The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

When she was brought to the hall, she saw the old lady and the young master looking at her with frosty expressions. She was immediately terrified and knelt down on the ground with a thud, begging, "Old lady, spare my life! Young master, spare my life!"

Madam Wang said coldly, slamming her hand on the table, "You lowly servant! How dare you seduce the young master! Who gave you the audacity!"

Chun Tao, tears streaming down her face, cried out, "It was...it was the Consort who told me to serve the Young Master! It was the Consort who said she wanted to promote me!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze. Pei Jingnian frowned abruptly and sneered, "Outrageous! How dare you! You actually slander the concubine!"

Green Bud, who was listening nearby, suddenly knelt down and retorted, "This girl is talking nonsense. The old lady, the young master, and the concubine are all deeply in love with the young master. How could they possibly flatter her? It's clear that this girl has other ideas, which is why she's so bold."

Pei Jingnian didn't believe Chun Tao's words at all, because Shen Yunshuang had previously shed tears in front of him, and felt sad when she thought of him going to another concubine's room. Just as Lü Rui said, if Shuang'er cared about him so much, how could she possibly elevate Chun Tao, this girl?

"Son, look at this girl, she's lost her mind. She's even trying to seduce Shuang'er. She's got some nerve. Drag her out and give her twenty lashes, then sell her off far away."

Chun Tao felt a chill run through her body. She realized that no one believed her and that she was being punished so severely. It was clearly the concubine who told her to serve the young master. Lü Rui was also listening nearby at the time. Why was she denying it now?

What should she do now? In her extreme fear and panic, she suddenly remembered that she had told Qiu Shi about this before, and Qiu Shi could testify for her. She shouted with all her might, "Qiu Shi! Qiu Shi can testify for me! Please, Madam and Young Master, have mercy and let Qiu Shi come and confront me."

Chun Tao thought to herself that Qiu Shi had worked with her for many years and wouldn't abandon her now; she was truly innocent! It was clearly the concubine who agreed, but now, how did it become that she had ill intentions and was deliberately seducing him?!

Wang's gaze darkened. Qiu Shi? So that's the other maid Su gave her.

She wanted to see what tricks these two maids were up to and what their intentions were!

"Bring Qiu Shi in!"

When Qiu Shi was summoned, she was filled with anxiety. She cursed Chun Tao hundreds of times in her heart. She had told her before not to act rashly, but Chun Tao was still delusional and even seduced the young master. Now that the concubine was having a miscarriage and the young master and the old lady were angry, how could Chun Tao possibly have a good ending?!

She was led to the hall, and seeing the frosty faces of the old lady and the young master, she was terrified. Trembling, she knelt down to pay her respects. When Chun Tao saw Qiu Shi, it was as if she had grasped at the last straw. She desperately grabbed Qiu Shi's sleeve and widened her eyes: "Qiu Shi, it was the concubine who wanted to promote me to serve the young master, right? I told you!"

In a flash, Qiu Shi realized that Chun Tao wanted her to testify, but the question was, what benefit would she get from doing so?!

Moreover, whether the concubine should promote Chun Tao is entirely up to Chun Tao herself. She didn't hear it with her own ears or see it with her own eyes, so why should she testify for her?

Now that the concubine has miscarried because of her, he is going against her. But it's like a mayfly trying to shake a tree; he will inevitably be punished. It would be better to clean himself up completely, so that he can stay alive unscathed.

In a short while, Qiu Shi had already calculated the pros and cons clearly. Having made up her mind, she looked somewhat bewildered, and facing two cold gazes, respectfully replied, "This servant is unaware of what Chun Tao is saying. Please, Madam and Young Master, understand!"

Upon hearing this, Chun Tao froze on the spot, feeling as if all the blood had been drained from her body. Her last hope was gone!

Green Bud, standing beside her, relentlessly questioned, "How could the Consort possibly give you such a high regard! You're clearly just being presumptuous, relying on your looks and the Consort's pregnancy to get away with anything. The Consort clearly said that the Prince had drunk too much and was alone in his room, wanting water but having no one to serve him, so she sent you in to attend to him. Who knew you would be so bold! Taking advantage of the Prince's drunkenness, you dared to get into the Consort's bed!"

Pei Jingnian grew angrier as he listened. Ignoring Chun Tao's attempts to defend herself and her screams, he gave a stern order, and servants stepped forward to gag her and drag her away to be executed.

Soon, the dull sound of caning came from outside, the crisp sound of the board hitting flesh hard, and the muffled sounds that Chun Tao could still make even with her mouth gagged. These sounds were etched into Qiu Shi's heart.

Her face was as white as paper. She lay prostrate on the ground, trembling like a leaf, filled with fear. She and Chun Tao were both assigned by the Crown Prince's wife. As the saying goes, even when beating a dog, one should consider its owner. But judging from the Crown Prince and the Old Madam's intentions, even if Chun Tao didn't die, she would be half-dead.

This shows that they have completely disregarded the Crown Princess's feelings, all because the concubine has threatened her pregnancy!

What about her? Can she stay in Ningxiang Pavilion? Or will she be sold off like Chuntao?

Looking at the maids below, Madam Wang had already made up her mind. Chun Tao, with her impure thoughts and only wanting to climb the social ladder, was naturally not worth the pain of death.

Although Qiu Shi seems honest, she should not be trusted. She has made up her mind not to leave any threatening people to serve in Ningxiang Pavilion.

Shuang'er's body is already weak, and it is already extremely difficult to maintain the pregnancy. How can we allow these people with wicked intentions to stay by her side and cause trouble?

Madam Wang's eyes sharpened, and she said in a deep voice, "Qiushi can no longer stay in Ningxiang Pavilion. Send her back to Jinlan Courtyard and let the Crown Princess deal with her as she sees fit."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Shi's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, her eyes filled with despair. The Crown Princess... Others may not know, but how could she, a maid who had been by Su Wanrou's side since childhood, not know how ruthless her mistress was?

During her time at Ningxiang Pavilion, she allowed Chuntao to stand out, while she herself provided Su Wanrou with almost no useful information. Could the Crown Princess possibly let her go after all this?

_

Jinlan Courtyard

Su Wanrou had indeed already heard the news that Shen Yunshuang was having trouble conceiving, but why did she go?!

As the mistress of the house, would she take the initiative to visit a concubine and offer her comfort and care? She couldn't possibly do that.

Although he had no intention of going to Ningxiang Pavilion, he kept thinking about what was happening there and couldn't sleep. So he simply got up, put on his clothes, and waited quietly for news.

The candlelight in Jinlan Courtyard was still, but the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.