She accidentally flirted with the villain and was fiercely criticized as the regent for forcibly mar

Madam Xie trembled violently, but the look in her eyes was not fierce, but fear, a fear that was stolen from the depths of her bones!

From the very beginning, she was prey being manipulated at will.

Her hatred is useless; it will only make her wish she were dead!

Embarrassment, excruciating pain, despair... a barrage of intense negative emotions assaulted her heart and her mind. Finally, Mrs. Xie could not bear it any longer and vomited blood.

Xie Qinghe never expected that her trusted confidante would betray her: "It's all fake! It's all fake! You threatened them and framed my daughter and me!"

"You haven't found any clues at all, you're just saying this on purpose to make us feel bad and regret it! You people are so vicious! You'll get your retribution! You definitely will!"

Her hysteria only earned her the looks of onlookers who thought she was crazy.

Zheng Lingyi wiped away her tears, walked up to the Regent and Jiang Ruining, curtsied slightly, and pleaded in a muffled voice, "Your Highness, let's leave it at that! Please don't punish them any further."

Jiang Ruining frowned: "You're too soft-hearted!"

Zheng Lingyi gave a bitter smile, accompanied by a desolate nonchalance: "They are heartless and ungrateful, but I can't let myself become like them... This last bit of kindness will sever all ties between our two families, leaving no further connection!"

Among the onlookers, some were angry for her, some said she was too cowardly, but most felt she was right.

"There's really no need to get entangled with shameless people. Cutting ties is the best outcome!"

Zheng Lingyi took a deep breath and thanked everyone for their kindness.

If the Xie family wants to harm her, why can't she use the Xie family to elevate herself?

Generous, steadfast, gentle and kind... she deserves all these good reputations!

Jiang Ruining understood her thoughts and naturally cooperated, saying, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

He forcefully jabbed the Regent's lower abdomen with his bent elbow.

The Regent nodded: "Yes."

Zheng Lingyi bowed in thanks, then turned and left without glancing at the Xie family again.

Xie Qinghe stared at her retreating figure with a mad jealousy and resentment in her eyes. Knowing that she would have nothing left, she burst out with fearless courage, pointing at Jiang Ruining and Zheng Lingyi and cursing them in a shrill voice.

"Zheng Lingyi! Jiang Ruining! You'll all die a horrible death! Heaven will punish you, you bitches! You all deserve to die!"

A sharp, cold glint suddenly flashed in Xiao Che's indifferent phoenix eyes: "He's been poisoned and rendered mute!"

The three words "light and airy" determined the rest of Xie Qinghe's life.

Having offended the regent, and being a vicious mute, his life will either be spent in a temple with only a lamp and ancient Buddha, or... he will die of illness!

There was no third option for her!

Do not!

There was no other way to go, because the Regent would not let her die easily; otherwise, he would not have had her poisoned and rendered mute, but would have ordered her to be executed!

Before Xie Qinghe could react, her mouth was forcibly pried open, and the cold, bitter medicine was poured into her mouth. Her chin was forcefully lifted upwards, and her throat instinctively moved as she swallowed the medicine.

She realized that the regent intended to keep her alive to torture her slowly. Fear gripped her as the medicine seeped into her throat and into her internal organs, causing her to tremble violently.

They tried to squeeze out the medicine, but nothing came out.

Soon, he could no longer utter the "ah" sound he used to make.

Despair was all that remained in his eyes and on his face!

Jiang Ruining watched coldly, not feeling that she had gone too far at all.

If the Xie family mother and daughter's wicked scheme succeeds, this will be Zheng Lingyi's fate, and several other young women will also be implicated, living with suspicion for the rest of their lives, wondering if they too have been violated by the madman!

Besides, her motto was to repay kindness tenfold. The fact that she didn't make the Xie family mother and daughter suffer the consequences of her evil scheme and be exposed to the public, thus losing their innocence, was already an act of leniency.

Feeling guilty or remorseful? Not at all!

There were plenty of clever people present, and several pairs of eyes had already seen through the situation to some extent. They understood that the Zheng family wanted to break off the engagement, so Princess Fu Ning was just cooperating with them to force the Xie family to reveal their true colors and expose them in front of everyone!

The Zheng and Xie families had been on good terms for over twenty years. Why did they suddenly break off their friendship? It's likely that the Zheng family discovered some of the Xie family's secrets that couldn't be made public!

As for what the secret is, that remains to be verified.

The other intention of the Princess of Funing County was to make an example of someone!

She warned those who tried to scheme against her or those around her: if you want to plot against her, go ahead, she has plenty of ways to make the culprits suffer the consequences!

The Xie family is that chicken!

Standing on the periphery watching, Choi Baek-hye sneered: "Arrogant!"

Grand Tutor Cui stood with his hands behind his back, the night wind rustling his robes, the gold threads on his dark robes shimmering with a hidden glint in the torchlight.

"Her arrogance stems from her self-confidence. And her self-confidence comes from her regent, Grand Secretary Jiang, and her own wisdom! She certainly has the right to be arrogant."

Cui Qianque stood to his left and said gently, "Father, I've inquired a lot about her lately. She seems to know everything; she's not the player, not the black and white pieces on the board, but an observer of the entire game."

"A player who wants to win, especially a player who is evenly matched, will be forced and restrained by their opponent no matter how calm they are. But she won't. She can even analyze the purpose behind each move of the player."

"We can't keep her, and we can't move her. Without a complete plan, I'm afraid she'll use us to get rid of our most important pawn."

Cui Baihui, however, didn't take it seriously, mocking the other woman for only boosting her morale: "This woman is indeed not simple, but what my brother said, as if she can manipulate Father and the Regent, is far too alarmist!"

Cui Qianque countered, "Second brother, do you think she can't control the Regent?"

Cui Baihui said knowingly, "It's just a trick the Regent is using. What women want is nothing more than pampering! If he can please her, Grand Secretary Jiang will be willing to work for him."

"How could a cold-blooded man like the Regent be manipulated by a woman? Ridiculous!"

Cui Qianque looked at him and smiled, as if mocking his foolishness, or as if agreeing with his statement.

But he stopped talking.

Choi Baek-hye hates his expression the most. He always pretends to be profound and mysterious, but he actually looks down on him!

"What does Dad think?"

Grand Tutor Cui seemed oblivious to the undercurrents between his two sons, calmly watching the spectacle unfold before turning back to his tent: "No one should presume to be clever; she is not someone you can handle."

This statement affirms Cui Qianque's analysis.

Cui Baihui was naturally unconvinced, but knowing her father's temper, she dared not argue back.

He secretly plotted to find an opportunity to get rid of the man and let his father see that his cunning and scheming far surpassed that of Cui Qianque!

Cui Qianque glanced at him indifferently, a cryptic smile flashing in her eyes, before turning and leaving the outer edge of the crowd.

That's where things stand.

It can be over.

But among the crowd, there are always a few "saints" who criticize Jiang Ruining for being too ruthless and terrifying.

Jiang Ruining ignored the whispers behind her back, and she couldn't be bothered to care. She wasn't gold; she didn't expect everyone to like her!

But there are always those scheming, self-righteous people who love being the center of attention and try to gain fame by stepping on her.

"Your Highness, you must have already guessed Madam Xie's wicked scheme, right? Even if you had stopped her and exposed her in time, she would have been ruined anyway. Why scheme against her like this, causing her whole family to be humiliated along with her!"

"The rest of the Xie family hasn't offended you!"