Chapter 215: Framing

Xiao Yin's words fell, like a stone hitting a placid lake, instantly stirring massive waves.

The surrounding area filled with noisy chatter.

If the disfigured mute before us is General An's daughter, then what does Su Wanrou count as?

Moreover, the nobles of Shang Jing all know that General An kept a concubine, and that back then he even severed ties with his own father over her.

The matter once alarmed the Emperor, who nearly stripped the An family of their noble stipends.

The An family were nobles of a previous dynasty's previous dynasty; after two reigns they had lost almost all power, merely using their noble name to receive a bit of Imperial Court support.

Even in utter decline, they retained a trace of aristocratic pride and naturally refused to let their son take a singing girl from Longzhou as a wife.

Later they compromised, allowing a Su lady to become a concubine, but their son An Chenghu's mind was kicked like a donkey's, and he bluntly demanded that the woman either become his principal wife or never set foot in the An household.

Later the father and son never spoke again; An Chenghu stayed with Xiao Yin in the army, earning merit and silver, half of which he sent to support his parents in old age, half to cover his Longzhou wife and daughter's expenses, while he himself ended up deducting from himself.

However, Xiao Yin understood his difficulty and often gave him extra benefits, so he wouldn't appear too disgraceful before his comrades.

Because of this, An Chenghu was especially grateful for the young general's goodwill, and ultimately sacrificed his life in Qi Sha Gu to exchange a life back for Xiao Yin.

These matters were known crystal‑clear to the nobles of Shang Jing.

Unexpectedly at this moment, General An actually presented two daughters; one of them must be a fake!

Su Wanrou's eyes instantly reddened; she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and began to sob: "Prince, I know you're angry with me, but you can't frame me like this!"

"That Jinzhi is clearly a foreign slave the Princess Consort brought back, why...?"

"Wuwu... Rou Er knows you dote on your wife; your reputation for fearing your inner circle has already spread throughout Shang Jing, you cannot, just because you like the Princess Consort, frame me like this?"

"Before, in the residence I never caught the Princess Consort's eye, and I don't know why the Princess Consort would dislike me so much. But Rou Er, what exactly did I do wrong?"

The surrounding murmurs grew louder; no one expected Xiao Yin to invert right and wrong just to please his wife.

【9】 Suddenly a crisp round of applause rang out; Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose from the chair. Though her figure was plump, at that moment a trace of imposing noble aura brushed over her.

Suddenly a crisp round of applause rang out, and Gu Jiu Ling slowly rose from the edge of the chair; she was plump, yet at that moment a trace of imposing noble aura brushed over her.

Jinzhi hurriedly supported Gu Jiu Ling; her sister-in-law's unborn child was now at a later stage, making it hard to move.

Who her mother is no longer matters; what matters is she doesn't want to involve others any more, especially the Princess Consort, to whom she owes a mountain of gratitude.

She truly can't recall how Su Wanrou swapped her identity, and each recollection brings unbearable pain.

It seems something in her mind automatically shields that cruel scene, protecting her fragile soul from harm.

Gu Jiu Ling lightly patted Jinzhi's hand, lifted her gaze coldly toward Su Wanrou, and let out a scoffing laugh: "Oh?"

"Miss Su thinks I hate you and wants to frame you?"

"Ha! Do you think you're worthy?"

Su Wanrou's eyes instantly flashed with malice; Gu Jiu Ling's lofty demeanor made her feel especially uncomfortable.

Why? She had been the laughingstock of all Shang Jing, never expecting to become so flamboyantly unabashed; she truly harbored deadly jealousy.

Gu Jiu Ling's voice rang clear, deliberately raising it: "Today is your joyous day; therefore, Princess Consort presents you with a deeply unforgettable grand gift!"

"Someone! Bring it up!"

Suddenly a series of movements came from behind; Ling Feng arrived with several people, slowly stepping into the center of the flower hall.

Those people had previously disguised themselves as Xiao Yin's attendants, so Xiao Wei's side didn't notice anything and let them blend in; upon seeing Xiao Yin, they all knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic.

Each of them wore Rui Wang Fu guard uniforms, yet their bodies trembled incessantly.

These days, the methods of Prince Rui have tormented them enough; one after another they begged for mercy.

"Prince! We surrender! We all surrender!"

The tattooed couple was the first to lose composure; they were only helping with tattoos, never expecting to cause such a disaster.

"Prince! Back then it was... yes! It was her!"

The couple both stared at Su Wanrou, as if they wanted to bite a piece of her flesh, pointing at her nose and hurling curses.

"You once held dozens of copper coins, kneeling and pleading to us, saying your elder sister had died, her name contained the character 'Mei', and you wanted a plum blossom tattooed on the back of your neck."

"Claiming you wanted to live together with your sister's spirit!"

"We only tattooed the plum blossom out of pity for you, never expecting you later to send people to kill us! Truly a sin! We did nothing wrong to you, yet you repay kindness with vengeance?"

"Yes! It's repaying kindness with vengeance!" A trembling elderly lady also came forward, bringing her two sons.

Seeing the old lady unable to stand steady, Xiao Wei furrowed his brows fiercely, cursing, "Damn it, how did this old pious hag get into the Prince's residence?"

He vowed to deal with the gate guards shortly.

The old lady stared straight at Su Wanrou, raised her trembling cane and jabbed at Su Wanrou's nose, scolding: "Zhang Xihua, you truly are a ruthless girl."

"To replace Miss Su's identity, you actually set fire to the whole village?"

"You secretly set the fire, not only burning your uncle's whole family but also killing Miss Su's wet nurse; that night the flames were huge, wind blew, the villagers..."

The old lady cried uncontrollably: "My poor third family's house was also burned, and my little grandson was burned alive! Wuwu..."

"At that time the village was in chaos; the survivors went to the river for water to extinguish the fire, not thinking elsewhere, even assuming it was the Zhang family's midnight water mishap?"

"Later the whole village was abandoned; everyone had to flee east and west to seek livelihood elsewhere, and even now..."

"If it weren't for the Prince sending people to investigate, finding us scattered outside, truly..."

"Thanks to our pity for your Zhang family, we even thought you perished in the house, and we erected a tomb for your Zhang kin! You wretched thing!"

After speaking, the old lady's anger peaked, and she swung her cane, striking at Su Wanrou.