The Confrontation in Cian Xuan

The air in Ci'an Pavilion suddenly turned deathly still, leaving only the steady and composed voice of Pan Yueqing answering, "Well... I've been away from the capital for over a month, and it was Concubine Liu who took charge of my courtyard during that time. As for who did this deed, Father, you might as well ask Concubine Liu or Third Sister about it."

Pan Haiyun held the root of the Precious Pearl Jasmine in his hand and cast his gaze towards Pan Miaoqian by his side. With just one look, Pan Miaoqian was so terrified that she plopped down on her knees with a thud. Of course, she recognized what it was. Just two days ago, she had gone to Pan Yueqing's courtyard with a pair of scissors and cut off the blooming flowers. But now, there was no way she could admit it. Wiping her tears, she said, "Father... It wasn't me... I really have no idea why this happened..."

"Is that so?" Pan Yueqing shook her head and clapped her hands. "Gu Pan, bring up the Precious Pearl Jasmine that was fetched from Concubine Liu and Third Sister's place."

As soon as the words fell, Gu Pan and two other young maids presented a crystal vase in front of Pan Haiyun. The Precious Pearl Jasmine had lost its roots. Although it was placed in water, the edges of its petals were already showing signs of withering.

Yet, its splendor was still undeniable.

Pan Miaoqian wiped her tears pitifully. "Second Sister, even if you don't like me, you can't frame me like this... Maybe it was you who picked the flowers and are trying to accuse me! Father, you have to believe me. I really don't know anything about this..."

"Third Miss, it takes about two days for the flowers to wither like this even when they are placed in water after being cut off from their roots. And our miss just returned today," Gu Pan said, keeping her eyes lowered. "Miss, don't cry. Even with your beautiful tears, you can't bring these Precious Pearl Jasmine plants back to life."

"You!" Pan Miaoqian was enraged and shot a fierce glare at Gu Pan. "When the masters are talking, what right do you have to interrupt?" She then turned to Pan Haiyun and the old lady, wiping her tears and feigning a pitiful look. "Grandmother, Father, I really don't know..."

Seeing Pan Miaoqian's tears, Pan Yueqing immediately turned to Pan Haiyun and choked up, "Father, it's not easy to cultivate the Precious Pearl Jasmine. It was only because of the relatively warm weather this year that we were fortunate enough to have them. With just a simple 'I don't know', Third Sister has ruined Father's opportunity in front of His Majesty! Well, after all, we are sisters, and I can't bear to be too harsh on her. But as a daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, I've only been away for a short while, and my courtyard is already in a complete mess. Mother's hairpin was stolen without a care, the Precious Pearl Jasmine that I painstakingly cultivated was destroyed at will, and even this serving maid dared to climb onto my bed and mock me! This is not just an insult to me, but a disgrace to the reputation of our Prime Minister's Mansion!"

As Pan Yueqing spoke these words, Pan Haiyun's face had turned extremely grim.

While speaking, Pan Yueqing had already shed tears. At this moment, she wiped her tears and said, "Since Third Sister claims that she didn't steal this hairpin, then there must be a thief in my courtyard who is deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us sisters! This Yingying is truly detestable. She mocked and bullied me, and even now, she still hasn't told the truth. It's so difficult to guard against the thief within the family. Many things in my courtyard have gone missing, and she must be involved. If she's not drowned in the pond, what else should we do with her?"

Afraid of getting implicated, Pan Miaoqian didn't dare to speak up for Yingying anymore. When Yingying saw this situation, she was scared out of her wits. She struggled forward and hugged Pan Yueqing's leg. "This hairpin has nothing to do with me! It was Caiyan and Nanny Mei who did it! They said that the miss had too many pieces of jewelry, and since the miss didn't need them, they might as well sell them. When Caiyan was selling the miss's jewelry, Third Miss caught her, so she threatened Caiyan to use this hairpin to keep her mouth shut..."

After hearing this, Pan Yueqing let out a cold sneer. Yingying really made things convenient. Caiyan was also a senior maid by Pan Yueqing's side, and Nanny Mei was Pan Yueqing's wet nurse. It was just that Nanny Mei and Caiyan had both taken leave in the past few days. Originally, she thought that there was no way to implicate these two biggest pests in the household today, and she could only deal with a few small fry. Unexpectedly, Yingying directly dragged Nanny Mei and Caiyan into this mess as well.

"Don't talk nonsense! I... Father! You can't believe what Second Sister said! Second Sister previously harmed Mother's child. That was Father's first son! When Father came back, instead of standing up for Mother, why are you believing Second Sister's slander of me..." Pan Miaoqian had secretly been thinking that Pan Yueqing was just a paper tiger and wouldn't really take action against her. But she didn't expect that it would come back to haunt her again. At this moment, her exquisitely applied makeup was all smudged from crying.

"I didn't want to bring this up originally, but since Third Sister has brought up the matter of harming the offspring, why don't we talk it through today in front of Grandmother and Father?" Pan Yueqing looked even more aggrieved than her. "I noticed that when I saw Concubine Liu at the door today, she looked quite normal and was in good health. That Doctor Li said that Concubine Liu has delicate skin and brittle bones, and even a tiny amount of Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) could lead to a miscarriage. It's even more dangerous when she's pregnant. But in just a month's time, what kind of miraculous medicine did Concubine Liu take to recover so quickly?"

"What do you mean by that?" Pan Miaoqian's face turned pale. Of course, she knew that Pan Yueqing was hinting that Concubine Liu might not have been pregnant. Immediately, she threw herself onto the old lady's lap and cried even more pitifully, trying to gain the upper hand. "How can there be such injustice in the world... Grandmother... Can a murderer just claim that the victim doesn't exist and get away with the crime?"

"I'm just curious. I've never said anything about anyone not existing. Could it be that Concubine Liu was really not pregnant?" Pan Yueqing looked at Pan Haiyun thoughtfully and suddenly broke into a smile. "How could the doctor be wrong? But I gave the order to stew ginseng chicken soup, so why was Danshen served to Concubine Liu instead? Yingying, you were the one who served it. Tell us, what's going on?"

"Second Miss, the Danshen... The Danshen was..." Yingying was trembling with fear. She moved her lips, and finally came up with a shocking answer: "It was my own doing... I was just dissatisfied..."

"Why didn't you say so that day!" The old Madam Pan slapped the table, and her furious outburst cut off Pan Yueqing's intention to continue asking questions. She shook her hands, showing just how extremely angry she was.

Yingying closed her eyes. "I was scared. If I had said it that day, I wouldn't have been able to survive..."

"Damn it!" The old Madam Pan pointed at Yingying with trembling fingers. After a moment, she turned to Pan Haiyun and said, "Yingying, who attempted to harm the master's offspring, should be beaten to death."

"Yes, yes! It's all her talking nonsense and slandering me! Hurry up and take her away and beat her to death!" Pan Miaoqian was afraid of being dragged into the mess and quickly spoke up, urging people to take Yingying away and drown her in the pond.

Pan Yueqing looked extremely aggrieved and fell silent.

Pan Haiyun was a shrewd person who had weathered many storms in the officialdom. How could he not see through this backyard squabble? Thinking of the tolerance shown by Pan Yueqing towards Pan Miaoqian in her words earlier, and the acrimony revealed in Pan Miaoqian's words just now, his face had darkened to the extreme.

Then, seeing Pan Miaoqian, who was being protected by the old lady and was now noisily urging to have Yingying beaten to death, he was so angry that he slapped the table. "Pan Miaoqian, look at yourself! Where is the slightest bit of the grace and dignity that a young lady in a boudoir should possess? You've been spoiled rotten. You must be punished today. Someone, take Third Miss away. Punish her with ten strokes of the bamboo board, make her kneel in the Buddhist hall for three days, and confine her to her room for half a month to reflect on her misdeeds!"

Half a month! Wouldn't that mean she would miss the birthday celebration of the Princess of Anbei! Pan Miaoqian looked at Pan Haiyun in shock, and while tugging at the hem of Pan Haiyun's robe, she cried bitterly.

Before she could plead for mercy, Pan Haiyun directly signaled the servants to quickly take her away. Then he turned his gaze to Pan Yueqing, who was standing upright, and let out a barely audible sigh. "Yingying, the first-class maid of Dongfeng Pavilion, who attempted to harm the offspring and engaged in an improper relationship, should be gagged and beaten to death together with her lover. Another maid, Caiyan, should be taken to the estate and given as a servant to someone, and then taken away. Nanny Mei should also be banished to the estate and not allowed to return. The second-class and third-class maids of Dongfeng Pavilion... Summon the human traffickers and sell them off."

"Thank you, Father. But Father, I'd like Nanny Mei and Caiyan to come back so that I can deal with them myself," Pan Yueqing said. Step by step, she had finally achieved her goal. At this moment, she curtsied slightly to Pan Haiyun. After obtaining Pan Haiyun's permission, she curtsied to the old Madam Pan, whose expression was full of uncertainty, and then took her leave.