The place where Cui Jianlian fell was not far away from the square for the feast. Her maid screamed so loudly that her voice even exceeded the music of the feast and disturbed Commandery Princess Qingjiang, "What's wrong? Go to have a look!"

After a while, the servant reported the ins and outs of the matter while wiping the sweat. Commandery Princess Qingjiang instantly frowned. Lu Kou'er and her sister decided to make Cui Jianlian plot against Song Yixiao, which had been known and tacitly approved by her.

However... Jiang Muting? Why was she dragged into this? Especially the trouble was coming at Jiang Muting instead of Song Yixiao?

Noticing that the matter was out of her control, Commandery Princess Qingjiang felt extremely angry and said to Commandery Princess Nanzhang who leaned forward to fish for information, "I'll check it out. Keep your eye here for me!"

Commandery Princess Nanzhang nodded her head smilingly, "Roumei, rest a.s.sured. I will have the situation under control. I shall not make the rest of the feast an anticlimax for you."

Her relaxed look, which was little short of elation, made Commandery Princess Qingjiang cast another glance at her before she stood up and left.

When Commandery Princess Qingjiang stepped on the mountain road, she happened to see a few strong women tear down a door temporarily and carry Cui Jianlian back to the cottage.

The flower bouquet picked by them were opened by Jiang Muting and scattered on the nearby stairs. The strong women were busy taking care of Cui Jianlian so they surely wouldn't pay any attention to that. The repeatedly trodden flowers were still eye-catching on the green and black stairs, which set off the pretty and pale face on the door to extreme pity.

It reminded people of the rose that fell into mud weakly after a rainstorm.

"It is still th.o.r.n.y." Commandery Princess Qingjiang thought to herself. Instead of walking down immediately, she took the advantage of looking down from a height to learn about where Cui Jianlian stood just now and where she pa.s.sed out from the servant.

After eye-measurement, she looked quite gloomy, "Wasn't it a slander?"

Even if one was well prepared, it was hard to ensure no injury after rolling down for such a long distance.

Cui Jianlian, enervated by good living, was a popular candidate for a princess consort. Anyhow she didn't have to take risk at the crucial moment.

"However, both Jiang Muting and Song Yixiao can't play hardball like this." Commandery Princess Qingjiang ruminated and walked towards the cottage.

When she entered the cottage, Cui Jianlian had been allocated on the bed. Upon seeing Commandery Princess Qingjiang enter, her maid fell at the feet of the Commandery Princess and cried in a tearful voice, "Please do justice for my lady!"

While crying, she stared at Jiang Muting and Song Yixiao resentfully.

"Shut up!" Without even looking at the maid, Commandery Princess Qingjiang stopped her from talking angrily. Then she asked the people of the cottage, "Have you sent for Doctor Han?"

"Yes, someone is on the way." The servant reported carefully and then confessed, "We didn't serve Miss Cui well and she is injured in bed now. Please punish us!"

Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn't absolve the servant of the blame. She raised her head and said, "After finis.h.i.+ng your job today, each of you go to take the beating for ten times and half month of your salary will be deducted as punishment!"

The servants expressed their grat.i.tude in chorus and didn't dare to show any resentment.

Witnessing what happened, Cui Jianlian's maid couldn't help pulling back her head.

Commandery Princess Qingjiang, who kept glancing sideways at her, sneered and thought to herself. After all, she thought highly of Song Yixiao. The current matter happened due to her laissez-faire att.i.tude. How could she allow a maid to lead her around by the nose? Even if Cui Jianlian was awake now, she would give Song Yixiao a chance to show herself!

Song Yixiao had to seize it herself if she wanted.

Commandery Princess Qingjiang rolled her golden bracelet inlaid with gems and said to Jiang Muting who was advancing to confess, "Although the servant has reported your dispute, she didn't hear what you were talking about from the distance. Now that Cui Jianlian is in a coma, I don't want to hear the story on your side first! How about this? You stay in another cottage. When she is awake, you shall confront her by then!"

Cui Jianlian's maid couldn't help saying, "Your Highness, my lady is in a coma now but I was with her all the time. The ins and outs of the matter..."

"How dare you!" This time, before Commandery Princess Qingjiang said anything, Zhenli shouted at the maid on behalf of her, "What's the point of a maid's words? It is a matter concerning three n.o.ble ladies. Of course we must wait for Miss Cui to wake up first!"

The Commandery Princess played a decisive role, rendering her maid's refutation surely unchallengeable.

Therefore, after a while, Jiang Muting, Song Yixiao and their maids were detained in a cottage. Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn't try to make it hard on them. She sent some food and beverages to them. They were well treated except that they were not allowed to go out before Cui Jianlian woke up.

"Your Ladys.h.i.+p, we are in trouble." Now no one was in a mood to eat anything. After closing the door and making sure the guards were not eavesdropping outside the door, Jiang Muting's maid said, "You are framed up at this crucial moment. I'm afraid that your prospect will be affected!"

For a girl, her prospect of course meant marriage. Thinking of losing the chance to marry Prince of Wei, Jiang Muting couldn't stay calm anymore. Now her face turned pale instantly!

"Therefore, Miss Song, please help my lady!" The maid suddenly turned to Song Yixiao. Just like what Cui Jianlian's maid did, she also knelt down and cried out, "Miss Song, the Jiang Family will never forget your help!"

She knelt down so suddenly that Jinxun was dumbfounded with staring eyes. However, Song Yixiao had understood the maid's words but she did nothing but to hold a tea bowl with a peaceful look.

Jiang Muting, not as shrewd as her maid, heard her words and asked in surprise, "Baoying, what are you talking about?"

"Your Ladys.h.i.+p, Cui Jianlian fell off the mountain road along your gesture of pointing at her and rolled for tens of meters afterwards! The servants of the cottages have seen it clearly from the corridor!" Baoying sighed and raised her head to explain patiently, "But they were standing afar and knew nothing about the details! We don't have any witness and we cannot justify ourselves!"

Speaking of this, she turned to Song Yixiao again, "It is better to sacrifice one than both of you fall into Cui Jianlian's trap and lose reputation together. I don't mean to force you to do anything in light of the power of the Jiang Family, but you are sensible enough to know that you are a stepdaughter even though you live under the roof of Prince of Hengshan! To be honest, you can hardly marry into the purple! This time, as long as you can take the blame, I can a.s.sure you that the Jiang Family will guarantee your prospect for sure!"

"Baoying, what did you say?" Jiang Muting, proud of her ident.i.ty, always looked down upon Song Yixiao. Even though she was asked to look after Song Yixiao today, she still held herself high up in the air. She would not make Song Yixiao a scapegoat.

Now she flew in a rage and scolded her maid, "One should answer for what he does. Moreover, Cui Jianlian sets up the trap deliberately for me. Why do I have to take the blame? She can spread the word that I pushed her down. Why can't I a.s.sert her defamation?"

She patted the desk and sneered, "Since she wants to make trouble for me, I will make some for her too!"

Baoying also snorted, "Your Ladys.h.i.+p, you are too naive! Will Cui Jianlian say that it is your fault after she wakes up? No! She will insist that you didn't even touch her and that she fell by accident. Then she will keep weeping and put on airs in front of others! At that time, so many people standing by the cottages witnessed what happened so the matter would be spread for sure! By then, in no way can we defend for ourselves. People will only think that she is such a magnanimous lady that she even tries to cover the trouble for us after being that seriously injured. On the contrary, we are rendered as vicious and impenitent, who don't admit a fault after hurting others!"

Jiang Muting was struck dumb and felt so depressed, "Shame on her! I should have pushed her down for real! Anyway, I will be wronged for this!"

"Miss Song, what do you think?" Baoying didn't want to persuade her own lady and instead, she continued to convince Song Yixiao.

"Your lady's reputation is important. So is my lady's!" Jinxun clenched her fists heavily with a pale face and yet still braced up to interrupt, "I will take the blame! If the worst comes to the worst, I shall be beaten to death! Anyway, my lady's reputation cannot be ruined!"

"You are quite loyal." Baoying heard her and sneered, "But you think that I do this for the sake of my own life? We are talking about the blood niece of n.o.ble Consort Jiang. She has been injured under the watchful eyes of the people. How can a maid take the full responsibility? Even your lady is willing to take the blame, she ought to say that she pushed Miss Cui out of anger because Miss Cui broke my lady's thing and didn't make a sincere apology. And my lady tried to stop Miss Song and yet failed. Those people by the cottages were looking in the wrong for being in the distance so they mistook my lady's action of saving Miss Cui as pus.h.i.+ng her!"

Jinxun said angrily, "You mean my lady pushes Miss Cui down to win favor from Miss Jiang? In that case, what good prospect can my lady attain after taking the blame?"

Jinxun was a young and inexperienced maid but she was not a fool!

"You've heard what others said at the feast. I may as well tell you that my lady has learnt from Virtuous Consort that even the Emperor has consented on marrying my lady to Prince of Wei." Baoying said in a calm and yet threatening tone, "If her reputation is ruined now, which makes his majesty, Virtuous Consort Jiang and the Jiang Family disappointed, my lady may not do anything about it. I'm afraid that others will not let it be easily!"

The maid was obviously good at carrot-and-stick method. Then she said in a soft voice, "However, if Miss Song is willing to help my lady get through the predicament. Both the Jiang Family and Virtuous Consort Jiang will try their best to help her out of real grievance! Of course, she will be well rewarded for this in future!"

Upon seeing Jiang Muting feel like saying something, the maid put on a stern look, "Your Ladys.h.i.+p, please think it over carefully! If Miss Song doesn't help you, you won't blame her but how can your parents and Virtuous Consort not feel angry? As Miss Song lives under the roof of Prince of Hengshan, the Jiang Family can easily intervene with her following life! After all, Cui Jianlian is not dead. Miss Song won't be asked to pay for life with life. If you don't feel comfortable, you may as well compensate more for Miss Song."

"If you really think for her, you shall listen to me!"

What the maid actually meant was that it was a blessing for Song Yixiao to be a scapegoat for Jiang Muting. Otherwise, Song Yixiao would not have a chance to establish a relations.h.i.+p with the Jiang Family?

Song Yixiao found it ridiculous and said, "Since we came into the room, you haven't even asked why Cui Jianlian slandered Muting but focused on persuading me into being the scapegoat. Obviously, you believe firmly that Cui Jianlian is coming for the t.i.tle of Princess Consort Wei regardless of the ringleader or the reason!"

Baoying acknowledged frankly, "Exactly! This is not a secret now. Since you've have known it, you must be able to understand my difficulty!"

"Then have you noticed something? When I arrived at the front of Cui Jianlian, Muting had scolded her for a while!" Song Yixiao sneered, "However, she didn't irritate Sister Muting verbally and take the chance to fall off the mountain road until I arrived!"

Baoying felt shocked and reminisced carefully. Instantly, her face turned grim, "Miss Song, you mean she plotted this on purpose?"

"Cui Jianlian used to go to the girl's school in Prince of Hengshan's mansion and I have been in the school by far." Song Yixiao said peacefully, "Therefore, although I met her only once but I have heard about her character. Before I approached her, I found her reaction rather strange. How could a willful and arrogant girl like her get a scolding without refutation? Therefore, when I saw Muting raise her arm, I tried to stop her."

Baoying was astounded!

Since Cui Jianlian deliberately slandered Jiang Muting in the case when Song Yixiao arrived, the one behind the scheme mostly expected that the Jiang Family would make Song Yixiao the scapegoat. Or it was fair enough to say that the ringleader has created a chance for the Jiang Family to instigate Song Yixiao to take the blame!

In this case, there might be another trap then!

However, after ruminating for a while, Baoying said, "There are six persons on spot. A maid always follows the step of her lady. No matter how scheming the ringleader is, as long as you insist that you are the one who pushed Miss Cui, who can do anything about your statement?"

The Shangsi feast was set for one day. All the guests must go back home before dusk. As long as Song Yixiao took the blame for Jiang Muting in front of Commandery Princess Qingjiang, she still had to return home to wait for the investigation result. After Song Yixiao left the Zhanchun Venue, the Jiang Family could just send killers to do away with her. By then, even the Prince of Hengshan would not make much effort to investigate her death!

In that case, two goals would be achieved at one stroke. On the one hand, there was no testimony of witness after Song Yixiao pa.s.sed away. On the other hand, the Jiang Family could lead the public opinion to the argument that the Cui Family killed Song Yixiao as revenge so that the Cui Family could have a taste of being slandered!