The servant heard the window being opened and turned around in terror, dropping straight to his knees.
“You… you…”
“Shh!” Liu Yueti stood by the window. “Turn around. Someone will come and let you out soon.”
“No matter who asks, insist that there wasn’t a single person inside this room!”
“Otherwise, if anyone finds out you trespassed against a noble young lady, you’ll end up dead without a trace. Understood?”
The servant hurriedly kowtowed.
“Understood!”
Wei Zhao had already scooped Lin Qingwan up in her arms.
Liu Yueti couldn’t help marveling.
“Wow—Wei Zhao, that was so cool!”
Wei Zhao couldn’t suppress the corners of her lips from lifting.
“Not bad. Not bad.”
Her expression suddenly turned serious as she reminded them in a low voice,
“Hold your breath. There’s something strange about the fragrance in this room.”
“Come on, hurry and get her out.”
Liu Yueti quickly held her breath. Once Wei Zhao carried Lin Qingwan out, she closed the window and finally gasped for air.
“Whew!”
Bai Zhen’er also let out a breath and asked,
“What was that incense inside?”
“I’ve traveled all over the jianghu. I’ve seen this kind of filthy stuff before.”
Wei Zhao looked disdainful.
“Brothels use it all the time. If a man inhales too much, he’ll have a hard time controlling himself.”
“The servant inside doesn’t dare do anything right now, but once he’s inhaled enough of that incense, there’s no telling what he might do.”
Liu Yueti narrowed her eyes.
“It must have been Yuan Shaoqi and that maid!”
Bai Zhen’er frowned.
“How vicious!”
“But if Yuan Shaoqi really wants to marry Lin Qingwan, why would he let someone else go inside?”
“He could go in himself and make sure the marriage becomes a done deal. Wouldn’t that be safer?”
“That wouldn’t work.”
Liu Yueti sneered.
“That way, he’d be condemned along with Miss Lin, and Lin Shangshu certainly wouldn’t look kindly upon him.”
“He’s already lost face in the capital. Now he probably wants Lin Qingwan’s reputation ruined even more than his own.”
“Once Miss Lin’s reputation is destroyed, he can step forward and refuse to abandon her. That way, he gets all the benefits.”
“Lin Shangshu might even appreciate his supposed devotion and help him tremendously in the official world.”
Wei Zhao cursed under her breath.
“What a bastard!”
“How did Xie Anshi not kill him with one sword back then?”
Bai Zhen’er grabbed Liu Yueti’s hand.
“He failed this time, but he’ll definitely try again.”
She glanced at Lin Qingwan.
“Yue’er, since we already saved her once, why don’t we save her all the way?”
“You’re the smartest one here. Is there any way we can expose Yuan Shaoqi’s true colors?”
“Hmm.”
Liu Yueti pursed her lips.
“Honestly, I’m not usually that interested in other people’s business…”
Bai Zhen’er shook her.
“Please! I want to help! I want to watch the drama!”
“Fine, fine.”
Helpless, Liu Yueti gestured for everyone to gather around.
“Here’s what we’ll do…”
……
About half an incense stick later, the knocking from inside the room had long since stopped.
Only then did Shuijing return.
Seeing the locked door, she deliberately raised her voice.
“Who locked this room? My mistress is still inside!”
“Is anyone there?”
Several female officials from the princess’s residence hurried over after hearing the commotion.
They quickly found a key and unlocked the door.
The moment the door opened, a thick wave of incense rushed out, making everyone cough.
A servant was curled up by the doorway, his face flushed red.
The moment he saw people entering, he immediately scrambled to escape.
“Hey!”
Shuijing naturally wasn’t about to let him get away.
She shouted loudly,
“You audacious bastard! How dare you ruin my mistress’s innocence!”
“Someone! Quickly, hold him down! Catch this lecher!”
The doorway immediately descended into chaos.
The servant failed to escape and was quickly pinned down and forced to kneel.
A flash of triumph crossed Shuijing’s face as she pointed at him furiously.
“You lecher! How dare you do such a disgraceful thing to my mistress!”
“I’m going to report this to my master and have you torn limb from limb!”
The servant trembled.
“No! No!”
“Tie him up!”
Shuijing lifted her chin.
“Take him away!”
At the same time, Yuan Shaoqi saw that the situation was developing exactly as planned.
He hurried around from behind the wall and immediately asked,
“What are you all doing? What did this servant do that you’re making such a commotion over?”
The servant thought he had finally encountered someone who could save him and immediately kowtowed.
“Master Yuan, please save me!”
“Master Yuan!”
Shuijing shouted even louder, making sure everyone nearby could hear.
“This audacious servant broke into my mistress’s room and ruined her innocence! We absolutely cannot let him go!”
Yuan Shaoqi’s expression stiffened, a flash of annoyance crossing his eyes.
This stupid maid has gone too far!
His original plan had merely been to have Lin Qingwan caught alone in a room with another man.
For a young lady from a respectable family, that alone would have been enough.
But Shuijing was claiming that Lin Qingwan had actually lost her innocence.
Wouldn’t that mean…
Everyone would know that his future wife had been unfaithful before their marriage?!
“Stop talking nonsense.”
Yuan Shaoqi’s expression darkened.
“How could Qingwan…”
“It’s true!”
Shuijing thought to herself that with such potent incense and so much time having passed, the two of them must have done something.
She pointed toward the room.
“Master Yuan, just look inside! You must seek justice for my mistress!”
Yuan Shaoqi’s face darkened.
Behind him came Princess Pingyang’s voice.
“What happened this time?”
The princess looked slightly impatient.
“Did I choose the wrong day to hold this flower banquet? Why has everything happened at once?”
She glanced at Shuijing.
Shuijing hurriedly dropped to her knees.
The princess asked,
“What happened to Miss Lin?”
“Miss… Miss…”
Shuijing trembled as she pointed at the servant.
“She was… she was defiled by this bastard!”
The princess narrowed her eyes.
The female official beside her stepped forward and slapped Shuijing across the face.
“Ah!”
Shuijing screamed and fell to the ground, staring up in disbelief.
The princess looked utterly uninterested.
Her voice was cold.
“This maid has lost her mind and is talking nonsense. Drag her out and beat her to death.”
“Miss Lin is perfectly fine. Is that understood?”
The servants around them answered in unison.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
The princess waved her hand.
“Go back…”
“Your Highness!”
Seeing that things were going badly, Yuan Shaoqi hurriedly dropped to his knees.
“I… Qingwan and I truly love each other.”
“She has suffered such humiliation today, and I…”
“I am willing to marry her!”
The princess looked at him thoughtfully before suddenly giving a cold laugh.
“You’re willing to marry her? Then tell her that. What does that have to do with me?”
“To protect Qingwan’s reputation, I humbly…”
Yuan Shaoqi gritted his teeth.
“I beg Your Highness to grant us a marriage decree!”
“So that we can silence the gossip!”
“Ha.”
The princess gave a soft laugh.
She walked over and lifted his chin.
“What a devoted lover.”
“You’re the second son of the Yuan family, aren’t you?”
Yuan Shaoqi’s eyes darted away.
“Yes… yes.”
“You should know that I hate nothing more than lies.”
The princess spoke softly.
“If you tell even one lie today, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
Yuan Shaoqi kowtowed.
“I swear I have not spoken a single lie!”
Suddenly, the servant desperately struggled free and rushed forward.
“Your Highness! I didn’t do anything!”
“There was no one inside! There was no one at all!”
“I know.”
The princess suddenly smiled.
Her expression became surprisingly gentle as she beckoned Yuan Shaoqi over.
“Come here.”
A terrible sense of foreboding suddenly washed over Yuan Shaoqi.
But two female officials had already grabbed him and dragged him forward.
“Your Highness!”
Yuan Shaoqi panicked.
“Where are we going…?”
“Qingwan! She’s still inside! That servant is only saying all this to escape punishment…”
They turned through the garden.
Beyond the flowers, Liu Yueti and Bai Zhen’er were sitting beside a table, chatting and laughing.
The two beautiful young women looked radiant, their faces even more delicate than the flowers around them.
Lin Qingwan, still drunk and unconscious, lay asleep with her head resting on their laps. Her cheeks were flushed, giving her a soft, innocent appearance.
The princess smiled and turned back toward Yuan Shaoqi.
“What was it you just said?”