Chapter 49: Settle Privately and Repay the Money

The Prince of Anbei had once spent some time on the border of the Northern Qi. He could understand some everyday words. After hearing what the Princess of Anbei said, his face turned slightly pale. He had originally thought that the person deeply hidden in the Princess's heart must be a lover who couldn't be spoken of, but he never expected it to be her mother. His mouth felt slightly bitter. Looking at the Princess's no longer young face, he felt that he really owed her a great deal.

They had been together for half a lifetime and had children, yet he didn't even know her real name.

"What happened today cannot be tolerated." The Prince of Anbei stood up. His gaze, as fierce as a tiger, swept around the room and finally landed on Zou Yingru. "Miss Pan the Second, if you're going to the Zongzheng Temple, I will also go to state my case tomorrow."

Both Zou Yingru and Pan Miaoqian trembled at that moment. If the Prince of Anbei was going to stand on Pan Yueqing's side, this matter would become extremely difficult to handle.

"Yuanlang, don't be angry." The Princess of Anbei raised her eyes and smiled gently at the Prince of Anbei. Her gaze slowly swept over every guest present. The calm scrutiny in her eyes seemed to tear apart the innermost hearts of everyone, as if she was judging the sins hidden in their hearts. Finally, her gaze stopped on Zou Yingru. The kind smile on her face remained, but there was a hint of bitterness from being betrayed. She had no daughter in her life and had always taken great care of Zou Yingru, who was left in the capital. They were very close. The disappointment was evident on the Princess's white jade - like face. Before the banquet started, when she was still dressing in the attic, Zou Yingru had brought her a bowl of rose nectar. She had drunk it without the slightest suspicion.

"You may be young, you may not know the seriousness of the matter, or you may have been used by others, but there is only one result," the Princess of Anbei turned her gaze away and let out a sigh. "You were trying to take my life. If Miss Pan hadn't been here today, even if Imperial Physician Xue had been called, there would have been no way to save me."

"Princess, I didn't mean to. I didn't expect this thing to be so harmful. If I had known, I wouldn't have agreed!" Zou Yingru knew that there was no room for turning back now, but she definitely wouldn't take all the blame alone, nor would she let Pan Miaoqian get away with it.

"Forget it," the Princess of Anbei looked at Zou Yingru's tear - stained face. Suddenly, she remembered the exquisitely beautiful little girl she had met in the palace ten years ago. The little girl, dressed in luxury, was alone in the long corridor leading to the palace, chasing after the carriage that was about to leave in front of the palace gate, crying and shouting "Father, Mother". Her heart suddenly softened, and she shook her head helplessly. "Let Miss Pan decide this matter."

"Miss Pan, although I was in a confused state of mind just now, I still heard most of what happened. Since they originally intended to frame you, it's up to you to decide! Do as you think fit." The Princess of Anbei turned her face away and no longer looked at Zou Yingru's pleading expression.

The Sixth Young Master of the Qi family stepped forward and pushed Zou Yingru, who was holding onto the Princess of Anbei's leg, away. Before he could let out a scolding, Pan Yueqing raised her hand to stop the Sixth Young Master of the Qi family's action. She squatted down and stared intently into Zou Yingru's eyes. When their eyes met, she suddenly let out a sneer. "Although the Princess does feel sorry for you, the matter of you falsely accusing me won't be so easily settled. What do you want? To settle it privately or through official channels?"

Pan Yueqing was just trying to scare Zou Yingru. If even the Princess of Anbei had softened her heart, even if this matter was taken to the Zongzheng Temple, there wouldn't be any practical result.

Looking at Pan Yueqing's smiling eyes, Zou Yingru felt a chill in her heart and timidly proposed to settle it privately. Pan Yueqing clapped her hands and stood up, smiling. "In that case, please, Miss Zou, prepare five hundred taels of silver and send it to my place within two days, and then this matter will be settled."

"Third sister, you are my real sister. If we talk about five hundred taels of silver between us, it will really hurt our feelings. How about this? I'll give you a discount. You can just give me half of it." Pan Yueqing looked at Pan Miaoqian, whose teeth were almost grinding with anger, and almost didn't give her a chance to speak before finalizing the matter.

Two hundred and fifty taels of silver! This number seemed to be mocking her for being a fool who had lifted a rock only to drop it on her own foot! Pan Miaoqian looked at Pan Yueqing resentfully. She naturally knew that Pan Yueqing was doing it on purpose. But now that Liu Yingwei had been sent to the countryside, where could she get two hundred and fifty taels of silver? Moreover, today, the Old Madam Pan hadn't said a word and had just watched from the sidelines. Pan Miaoqian turned her head and looked at Old Madam Pan with a pleading look, but she still couldn't read any emotions from her. Only when Old Madam Pan noticed her gaze did she give a slight shake of her head, indicating that she shouldn't act rashly.

Old Madam Pan had her own considerations. No matter how much trouble was caused in front of the Princess Anbei's Mansion, once they returned home, Pan Yueqing wouldn't have the upper hand.

Pan Miaoqian felt a chill in her heart and knew that she could only follow Pan Yueqing's words today. In this situation, even the grandmother who had always doted on her didn't intend to say a word for her.

Seeing that Pan Miaoqian reluctantly agreed, Pan Yueqing nodded in satisfaction. "Since that's the case, please write an IOU and put your thumbprint on it. And please, everyone present, be a witness for me, so as to prevent someone from using their power to bully me and not pay back the money when the time passes and we leave this place."

After saying that, she gave a deep look at Old Madam Pan, whose eyes were fixed on her. There must be something fishy when things were abnormal. The old lady hadn't said a word, and she must be thinking of punishing her when they got back!

Pan Yueqing took the IOU with Pan Miaoqian and Zou Yingru's thumbprints on it and carefully put it into the embroidered purse around her waist. Her eyes curved into crescent moons. "Remember to pay back the money!"

Old Madam Pan felt so angry with Pan Yueqing that she almost spat out blood. It was bad enough that she asked for money in front of everyone, but she was so greedy for money, looking as if the Pan family treated her so harshly!

The Sixth Young Master of the Qi family followed Pan Yueqing's gaze. From his initial disgust to later watching this girl of his age unravel the truth step by step, he couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart. He then whispered to Pan Yueqing, "Miss Yue, you saved my mother. Please stay in our mansion for a few days so that we can repay you..."

Pan Yueqing looked past the Sixth Young Master of the Qi family at the Princess of Anbei behind him. She then rested her chin in her hand and thought for a moment before nodding slightly. She knew that the Princess of Anbei had a lot to say to her, and if she stayed in the Princess of Anbei's mansion, she wouldn't have to face the Old Madam Pan's cold looks when she went back. It seemed like a good thing.

As if she suddenly remembered something, Pan Yueqing pointed at Xia Yang. "Third sister, I'll return Xia Yang to you. She's of no use to me now." Without caring about Xia Yang's frightened expression, she reached out and pulled Luo Shui over, saying softly, "I'm sorry. I wronged you before."

Luo Shui's eyes widened, and she tried her best to hold back the tears in her eyes. She was a servant girl. Even if the young lady really didn't like her, she could only endure it. But she never expected that the young lady would actually apologize to her. When she raised her eyes, she couldn't hold back the tears that fell. "Young lady, this servant isn't wronged."