Qingqing was also soaking wet all over. Her hair, which had been neatly tied up high, had come loose, and her close - fitting clothes accentuated her petite figure to the fullest.
Sheng Jiangli took off his outer robe and put it on her.
Xu Buyue narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Qingqing thoughtfully.
Looking at Qingqing in men's clothing, she suddenly belatedly remembered the somewhat familiar little soldier in Lü Baiwei's room just now...
Wasn't that Caiyu?
She suddenly felt a complex mix of emotions. She turned her head to look at Song Yinghuai, her heart aching.
It turned out that Brother Four had secretly brought Caiyu up the mountain!
Brother Four couldn't be separated from that girl Caiyu for a moment.
When Caiyu arrived, her heart sank sharply.
She rushed forward and stood in front of Qingqing, protecting her like a mother hen protecting her chicks. She frowned at the others and said:
"There must be some other hidden story in this matter. Xiaoqing has always been smart and would never cause trouble recklessly!"
Song Yinghuai frowned involuntarily when he saw the hostile look in Caiyu's eyes when facing them. He was conflicted inside.
He never believed that Qingqing was as innocent as she seemed.
Regardless of whether she had other identities besides being from the Vermilion Bird Camp, this girl was too good at hiding.
It was just that this girl had helped and saved Caiyu several times since she appeared. So far, she had not done anything to harm Caiyu, nor had she shown the slightest intention of spying on information. That was why he had let things go until now.
But today's incident...
He opened his mouth, trying to speak as gently as possible to ease Caiyu's anxiety. "Please calm down for a moment. Let us figure out the whole story first. We won't wrong Xiaoqing."
Sheng Jiangli also said, "Yes, Little Four. Even if you don't trust the prince, you should trust me. I won't let them wrong an innocent person."
The attitudes of Song Yinghuai and Sheng Jiangli temporarily soothed Caiyu.
She let out a sigh of relief.
Yes.
In the past few days, she had been a bit paranoid because of Lü Baiwei and her maid. She was on guard against everyone.
Even if Song Yinghuai's attitude towards her had changed, he had always been fair. Presumably, he wouldn't wrong the maidservant in his own mansion.
Moreover, there was Brother A Li.
His relationship with Qingqing was neither that of a master and servant nor that of lovers or friends.
On weekdays, they always bickered at every turn, but in critical moments, Brother A Li would surely protect Qingqing.
Caiyu turned around and looked at Qingqing, whose eyes were filled with tears but who looked stubborn. She asked:
"Xiaoqing, what on earth happened? You tell us first... Don't worry. The prince and General Sheng will surely handle this fairly and won't wrong you."
Qingqing suddenly raised her head, pointed at Aunt Mei, who was lying unconscious on the ground, and shouted angrily with hatred on her face:
"It was this old shrew who spoke rudely! She came here to sneer at me. Not only that, she also said that you had fallen out of favor and that the prince wouldn't dote on you anymore. No matter how hard you tried, it would be in vain... I got angry for a moment and quarreled with her."
"But I didn't push her into the water! She couldn't win the argument and wanted to attack me. I dodged, but she lost her footing and fell into the water. She even dragged me in with her!"
"You're lying!" Xu Buyue, who had been standing by the side, suddenly spoke up.
She stared coldly at Qingqing with a sharp look in her eyes. "I happened to be standing on the opposite hillside when you two were arguing. I saw with my own eyes that you pushed Aunt Mei into the river!"
"I didn't!" Qingqing shook her head vigorously and looked at Xu Buyue. "Why would the princess say such a thing? This old woman has always been full of tricks. She can't be trusted. She's clearly trying to deceive you!"
Xu Buyue said coldly, "When you two were arguing, I happened to be standing on the opposite hillside. You didn't notice my presence. How could she deceive me? Besides, she's unconscious now and hasn't said anything to mislead me. I'm just telling the truth about what I saw just now!"
Qingqing was immediately rendered speechless. She quickly grabbed the clothes on Caiyu's back and said with red - rimmed eyes:
"Little Four, I'm innocent. You have to believe me!"
Caiyu patted Qingqing reassuringly and then turned to look at Xu Buyue again. She also said coldly:
"I know that the princess has always been fair and wouldn't wrong anyone. But maybe the princess was standing in the wrong direction today. The distance from the other side of the river to here is at least three zhang. And now that the sun has completely set, in such a situation, as long as one's eyesight is a bit weak, they will misjudge."
"Are you so sure that what you saw was Xiaoqing pushing Aunt Mei, and not Aunt Mei trying to push Xiaoqing, and the two of them wrestling with each other?"
"I'm sure!" Xu Buyue said firmly. "I've grown up in the army since I was a child. Not to mention that I can clearly see the situation from a distance of three zhang, I can even hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces away! This... "
She turned to look at Song Yinghuai with a very serious and sincere expression on her face. "Brother Four, do you believe that I can see clearly?"
"I can also shoot arrows!" Caiyu also insisted firmly. "But in this situation, I can't guarantee that I can see clearly what's happening on the other side! Moreover, Aunt Mei has the intention to frame others!"
"Your Highness, are you sure you can see clearly what's happening on the other side?"
Facing the gazes of the two women and their conflicting statements.
Song Yinghuai was embarrassedly at a loss for the first time.
Normally, he would be more inclined to believe Xu Buyue, who was straightforward and disdainful of lying.
But it was Caiyu who was standing up for Qingqing. What should he do?
The fingertips of his hand behind his back curled slightly. He looked at Aunt Mei lying on the ground and asked Doctor Liu:
"Can you wake her up?"
Doctor Liu pressed hard on Aunt Mei's chest and said, "There's a breath! There's hope!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Aunt Mei suddenly sat up straight, turned her head, and spat out a large mouthful of water.
She was awake!
Qingqing, who was standing behind Caiyu, frowned slightly, feeling quite regretful.
It was a pity that she hadn't managed to drown this old shrew.
Sheng Jiangli keenly caught Qingqing's expression. The man's eyebrows twitched.
What on earth was this little devil up to?
As soon as Aunt Mei woke up, her eyes scanned around and landed on Qingqing.
Her pupils suddenly constricted, and a look of fear appeared on her face. She pointed at Qingqing and said tremblingly:
"You... You wanted to kill me... What a vicious girl..."
She scrambled to try to kneel down and cried out to Song Yinghuai in despair:
"Your Highness, save me! Your Highness! Save this old servant... That girl Qingqing wants to kill me! She must have been instigated by Caiyu!"
"It was you who were being venomous and mocking Sister Caiyu, and you even tried to push me into the river!" Qingqing shouted. "You old shrew, you're framing me!"
By now, the fact that Qingqing and Caiyu were dressed as men could no longer be hidden.
Song Yinghuai's heart skipped a beat. He interrupted their argument in a deep voice, "That's enough!"
His eyes scanned back and forth between the two of them.
He noticed that this time Aunt Mei was really terrified. Her lips were pale and her face was purple.
He had seen countless dying people and knew that this time Aunt Mei had indeed been in danger. If it hadn't been for Xu Buyue standing on the opposite side, Aunt Mei would really have lost her life.
If it was to frame Qingqing, why would Aunt Mei use her own life as a bargaining chip?
After all, this was Qingqing, not Caiyu.
Qingqing had never had any interactions with Aunt Mei and Lü Baiwei. Even if there had been an argument, Aunt Mei wouldn't have risked her life.
Moreover, there was Xu Buyue as a witness.
What was Qingqing's motive for framing Aunt Mei?
Suddenly, a cold light flashed in Song Yinghuai's eyes as he looked at Qingqing. There was a hint of sneer in his eyes, making people feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave:
"Princess Nan'an is an upright person who has always disdained to lie. I'll give you one more chance. Think it through before you speak!"
Facing the man's cold face, Qingqing burst into tears with a loud "wa" and cried hoarsely, "Sister Caiyu... I really couldn't bear it when she insulted you. I just retorted. I really didn't push her!"
"You still dare to argue!" Aunt Mei had caught her breath. She was both shocked and scared and shouted abuse, "You poisonous girl. When there were only the two of us around, you wanted to kill me... You, you..."
Caiyu looked at Song Yinghuai's fierce face and was extremely disappointed. She questioned:
"Your Highness, you believe what Aunt Mei says, and you also believe what the princess says. But when Qingqing says she's innocent, you don't believe her... Qingqing and I are from the Prince Yan's Mansion. Why do you prefer to believe that old shrew Aunt Mei and the outsider princess rather than us?"