Chapter 80 Someone Is Framing Others

Although Lai Changya was greatly frightened, she reacted quickly. She raised her eyes, took a step back, and said with a serious expression, "As you said, we have no grudges against each other. Why would I want to harm you? Moreover, I'm not someone close to you. How could I know your birth date? "

Qi Sian stood aside with his eyes slightly narrowed. The imperial physician took the Empress Dowager's pulse and administered a few needles on her. The fainted Empress Dowager slowly came to. Madame Zhao held the Empress Dowager's hand with a worried look.

The Empress Dowager patted Madame Zhao's hand, indicating that she was fine. She raised her eyes and looked at Yao Zhen, who was kneeling on the ground in fear. Finally, she let out a long sigh and slapped the armrest of the couch in great anger, "I have always hated this kind of despicable thing that can't be put on the table! Today, someone actually dared to bring it in front of me!!"

After that, she stared at Lai Changya standing beside her with eyes as if poisoned, and said through gritted teeth in a solemn voice, "Changya, you are a lady from an aristocratic family..."

Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, Lai Changya instinctively curtsied and said earnestly, "Empress Dowager! I was born into an aristocratic family and would never do such a dirty thing. Moreover... Moreover, I don't know Miss Pan at all. Why would I want to harm her like this? And how could I know her birth date? Even if we assume the worst... This embroidery work wasn't done by me at all. Why am I being implicated?"

Lai Changya raised her head and looked at Qi Sian for help, "Your Highness, Prince Xiangyang, you know that you and I clearly bet on the Buddha head!"

Qi Sian stood there with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged, and didn't say a word.

Qi Sicheng stood aside and spoke at the right moment to the Empress Dowager, "Empress Dowager, I think since this witchcraft doll came out of this robe, why don't we ask the Eldest Imperial Brother who exactly placed the bet?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Lai Changya seized the opportunity left in Qi Sicheng's words. She folded her hands in front of her chest and said urgently to the Empress Dowager, "This matter must have been done by the person who placed the bet..."

Yao Zhen also followed Lai Changya's lead and said in a flustered and scared voice, "Yes! It must have been done by the person who placed the bet. The Empress Dowager is wise! This has nothing to do with me at all!"

Su Ruoqing raised his eyes and looked around at everyone present, and noticed Li Shuran, whose face suddenly turned pale.

Qi Simeng took a step forward, but Li Shuran instinctively grabbed his hand. Perhaps the movement was too big and attracted everyone's attention. Li Shuran said calmly, "The Empress Dowager has always hated this kind of witchcraft the most. Your Highness, you should speak carefully." One wrong move could mean the capital crime of having one's family exterminated. Li Shuran's tightly clenched hand slowly loosened under her deliberately relaxed expression due to the gazes of the people around her.

Su Ruoqing saw that Pan Yueqing, who was standing beside Madame Zhao, also didn't look well. He had a faint premonition of something bad in his heart. He frowned and slightly shook his head at Pan Yueqing, signaling her not to act rashly.

Pan Miaoqian seemed to be severely frightened. She was shivering and couldn't stand up while leaning against the pillar for a long time. It was only with the help of the maid beside her that she slightly recovered. She said softly, "I think... I think it should be... someone close... who could know my birth date..."

Pan Miaoqian's words, which seemed weak but were clearly pointing at someone, made Pan Yueqing suddenly understand that all of this must be a conspiracy by Yao Zhen and Pan Miaoqian to deal with her. Although Su Ruoqing kept winking at her, Pan Yueqing didn't listen to him. Ignoring Li Shuran's small gesture of pulling her, she stepped forward and said clearly, "I placed the bet. This robe was originally just a small thing I embroidered at home."

"It was you!" Yao Zhen turned around in disbelief and looked at Pan Yueqing, who was standing calmly in front of everyone. His voice was filled with disbelief, and he said earnestly, "Miss Yue, you can't talk nonsense. This is a crime that not everyone can bear!"

Then he smiled obsequiously and said to the Empress Dowager, "This is my wife's younger sister. Empress Dowager, don't listen to her nonsense. How could a girl do such a thing?"

Pan Miaoqian also stepped forward with tears in her eyes and pulled Pan Yueqing's sleeve, "Second Sister, did you drink too much and lose your mind... I don't believe you would do this to me."

If there hadn't been the previous words as a prelude, everyone present might have believed Pan Miaoqian and Yao Zhen's words a little. But this birth date was naturally not something that ordinary people could know, and this embroidery work was exactly bet on by Pan Miaoqian's own sister. So it naturally made people think more deeply.

At that moment, some people couldn't help but sigh that Miss Pan, the Third Young Lady, was really too kind. The evidence was already so obvious, and Pan Yueqing had even admitted that she made the robe. But this naive Third Young Lady still thought that Pan Yueqing wouldn't do this to her.

Pan Yueqing stood there. Ignoring Pan Miaoqian's sincere and tearful words, she even swept her sleeve, pulling the fabric out of Pan Miaoqian's hand as if to draw a clear line. With a calm expression, she said, "Third Sister, I think you misunderstood. I never said that I made this straw man."

How could Pan Miaoqian not see the disgust hidden beneath her action? She immediately lowered her head and wept behind her hands. Some people even stepped forward to support the tottering Pan Miaoqian, and someone even comforted her, "Third Young Lady, you don't have to be sad. You don't need such a sister..."

Pan Yueqing heard it all and sneered. She turned her head and curtsied slightly to the Empress Dowager, whose expression was uncertain, and Madame Zhao, whose gaze was indifferent, and performed a curtsy, "Empress Dowager, if I really wanted to do such a despicable thing, I should have hidden it. How could I let it be exposed openly? Isn't that asking for a shorter life?"

"I'm an ordinary person. I'm not crazy, stupid, or dull. This matter must have been messed up by someone. Moreover, I sent this robe to Your Highness's mansion yesterday. Since this thing left my hands, from yesterday until now, others have had countless opportunities to tamper with it." Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and looked at Qi Simeng, giving him a trusting look, "Of course, I believe in Your Highness's character. I also believe that my things will never go wrong in Your Highness's hands."

Qi Simeng's eyes darkened, and he ordered in a solemn voice, "Someone, bring up the servants who were in charge of transporting these prizes this morning!"

Soon, a row of servants was brought and knelt on the ground in a row. The leading maid didn't look very old. She timidly raised her eyes and looked at Qi Simeng and the others, and then instinctively lowered her head.

"Xiaohe," Qi Simeng said in a solemn voice with a slightly serious expression. The maid named "Xiaohe" shivered, folded her hands on her forehead, and kowtowed deeply to the ground, looking very respectful, "I'm listening to Your Highness's orders."

Qi Simeng slightly raised his chin, "I ask you, were you in charge of managing the prizes that were bet on yesterday?"

"Before the night shift, Xingfu was guarding them," Xiaohe said with her eyes downcast.

"Where is Xingfu?" Qi Simeng asked.

"I definitely didn't touch it with a finger! I swear with my life!" A young servant beside Xiaohe took up Qi Simeng's question. Fear was written all over his young face.