The Marquis Yong'an's expression darkened: "We can't just assume your Second Brother said that deliberately just because your sister's clothes weren't wet, can we? Would he frame you?"
Madam Song frowned slightly, saying with some disapproval, "Jin Ning, what you're saying is rather disheartening. Everyone has witnessed how much your Second Brother has always doted on you!"
"Whenever you had a dispute or conflict with someone, wasn't your Second Brother always on your side? He even dared to stand up for you against the Heir of Prince Rui!"
"Also, when your jade pendant fell into the water during autumn, you cried, and your brother personally jumped in to retrieve it for you, falling gravely ill because of it..."
"That year when you were sick with a high fever that wouldn't break, your brother stayed by your bedside for three whole days..."
"Have you forgotten all this? He would rather wrong himself than deliberately frame you!" Madam Song said with heartache.
Upon hearing this, Jin Ning couldn't help but look at Pei Jingchuan.
The things Madam Song mentioned were not fabricated; they had truly happened.
Her Second Brother, her once so wonderful Second Brother...
But now, this wonderful Second Brother no longer belonged to her, Pei Jin Ning.
Or rather, from the moment she lost her status as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Yong'an Manor, nothing belonged to her anymore.
Actually, she didn't care about losing the noble status of the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Yong'an Manor, nor the future position of Crown Princess.
She could willingly hand all of this over to that true legitimate daughter.
What she wanted was not much, only familial affection.
Unfortunately, this seemingly simple familial affection was the hardest thing to obtain in this world for her.
Jin Ning turned her gaze back to Madam Song.
Her stepmother, who had always been gentle and exceptionally considerate towards her, and whom she had treated as her birth mother for over ten years, appeared to be defending Pei Jingchuan, but in reality, she was defending Pei Mingyue and smearing her.
Jin Ning said coldly, "Pei Jingchuan might not have deliberately framed me, but I still want to say that appearances can be deceiving."
Having said that, Jin Ning looked earnestly at the Marquis Yong'an and asked, "So, Father, do you truly believe I would deliberately cause such a scene at the palace banquet? Not to mention the embarrassment of my own clothes getting wet, but if this matter were seen or discovered by anyone, my position as Crown Princess could be lost!"
"Even if I wanted to make trouble for someone, I wouldn't do it at a palace banquet," Jin Ning said coldly.
The Marquis Yong'an looked at Jin Ning, feeling that what she said had some merit, but he then looked at Pei Jingchuan and Pei Mingyue... it was truly difficult to make a judgment on this matter.
After much thought.
The Marquis Yong'an decided to smooth things over.
"Enough, this was perhaps an accident, and your Second Brother misunderstood. It's not entirely his fault," the Marquis Yong'an continued.
Pei Jingchuan's eyes widened: "Father?"
Pei Mingyue pursed her lips and remained silent, but her eyes, which instantly turned red, were filled with such grievance that it was more eloquent than words.
Just then, the Marquis Yong'an changed the subject: "Let's not talk about the spilled tea. Let's talk about you feigning illness and leaving the banquet. That was utterly disrespectful!"
"Although Your Ladyship was considerate and didn't hold it against you, feigning illness at a palace banquet, if it were to spread, would be the crime of deceiving the ruler. If I don't punish you and indulge your temperament, allowing you to act recklessly, you will eventually bring great disaster!"
"Guards! Bring the family law!" the Marquis Yong'an said sternly.
Upon hearing this, Pei Mingyue said softly, "Father, please spare Eldest Sister this time. Perhaps she was in a bad mood because the wedding date wasn't set today, and she acted impulsively to rest... She won't be so reckless next time."
As Pei Mingyue spoke, her words were filled with sincerity, as if she were truly pleading for Jin Ning.
The more obedient and sensible Pei Mingyue appeared, the more the Marquis Yong'an felt that Jin Ning before him was too willful!
Such willfulness, if she were to marry directly into the Crown Prince's Manor, might not be a good thing for the Marquis Yong'an Manor!
Thinking this, the Marquis Yong'an's gaze fell upon Pei Mingyue. He found that his daughter, who had grown up in the countryside, seemed... more suitable to be the Crown Princess.
Before this, the Marquis Yong'an had never thought this way.
As this thought arose, the Marquis Yong'an was first startled by his own idea, feeling it was somewhat unfair to Jin Ning, who was a child he had watched grow up.
But he quickly came to terms with it. The Imperial Observatory had indeed said that a daughter of the Marquis Yong'an Manor possessed a phoenix destiny, and it seemed this prophecy was now being fulfilled.
However, this phoenix destiny... was not on Jin Ning, but on Yue'er.
Although Yue'er grew up in the countryside, she carried the blood of both the Pei and Song families, while Jin Ning's birth mother was merely an orphaned daughter taken in by the Marquis Yong'an Manor to serve the Old Madam.
How could she be worthy of this phoenix destiny?
Saying this, Pei Mingyue then looked at Jin Ning with a chiding expression: "Eldest Sister, Father was actually very worried when he heard you were sick, which is why he is so angry right now... Quickly apologize to Father, and he definitely won't blame you."
Jin Ning ignored Pei Mingyue's intention and simply looked at the Marquis Yong'an, saying, "Father thinks I was faking my illness?"
Seeing that Jin Ning was completely ignoring her, Pei Mingyue clenched her fists slightly.
Why, why could she ignore her like this? Why was she so arrogant, as if she never took her seriously?
The Marquis Yong'an said coldly, "Weren't you faking your illness?"
Jin Ning gave a bitter smile and looked at the Marquis Yong'an with disappointment: "Father and Brother both think my temperament is not as gentle as before, but you never wronged me like this before..."
Madam Song spoke up to persuade him, "My Lord, you should not resort to family law."
It was better not to mention family law, but the moment those two words were uttered, the Marquis Yong'an hardened his heart and said coldly, "I will definitely cure you of this habit of lying today!"
"Why aren't you acting yet!" the Marquis Yong'an said sternly to the rough servant women standing nearby.
Two servant women came forward holding a wooden plank three feet wide.
Jin Ning suddenly collapsed onto the ground, her eyes tightly shut.
"Fine! You faked illness before, and now you're faking unconsciousness to avoid punishment?" The Marquis Yong'an became even more enraged.
His dignified Marquis Yong'an Manor, after more than ten years of careful upbringing, how could it have produced such a thing! Not even half as good as Mingyue!
It seemed bloodline was more important than upbringing.
Thinking this, the Marquis Yong'an made up his mind that in the future, for his children's marriages, he must choose noble families with distinguished bloodlines.
"If you have the ability, keep faking it! Continue to punish me!" the Marquis Yong'an said coldly.
Jin Ning lay motionless on the ground. The two servant women pulled her up, intending to place her on a long bench for the family law punishment. Who knew that as they pulled, the two servant women sensed something was wrong.
One of the servant women couldn't help but say, "Look, what's wrong with Eldest Young Lady?"
The Marquis Yong'an looked closely and saw that Jin Ning's face was pale, her lips were dark blue, and she was trembling uncontrollably.
Pei Jingchuan walked over and said impatiently, "Are you trying to escape punishment by doing this?"
Pei Jingchuan reached out, intending to help the two servant women pull Jin Ning, but unexpectedly, when he touched Jin Ning's hand, he was slightly stunned.
Why was this hand so ice-cold?
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