Princess Jiahe thought she would surely see Song Wanchu in a flurry, hastily putting on her clothes to cover the traces left by her tryst with a man.
And Du Yong, who had been caught right outside the house before he could escape, was solid evidence of Song Wanchu's seducing an outsider and engaging in immoral acts during the old lady's birthday banquet!
But why was her son inside the room?
And he looked so calm and composed!
The whole room was clean and tidy. The window was open, and there was incense burning beside the bed. Song Wanchu was lying on the couch, sleeping quietly, looking as if all was well in the world.
This didn't look like the scene of an affair at all!
"Zhou'er, did you catch that immoral woman having an affair with Young Master Du?" Princess Jiahe couldn't believe her eyes. She shouted in a somewhat hysterical voice, "Are you deliberately protecting her? How could she do such a shameful thing? Let that immoral woman come out. I'm going to tear her apart!"
"Mother, watch your words!" A glint of sharpness flashed across Liang Yuzhou's eyes. His black eyes grew colder, and his tone was stern. "Wanchu wasn't feeling well and couldn't present the birthday peach to the old lady. I watched her fall asleep. How could there be any immoral affair!"
Even more shocked than Princess Jiahe was Yu Huiyan.
In her perfect plan, Song Wanchu, who suffered from heart problems, would surely feel stuffy and uncomfortable due to the heat. The old lady would allow her to return to Shuiyunju to take a short rest.
She would surely be thirsty and drink the water in the teapot.
Du Yong was infatuated with Song Wanchu and would surely be unable to resist Cuizhu's repeated requests and enter Shuiyunju.
Yu Huiyan felt that she had calculated every step perfectly. But she had failed to calculate that Liang Yuzhou, who should have been accompanying the Crown Prince, would return to Shuiyunju!
She had underestimated Liang Yuzhou's feelings for Song Wanchu.
Liang Yuzhou loved Song Wanchu more than she had thought!
This elaborate plot had failed at the last step, all because of her beloved cousin.
All those sweet memories of childhood innocence and mutual affection were just self - deception!
Yu Huiyan's jealousy and hatred for Song Wanchu reached their peak at this moment. It was as if her internal organs were soaking in sour water, fermenting. Wave after wave of sourness rushed straight to her brain, corroding her calm and rationality, making her eyes turn red.
A pair of cold black eyes stared at her. Liang Yuzhou's face was overcast, and his expression was unfathomable.
Yu Huiyan's heart raced. Her whole body felt frozen, and a chill seeped out from the cracks of her bones.
She pinched her palm hard to calm herself down.
Since the plan to frame Song Wanchu had failed, she couldn't let Liang Yuzhou suspect her!
She lowered her eyelids, and after a moment, lifted them again. The hatred and jealousy in her eyes had been replaced by surprise and confusion.
"Cousin, don't blame Aunt. She heard that Young Master Du had entered Song Wanchu's yard, so she thought they were having an affair."
Princess Jiahe was still deeply confused. Yu Huiyan's words seemed to wake her up.
"Yes, yes, yes. Young Master Du of the Du family was in that slut's yard, and the courtyard gate was locked. What else could it be but an affair?"
Liang Yuzhou's eyes were deep and unfathomable, like an abyss.
This was indeed a despicable plot against Wanchu.
If he hadn't rushed there in time to relieve the aphrodisiac poison on Wanchu and someone had found her in a state of uncontrollable madness...
Just because Du Yong had appeared in Shuiyunju, Wanchu would have been caught up in the most malicious rumors and would never have been able to recover!
He was no longer just angry.
He had an urge to kill!
As a male elder, the old duke wasn't convenient to enter the inner room and didn't fully understand the situation inside. He was in a state of extreme fury.
He was angry at Princess Jiahe for being so stupid and showy. How could she expose such a scandal in front of the princess and the Crown Prince?
He was also angry at Song Wanchu for being so shameless as to engage in immoral acts during the old lady's birthday banquet.
He was even angrier at Liang Yuzhou. With such a noble guest as the Crown Prince present, he had left his seat to care about a woman like Song Wanchu. He really didn't know what was important!
This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but the old duke hadn't encountered a single thing that went smoothly. He felt that the family's good name had been completely tarnished!
The old lady had never believed that Song Wanchu was a promiscuous woman. She had witnessed firsthand how loyal Wanchu was to Liang Yuzhou.
Supported by Nanny Qiao, she went to the bedside to take a look at Song Wanchu herself.
She saw that Wanchu's expression was normal, but her face was a bit pale. It was obvious that she was suffering from shortness of breath and fatigue.
She turned around and sternly scolded Princess Jiahe, "Wanchu is just not feeling well. You've seen it with your own eyes. There's no immoral affair at all. You believe every rumor you hear and have made all the guests suspicious!"
Princess Jiahe stared blankly at the old lady and then at Liang Yuzhou, hoping to find the answer she wanted.
"Get out quickly and stop disturbing Wanchu's rest!"
Wen also came to the bedside with the old lady. Seeing that Wanchu was sleeping soundly, her heart finally settled down.
In the outer hall, the guests were whispering to each other.
The situation had reversed so quickly that many people still didn't know what had happened.
The princess noticed that Yu Huiyan was acting strangely. She frowned, full of suspicion.
"Second Young Master Liang, this matter concerns the reputation of the Duke's Mansion and your wife's honor. Could you please clarify the rumors to everyone to prevent any slanderous rumors from spreading and hurting your wife?"
The Crown Prince always believed that Song Wanchu was a woman of noble character and self - restraint.
She didn't even like Liang Yuzhou anymore. How could she take a fancy to Du Yong, who was far inferior to Liang Yuzhou in every aspect?
This was obviously a trap, deliberately set on the day when there were the most people and the most chaos.
The intention was to ruin Wanchu's reputation.
The person who had framed Song Wanchu deserved to be executed!
The Crown Prince's eyes wandered back and forth between Princess Jiahe and Yu Huiyan a few times. His eyes were deep and meaningful.
This was the first time Liang Yuzhou could talk to the Crown Prince calmly.
"My wife wasn't feeling well, and the old lady kindly allowed her to leave the banquet temporarily. She returned to Shuiyunju and told two maids to do some errands. I was worried and came to check on her."
Princess Jiahe was like an eggplant beaten by frost. She muttered angrily, "Then how do you explain the appearance of Young Master Du, an outsider, in Song Wanchu's yard with the gate locked?"
Du Yong had been standing outside the yard for most of the time. He was thirsty and calmly drank a cup of tea.
With a "bang", he put down the teacup and sneered, "I also want to ask the Duke's Mansion. Is this how you treat your guests? You tricked me into the yard of the Second Lady Liang and locked the gate from the outside, not letting me out?"
The guests were suddenly enlightened. Right, if it was really Song Wanchu seducing Du Yong for an affair, the lock should have been on the inside. How could it be locked from the outside?
It didn't make sense!
The old lady keenly smelled the smell of conspiracy. Since Wanchu had been pushed to the forefront, and all the guests were present, she was determined to find out immediately who was behind this plot to ruin Wanchu's reputation!
If she found out, she would never show mercy!
"Master Du, please tell us in detail who tricked you into Wanchu's yard and who locked the gate?"
Du Yong had already firmly remembered the appearance of that maid. He described clearly, "It was a maid in a green silk dress, fifteen or sixteen years old, with a round face, single eyelids, and a red silk palace flower on her head!"
Everyone looked around, searching for this maid in the crowd.
Suyue was smart. She said to the old lady, "Reporting to the old lady, the maid Master Du is talking about is Cuizhu!"
Princess Jiahe was shocked and angry. "Nonsense. It can't be her!"
Cuizhu was a maid in her yard. Wasn't this trying to shift the blame onto her?