost outside, and she also laughed at herself at that time and said that not everyone was as lucky as Princess Jinping.
Now, she herself has become the Princess of Jinping County. How is this possible
The fourth concubine had just woken up and heard Sheng Qingyun's words. She was shocked and didn't care whether it was true or false. She hurriedly shouted: "Madam, help me, the county lady and I are on the same side."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
Zhao Lanzhi also opened her eyes with difficulty and said weakly: "Xiu'er, are you really the Princess of Jinping County?"
"Stop dreaming. How can she, a cheap girl, be the Princess Jinping? The Princess Jinping is the future Crown Princess. Is she worthy of her?" Qin Wanru said loudly with her eyes wide open. It was more of a way to reassure herself than a response to Zhao Lanzhi.
After all, if Xiu'er was really the county princess, her aunt would have to take responsibility even if she hurt her unknowingly.
Qin Shi obviously understood this, and was determined not to believe Sheng Qingyun's words. She sneered, "You have no evidence, and you say it is true? If she is the Princess Jinping, who is the one engaged to the Crown Prince? You used a fake Princess Jinping to deceive the Crown Prince. Aren't you afraid of the crime of deceiving the Emperor?"
That's right! Xie Nanjia, whose mind was slowly recovering, also realized the seriousness of the matter. If she was really Jinping's cousin, then no matter who Jinping was now, she would be guilty of deceiving the emperor.
Also, what if Song Jingxing wants to exchange her with the current Jinping
She was looking forward to returning to the general's mansion to reunite with her parents and brother one day. Now that she had become the Princess of Jinping County, what would happen to her poor mother
The most important thing is that the crime of deceiving the emperor may result in the loss of one’s head.
No, absolutely not. I cannot let my aunt's family lose their heads.
Thinking of this, she hurriedly said, "Madam, please stop talking nonsense. You have already found Princess Jinping, and she will soon become the Crown Princess. Madam, please do not believe in rumors. It will harm the Duke's Mansion and Princess Jinping."
Qin also said, "I also advise Madam Guogong to calm down and take your people away from my house. Although Madam Guogong's trespassing into the Marquis's mansion is indeed rude, I will forgive you for being deceived and pretend that you have never been here."
What I mean is, I won't interfere in your family's affairs, and you shouldn't interfere in mine, otherwise we will all perish together.
Although Xie Nanjia was unwilling to let Qin go, for now, it was most important to save her aunt first, so she pushed Sheng Qingyun and said, "Madam, you can come all the way to save me, a little girl. Xiu'er is really grateful. Madam, please take us out of Yixin Courtyard and go back. For the Duke's Mansion and Jinping County Lady, Madam, please don't be impulsive and speak nonsense in the future. Xiu'er can't accompany you, Madam, so I hope you take good care of yourself."
How could Sheng Qingyun not know the serious consequences of her impulsive behavior? However, when she heard the secret guard say that her daughter was in trouble, she no longer cared about anything else. She dressed neatly and led her men to kill them. As for what kind of punishment she would face after killing them, she no longer cared.
As long as my daughter is safe, I don't mind letting her die.
However, she was determined to die, but when she heard her daughter say that she could not be with her and asked her to take care of herself, she burst into tears.
"Good boy." She wiped her tears and said firmly, "It doesn't matter if you are trespassing in the mansion or deceiving the emperor, I will take you away no matter what you say today. If anyone dares to stop me, I will die with her!"
After saying that, he no longer paid attention to the people around him, and strode out holding Xie Nanjia's hand.
Qin couldn't let her leave like this, so she shouted out the door, "Stop her!"
There was a response from outside the door, and dozens of guards rushed in and surrounded the door.
Sheng Qingyun showed no fear at all, and waved his hand: "Fight me, I will take all the responsibility if you kill any of them!"
The guards of the Duke's Mansion responded in unison and rushed forward.
Seeing that a bloody battle was inevitable, a laugh suddenly rang out in the yard: "Oh, the show is about to begin, it seems that I came back just in time!"
(End of this chapter)