Li Wanming was hesitating whether to step in and mediate when, all of a sudden, the stack of documents in her hand was snatched away.
"Father," she quickly curtsied and stepped aside.
The Prince of Ning didn't say a word. Instead, he held the papers up to the lantern light and examined each one carefully, the rustling of the flipping pages filling the air.
"You've known all along that she was behind the embezzlement in the Ministry of Revenue?" he suddenly asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"You knew she wanted you dead, yet you still agreed to marry into this family?" His voice was as cold and deep as an ancient well.
Li Wanming lowered her long, feathery eyelashes, the moonlight casting a faint shadow on her face. "Precisely because I knew she wanted me dead, I had to marry in. If I did, I'd be the Crown Prince's Consort; if not, I'd forever be known as the crude daughter of a martial man..."
Her voice trailed off, but her meaning was clear.
The Prince of Ning stared at her for a long while before finally heaving a deep sigh. "Gao Yong," he said, motioning with his hand.
Gao Yong immediately led his men forward and separated the feuding couple, who had been clawing at each other like rabid hens.
The night was icy cold.
The Prince of Ning's voice was even colder than the night breeze.
"Madam Kang, you've committed the heinous crime of using black magic to harm a court official. This crime is punishable by death. First, you'll kneel in the ancestral hall for three days. After that... you'll be handed over to Lord Yan of the Censorate for further judgment."
Li Wanming lowered her head in silence. She understood the Prince's concerns—if this scandal were to go public, the centuries - old reputation of the Ning Mansion would be ruined overnight. He needed to discuss the matter with Lord Yan first before deciding on the final course of action.
Making Madam Kang kneel in the ancestral hall was the most severe punishment he could impose while still maintaining the family's dignity.
"As for Nanny Chen," his face was twisted in disgust and impatience, his voice as light as if he were talking about an ant. "This unruly servant has led her mistress astray. Bind her up and send her to the manor outside the city."
He didn't say how she would be punished or when she would be recalled.
This seemingly casual remark was, in fact, a death sentence for Nanny Chen.
Upon hearing this, Madam Kang collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud and was dragged away.
...
In the inner chamber of the main house, the celadon medicine bowl was empty. Li Wanming carefully tucked the covers around the Princess of Ning and curtsied. "Father, Mother, please get some rest. Your daughter - in - law will take her leave."
The Princess of Ning's eyes glistened with unshed tears, as if she had something to say, but in the end, she remained silent.
The autumn wind swept through the courtyard, rustling the leaves of the Chinese parasol tree. Li Wanming accompanied her elder sister out of the house.
"I'm so sorry to trouble you to come all this way so late at night..."
Wanxin squeezed her hand. "We're family. Why are you being so polite?"
She looked around, a slight frown creasing her brow. "Little sister, I won't ask you why the Princess suddenly fainted, nor will I inquire about what happened to Madam Kang. All I ask is that you be careful in whatever you do and take good care of yourself!"
Li Wanming looked up at the sky. A crescent moon hung like a silver hook above the eaves.
She suddenly smiled. "Elder sister, don't worry. I've already done what I needed to do. It's their turn to clean up the mess now."
——————
The Ning Mansion never received the officers from the Censorate.
Because Madam Kang had escaped...
The Prince of Ning didn't discover this until the next morning.
Xiao Yuanjie stamped his feet in frustration. "I should've sensed something was wrong when she asked me to deliver a letter yesterday!"
"Who did Second Aunt ask you to send the letter to?" Li Wanming's eyes darkened.
For Madam Kang to ask Xiao Yuanjie to deliver a letter at this critical moment, she must have been seeking help. But her natal family was neither powerful nor nearby. Who could she have turned to?
Xiao Yuanjie blushed and stammered, "She... she said... she was of the same clan as the Empress Dowager and asked me to go to the palace to inform her..."
"Absurd!" the Prince of Ning roared in anger. "She's already shamed the family enough at home, and now she wants to drag this mess into the palace! Black magic is a sin that harms one's karma. Does she think the Empress Dowager will protect her?"
Of course, the Empress Dowager wouldn't.
Witchcraft was strictly forbidden in the palace. If the Empress Dowager found out about this, she might even have Madam Kang beaten to death on the spot!
However, Li Wanming was worried about something else.
Xiao Jingnan and his men had taken control of the Golden Guards, the Tiger Guards, and the troops in the outskirts of the capital. Their intentions were all too clear.
For Madam Kang to seek the Empress Dowager's help at this moment... could she have heard some rumors?
"Uncle, besides you, who else saw Second Aunt yesterday?" Li Wanming was growing increasingly anxious.
They weren't sure if Madam Kang had actually entered the palace, and she couldn't just go and demand her back from the Empress Dowager. She had to start by interrogating everyone here to determine Madam Kang's whereabouts.
"It was just our Second Branch. There was no one else..." Xiao Yuanjie suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. Yingchu had a huge argument with her when she went to deliver dinner last night."
"Cousin Yingchu? Why did they argue?"
"I don't know. It seemed like she was forcing her to marry someone again..." Xiao Yuanjie sighed. "I've told her countless times not to push the child, but she never listens... sigh!"
Marriage?
Li Wanming frowned slightly.
In this eventful time, why would Madam Kang suddenly start thinking about Xiao Yingchu's marriage?
"Qinglan," she said. "Please invite Miss Xiao here."
When Xiao Yingchu entered the hall, her cheeks were flushed an unnatural red, and her slender body trembled slightly, like a crabapple blossom about to fall from the branch.
"Mother... Mother... wants me to marry into the palace..."
Before Li Wanming could even ask, she blurted out in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
Li Wanming was taken aback. "She wants you to become a concubine in the palace?"
"Yes..." Xiao Yingchu's neck turned pink, as if she were saying something extremely shameful. "Mother said that His Majesty... His Majesty fancies me... As long as I'm willing to enter the palace, I'll surely gain his favor quickly. Then, she'll be saved..."
Li Wanming narrowed her eyes.
Leaving aside whether Xiao Yingchu could actually enter the palace, where did this idea that "the Emperor fancies her" come from?
As far as Li Wanming knew, Zhao Yanke was currently exchanging love poems with her elder sister on silk handkerchiefs, enjoying a passionate courtship—when would he have the time to pursue Xiao Yingchu?
"Second Aunt, why does she think... His Majesty has feelings for you?"
Xiao Yingchu's face turned even redder. "It was just... just a few years ago at a poetry gathering. His Majesty complimented my calligraphy... Mother took it to heart..."
Tears welled up in her eyes, a mixture of shame and anger. "His Majesty was just being polite to save the Xiao family's face, but Mother... I've told her countless times that His Majesty has no feelings for me and that I don't want to enter the palace, but she never listens..."
Xiao Yingchu covered her face with a handkerchief and began to sob softly.
In fact, what Madam Kang had said to her was far more explicit.
Last night, Madam Kang had told her to find a way to sneak into the palace and slip into the Emperor's Hall of Mental Cultivation to consummate the relationship...
"With your looks, you'll surely bewitch His Majesty!"
"All men are the same. As long as you can satisfy him in bed, you can have anything you want. Once you become a noble concubine or even the Empress, Mother will have a chance to rise again!"