Hearing He Yao's words, the middle - aged man kneeling on the ground still had a panicked look in his eyes, and his body trembled involuntarily. He Yao's meaning was quite clear. She was threatening him with the lives of his parents, wife, and children. If he gave the wrong answer, his whole family would be implicated.
Wei Dongling thought to herself that something was wrong. Then she heard the middle - aged man point at her and cry to the Young Prince, "It's her! She ordered me to do this! Please, Young Prince, investigate thoroughly!"
This statement caused an uproar in the whole venue.
He Yao immediately felt much more relaxed. Pointing at Wei Dongling, she angrily roared, "I knew it! It was really you! You staged a ruse of feigning injury to make the horse frightened and charge at me! You wanted to kill me! Wei Dongling, I even showed mercy and rewarded you with 5,000 taels of silver, hoping to be sisters with you! But you repaid my kindness with hatred! Are you even human?" He Yao spoke very quickly, shouting in a sarcastic tone, which left everyone stunned.
Princess Jiaxin, the Princess Consort of Rui, looked quite displeased. Her gaze towards Wei Dongling was full of discontent.
Wei Dongling was extremely annoyed. He Yao was so shameless, accusing the innocent! Those slaps from Ruan Niang just now were really too light!
Murong Xuan stared at the man on the ground and coldly asked, "Are you sure she ordered you to do this? Think it over clearly. I have plenty of ways to find out the truth. If I find out that you've lied even a single word, guess what will happen to your family?"
The middle - aged man on his knees trembled with fear. He glanced at He Yao, gritted his teeth, and pointed at Wei Dongling. "It's her! She ordered me to do it!"
Wei Dongling: ...
Seeing the unfriendly looks from everyone, Wei Dongling stepped forward, grabbed the man's lapel, and sneered, "Since you're so sure it was me, then I'll ask you. What's my name? Where do I live? How much silver did I give you to commit this crime? When did we get to know each other? Where did we meet and make the deal? Explain it all clearly!"
The middle - aged man's face turned deathly pale, and his body shook like a sieve. He stammered and couldn't answer a single question.
Seeing his reaction, everyone couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Murong Xuan coldly asked the middle - aged man on the ground, "Who are you? What's your name? Where are you from? Where do you live? Who else is in your family? Who did you come to this horse - training ground with today?"
The middle - aged man was extremely panicked. He could only lower his head and tremble. "I... I'm from Yan'gu Mountain..."
Yan'gu Mountain? Everyone was shocked. Didn't Princess Jiaxin marry to Yan'gu Mountain back then? And He Yao, the County Mistress of Rong'an, was also born there!
Murong Xuan bowed to the Princess Consort of Rui and said, "Mother, it's obvious that he's lying. This matter was definitely not ordered by Miss Wei."
By this time, the Princess Consort of Rui knew exactly what was going on. If they continued to investigate, Princess Jiaxin and her daughter might be exposed, which would damage the royal family's reputation in front of everyone. The Princess Consort of Rui sighed silently and waved her hand. "Take him away first and interrogate him later. Miss Wei won the first place. The reward for the horse - racing competition hasn't been given to her yet. Someone, bring up my peony gold hairpin!"
"Yes!" A servant presented it on a tray.
The Princess Consort of Rui personally handed the hairpin in front of Wei Dongling and said kindly with a smile, "Miss Wei is really capable to win this competition. Congratulations, miss."
Seeing the Princess Consort of Rui hand over the gold hairpin personally, Wei Dongling was both surprised and delighted. She nodded repeatedly to express her gratitude, holding the hairpin in both hands with a beaming smile.
The Princess Consort of Rui glanced at He Yao and said calmly, "Since Yao Yao lost to Miss Wei, she should abide by the bet. Give her the 10,000 taels of silver note you promised."
He Yao felt the disdain in the Princess Consort of Rui's eyes. She was even more annoyed but couldn't vent her anger. She had no choice but to order her servant to present the silver note to Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling was overjoyed holding the silver note. She didn't even thank He Yao. She bowed to the Princess Consort of Rui and Murong Xuan and bid them farewell.
He Yao watched Wei Dongling's proud back as she left. She was both angry and annoyed but helpless. Murong Xuan still held the man she had arranged. She had to figure out a way to deal with this situation properly to prevent that man from confessing.
Wei Dongling knew very well that, out of concern for the royal family's reputation, the Princess Consort of Rui wouldn't allow a detailed investigation in public. Even if the truth was discovered later, it wouldn't be made public. They would just find a random excuse to deal with it.
It was a pity to just let He Yao go like this, considering how vicious she was.
What could Wei Dongling do? She could only let it go for the sake of the silver, the gold hairpin, and Xiaohong.
If there was a next time, she would surely beat He Yao to death!
So, the group prepared to return to the capital.
Before leaving, Wei Dongling went to thank Murong Xuan for his generous help. She presented the 10,000 - tael silver note she hadn't even warmed up in both hands and bowed repeatedly to express her gratitude.
She originally wanted to make a fortune relying on Luo Xunlong's amazing gambling strategies. Unfortunately, fate played tricks on her, and she didn't win a single bet.
Murong Xuan took the silver note and had Xiaohong brought over. He smiled gently at Wei Dongling. "I promised to give you this horse. Miss Wei, take it back!" The injured Xiaohong had the silver needles removed and was carefully treated by everyone. Now seeing Wei Dongling, it nuzzled her gently with a wronged look.
Wei Dongling was overjoyed. She stroked Xiaohong's mane and comforted it softly. She and Xiaohong had cooperated very tacitly in this race. Xiaohong was injured entirely because of her, which made her feel extremely guilty. If she could take Xiaohong away and take good care of it, that would be wonderful.
Wei Dongling quickly reached into her pocket and nodded to Murong Xuan. "It's really rare for the Young Prince to be willing to part with such a good horse. I'm extremely grateful! But I can't accept Xiaohong for free. Let me buy it." Wei Dongling rummaged through her empty sleeves and lapels for a while before she remembered that she had lost all her money gambling on horses and couldn't even take out a single coin.
Seeing Wei Dongling's somewhat embarrassed expression, Murong Xuan couldn't help laughing. "Since I said I'd give it to you, do you think I'll take your silver?"
Shangguan Yun beside them nodded to Wei Dongling. "Just accept it. It's rare for this horse to be so close to you."
Wei Dongling had no choice but to bow and thank Murong Xuan repeatedly.
Before they parted, Murong Xuan seemed to remember something. He said to Wei Dongling, "I almost forgot to tell you. Xiaohong has a very picky appetite. It only eats the forage transported from the Qilu area."
Hearing this, Wei Dongling was stunned.
Murong Xuan coughed lightly. "I have quite a few horses. Every month, a portion of forage is transported from Qilu. I wonder where Miss Wei lives? Can I have someone send it to you every month from now on?"
Shangguan Yun looked a bit displeased. It turned out that Murong Xuan had gone around in circles just to ask for Wei Dongling's address!
Pin Hao curled his lips. If his own master was half as smart and cunning as the Young Prince, he wouldn't still be unable to court a girl!
Wei Dongling was confused. "Won't it be too much trouble for the Prince?"
Murong Xuan smiled gently. "What are you saying, Miss Wei? As long as you like it, no matter how far it is, I'll be happy to do it."
Everyone: ...
Wei Dongling: Oh! This guy is quite good at flirting!
So, Wei Dongling happily rode her beloved horse Xiaohong back to the capital.