Chapter 30: Those Who Spread Rumors Shall Be Punished

The Old Madam Pan looked at Pan Yueqing's tearful and unyielding appearance. Although she had already suspected the truth in her heart, she was an old lady who had never been contradicted. She immediately frowned and pointed at Pan Yueqing, saying, "Since you claim to be innocent, do you dare to let the maid by my side examine you?!"

Pan Yueqing's body was trembling. She raised her eyes and said to the Old Madam Pan, "What right do you have to examine me?" Her gaze was sharp as she swept over the people led by the Old Madam Pan inch by inch. Suddenly, she smiled. "I don't trust your people. How about inviting a maid from the palace to do the examination?"

Mr. Hong gently put down the tea cup. With the help of his butler, he stood up while leaning on his crutch. All the smiles disappeared from his eyes. "Prime Minister Pan, do you not trust me?"

Upon hearing this, Pan Haiyun felt as if there was a thunderclap in his head. He quickly waved his hands and denied it repeatedly. Then he whispered to the Old Madam Pan, "If you don't want to be the Old Madam of the Prime Minister's Mansion anymore, feel free to act recklessly!"

The Old Madam Pan suddenly raised her eyes. A glint of light flashed in her cloudy old eyes. She reached out and grabbed Pan Haiyun's robe. In Pan Haiyun's cold expression, she finally realized that the old man was not simple.

"Since the Old Madam is ill-informed, let me repeat it," The butler behind Mr. Hong stepped forward, bowed slightly to the Old Madam Pan, but there was not much respect on his face. "Miss was all covered in wounds and accidentally met our master who was hunting in the mountains. In the Hong Mansion, we have already invited Nanny Murong beside the Empress Dowager to examine her. Apart from being severely frightened, there are no other problems."

After saying that, he let out a slight sigh. "Poor Second Miss was so frightened that she fainted for a day and a night. When our madam saw Miss, she thought of our eldest miss who died young. In order to repay our master and madam for saving her life, Second Miss agreed to stay with us for a while. If it wasn't for the absurd rumor that she was kidnapped by mountain bandits and lost her chastity that she heard this morning, and she was afraid that her father in the mansion would be worried, she wouldn't have taken her leave from our master and madam. Our master insisted on coming with her for fear that Second Miss would bedifficult after she came back, and he also wanted to get to know the family that raised such a good girl like Miss."

"It's impossible!" Shan Cha beside Pan Miaoqian flatly denied it. Only after she blurted out the words did she realize that there were fierce gazes around her. Since she couldn't take back her words, she forced herself to say, "The wall of the Lian Tan Pavilion in Cibei Temple collapsed that night! Even a great figure like Master Wuji died at the hands of the mountain bandits. How could Second Miss manage to escape? And why, since you could escape, didn't you take Gu Pan and Wan'er with you? Instead, you hid them in the cabinet?"

"I didn't think I could escape," Pan Yueqing raised her hand and gently touched the abrasion under her lower eyelid, which was a very obvious arrow wound. She slightly lowered her eyes and said softly, "I realized something was wrong in the room, but Gu Pan and Wan'er had already been knocked out by the incense. I couldn't take them with me, so I could only lock them in the cabinet. When I climbed out of the window, there were only two things on my mind. One was that I hoped Gu Pan and Wan'er could live well since they had served me. The other was that if I was caught up by the mountain bandits, they would give me a chance to commit suicide."

"I jumped into the river with the thought that even if I had to die, I wouldn't let the mountain bandits defile me," Pan Yueqing sniffled.

Pan Miaoqian sneered. "I don't believe that any young lady would protect her maids even when she was about to die." As soon as she said this, she received a slap from Liu Yingwei. Just as she let out a coquettish cry of "Mother", she was silenced by a look from Liu Yingwei. She understood that in the eyes of everyone in this room, she was just a concubine. Although she was in charge of the household affairs and was the actual mistress, in terms of reputation, she was just a concubine.

The child of a concubine, according to etiquette, couldn't call his or her birth mother "Mother". She had been so proud all these years, but the mockery from Su Jing and Mr. Hong just now was like a wake-up call. Her unauthorized entry into the main hall would surely make the master lose face. If it spread out, people would laugh at the Prime Minister's Mansion for having no rules. Pan Haiyun wouldn't want to lose such face.

"In my eyes, they are my confidants. They are loyal to me, work hard without complaint, and just want to earn a living. Isn't that enough for their master to treat them sincerely? Or does my sister, after reading so many books, not know that making friends is about opening one's heart, and opening one's heart is about being sincere? Or does my sister think that these mere maids don't deserve it?" Pan Yueqing let out a slight sigh and said.

Pan Yueqing's words stabbed Pan Miaoqian so much that she took half a step back. "I didn't expect that my sister is not only harsh on me as her elder sister, lashing at my neck with a whip and trying to scratch my face with a hairpin... but also very heartless towards the maids who serve her closely."

"Did she really wound your face?!" Su Jing couldn't hold back his anger any longer and said furiously, "Prime Minister Pan, since you can't uphold justice, I will go to the palace to see the Empress and ask her to do justice for Yue'er!"

"Uncle... Don't make things difficult for Father," Pan Yueqing quickly stood in front of Su Jing and shook her head slightly. "Third Sister didn't really scratch me with a hairpin. Gu Pan... Gu Pan risked her life to block Third Sister. Uncle, Father also doesn't want me to suffer like this. But Father is also a son. He has many difficulties!"

The Old Madam Pan's face turned green and then purple. Pan Yueqing's words, both explicitly and implicitly, were accusing her as a grandmother of treating her granddaughter harshly and being so overbearing that she didn't let her son intervene! Immediately, she spat out a mouthful of old blood, and the scene became chaotic. The Old Madam pointed at Pan Yueqing but couldn't say a word. She fell backward and fainted.

"Second Miss! Even if you're angry, you should direct it at me. How could you stimulate the Old Madam like this!" Liu Yingwei supported the Old Madam Pan but shifted the blame to Pan Yueqing.

"I should direct it at you, Concubine Liu. I've always thought I've respected you. Why do you want to take my life?!" Pan Yueqing looked at Liu Yingwei's face. Her eyes were filled with genuine grievance. But under this grievance, there was also overwhelming hatred. "Butler Hong, please help me tell the story." "Bring the people in!" Butler Hong nodded and clapped his hands. Then a dozen or so booksellers who sold books were brought in, tied up. These booksellers were farmers who sold some prohibited books during their leisure time. When asked, they were all from the same village. The leader, nicknamed "Money-Grubber", had a sharp mouth and a monkey-like face. His eyes lit up when he saw the wealth in the room.

"Come on, point out who gave you ten taels of silver to spread the rumors," Butler Hong squatted down and smiled at Money-Grubber's gaze. He pulled off the cloth stuffed in Money-Grubber's mouth. Money-Grubber cowered and finally raised his hand to point at Liu Yingwei. "It was Madam Liu who asked us to do it! She said that if the whole capital knew about it, she would give each of us another twenty taels!"

After hearing this, Butler Hong stuffed the cloth back into Money-Grubber's mouth and then asked each of them one by one. He got the same answer. "Madam Liu, what else do you have to say?"

Liu Yingwei's face turned pale, but she tried to maintain her composure. "You... bribed these poor wretches surnamed Qian to slander me!"

"How do you know they are surnamed Qian?" Pan Yueqing smiled and caught the loophole in Liu Yingwei's words!

"It is said that the young lady has lost her green and white, but in fact, it is not only the young lady who receives guidance from others, but also the person who nurtures the young lady, that is, you. Therefore, in our Hongfu, rumor-mongers should be punished."Butler Hong rested his chin in his hand and smiled at Liu Yingwei. "I wonder what the rules are in Prime Minister Pan's mansion."