Especially Qingyue, who was now extremely panicked inside.
She had betrayed her mistress Qiao in order to gain status and a better future by siding with Side Consort Ye. But her very first task had already gone wrong. The side consort would never plead for her in front of the prince now—she might even, out of rage, dispose of her entirely. So today, she could only try to redeem herself by successfully carrying out the second plan they had prepared, or she would not survive this.
At this moment, Side Consort Ye’s expression was equally grim.
Seeing Mo Qin quietly signal to her, she immediately understood that things had gone out of control—the man truly was gone.
Side Consort Ye looked toward Qiao Shi in shock, unable to understand how she had made him disappear.
Now she could only be glad she had prepared a backup plan.
If one plan failed, then she would use the second. In any case, Qiao Shi had to die today. Side Consort Ye lowered her head, a flash of ruthlessness passing through her eyes.
Qingyue quietly moved into a blind spot where no one was paying attention. She quickly took out a cloth doll from her arms and began stabbing it with needles, preparing to secretly place it in Qiao Shi’s room.
But suddenly, a sharp shout rang out beside her, startling her so badly that the two cloth dolls in her hands fell to the ground.
Qingyue quickly turned around—and saw Qiao Rongjin standing right in front of her at some unknown point. Her heart pounded violently, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“You dare frame me in front of His Highness? You ungrateful traitor!” Qiao Rongjin immediately noticed the cloth dolls covered in needles and understood what they were.
Damn it! Side Consort Ye is trying to kill her outright!
Having seen palace intrigue dramas before, Qiao Rongjin instantly recognized them as cursed voodoo dolls—something strictly forbidden in this world. If this succeeded today, she would definitely die. With Prince Rui’s current disgust toward her, even if he knew the truth, he might still choose to quietly eliminate her to preserve order, especially given his hatred for her because of Chen Shi and her children.
Looking at the names stitched onto the dolls—Chen Shi and her children—Qiao Rongjin knew that if she did not fight back now, she would truly die again.
To use the prince’s beloved to frame her—how dare they?!
She nearly wanted to tear apart the traitorous maid Qingyue. The original owner had trusted her so much!
Before anyone could react, Qiao Rongjin immediately fell to her knees before the prince.
“Your Highness, please seek justice for me! Now even a maid dares to openly frame me in your presence! Though I am only a concubine, I am still your woman. Their humiliation of me is an insult to you and the Princess Consort! They even used such vile methods to harm me—how ruthless!”
As her voice fell, a large group of people rushed into the room. The cloth doll that Qingyue had dropped also came into full view.
Prince Rui had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the object on the ground. He signaled to Wang Fuyang.
Wang Fuyang quickly stepped forward, picked it up, and upon seeing the names written on it, broke out in a cold sweat. His expression stiffened.
He could already imagine what would happen when the prince saw this. He silently lit a candle for Side Consort Ye in his heart.
You could write anyone’s name, but she had to write the prince’s most beloved people—and not just one, but two. This was courting death.
Wang Fuyang quickly presented the doll to Prince Rui.
The moment the prince saw the object and the names on it, his expression darkened instantly.
Qingyue’s hands froze. Her legs weakened, and she almost cried out of fear. She was finished—completely finished.
Mo Qin shot her a sharp glare. Useless thing! She had dragged their mistress into this mess, and now they might all die because of her.
Side Consort Ye was also visibly panicked, tightly clutching her handkerchief as she looked at the prince.
The others, however, were quietly enjoying the show.
To salvage the situation, Qingyue desperately tried to think. No, she couldn’t just sit and wait for death. If she died today, her mother and young brother at home would be left behind. She had to find a way.
So, in the next moment, before anyone could speak, she suddenly knelt before Qiao Rongjin and cried loudly:
“My lady! You were the one who ordered me to make these cloth dolls—how can you now falsely accuse me? I have served you faithfully for so many years, but in the end you are so cruel! You hate Consort Chen and her children, and this is exactly what you ordered me to make!”
She had decided—she must deny everything and survive. Otherwise, Side Consort Ye would never spare her family.
Qiao Rongjin looked at her coldly and sneered.
“Is that so? You claim to be my maid, yet you just stood with Side Consort Ye to catch your mistress in adultery. And now you say I ordered you to make this? Qingyue, you are truly skilled at twisting black into white. I treated you well, and this is your conscience? Even a dog is more loyal than you—how did you become worse than an animal?”
Without giving anyone time to react, she immediately turned to kneel before the prince and Princess Consort.
“Your Highness, Your Ladyship, please investigate this thoroughly! I know I have committed many wrongs in the past, but I have already changed. I am currently under confinement and cannot leave my courtyard, not even servants may approach me. Many people know this—so how could I have obtained such cursed dolls? I beg Your Highness to investigate! More importantly, we must not allow malicious people to curse Consort Chen and her children!”
Her words were sincere, emotional, and resolute.
The Princess Consort and the other concubines looked at her in surprise. This did not seem like something she would normally say. She should have been screaming and accusing Side Consort Ye—but instead her reasoning was unexpectedly clear.
It seems the confinement has changed her somewhat.
“Enough!”
The prince was already exhausted from this late-night disturbance, and now Chen Shi and her children were dragged into it. His expression turned icy as he looked at Side Consort Ye.
Voodoo curses were extremely vicious—and they had been directed at the people he cared about. This could not be tolerated.
Small jealous fights were acceptable, but such filthy methods had no place in his household, especially not against his loved ones.
At his command, everyone straightened immediately, lowering their heads and falling silent.