Chapter 230 - Whos Right and Whos Wrong
Chapter 230 - Whos Right and Whos Wrong
Chapter 230 Who’s Right and Who’s Wrong
The maid, shaking, glanced at Lin Mengya, clenched her teeth and opened her mouth to speak.
“Miss Baishao was the one who incited me to do this. She claimed that her plan was upset because Baizhi was dishonest. She wanted to teach Baizhi a lesson. Please don’t be angry with me. I’ve done this because Miss Baishao promised me a reward!”
There was a commotion among the onlookers. They were surprised to learn that Baishao was such a ruthless person.
“Are you speaking the truth?”
Lin Mengya raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
However, the maid continued nodding vigorously. She even took out a white jade bangle from her sleeve and presented it to Lin Mengya, saying, “This bangle was given to me by Baishao. Please verify it.”
Baishao had been seen wearing a white jade bangle on her wrist in the past. It appeared that there was no mistaking that Baishao did try to bride this maid.
“I don’t need and don’t want to see this d*mned thing. Go get Prince Yu and Concubine De. I demand a direct confrontation in front of everyone today.”
When the onlookers realized that Lin Mengya had truly been provoked, a chill ran up their spine.
Regardless of who they were loyal to, Lin Mengya was after all the princess and no one would want to offend her.
Never would Lin Mengya expect the people in her courtyard would be backbiting each other.
This was indeed humiliating for Lin Mengya. Who would not fly into rage under such a circumstance?
Jinsu and Jingyue immediately went about their business and Baisu, who was among the crowd and went unnoticed until now, had quietly shown herself.
“Master, Baizhi was brutally beaten up by that maid. On a few occasions I had wanted to stand up to her, but I was reminded of your instruction and restrained myself.”
Lin Mengya noticed the teeth marks on Baizhi’s pale lips and nodded.
Baisu may look like an unfeeling person, but inside, she was really a warm-blooded person. When she could not do anything to help Baizhi, seeing that she had been beaten up, she must have felt more wretched than anyone else.
“You’ve tried your best, I’m sure Baizhi... she wouldn’t blame you.”
Lin Mengya gritted her teeth as the pain in her heart was the hardest to bear. For her, the pain was worse than anyone else’s.
Baizhi had been with her since they were little lasses. When Baizhi was still called Ruyue, she had been guarding Lin Mengya and protecting her when she was defenseless.
Lin Mengya instinctively clenched her fists as her countenance turned cold.
How audacious these people were to lay a finger on the people in her courtyard!
“The prince has arrived...”
“Concubine De has arrived...”
The two different proclamation came one after another.
Lin Mengya remained standing at where she was without moving and Long Tianyu, looking at her from the back, felt as if his heart would break.
He frowned deeply as he spotted Baizhi, whose face was all swollen from the beating. He could imagine how devastated Lin Mengya must be.
Without him realizing, he had instinctively came up to Lin Mengya’s back and looked determinedly at her frail figure.
“What’s happening here?”
Concubine De, who certainly knew what had happened, pretended to be clueless. She cast a quick look at Baishao and then tried to look sympathetic the next moment.
Lin Mengya bent at her waist as she greeted Concubine De. There was no way Concubine De could find any fault with Lin Mengya’s etiquette and manners.
“Mother, Baizhi may have been accused of coveting silver, but no one managed to find any concrete evidence! Having beaten up so badly, this must be an attempt to destroy the evidence!”
As Lin Mengya dished out these words, the expression on her face was one of solemness and severity.
Those who were sharp would be able to tell that this was Baishao trying to shut Baizhi up. This so-called corruption was more complicated than it seemed and would involve more than just Baizhi.
Moreover, it could be deduced that Baishao already had some feeling of dissatisfaction with Baizhi.
Anyway, there had to be something fishy going on which other people could not detect.
“Is that right? Baishao is too much in that case. Jinsu, get Baishao here so I can personally question her.”
Nanny Jingyue had claimed that she had been instructed by Concubine De to fetch Lin Mengya from her courtyard, however, it seemed like Concubine De was unaware of what was going on. Was it not obvious that this was all an act?
As Lin Mengya watched them act, she looked gloomy and unsettled.
It did not take long for Baishao to arrive at the wooden hut in the backyard with Nanny Jingyue.
Baishao’s face immediately drained of its color when she saw the severe-looking Lin Mengya and Baizhi who was paralyzed on the ground.
“Greetings to Concubine De, Prince Yu and Princess Yu.”
At that moment, all eyes were on Baishao. All the people stared expectantly at her face, as if they could find out how she could be so ruthless and vicious from looking at her.
“I’ve sent for you to ask if you know this maid,” said Concubine De flatly, looking like she was in charge of the situation.
Baishao glanced at the maid who was shaking like a leaf, nodded suspiciously and said, “In response to Concubine De’s question, she is indeed from my hometown. I know her because we worked together.”
She thought Baishao would deny the fact that she knew the maid. It was surprising that she had so easily admitted to it.
“Miss, Miss, I’m sorry. Here’s the jade bangle you gave me. I’d like to give it back to you. Please let me off, Miss. My family, the Yangs needed me. I have both the old and the young to support!”
The maid grabbed onto the hem of Lin Mengya’s dress all of a sudden and burst out in tears as she spoke.
“Maid Xu, please don’t malign me! What is this jade bangle you’re talking about?”
Baishao was beginning to panic. She had lost the jade bangle she was wearing a few days ago.
Could it have ended up in the hands of this maid? Baishao had never approached her for any favors, why would she be saying these things?
“Please just own up given the circumstances, Miss. Clearly, you had sent for me to meet you in your room and stuffed the jade bangle into my hands quietly. You had wanted me to entrap Miss Baizhi!”
The maid raised her voice as she spoke and kept weeping, making her look convincing.
Lin Mengya, however, furrowed brows and appeared to be thinking through what was said. Eventually, she seemed to have come to some understanding.
“Maid Xu, why do you malign me when I have never done you any wrong? Everyone knows for a fact that Baizhi and I are like sisters. We wouldn’t become enemies if not because she erred. Even if she’d done wrong towards me, I would never do this to her. Stop spouting nonsense, Maid Xu!” .
At this juncture, they each have their own say and it was difficult to tell who was lying.
The white jade bangle did indeed belong to Baizhi. Now it had ended up in Maid Xu’s hands. How was she to explain this?
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya already made a decision in her mind.
“This is going to be difficult. Yu’er and Mengya, what do you think?”
Concubine De tried to look as if she was torn between two decisions and passed the problem on to Long Tianyu and Lin Mengya.
Even if Baishao was innocent, Maid Xu’s accusation that Baishao had given her the bangle was hard to shake off.
“No matter who did this, I will get to the bottom of this,” said Lin Mengya calmly after drawing a deep breath.
Long Tianyu found it difficult to comment because it seemed that this was a matter concerning the ladies.
She looked from Concubine De to Baishao, then Baizhi, and finally Maid Xu who was kneeling on the ground as a cold smile appeared on her pretty face.
“Baishao, since Baizhi’s mouth is sealed, you shall explain it on her behalf.” Everyone was stunned when Lin Mengya turned her attention to Baishao, who parted her lips in shock.
She fell on her knees immediately, kowtowed to Lin Mengya and said, “Yes Master, I’ll make sure to describe everything from beginning till end in detail and truthfully. This bangle was indeed mine. It was given to me by Jinsu, who serves Concubine De. She said Concubine De bestowed me with it out of appreciation. I told Master about this straight away when returned, so Master, you were aware of this.”
The tense expression on Lin Mengya’s face finally relaxed.
The so-called betrayal of the master by the servant scene was a measure taken to deceive the enemy.
“You may continue. The prince is here, so are all the people involved. Those involved wouldn’t be able to deny their involvement.”
Lin Mengya helped Baizhi to her feet and looked at her flushed cheeks sympathetically and apologetically.
There was a look of elation in Baizhi’s eyes. The silly lass ought to be feeling glad and comforted that her ‘sister’ did not betray their master after all.
“Is it painful?” enquired Lin Mengya.
She could not bring herself to touch the cheeks of Baizhi, who first shook her head hard, then frowned and nodded pathetically.
On the other hand, Baizhi articulated the entire ins and outs of the incident precisely.
“Later on, Jinsu told me that Concubine De really liked me and wanted me to become the prince’s concubine to show how highly she esteemed me. Under her instruction, I was often sent to Qinwu Courtyard to deliver food and clothes to the prince. His Highness treated me kindly because of our Princess. However, I knew my place and did not dare to be presumptuous. My Master, you are aware of all these things that happened.”
Baishao whipped out a pair of scissors from her sleeve abruptly as Lin Mengya watched with horror.
“What are you doing?”
Jinsu panicked and retreated a few steps and two burly guards appeared behind her.
“That’s right, I’ve escaped from my home because I was running from an arranged marriage. My father, a gambler, had lost all the money in the family. He even wanted to sell my sisters and me to the brothels. If not for my mother, who was quick-witted, I would’ve lost my chastity. Later on, my father took the opportunity when my mother went back to her mother’s house to sell me to an old man as a concubine. I’m aware that many of you think I’m like a vixen, and so you wanted me to become the prince’s concubine. However, I, Baishao, am not someone who gives in easily. The kindness Master had shown me was like giving me a chance of rebirth. Regardless of what happened, I would never betray you, Master.”
Baishao had broken down in tears by the time she finished narrating her story. At that instance, Baishao used the pair of scissors to snip off her bundled up long hair. Immediately, Lin Mengya ordered Baisu to stop Baishao from acting foolishly.
“What are you doing? We’re not done yet!”
Lin Mengya sighed. How did she end up raising a bunch of silly girls?