She knelt in front of the Queen, tears streaming down her face and sobbing.
Not long after, news spread from the Yukun Palace.
Lady Yang claimed that the handkerchief embroidered with pornographic pictures belonged to a concubine of Qin Feng.
That concubine had visited Qin Xuanyan's courtyard the day before the Famous Painting Banquet and left the handkerchief behind.
Since the material and pattern of the handkerchief were similar to those that Qin Xuanyan usually used, and it was dark with dim lights, the maid just casually put it away.
It wasn't until the next day when Qin Xuanyan arrived at the Chunling Villa that she found this obscene item in her hand. Frightened, she just casually threw it in a corner.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Simian had just lost her handkerchief, which was picked up by Xueying and mistakenly thought to be the one with the pornographic pictures.
A series of coincidences had led to this absurd misunderstanding.
Lady Yang said that this concubine had always been restless and often used coquettish means to seduce Qin Feng. After committing such a heinous crime, she had been beaten thirty times with a bamboo stick and sold off.
She begged the Queen to forgive Qin Xuanyan's ignorance and stupidity.
This excuse was extremely clumsy and full of loopholes.
The Queen listened silently to Lady Yang's "self - justification".
She didn't expose Lady Yang's lies on the spot.
Lady Yang's "self - justification" quickly spread among the noble families.
The skeptical voices never stopped.
Not to mention that it was impossible for a concubine to carry pornographic items when visiting the courtyard of the eldest legitimate daughter.
Even if she had brought it, she should have noticed it was missing that night and immediately retrieved it, instead of letting Qin Xuanyan's maid keep it.
Once Qin Xuanyan found the pornographic pictures on the handkerchief, she should have hidden it tightly. If she didn't say anything, no one would search her.
But she chose to throw it in the royal villa. This was a stupid thing that even a fool wouldn't do.
Qin Xuanyan was not only stupid but also vicious.
Everyone mistakenly thought that Cheng Simian had privately hidden pornographic items. It was okay for her not to come out and clarify for the sake of her reputation.
But she even added insult to injury and firmly slandered Cheng Simian for using obscene items to seduce the Crown Prince.
She tried to ruin Cheng Simian's reputation.
Such despicable behavior and low - quality character really didn't match the dignity of a noble lady.
Several noble ladies who were on good terms with Qin Xuanyan originally thought she was just a bit arrogant and domineering. They didn't expect her to be so vicious.
Everyone was discerning. No matter how Lady Yang tried to cover up the lies and find scapegoats, Qin Xuanyan's reputation as a noble lady was completely ruined.
The elders of the noble families all warned their juniors not to associate with the Qin siblings.
Qin Ziqi also suffered.
The argument between Qin Xuanyan and Qiluo at the villa's gate had completely ruined his reputation.
Now everyone knew that Qin Ziqi was not a noble and elegant scholar but a brute in human clothing.
He had forced himself on a beautiful maid, and Lady Yang, his mother, was so muddle - headed and doting that instead of punishing and admonishing her son, she sold the wronged maid to a brothel, which was immoral.
Even Qin Feng's reputation in the court was affected, and he felt ashamed in front of his colleagues.
The Rongxiang Duke's Mansion, which seemed glorious on the surface but was actually rotten and stinking inside, was well - known in every street and alley, and everyone despised it.
On the fifteenth day of March, the Crown Prince brought Cheng Simian to pay respects to the Queen.
The Queen had just returned from praying to the Buddha. The sandalwood fragrance lingered around her, as if she was bathed in the Buddha's light, looking even more kind.
She knew what the Crown Prince had come for but still joked, "Hong'er has been coming to this palace more and more frequently these days. Today, he even brought Mianmian. Is it that the storyteller outside has come up with a new story and you want to tell it to your mother?"
Although the Crown Prince was a bit anxious, he still calmly joked, "The two main characters in the storyteller's story are standing right in front of the mother. What the mother has seen in the past few days is much more exciting than what the storyteller has said."
Everyone in the palace, from the Queen to the maids and the nannies, was amused.
Cheng Simian walked up to the Queen with a few peach blossoms in her hands. "Your Majesty the Queen, the peach blossoms are in full bloom in March. There happens to be a peach tree in the backyard of my family. I picked a few branches for Your Majesty to enjoy the beautiful scenery of spring."
Daiying took them and told the little maid to find a porcelain vase to put them in.
The Queen looked at Cheng Simian with a smile in her eyes.
After the incident at the Chunling Villa, the Queen liked Cheng Simian even more. Only such a calm and generous woman could stand by the Crown Prince's side and advance and retreat together with him as husband and wife.
She also completely gave up the idea of making Qin Xuanyan a side concubine.
Although Qin Feng had a high position and was loyal to the Emperor, he was negligent in managing his backyard and was blind to what was going on.
Lady Yang's attempt to frame Mianmian had failed, but instead, her own family had been smeared. Qin Feng was also responsible for all this.
The Queen originally wanted to give the Qin family a favor. If Qin Xuanyan entered the Eastern Palace, Qin Feng would also do his duty. When the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the future, he could help stabilize the court situation.
But a woman like Qin Xuanyan, who was extremely jealous, mean, and dirty, would be a disaster if she entered the Eastern Palace.
If the harem was in turmoil, the court would be even more unstable.
She had misjudged people before and was muddle - headed. She almost caused trouble for the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince had Mianmian's help, and she was very relieved.
"You two are really sly. Do you think you can get the imperial edict of betrothal by just giving this palace a few peach blossoms?"
The Crown Prince and Cheng Simian were in perfect harmony. They both knelt down and said, "Thank you, Mother, for your grace!"
The Queen quickly told them to get up and gave them seats.
There was a look of relief and joy in her eyes. "The Emperor has asked about this several times. He said that Hong'er is kind - hearted. When eradicating the Wude Marquis's Mansion, he didn't implicate the innocent old and young, and he didn't have any prejudice against Mianmian just because she has the surname Cheng. You don't choose your Crown Princess based on family background and reputation but on character and morality. Your father is very pleased. We are just waiting for the Ministry of Rites to choose a good day. Your mother and I will go to the ancestral temple to ask for permission from our ancestors!"
The wedding of the Crown Prince was different from that of other princes. The ancestral temple had to be opened to inform the ancestors, showing the importance attached to future generations.
"Your son thanks the imperial grace!"
He generously took Cheng Simian's hand. A trace of guilt flashed in his eyes. "In the past, your son had a great prejudice against Mianmian and misunderstood her as a vulgar woman with a narrow vision, only wanting to control the family power and punish concubines and half - sisters. Mianmian's wisdom, spirituality, and far - sightedness make your son feel ashamed. To have Mianmian is a great blessing for your son."
Hearing such humble words, Cheng Simian's heart was in turmoil.
She knew the Crown Prince. He had great ambitions, was young and heroic, kind - hearted and sincere, but also had a sense of pride because of his noble birth.
But in front of the Queen, he praised her nobility and belittled himself.
The Queen didn't think her son was demeaning himself.
The Emperor and the Empress should respect each other.
"With Mianmian's talent and beauty, it's worth my son bowing down for you."
Bowing down...
Cheng Simian understood that she and the Crown Prince had supported each other all the way. Their act had turned into real feelings.
She had entered the role later than the Crown Prince and was still a bit clear - headed.
The Crown Prince really wanted to dote on her alone and keep her by his side for a lifetime.
But was such great honor really what she wanted?
Seven days later, the Emperor and the Queen opened the ancestral temple to ask for permission for the Crown Prince's wedding.
The day after asking for permission, Cheng Simian received the imperial edict to be the Crown Princess at home.
The news soon reached the ears of the storytellers.
The storytellers changed their scripts.
The Qin family's shameless schemes, Lady Yang and her children's lack of shame, and their failure to show the style of a noble family were all described. The Crown Princess, with a light touch, had outwitted the Qin family and made them embarrassed.
Qin Xuanyan's dream of becoming the Crown Princess was completely shattered.
Even Qin Ziqi, who was in the process of arranging a marriage, had his almost - successful marriage rejected by the girl's family at the last moment.
The siblings were completely disgraced.
Qin Feng was almost so angry that he vomited blood from all seven orifices.
He had lost almost all his face in the court, so he had to ask for sick leave to avoid the limelight.
He flew into a rage at home.
Lady Yang was his wife, and he couldn't easily beat her, so he punished her to kneel in the ancestral hall.
Qin Ziqi and Qin Xuanyan were beaten until they were half - dead.
After lying in bed for a few days, before their skin injuries had fully healed, they were dragged up by Qin Feng and made to kneel in the ancestral hall with Lady Yang.
After venting his anger crazily, Qin Feng gradually calmed down.
Since Lady Yang had framed Cheng Simian, no matter how loyal he showed himself to the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince would no longer trust him.
When the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the future, a new emperor would bring in new officials. He would not only lose all his power but also be held accountable!
No, he must not let the century - old glory of the Rongxiang Duke's Mansion be ruined by a group of ignorant women and children!
Right, framing Cheng Simian was a scheme planned by the Second Prince.
The Second Prince's mother was favored, and her family controlled 50,000 troops.
Although the Second Prince seemed to be indifferent to worldly affairs and carefree, in fact, he had long had the ambition to fight for the throne!
He released Lady Yang from the ancestral hall.
"Choose a good day to enter the palace and pay a visit to Lady Lan, the Noble Concubine!"