Senior Maid Yang, kneeling to one side, felt her heart tremble slightly upon hearing Chu Fengge's words.
Even Bai Ruoshui lowered her eyes, hiding the venom in their depths!
"They're right. I was the one who hit them. But Prince Regent—based solely on your own judgment, you've convicted me of plotting against the Shizi, trying again and again to put me to death. I refuse to accept this. Even a murderer has the right to kneel in court and defend themselves. What I, Chu Fengge, have not done, I will never admit to!"
She came to an abrupt halt. Even though she was exhausted in body and mind, her voice carried not a hint of retreat or cowardice.
Hua An, in her arms, was secretly astonished.
Her mother seemed to have changed somehow~
Just then, the Shizi, Mo Zilou, rushed in from outside the courtyard.
Steward Wang chased after him with all his might, but still couldn't catch up.
After running into Peach Snow Courtyard, Mo Zilou charged straight toward Chu Fengge and Hua An, blocking Chu Fengge with his small body, arms spread wide.
Bai Ruoshui was startled. She hadn't expected Mo Zilou to run to Peach Snow Courtyard, and what shocked her even more was that this little bastard who would never get close to her had actually gone to protect Chu Fengge and that bastard.
"Shizi, don't go over there! Princess Consort, please don't hurt the Shizi again, I beg you!" Bai Ruoshui suddenly ran over, preparing to shove Chu Fengge hard, to create the illusion that Chu Fengge intended to seize the child.
Chu Fengge, who had remained constantly vigilant, held Hua An with one arm and pulled Mo Zilou close with the other, quickly stepping back a large stride.
"Bang!"
"Ah!"
"Heavens, Cousin!"
Bai Ruoshui completely missed Chu Fengge and fell hard to the ground herself.
Pain!
Bai Ruoshui felt an intense pain in her elbow—the very spot where she had cut flesh from her arm for medicine.
Hongling, Senior Maid Yang, and several maids of the manor hurried forward to help Bai Ruoshui up.
"Cousin's wound is bleeding!" Hongling cried out loudly.
Bai Ruoshui leaned weakly against Hongling, looking at Chu Fengge. "Pr… Princess Consort, please, stop tormenting the child. You have a daughter of your own. If… if you really want to take another hostage, then take me instead. Spare the Young Heir."
"What? The Princess Consort wants to kidnap the Young Heir!" Hongling deliberately raised her voice.
The guards in the courtyard all drew their swords, and archers crouched on the rooftops. If Chu Fengge dared to harm Mo Zilou, all these guards, both visible and hidden, would strike at her.
Steward Wang turned pale with fright. If anything happened to Mo Zilou again, he could not escape blame—it was he who had failed to watch over the Young Heir.
The atmosphere in Peach Snow Courtyard grew tense in an instant.
Chu Fengge lowered her eyes and glanced at Mo Zilou, then raised her head to look at Bai Ruoshui… who seemed too frail to even care for herself.
All the frame-ups that had happened in the manor today now had a clear shape.
What a fine pair of adulterers. It seemed her existence stood in the way of this cousins' tender romance—no wonder they kept trying to put her to death at every turn.
"Heh heh…"
"Ahahaha…"
Chu Fengge hugged Hua An tightly, unable to hold back her laughter.
Mo Qianhan's sword-like brows knitted slightly. "Chu Fengge, you still have the nerve to laugh!"
With that, Mo Qianhan turned to look at his son, a trace of sternness settling over his handsome face. "Come here."
"I won't!" Mo Zilou refused with stubborn determination, his small hands suddenly covering his belly, his chubby face twisting slightly.
Mo Qianhan and Bai Ruoshui both noticed something was wrong with Mo Zilou. The poison surely hadn't been cured that quickly, and after all this commotion, the remaining toxins in his body were likely to flare up again.
Hua An looked down at Mo Zilou. She couldn't see Zilou's face clearly, but somehow her heart could feel that Mo Zilou was in great pain.
"Mommy, Mommy, Zilou gege doesn't seem to feel well."
Chu Fengge snapped out of her angry thoughts, and holding Hua An, she crouched down and took Mo Zilou's wrist to read his pulse.
Seeing this, Bai Ruoshui, ignoring the pain in her injured hand, lunged fiercely at Chu Fengge once more: "Zilou, don't be afraid, I won't let the Princess Consort hurt you again!"
"Get lost!"
Just as Bai Ruoshui was about to pounce on her, Chu Fengge flung her hand out.
Bai Ruoshui was knocked aside by a backhanded slap from Chu Fengge. Using the force of Chu Fengge's blow, she stumbled back several steps, shrieking, "Ah, Cousin—"
"Cousin."
"Ruoshui!" Mo Qianhan was about to rush to her rescue, but one of the female guards beside him moved faster and caught Bai Ruoshui first.
Mo Qianhan's footsteps halted, and he quickly withdrew his hand, growling in anger, "Chu Fengge, you're the one who should get lost."
He strode toward Chu Fengge. Just as he was about to reach her, from the darkness, an arrow laden with killing intent shot from the dense treetops on the roof behind them, flying straight toward Chu Fengge—