Whose little lady is so crazy?

Chapter 677 Why Did He Fall into the Water?
In the living room, Princess Yi looked at Hong Xiaoduo, who hadn't spoken for a long time and seemed to be lost in thought. She glanced at her husband, who was still chatting with his daughter's master, and was just thinking about whether she should suggest inviting Hong Xiaoduo and the others to take a walk in the garden.

Or should we just go for a walk on the street?

The maid Chaohua rushed in, panicking, "Your Highness, Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Miss Ling has fallen into the lotus pond!"

"What? What happened?" Princess Yi stood up immediately, flustered.

"Your Highness, this servant doesn't know the specifics of what happened either." Chaohua was about to explain that she had been instructed by Lady Ling to prepare fruits and snacks, and when she went to look for them, she heard the splash of someone falling into the water and the cries for help from a servant.

Princess Yi didn't listen or ask any more questions, and hurriedly walked out. Prince Yi and the others also quickly got up and walked out.

When Quan Jinghuai passed by Hong Xiaoduo, he saw that she was still lost in thought, so he quickly gave Feiyan a knowing look.

Sigh, even if it wasn't Yuheng and Yaoguang who fell into the water, this reaction is still inappropriate!

Feiyan, who had already stood up, nudged Hong Xiaoduo's foot with her toe.

Hong Xiaoduo, who was still engrossed in watching in the space, finally came to her senses and quickly left the space. Feiyan quickly told her what had happened.

Hong Xiaoduo, who had witnessed the entire event through the drone, knew exactly what was going on, but Fei Yan was unaware that she did. So, suppressing her laughter, she had to feign surprise at Fei Yan.

When the group of people rushed to the back garden, Ling'er had already been rescued by the gardener who was trimming the flowers and plants nearby.

However, seeing that the person he had rescued showed no gratitude whatsoever, but rather resentment in her eyes, the gardener who had saved her was still annoyed. He was nearly sixty years old, and saving her wouldn't have affected her reputation at all!
When Prince Yi and his wife approached, they first saw their daughter standing safely to the side, and they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"How could you be so careless? Someone, quickly take Miss Ling to change her clothes, and tell the kitchen to immediately prepare a soup to dispel the cold. Have you summoned the physician?" Princess Yi stepped forward and looked at Ling'er, who was soaking wet and shivering in the arms of a servant, and asked anxiously.

Although it's almost summer, it rained most of the night before, so even though it's not raining today, the temperature is still a bit low.

After falling into the water, your clothes are wet, and then a breeze blows on them, so of course you'll feel cold.

"Your Highness, it was Ling'er who accidentally stepped into the water; it had nothing to do with anyone else." Ling'er, both shocked and frightened, finished speaking with tears in her eyes, glanced nervously at Yuheng, and then quickly looked away.

Whether they were adults, Tian Shu and his brothers, or the young princes in the manor, everyone present couldn't help but ponder Ling'er's reaction, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Yu Heng and Ling'er.

"How do you feel?" Hong Xiaoduo asked in a low voice to Yuheng, who knew Ling'er's intentions but showed no anger.

"Ah, if only we had come three months earlier," Yuheng replied in a low voice with great regret.

It was winter then. Even if that naughty girl didn't freeze to death, she would have gotten sick. It wasn't that Yuheng was malicious, but someone with such a twisted and wicked mind should have to pay the price for doing bad things!
"Mother, how can there really be such a bad person in the world? Besides, she's only a year older than my sister, how can she be so wicked?" Xiao Yaoguang asked Hong Xiaoduo in a very low voice.

It's exactly the same as the protagonist in those brainless little stories Mom used to tell them!

Yao Guang, who had been following Yu Heng, naturally connected what had just happened with the little stories she had heard before.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, it's not like that! Please, please do justice for my young mistress! She's not..." The young maid released her mistress and pleaded with the prince and princess.

"Xi Niang, shut up! If you talk nonsense, believe me, I'll have my mother sell you when we get back!" Ling'er immediately scolded sharply.

After warning her own servants, Ling'er quickly turned to the princess and said, "Your Highness, I was so happy feeding the fish that I forgot myself and fell into the water. I'll go home now and come back to play with my sister Princess another day."

After saying that, he struggled to get up and started to walk out of the garden.

"Finish what you're saying. How exactly did your young lady fall into the water? If you dare to conceal anything, I, the Princess Consort, will not let you off lightly," Princess Consort Yi said, looking at the servant woman.

The princess's face looked quite unpleasant at that moment.

"Let's ask somewhere else," Prince Yi said.

Similarly, Prince Yi's expression was equally unpleasant, and he ordered that all those who had been working nearby be brought over for questioning.

When it was time to leave, Yao Guang quickly picked up the small wooden bucket of fish food that the maid had placed on the ground, and poured the remaining half bucket of fish food into the lotus pond. A group of koi carp that had been waiting for half a day immediately began to scramble for the food, and the surface of the water began to boil as if it were being cooked.

"Second brother, second brother, wouldn't it taste even better if we used these pretty koi to make sweet and sour fish?" Yao Guang asked Tian Xuan in a low voice after putting down the empty bucket.

"All you do is eat, don't you even know what the situation is?" Tian Shu sighed and warned in a low voice. "What are you afraid of? So what if they wrong my sister? It still depends on whether the prince and princess believe them. If they really believe this green tea and don't believe my sister, and dare to wrong her, we can just smash up this mansion and take my sister away. It's not like we have to stay here and be a princess."

"Following Mother and Master, isn't it more comfortable than being a princess or a noblewoman? Who wants to be... mmm..." Yao Guang, who wanted to continue chattering, had her mouth covered by her older brother's hand.

Even if you know your younger sister is telling the truth, you shouldn't say it like that.

Considering her mother's temperament, it's not impossible that she might really smash up the Prince Yi's mansion if she angered her. The emperor in the capital values ​​her and wants to keep her as a lady-in-waiting. Even if Prince Yi goes to complain, the emperor will probably side with her!
But none of that matters. What matters is that if Ling'er and her servant really want to smear Yuheng and frame her, and if the Prince Yi's family really doesn't believe Yuheng but believes Ling'er, then even if her mother and everyone else help Yuheng vent her anger and leave gracefully with her, Yuheng will still feel bad in her heart, the kind of sadness she will never forget for the rest of her life.

Quan Jinghuai, who was following behind with his hands behind his back, turned his head and looked at Hong Xiaoduo, Yu Heng and the others. Their composure made him even more curious, but he didn't dare to ask them at the moment.

They quickly arrived at the main hall. Originally, the princess had asked Ling'er to change into some dry clothes first, but due to the subsequent events, Ling'er did not change. A maid brought a thin blanket and wrapped it around Ling'er's body.

Back in the hall, the atmosphere was completely different from before.

The prince and princess sat solemnly in the two seats at the front. Hong Xiaoduo, Quan Jinghuai, and Fei Yan sat on the right. Tian Shu and the other children did not sit but stood behind Hong Xiaoduo and the others.

The concubine and the five princes sat in order on the left.

With Ling'er and her servant standing in the very center, it gave off a feeling of a joint trial.

"Now, you speak," Princess Yi said, looking at the maid.

The maidservant knelt down with a thud, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort, my young mistress took the princess to play in the back garden. She took the princess and that young mistress to feed the koi. Who knew, who knew, the princess whispered a warning to my young mistress, saying that the princess was her mother, that my young mistress was competing with her for the princess's favor, and that my young mistress should find an excuse to leave the palace as soon as possible and never come back again, otherwise she would be very rude to my young mistress."

My lady explained and swore to her that she had no intention of competing with the princess for favor, and also said that she would come less often in the future, so as not to upset you, my princess.

Even after I said that, the princess still refused to believe me and angrily pushed my young lady into the lotus pond.

Your Highness, Your Highness, my lady says that it is already a great honor for her to be able to occasionally enter the manor to accompany you. Because of this, the elders and relatives in the family have already treated her with special respect, and she is already very content. How could she possibly have any unwarranted greed?

"I beg Your Highness and Your Highness's Consort to do justice for my young lady!" the servant said tearfully, then prostrated herself on the ground.

The princess looked at Ling'er: "What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Ling'er clutched the thin blanket covering her and slowly knelt down. Before she could speak, two streams of tears slid down her cheeks: "Your Highness, my sister is young and must have suffered a lot outside. She has finally returned to Your Highness's side, so naturally she feels insecure. Seeing Your Highness being so affectionate towards Ling'er, it's understandable that she might have wild thoughts. Ling'er doesn't blame her, really. Ling'er begs Your Highness not to blame my sister."

Upon hearing this, the princess still looked at Ling'er and spoke again: "Ling'er, so it is true that the princess pushed you into the water?"

Ling'er met the princess's gaze, hesitated for a moment, and then replied as if she had made a great decision: "Your Highness, it was the princess who pushed me into the water, but I don't blame her. Putting myself in the princess's shoes, I think I would have done the same thing if I were her."

Your Highness, you have finally found your sister, the Princess. Please do not blame her because of Ling'er, lest you create further rifts. Ling'er will never forgive herself.

"My younger sister, the princess, is still young and hasn't received proper upbringing outside. She'll be taught gradually by Your Highness's side, and she'll improve."

Hong Xiaoduo, who was listening in, observed the expressions of the eight members of the princess's family. Their faces were all equally unpleasant, and Hong Xiaoduo's heart sank.

She turned to look at Yuheng standing beside her, who looked completely indifferent.

"Yuheng, what do you say?" the princess asked, looking at her daughter.

Hearing her mother ask her, Yuheng stepped forward and said, "Mother, this mistress and servant are framing me. I never said those things to her, nor did I push her into the water. She deliberately fell into the water."

Also, there's something else she misspoke about. It's true that my daughter suffered a lot outside, but that was before she met my mother. After meeting her, my daughter's life has been sweet. Her mother's teachings are very simple: No matter your status, you must have your own principles and bottom line; this is the foundation of our conduct in the world!
She taught her daughter that to live a good life, one must uphold the principles of being a good person. Whatever one lacks, one must not lack morality; whatever one has, one must not lack conscience; whatever one loses, one must not lose kindness; whatever one says, one must not be dishonest!

Furthermore, if my daughter were truly dissatisfied with this young lady, she wouldn't have simply pushed her into the water. There were people all around who could have rescued her quickly without harming her skin or bones. It wouldn't have been meaningful.

"If my daughter really wanted to teach her a lesson, she would beat her so badly that even her mother wouldn't recognize her." After Yuheng finished speaking, neither humble nor arrogant, she looked at Hong Xiaoduo and saw an approving smile. She straightened her little body even more.

She'd said everything she needed to say; whether her parents believed her or not was up to them...

Thank you so much, dear Matchstick, for the monthly pass! (づ￣3￣)づ╭～