Chapter Thirty-Four

say it was my fault that time!" Yun Qianyue recalled how she had gotten up several times in the middle of the night and couldn't find her blanket, making her so angry."I am partly responsible, but mos...Volumn 1: Smile at the Prosperity Chapter 34

The old prince's eyes flashed with surprise for a moment, then he looked intently at Yun Qianyue. After what seemed like a long time, he finally withdrew his gaze and sighed in a mix of satisfaction and sadness, "Indeed, this is still my granddaughter!"

Yun Qianyue had already dozed off to meet Lord Zhou, her small face buried in the crook of her arm with soft and even breathing.

After all the servants from various rooms and courtyards finished giving testimony, everyone knelt on the ground without uttering another word. The prince's face was ashen, and he too remained silent. The courtyard fell so quiet that one could hear a needle drop to the floor.

"Your Highness, please don't believe them. These people must have been bribed by Old Prince and Yun Qianyue using some unknown method; they are here to frame Xiang He and me. Otherwise, how could all of them speak in unison like this" Feng Concubine rushed out from the room at that moment and urgently addressed the prince.

The prince slowly turned his head and looked at Feng Concubine's anxious face. His eyes flickered over the servants giving testimony, who were glancing with malice. He gave a cold laugh, "You say they are framing you That they have been bought by my father and Yun Qianyue"

The Concubine Feng's body trembled, but she still gritted her teeth and said: "Yes, the Old Prince has always supported Yun Qianyue..."

"Feng Jinzhu!" The prince suddenly roared, interrupting her words. He angrily asked, "Do you still not admit it Do you still insist that Xiang He provoked Qianyue first to start a conflict Do you still deny that you sought out Yun Qianyue and wanted to use the covert guards to kill her by taking advantage of the situation Now, do you wish to continue lying"

The Concubine Feng took an abrupt step back as her face turned pale instantly. Yet, she quickly regained composure; tears flowed freely down her cheeks like they were free, "Your Highness, Your Excellency is well aware of this servant's character over the years, otherwise how could I have been by your side for so long These servants are clearly being manipulated by someone else—other than the Old Prince and Yun Qianyue, who else would it be... ah..."

"One more word from you!" The prince suddenly struck out. With a "slap" sound, Concubine Feng's face was slapped and she cried out as she fell to the ground. The prince stared at her with fierce eyes, "You claim that my father plotted against you He would rather keep his hands clean than get involved himself! What is your status Are you worthy of him personally intervening in such matters You say Qianyue plotted against you If she truly had those abilities, she wouldn't have been bullied by you all these years! Don’t think I am unaware of the things you’ve done."

"Your Highness, this servant is genuinely wronged..." The Concubine Feng dared not mention the Old Prince and Yun Qianyue again.

"Uncle Prince, it's indeed somewhat strange that all these people speak in unison. Perhaps Concubine Feng truly is being framed," Crown Prince Ye Tianqiong glanced at Concubine Feng as a flicker of disgust passed through his eyes, but he still spoke up.

"Me冤枉 her Hmph, these past few years, I've merely turned a blind eye to whatever schemes she's had. Don't think I'm really unaware; all she wants is to be this King's queen consort." A vein on the王爺's forehead was faintly visible as he saw Feng Side Concubine persistently declaring her innocence. He took a deep breath, "Alright then, you say these people are wronging you! Then produce evidence of their wrongdoing! This King will clear your name today—if everything they said is true…"

"Your Excellency, I am sure to find the evidence." Feng Side Concubine immediately interrupted the王爺, her eyes sparking with joy. She turned abruptly and looked at the people in her courtyard, hurriedly asking, "Quickly tell me, am I being wronged"

No one spoke from the other side; they all lowered their heads when she gave them a glance.

Feng Side Concubine's expression darkened as she angrily shouted, "Speak up!"

The people trembled but remained silent.

Her face turned grim and she nearly gnashed her teeth in frustration. She then turned to look at the dozen or so brightly dressed concubines, secondary wives, and maid consorts standing by, saying, "All of you sisters, please be my witnesses! I have always treated you well."

"Sister, it's not that we don't want to help you. It's just that both yesterday and this morning, we were in our own courtyards. We have no idea what happened!" One of the women, who was around the same age as Feng, the Concubine, said.

"That's right, none of us saw it with our own eyes, so we can't bear witness to this matter." Another woman also spoke up.

"Right, since none of us know what happened, how can we provide evidence for you, Sister" The other women also nodded in unison.

Feng felt a sinking feeling in her heart and quickly looked at the younger women around them, about ten or so individuals. They were all concubine-born daughters from the manor who usually fawned over her, calling her 'Mother'. Now they hurriedly said, "We accompanied Fragrant Lotus yesterday..."

"Yes, we went with the Eldest Sister yesterday, so we personally witnessed the Eldest Sister bullying the Third Younger Sister. Cai Liang is not lying." A woman who was about the same age as Fragrant Lotus immediately responded. She was the Second Miss of the household.

"That's correct, we also saw with our own eyes yesterday when the Eldest Sister bullied the Third Sister," a younger girl nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Senior Sister is wrong if she is wrong. Concubine Fei, you should quickly apologize to Father King. He dotes on you more than anyone else usually, so he will surely forgive both you and Senior Sister," another woman gently persuaded.

The Lady-Concubine Fei's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she trembled all over, pointing at them with a shaking finger, "You all..."

"What else do you have to say Are they also bought off by Father King and Qianyue There are hundreds of people in this residence, even the maidservants and servants around you were bought off too Feng Jinzhu! I truly misjudged you!" The Prince Regent roared, his hand tightly clenched, veins bulging.

The Lady-Concubine Fei closed her eyes dejectedly; she suddenly understood everything. Haha, after all these years of scheming and believing she had the whole royal residence under control, a small matter ended up putting her in an irredeemable situation. All those daily endearing calls from sisters complimenting her, all those times they called her 'Mother' even more affectionately than their biological mothers— it was merely because of the power in her hands. Now these women finally had their chance, and they were coming together to put her in a position where she would be destroyed! No wonder Cloud Qianyue remained unperturbed when Old King summoned everyone. Even that foolish dead girl Yun Qianyue knew this, yet it took being pointed at by everyone's arrows for her to realize. She suddenly burst into laughter, not knowing whether she was laughing at herself or others.

"What else do you have to say" The Prince Regent looked disappointedly at the Lady-Concubine Fei.

"This concubine has nothing more to say; Your Highness may deal with me as you see fit!" Lady-Concubine Fei stopped laughing and silently glanced at everyone present.

In recent years, she has been striving to win so that the Prince can elevate her to the position of principal consort, allowing Xianghe to become a legitimate daughter of the family and one day ascend to the position of empress. However, over these years, she has come to realize that no matter how hard she tries, she remains a secondary consort. She repeatedly reminds him, but he merely brushes her off; there is no intention on his part to elevate her to principal consort. He still cherishes the memory of the dead woman, and while living people can compete, who could possibly rival a deceased one Thus, she has given up competing and instead focused her attention on Yun Qianyue. Fortunately, Yun Qianyue was spoiled by the old Prince to the point where she disregarded all laws and conventions, and was deeply infatuated with Nie Tianqiong, leading her to commit numerous outrageous acts that tarnished her reputation. She has merely stood by laughing and watching, waiting for the day when Yun Qianyue suffers a major calamity, which would then provide an opportunity for her daughter.

Yesterday, when Yun Qianyue set fire to the Spring View Tower causing hundreds of casualties, she knew that her chance had come. She spent a whole day locked in her room rejoicing, thinking no one could save Yun Qianyue this time. However, unexpectedly, Jing Shizi and Ran Xiaorong stepped up to protect Yun Qianyue. While she was devising countermeasures, her daughter went to the Azure Moon Pavilion where Yun Qianyue injured her hand. Although she was furious, if one could trade a mere hand for Yun Qianyue's life and legitimate status, it would still be worth it. Therefore, she hurriedly went to the Azure Moon Pavilion with the resolve to eliminate Yun Qianyue. Unexpectedly, the old Prince actually gave her his covert guards...

All events were just a step away from success—just one small step...

"Servant! Take this... "

The prince no longer looked at Feng Sefei and spoke resentfully.

"Uncle Prince, although Lady Feng is your secondary consort, she is also part of the Cloud王府 (Cloud王府 should remain untranslated as it's a proper noun). With Grandfather still alive inside the house and the injured being Moon Sister, from Nie Tianqiong's perspective, you may first go in to consult with Grandfather and Moon Sister before handling Lady Feng."

The prince immediately stopped speaking.urt women She withdrew her finger and stretched out her voice, saying, "Young Master Rong needn’t worry so much; there’s no peach blossom grove in the imperial palace. This little girl can’t even mana...