Chapter 290: Interrogation

As soon as these words were spoken, the few people at the table were all stunned.

Especially Jiang Xiaoxiao.

Her small eyes were fixed tightly on Su Wanwan, as if wanting to see how she would respond.

In the original work, because of Su Xiangzhu, the Su family fell from being a dignified Second-Rank official family to being criminals of the imperial court, nearly being exiled.

Originally, there was no such person as Su Wanwan in the original work, but now that the second daughter of the Su family had become the Princess Consort of the current Emperor's own younger brother, the Su family shouldn't end up in such a miserable state...

Su Wanwan furrowed her delicate brows, as if thinking about the feasibility of Xiao Yi's words.

Yu Ying'er had harbored thoughts of harming her, so she definitely couldn't be kept by her side, but if she were sent back to the Su family... then her fate likely wouldn't be much better.

The Su family hated her just as much as they hated Su Wanwan.

After all, back then, besides her, Yu Ying'er had also helped her elder sister escape the palace.

So, she was also one of her elder sister's people.

But in the end, Su Wanwan still nodded: "Then send her back to the Su family."

Being able to do this much could be considered fulfilling her duty to the utmost.

As for whether the Su family would spare her life, that would depend on her own fate.

During this meal, everyone ate with heavy hearts.

Jiang Wei was a person who couldn't stay idle; after finishing the meal, she still took her leave and departed from the villa, as she still had to go and check on those few shops left behind by the Huang family.

And there was also the soap business; although Mr. Bai was looking after it, she still couldn't rest easy.

Jiang Xiaoxiao had originally wanted to go along, but she was pulled back by Su Wanwan, who begged her bitterly to stay and keep her company.

With no other choice, Jiang Xiaoxiao could only agree.

Seeing this, Jiang Wei didn't say anything.

Being unfamiliar with the place here in Xuzhou, it was inevitable that she would have lapses in care while busy with business; leaving Xiaoxiao here with Princess Duan was indeed the safest option.

She hadn't forgotten that there was still a group of people in the capital eyeing her and her daughter like tigers.

After Jiang Wei left, Su Wanwan couldn't wait to take Jiang Xiaoxiao out for a stroll.

"What about Prince Duan? Don't you need to keep him company?" Jiang Xiaoxiao asked.

Su Wanwan waved her hand: "He went to attend to serious business; let's not worry about him. It was not easy for me to come out, so we must have a good time."

Jiang Xiaoxiao nodded.

Going out for a walk was fine; she couldn't just stay cooped up in this small courtyard.

And with those dozens of secret guards sent by Prince Duan following them, they didn't need to worry about safety when going out to play.

At the same time.

Just as Jiang Xiaoxiao and Su Wanwan left the villa, Xiao Er brought another group of secret guards to the villa.

At this moment, Prince Duan was sitting in the courtyard, rarely not reading those thick files during this free time.

He was playing with a bright, sharp little knife in his hand.

If Jiang Xiaoxiao were here right now, she would definitely recognize that this little knife was the Swiss army knife her mother had thrown on the merchant ship to hit the bandit between the eyebrows.

"Your Highness, the person has been brought."

Xiao Er stood respectfully in the courtyard with his head lowered; at his feet was Yu Ying'er, who had been tortured to the point of being nearly breathless.

"You all may withdraw." Xiao Yi waved his hand without lifting his head.

Xiao Er and the others bowed their heads in acknowledgment and withdrew from the villa.

However, they didn't dare to go far, instead guarding the surroundings of the courtyard from a distance.

After there was no one left in the courtyard, Xiao Yi slowly stood up and came before Yu Ying'er.

Yu Ying'er breathed lightly, using all her strength to lift her eyes to look at the man in front of her.

However, at this moment, there was no previous admiration in her eyes, only deep fear.

Yu Ying'er subconsciously moved her body, wanting to retreat, but the next second, the words the man spoke left her stunned.

"Speak, where was that child of the late Empress taken by you back then?"

This question seemed to give Yu Ying'er the last glimmer of hope before she was on the verge of death.

She spoke with a trembling voice: "Y-Your Highness... you care about the late Empress, don't you?"

Otherwise, why would Your Highness care so much about the whereabouts of the late Empress's child?

Su Wanwan was just her substitute!

As if eager to verify something, she asked urgently: "You don't love Su Wanwan, right? She is just a... substitute..."

People often, when at the end of their rope, want even more to verify some ethereal things.

Even though those things had little to do with herself.

Yu Ying'er was just unwilling to accept it.

As a favored maid who had grown up with the Su family's legitimate daughter, Su Xiangzhu, the second-rank maids and servants in the mansion all had to flatter her.

Even those concubines in the side courtyards had to be pleasant and kind when they saw her.

Not to mention Su Wanwan, that maid-mother who relied on climbing into bed to give birth to a child!

How could Su Wanwan deserve to become the Su family's second young lady?!

How could a child born to a maid deserve it?!

But while despising all of this, Yu Ying'er also harbored a glimmer of luck and envy in her heart.

If even Su Wanwan could do it, then why couldn't she?

She could also rely on climbing into bed to become the Princess Consort of Duan.

Just like Su Wanwan's mother!

As long as the child in Su Wanwan's womb died, her child could also rightfully become the only legitimate son of Prince Duan!

"Substitute..." Xiao Yi narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked down from above at the person on the ground with a pleading face, then bent down slightly, his tone grim: "You actually dare to say that about her."

Yu Ying'er shuddered.

"But..." she subconsciously wanted to retort, but the next second, the little knife in Prince Duan's hand pierced into her eyeball without mercy.

"Ah—"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the small courtyard.

Xiao Er and the others guarding outside, hearing this scream, all lowered their heads silently, as if they were accustomed to it.

"I went to such great lengths to get her, yet you actually dare to disparage her as worthless."

Xiao Yi pulled out the knife, looking at the blade stained red with blood, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

What a pity, such a delicately crafted and sharp little knife, there are not many in the world.

He threw the knife on the ground casually and sat back in his seat, too lazy to let his gaze linger on Yu Ying'er, only saying: "Speak, my patience is running thin."

Yu Ying'er covered her continuously bleeding eye, her voice intermittent: "T-that child was sent to a farmer's house..."

At this moment, there was no longer any of her previous thoughts in her heart; Xiao Yi's words were like a death warrant, and she didn't dare to hide even half a word, confessing everything.

"Back then, the late Empress had just escaped the palace when she miscarried and gave birth to a baby girl..."

At that time, Su Xiangzhu used her last breath to give birth to the child and didn't have much time left to live; she entrusted her final wishes, telling Su Wanwan that she must protect the child's life.

She decided not to let the royal family discover her existence.

At that time, Su Wanwan was crying uncontrollably, not daring to ask anything, and could only agree to everything.

In the last few hours of Su Xiangzhu's life, Su Wanwan stayed with her, while Yu Ying'er, as their personal maid, took on the heavy responsibility of taking the newborn baby girl away!

"... I spent one hundred taels of silver to have the coachman's wife take the child away. Three months later, I went to look for them, but the people were already gone; there were only two corpses in the house."

"And the baby girl?" Xiao Yi's gaze was cold.

"The baby girl's body... was gone."

Yu Ying'er spat out the words tremblingly. ===== CHAPTER 291 =====