vstars Chapter 877 Mu Qingxuan's Performance!
Chapter 877 Mu Qingxuan's Performance!
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Prince Su asked impatiently.
"Qing'er is the legitimate daughter of the Prince's Mansion, a princess conferred by imperial decree by the Emperor Emeritus. Your Highness, if her reputation is ruined, how can our Prince Su's Mansion be any better off? Besides, the manor kept Qing'er's suicide a closely guarded secret. How did the news get out? And how did it spread so quickly?"
Prince Su had clearly realized that there was a traitor within his household.
"Aren't you the one handling all the affairs of the inner quarters?"
"Yes, I am indeed handling matters in the inner quarters. However, this time, they dared to set their sights on Qing'er. I came here today to inform Your Highness in advance, so that you will not speak up to protect her later. If we fall out, it will not benefit anyone."
Prince Su couldn't hold back any longer. He jumped up and slammed his hand heavily on the table. "Insolence!"
Princess Su was not to be outdone, and she also stood up abruptly, meeting his gaze without any intention of looking away.
"Your Highness, I truly do not believe I have been presumptuous today! Do not forget, this is the capital, not your former fiefdom! Here you are no longer the supreme ruler, and you cannot control everything! This time, whoever dares to plot against my daughter will only face death!"
Princess Su finished speaking through gritted teeth, then flicked her sleeves and left the study.
As luck would have it, they bumped into Mu Qingxuan outside the door.
"Mother-in-law."
Princess Su simply nodded without saying a word and quickly left.
Upon hearing that Mu Qingxuan was also outside, Prince Su quickly composed himself and had him invited in.
"You just went to comfort Qing'er?"
Mu Qingxuan gave him a junior's bow before saying in a low voice, "If possible, I would like to get married sooner rather than later."
"What?" Prince Su was taken aback, not expecting that he had come in to talk about this.
“I always thought Qing’er was a proper princess of the Prince Su’s mansion, with a loving brother and protective parents. But today, I realized that Qing’er’s life wasn’t so easy. This incident has been a huge blow to her. She’s clearly innocent, yet she’s been spoken of so disgracefully. Father-in-law, what do you think innocence means to a young woman?”
Prince Su was so taken aback by what he said that he forgot to respond for a moment.
“Father-in-law, I respect you as my elder today, so I will say it again: Qing’er is innocent. That day, it can only be said that I failed to protect her properly and caused her great fright. There are such treacherous people in the household, yet you still slapped Qing’er. Do you know that your slap completely made her want to die?”
Prince Su's face was pale and bluish, which was certainly not a pleasant sight.
"Indeed, I did not consider this matter carefully."
"Father-in-law, I must take my leave now. Finally, I would like to remind you that Qing'er is, after all, your own flesh and blood. Shouldn't her safety be of utmost importance?"
These words inexplicably made Prince Su feel a bit guilty and embarrassed.
"Let's set aside the matter of marriage for now. I will investigate the truth of this matter as soon as possible."
Mu Qingxuan chuckled, “Actually, Qing’er’s accident this time reminded me of the time when my sister and second brother were attacked by villains. At that time, my sister almost lost her life to protect my second brother. Although my sister was not as old as Qing’er, she still cared about a young lady’s reputation.”
Prince Su was slightly taken aback; this was the first time he had heard of Mu Xin Nuan and the others' affairs.
"When my father and mother first heard that my sister had an accident, their first reaction was not whether my sister's reputation was ruined, but whether my sister's life was in danger. That time, I truly realized how much my father loved us brothers."
Prince Su blushed slightly; being given such a hint by a junior was truly embarrassing.
"The Empress was indeed brave back then."
After remaining silent for a long time, all he could manage to utter was this one muffled sentence.
Mu Qingxuan smiled and said, "You may not know, but the second brother that my sister protected back then was not our biological brother, but my half-brother. He has always been attached to my sister since he was a child. That time made me truly understand that we are a family."
Prince Su was so surprised that his mouth opened slightly, as if he had forgotten to close it.
He was actually a half-brother?
This empress is truly not to be underestimated.
Mu Qingxuan then took his leave. That afternoon, Madam Mu and Mu Xinyi brought some tonics to visit him. Their words showed that they trusted Duanmu Qing and had no intention of showing any disdain.
Their care made Duanmu Qing feel much better.
At the same time, an imperial decree arrived at the Prince Su's residence.
The decree was issued by Mu Xin Nuan. Before issuing the decree, she specially asked Aunt Fang, who was by her side, to make a trip to the Prince Su's residence.
"I, living deep within the inner palace, only learned today that Princess Qing of the Prince Su's residence had been falsely accused. After my investigation, the princess's innocence was confirmed, demonstrating the wickedness of the perpetrator. Through further investigation, I have discovered that it was the Prince Su's residence that deliberately framed Princess Qing, a truly unforgivable crime. I hereby order the Princess Consort of the Prince Su to investigate this matter swiftly and bring the wicked person to justice."
"Long live the Empress!"
The matter even alarmed the Empress.
Moreover, the imperial decree stated that the senior palace maids had examined Princess Qing and found that she had not lost her virginity, which would greatly help in restoring Duanmu Qing's reputation.
The next day, the rumors in the capital took a turn for the worse.
It's no longer about Duanmu Qing's loss of chastity, but rather that someone in the Prince Su's mansion has ulterior motives and is trying to slander Princess Qing, thereby preventing her from marrying Young Master Mu.
Some even asserted that it was the work of Consort Zhuang from the Prince Su's residence. They said her daughter was fifteen years old this year and had always admired Mu Qingxuan, which was why she came up with such a plan to harm him.
The rumors spread like wildfire, but fortunately, the tide turned and no one kept pressing about Duanmu Qing's loss of virginity.
Having learned about the situation outside, Duanmu Qing's complexion improved considerably.
For several days in a row, Mu Qingxuan visited the Prince Su's residence every day to talk to her without fail. As a result, their feelings for each other deepened.
Although the rumors had subsided considerably, Duanmu Qing still refused to go out.
Mu Qingxuan knew that the previous incident must have dealt her a heavy blow and left a shadow in her heart, which was why she was acting this way.
With a smug grin, Mu Qingxuan went to the palace and finally managed to get two capable maids from Mu Xinnuan's side to accompany Duanmu Qing.
"Qing'er, come here. These are Chunhua and Chunying. They are both skilled. They were bodyguards that my brother-in-law prepared for my sister. Now that my sister doesn't need them, I asked for them. From now on, they can stay by your side. How about that?"