"Presumptuous!"
Granny Chen suddenly sprang forward and shrieked, "Who do you think you are, daring to search our mistress?"
"Granny Chen means..." Gao Yong's face darkened as he pressed his thumb against the hilt of his sword at his waist. "Do you want the Second Lady to go to the Metropolitan Magistrate's Office with me and explain herself?"
"You... How dare you!"
At the mention of the "Metropolitan Magistrate's Office", Mrs. Kang was even more frightened. Her voice rose to a near - screech, and the statue of the Goddess of Mercy in her arms suddenly felt like a branding iron, making her tremble all over.
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps came from afar.
Dozens of torches formed a long line, illuminating the entire corridor. The Prince of Ning supported his pale - faced princess and hurried over, followed by a team of armed guards.
...
"How's Wanming? Is she hurt?" The Princess of Ning tightly grasped Spring Peach's arm. Her delicate face was filled with worry. "How could there be an assassin out of the blue?"
Spring Peach supported her and trotted along. "Reporting to the princess, Sister Qinglan has already rushed over with General Gao. She should be fine... But this servant saw two dark shadows lurking furtively under the window with my own eyes. It was really terrifying!"
In the firelight, the Prince of Ning's face was as dark as water as he walked in a hurry. "How audacious! An assassin dares to sneak into our Prince of Ning's Mansion to commit murder!"
Spring Peach's eyes flickered. She lowered her head and didn't dare to respond.
Using the pretext of an "assassin" to invite the Prince and Princess of Ning was exactly Li Wanming's idea.
At that time, Li Wanming was leaning against the window, idly playing with the bamboo fan in her hand.
"The Second Branch only dares to come in the middle of the night to transfer the statue of the Goddess of Mercy. But if it's just an ordinary theft, how can we invite the Prince and Princess in the middle of the night?"
A cold smile curled up on her lips. "You just say that I was attacked by an assassin. The more dangerous it sounds, the better."
"Ah? That's not good, is it..." Spring Peach swallowed hard. "What if the princess still refuses to come? You know, she's always in poor health, and the prince dotes on her..."
"No, she will come."
A look of disappointment and sarcasm flashed across Li Wanming's eyes.
The day after the polo match, the Princess of Ning lifted her house - arrest and showed her unusual kindness.
At that time, she thought that her days of hardship were finally over. Only later did she find out that it was all for a ridiculous "consummation of marriage"...
"Xiao Jingnan's life - and - death crisis is not over yet..." Li Wanming murmured softly, as if telling a ridiculous joke. "How dare she let anything happen to me?"
Sure enough, when Spring Peach cried out the word "assassin" outside the window, the Princess of Ning quickly got out of bed, hurriedly put on her outer robe, and dragged the Prince of Ning over.
When Mrs. Kang saw the Prince and Princess of Ning surrounded by the crowd, she trembled like a sieve, almost dropping the statue of the Goddess of Mercy in her arms.
"Sister - in - law...?"
The Prince of Ning squinted his eyes and asked in confusion, "Why are you here?"
Qinglan stepped forward and curtsied at the right moment. "Reporting to the prince and princess, the Black Mountain jade bracelet of the heir's wife is missing. We're trying to catch the thief. Who would have thought that we'd bump into the Second Lady here in the middle of the night... Maybe it's just a misunderstanding."
Hearing that only a bracelet was missing, the Princess of Ning heaved a sigh of relief. "It's good that nothing serious happened. It's good that nothing serious happened."
She turned to glare at Spring Peach. "You little girl, why did you say it was an assassin?"
Spring Peach shrank her neck and muttered in a low voice, "It's so dark and those people are so furtive... Who can tell if they're assassins or thieves..."
"Since it's just a false alarm." The Princess of Ning waved her hand and said, "Let's all disperse first. We can look for the lost thing slowly later. There's no need to make such a big fuss..."
"Mother, wait a moment."
A clear voice came from under the corridor.
Everyone looked back and saw Li Wanming leaning against the corridor pillar. Her moon - white skirt fluttered gently in the night wind, and her gold - embroidered cloak shimmered in the firelight.
A faint smile played on her lips as she looked at Mrs. Kang.
"Mother, that Black Mountain jade bracelet was a gift from you when you first met me. To your daughter - in - law, it's a treasure that money can't buy. I can't let this matter go so easily."
She walked forward slowly. Her face was calm, but her voice was as cold as a fine needle, piercing into Mrs. Kang's heart word by word.
"Moreover, it's already strange that the Second Aunt came here in the middle of the night. If we don't find out the truth on the spot, won't it damage the Second Aunt's reputation and make people think that she's really doing something sneaky?"
The Prince of Ning frowned tightly. His fingers unconsciously tapped on the jade pendant at his waist, as if pondering over her words.
Seeing this, Li Wanming added fuel to the fire lightly. "Moreover, the matter of the statue of the Goddess of Mercy is causing quite a stir in the capital. The Duke Protector's Mansion and the Princess's Mansion have already invited the Censorate to investigate and prove their innocence... Sooner or later, this fire will burn to our Prince of Ning's Mansion. We might as well take this opportunity to conduct a thorough self - investigation while looking for the bracelet."
The Prince of Ning's face suddenly changed.
He didn't care about a bracelet, nor did he really care about the non - existent assassin. But the statue of the Goddess of Mercy was involved in the court situation and the dirty business of the art of cursing... He couldn't help but be on guard.
"Daughter - in - law has no other intention." Li Wanming lowered her head and played with the hem of her sleeve. Her tone was calm. "Daughter - in - law is just considering the reputation of the Prince of Ning's Mansion and the Second Aunt. I just think that this matter can't be let go so casually."
After pondering for a long time, the Prince of Ning finally spoke. His voice was as heavy as the dark clouds over a city. "Indeed, the Duke Protector's Mansion and the Princess of Chengping's Mansion have already been investigated. We should also relieve the burden on His Majesty..."
His eyes turned to Mrs. Kang. "Sister - in - law, let Granny Yu check you. It will also prove your innocence."
When the Prince of Ning finished speaking, his eyes fleetingly glanced over Li Wanming's face. His scrutinizing gaze was like an invisible thin blade.
Li Wanming still lowered her head and played with the cuffs of her sleeve. Not even her eyelashes trembled.
She knew that the Prince of Ning was suspicious, but she didn't care. She did it on purpose!
Because of a small theft, she mobilized the elite Black Armored Cavalry and even dared to alarm the Prince and Princess. She was clearly telling everyone that this was not just a simple matter of catching a thief...
There might very well be the statue of the Goddess of Mercy of that sorcerer in the Prince of Ning's Mansion!
And Mrs. Kang's presence here in the middle of the night made her even more suspicious.
The doubts in the Prince of Ning's heart had already taken root and sprouted. So whether it was for the reputation of the Prince of Ning's Mansion or to give an explanation to the Censorate, he would conduct a thorough investigation.
Mrs. Kang was now like a turtle in a jar. She couldn't escape...
"Second Lady," Granny Yu slowly approached and said softly, "Please come in with this old servant. Let this old servant check you..."
"No, no..." Mrs. Kang was terrified. She couldn't say a word and trembled violently. Suddenly, there was a crisp sound, and the white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy in her arms fell to the ground.
In an instant, the entire Shiyong Studio fell into complete silence.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the statue.
In the blazing firelight, the jade statue glowed with a gentle sheen. Its color was warm and moist, making the Goddess of Mercy's downcast eyes and compassionate expression even more prominent.
"This, this is..." Granny Yu suddenly staggered forward and picked up the statue with a trembling hand. "Princess, isn't this the Goddess of Children that we brought back from Langya?"
She hurriedly picked up the statue and held it in front of the Princess of Ning. "Look, the birth dates of the three young masters are engraved on the lotus pedestal!"