“Leng Mingye, is this your goal?”
The Grand Princess’s words drew everyone’s attention to him. Wan Qing lightly closed her eyes and took a faint sniff. The familiar scent in the air cleared her anger, and she smiled slightly before opening her eyes to look at the man before her—his expression grave, his face calm, yet his eyes brimming with amusement.
“What do you think? Hand it over.”
The petty woman grew flustered and furious, her expression twisting as if she could barely restrain herself from gnashing her teeth. The thought of her attitude toward him—how she remained aloof, drawing a clear line between them—filled him with satisfaction. With a smirk, he reached out with a swift motion.
An invisible surge of energy swept forward, and amid the crowd’s astonishment, the tassel at Wan Qing’s waist had already landed in his palm.
“Leng Mingye, you will pay for what you’ve done to me today. Mark my words.”
Struck by the energy in his palm, Wan Qing swayed slightly, her waist tightening. Seeing the tassel now in the man’s grasp, she pondered his intentions before flashing a sweet, alluring smile. Her words, however, were meant only for his ears.
“You brought this upon yourself. Blame no one else. Care to examine this?”
Seeing her still so indifferent toward him, despite his efforts to lower himself and engage with her—only to be met with silence—Leng Mingye could no longer suppress his fury. With a flick of his wrist, he yanked the tassel from her waist and handed it to one of the imperial physicians.
“This…”
Wan Qing merely smiled faintly, her hands resting at her sides, her expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Prince Ning and the others broke into a cold sweat.
“Your Highness, this tassel indeed contains medicine—the very poison that afflicted Miss Liu,” the physician announced after inspection, wrapping the tassel and presenting it to the Grand Princess.
Mu Zhenfeng, Prince Ning, and the others were stunned.
“Your Highness, this matter is clearly suspicious. Objects can be planted on anyone. The mere presence of this tassel on Second Miss Mu does not prove she administered the poison…” Prince Ning urgently pleaded with the Grand Princess.
“Indeed, Your Highness. Though my daughter is mischievous, she is not one to act recklessly. I implore you to reconsider…” Mu Zhenfeng, recalling Wan Qing’s earlier words, bowed deeply despite his own disbelief.
At his words, Sun Fengyu and even Song Ziqian echoed the plea, their eyes beseeching the Grand Princess. Yet they were puzzled by Wan Qing, who remained silent, offering no defense despite their intercession.
“The innocent need no defense. Prince Ning, Marquis Mu, Young Master Sun, Young Master Song—do you still believe Second Miss Mu is blameless?”
Seeing them all speak for Wan Qing while she merely watched him coldly, her eyes burning with hatred, Leng Mingye smirked and stepped forward to address the others.
“This…” Mu Zhenfeng hesitated, his expression conflicted.
Just then, his body suddenly stiffened.
“I… Your Highness, my daughter is unruly. She once poisoned me, her own father, in our home. Now she has committed such an act—truly a disgrace to the Mu family. I could not control her before, and now… I beg Your Highness to uphold justice and apprehend her. I am eternally grateful, eternally grateful! You wretched girl, committing such a grave sin without a shred of remorse—you…”
Mu Zhenfeng staggered forward as if waking from a dream, then dropped to his knees before the Grand Princess. Rising again, his eyes filled with rage and coldness, he swung his palm toward Wan Qing, who stood nearby.
“You…”
Her father, who had just been pleading for her alongside Prince Ning, had transformed in an instant. As he struck out, Wan Qing instinctively dodged, but his palm still landed on her shoulder, sending her reeling. A metallic taste rose in her throat.
Her eyes wide with disbelief and shock, she clutched her injured shoulder, watching as her father, undeterred, lunged at her again.
“You dare evade me? Kneel and repent, or I will beat you until you do!”
Mu Zhenfeng, as if under some control, snarled and pursued her relentlessly.
“Father…!”
The sudden turn of events left Wan Qing no time to react. Though she had recently trained in the Feng Family Palm technique under Hong Lian and the others, she was no match for Mu Zhenfeng. Another blow struck her chest, sending her crashing into the surrounding onlookers. Staggering to her feet, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Father? I have no such daughter! Today, I will cleanse our household before all!”
Her pained and bewildered cry fell on deaf ears. Mu Zhenfeng, devoid of any concern, advanced on her with murderous intent.
“Marquis Mu, calm yourself! Though the evidence was found on Second Miss Mu, there are many unanswered questions. If you kill her in this rage—Marquis Mu—!”
The situation had escalated too quickly. Prince Ning, though baffled by Mu Zhenfeng’s abrupt shift from pleading for his daughter to attacking her, acted swiftly. As Mu Zhenfeng raised his hand for another strike, Prince Ning gripped the armrest of his chair, ready to intervene.
But someone was faster—Leng Mingye, standing closest to Wan Qing, seized Mu Zhenfeng’s wrist mid-swing and spoke coolly. His intervention was timely, but as he spoke, Mu Zhenfeng suddenly collapsed, unconscious.
“Release my father! Spare me your false kindness—Hong Lian, support the master… Your Highness, I had no motive to harm Miss Liu. This is clearly a frame-up. I beg you to investigate thoroughly—*cough*…”
Wan Qing, now understanding the truth behind her father’s behavior—that he had been poisoned with a mind-controlling toxin—rushed forward despite her injuries. She snatched her father from Leng Mingye’s grip, fed him an antidote from her pouch, and handed him to Hong Lian.
Clutching her chest, she faced the Grand Princess, her voice strained but resolute. “Your Highness, I implore you to see through this deception.”
Her body swayed from the pain, and she coughed weakly, blood staining her lips.
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