The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Compromise

Why didn’t she have any medicine in her system? Why was the person in the hall Lian Xiang? All of these things made Li Miaozhu hard to believe.

“Why did you go to the Changing Clothes Hall to change clothes? And why wasn’t it you inside?” The woman in red had completely lost her sanity, her voice hoarse. She couldn’t believe, couldn’t believe why the woman in front of her could escape perfectly intact.

The crowd looked at the woman who was slowly approaching and noticed that she was indeed not wearing the same pink dress she had on during the day.

But Pei Lingyi smiled lightly, looking at the woman who seemed to be on the verge of madness, and said softly, “Miss Li is joking. Who says you have to go to the Changing Clothes Hall to change clothes?”

“This place is so close to Hua Shang Yue Ling, and Changle’s courtyard is right next door. I could have gone to her courtyard to change clothes too.”

When the words suddenly turned to herself, Changle was still a bit confused, but after receiving a glance from her good friend, she understood everything.

She stood in the crowd and said loudly, “Yes, everyone here knows that Miss Pei and I are like sisters. It’s not strange at all that she would go to my courtyard to change clothes.”

With this statement, basically no one would suspect anything, because Pei Lingyi’s clothes were perfectly fine, without any sign of guilt or inconsistency.

Actually, as soon as everyone saw that the person inside the hall was a servant from the National Duke Li’s mansion, they more or less understood what had happened.

Who in the capital city didn’t know about the rumors surrounding the National Duke Li’s mansion?
The eldest daughter was notoriously jealous. In the past, women who got close to the Crown Prince all disappeared from public view without exception.

Although there was no direct evidence that she was the one behind it, everyone had their own judgment. The National Duke’s mansion was powerful, and with the Empress coming from that family, who would dare to provoke the eldest daughter without reason?

Tonight, she had gathered everyone to watch a show, probably to trap Miss Pei. But somehow, Miss Pei didn’t go to the Changing Clothes Hall and instead went to the County Lord’s courtyard, which led to the current situation.

It could only be said…she had trapped herself.

There were many noble ladies in the capital who looked down on Li Miaozhu. She was arrogant and despotic, thinking herself above everyone else due to her family’s power and her aunt being the Empress. She often bullied others, and others couldn’t even dare to offend her.

Now that she had fallen so hard, they couldn’t help but step on her.

Someone in the crowd started the mockery, “Miss Li really has a short memory. Miss Pei is standing here perfectly fine, but the person in the hall is your own servant. The evidence is clear, yet you’re still shamelessly accusing Miss Pei.”

“Yes, I think Miss Pei is innocent, but Miss Li was sneaky from the start. Who knows who was really involved?”

“Miss Li, now that things have come to this, are you still not going to repent?”

In an instant, almost all the women she had bullied in the past stood up, and the atmosphere on the scene suddenly turned sour.

Li Miaozhu had never been in a situation where she was pointed at by so many people. In just a moment, the woman who had been so arrogant just now had red eyes, and tears fell like pearls, one after another.

Unlike her previous fake crying, this time she was really angry, crying and shouting as she ran to Xiao Huaijin’s side, complaining, “Wuuhu…Cousin, you believe me…I really didn’t do those things…I didn’t…Wuuhu…it wasn’t me.”

Perhaps she was really wronged, and she cried uncontrollably, grabbing Xiao Huaijin’s sleeve and calling him cousin.

Xiao Huaijin saw her like this and couldn’t help but sigh. The little girl who had always clung to him since childhood had now become a woman with a heart full of malice.

Was it his fault as her elder?

But she was still someone he had watched grow up, and he couldn’t bring himself to punish her severely tonight.

He looked at the crowd, half of whom were watching the drama, and the other half whose eyes were filled with sarcasm towards her. It was clear how unpopular she was.

After seeing so many people’s gazes, he unexpectedly fell into the woman’s watery eyes.

She just stood there quietly, without any excessive movements, her white teeth lightly biting her lip, looking helpless. Anyone who saw her would feel sorry for her.

But Xiao Huaijin thought of her tender appearance when she was in his arms.

If…if she hadn’t escaped, would she have really fallen into Miaozhu’s trap tonight?

He didn’t dare to think about it. The sound of the woman’s crying and complaining filled his ears. Miaozhu was his mother’s most beloved niece, and he couldn’t…couldn’t humiliate her in public.

In an instant, he felt like he was trapped in endless darkness, with his mother’s stern face on one side and her pitiful appearance on the other.

The man’s breathing stopped, and he clenched his fists, finally letting go as if he had resigned himself.

His voice was hoarse, “…Everyone, let’s disperse tonight. As for those two servants who behaved improperly”, he paused, then said, “They will be beaten to death with sticks and thrown into a mass grave.”

The man’s order surprised everyone, although the two servants had indeed done something outrageous in public.

But it was hard to believe that the usually kind Crown Prince would issue such a command. It was clear that he was really angry tonight.

Xiao Yan had been watching the whole thing with a cold gaze since the beginning. Seeing the usually benevolent Crown Prince break his usual kindness and issue a death penalty was quite interesting.

However…was his anger due to rage or guilt?

“Second Brother, what about Miss Li? Tonight, she was the mastermind behind it all, wasn’t she?”

Xiao Yan sat lazily in the pavilion, his posture relaxed, but his appearance was noble and refined. Even in such a casual pose, no one dared to underestimate him.

Li Miaozhu had secretly rejoiced when she saw Xiao Huaijin issue the order, thinking that Brother Huaijin wasn’t going to blame her tonight? Although Lian Xiang was her personal servant.

But she hadn’t been happy for long when Prince An’s Heir intervened, stirring things up. What did he mean? Was he going against her and the National Duke’s mansion?

Xiao Huaijin turned slightly, looking at his cousin who had been silent until now. His face was handsome and refined, with eyebrows like a knife’s edge, but his eyes were deep and unfathomable, making it hard to look directly at him.

“I’m not sure what insights Changyu has tonight. Does he think Second Brother’s approach was too cruel?” Xiao Huaijin’s eyes smiled, gazing lightly at the man in the distance, like a reliable elder brother. But upon closer inspection, there was a hint of wariness in his gentle eyes.

The man in black clothes walked forward leisurely but paused slightly when passing by Pei Lingyi. Then he looked at the elegant man and Li Miaozhu, who was hiding behind him.

“Second Brother might have forgotten, but I’m the commander of the Imperial Guard. Tonight’s incident falls under our jurisdiction.”

“Those two servants can be beaten to death, but can Miss Li be absolved of her crimes just because of a few words from you?” The man’s voice was low and husky, with a hint of danger beneath his seemingly amiable tone.