Chapter 46: 046 Witnesses

 Chapter 46: 046 Witnesses

As soon as Cui Mama entered the east room and saw Mei'er kneeling on the floor, she immediately realized something was wrong.

Logically speaking, Mei'er should have been dead by now! How could she still be here...?

Cui Mama, fearing that she might catch Mei'er's illness, had not visited her these past days. However, she had inquired at the Gongsu Alley and heard that Mei'er was ill, which made her feel at ease, because "Seven-Day Fever" was a disease that, once contracted, left little chance of survival.

To her surprise, Mei'er hadn't died!

After the initial shock, Cui Mama quickly decided that, no matter what Mei'er accused her of, she would never admit to anything. Without evidence, no one could pin the blame on her or the concubine.

Cui Mama's denial immediately threw Mei'er into a panic, and she hurriedly said, "Matriarch, I did not lie. It was Cui Mama..."

Cui Mama spat at her, "Who told you to talk nonsense in front of the Matriarch?!"

"Matriarch, please see for yourself." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and spoke innocently, "The concubine has been ill for some time, and I have been at her side, never leaving her even once."

"Yes, Matriarch, Madam." Jiang Yiniang's eyes were red, and she wiped away her tears with her delicate white fingers, looking as fragile as a willow in the wind. "Cui Mama is the kindest person, how could she do such a thing? I can vouch for her."

"You wicked servant!" Chu Linglingxiao coldly scolded Mei'er, "Spreading rumors and causing trouble here."

"It’s not like that." Mei'er said in a panic, "Marquis, I did not lie."

Chu Linglingxiao snorted coldly and pressed, "Then did you personally see Cui Mama tampering with the artificial mountain?"

Mei'er shivered and shrank back, speaking timidly, "Yes..."

Chu Linglingxiao demanded, "Say it again, carefully."

"I... I saw Cui Mama walk past the artificial mountain, and not long after, the Fourth Young Master went up, and then he fell." Under Chu Linglingxiao's pressure, Mei'er spoke haltingly. "Afterward, Cui Mama found me and told me not to speak out..."

"What color was Cui Mama wearing that day?"

"Red..."

"Red?"

"No, it was green!" Mei'er glanced at Cui Mama, who was dressed in a green gown, and immediately corrected herself, her words becoming jumbled.

"Mother." Chu Qianhuang, who had been quietly sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up. "Could it be that the person Mei'er saw that day was me?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The room fell silent.

Shen Shi, the Matriarch, and Chu Linglingxiao all turned their gaze toward Chu Qianhuang.

Chu Qianhuang continued, "I did go to the artificial mountain that day. And I was wearing a red dress."

Shen Shi looked at her daughter, her eyes dark and thoughtful. "Feng Jie'er, what were you doing at the artificial mountain?"

Chu Qianhuang replied with a calm demeanor, "I was originally painting on the second floor of Bixiao Tower, but when I saw the wintersweet flowers by the artificial mountain, they looked so beautiful that I wanted to pick some to bring back."

"I also dropped a purse near the artificial mountain, but luckily, my second sister found it."

"The peony flower on that purse took me a long time to embroider. I'm glad it wasn’t lost."

As she spoke, Chu Qianhuang’s smile gained a hint of shyness, typical of a young girl. "I had told Mother earlier, remember? You laughed at me for always being careless."

At her words, Shen Shi recalled that her daughter had indeed mentioned her purse almost being lost.

"The Empress had given me a box of newly made beaded flowers, and I chose one for my second sister, as a thank you gift," Chu Qianhuang added.

Shen Shi gazed at her daughter with warmth and affection.

When she looked at Mei'er again, a hint of suspicion and speculation appeared in her gaze.

Mei'er felt uneasy and anxious.

"Speak! Did you really see Cui Mama or not?!"
At that moment, Chu Linglingxiao gave a stern shout, making Mei'er tremble.

"I... I..." Mei'er was in a state of panic.

Originally, she had only seen a figure that resembled the eldest young miss. However, after thinking about it carefully these past few days, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she must have been mistaken. The eldest young miss was the Fourth Young Master's legitimate sister. How could she possibly want to harm him?

Moreover, it was Cui Mama who had bribed her with hush money, and Cui Mama was also Jiang Yiniang's person.

Mei'er thought it through and was convinced that Cui Mama must have been the one trying to harm the Fourth Young Master. All she had to do was firmly claim that she had seen Cui Mama that day.

But she never expected that the eldest young miss would admit it first.

Meier's heart grew even more chaotic.

Faced with Chu Linglingxiao's questioning, she became more incoherent, now saying she had not clearly seen the person’s face, and then claiming that Cui Mama had paid her to keep quiet and not spread rumors.

"Enough!" Chu Linglingxiao looked at Shen Shi with a cold laugh. "Is this supposed to be 'witness testimony'?"

"To have this vile servant speak in such a confused manner, and yet Madam has already concluded that it was Jiang Yiniang who tried to harm Mu Ge'er—this is too hasty. I wonder what Madam’s true intention is?"

Chu Linglingxiao almost outright accused Shen Shi of deliberately trying to frame Jiang Yiniang.

The atmosphere in the room froze.

Cui Mama, who was kneeling on the floor, quietly let out a sigh of relief.

The Matriarch frowned slightly, quickly trying to smooth things over. "Axiao, I believe Ah Zhi was misled by this girl. Since it involves Mu Ge'er, and a mother’s heart is connected to her child, she must have become confused in the moment."

"Let’s stop this matter here. Ah Zhi, what do you think?" 

In the Matriarch’s view, it was best to resolve the issue here and put it to rest for everyone’s sake.

Her distant niece had always been so obedient; how could she possibly allow a servant to do something so wicked?

It was all because of this vile girl Mei'er, who had deliberately framed others and sowed discord!

"Mother, don’t worry." Shen Shi remained calm and composed, her demeanor unshaken despite the situation.

She placed her teacup down, casting a glance at the trembling Mei'er on the ground, already understanding that this whole matter had been the girl’s own misstep.

Sensing Shen Shi’s gaze, Mei'er lowered her head even further.

Shen Shi quietly sighed, then continued, "I also have something I’d like you to take a look at."

With that, she looked up at Chu Linglingxiao, who was standing a few steps away.

Under the intense pressure of his sharp eyes, Chu Linglingxiao’s stance seemed to weaken slightly.

"The Marquis should also take a look, so there’s no misunderstanding, and no one will say that I’m wrongfully accusing Jiang Yiniang. Heh." Shen Shi’s voice carried a faint sneer, and she casually added, "I am the wife of a marquis, not someone who would wrongfully accuse a lowly concubine."

At the mention of this, Jiang Yiniang clenched her fist tightly within her sleeve, her half-lowered eyes flashing with a ruthless look.

She sobbed gently, "Madam, the Marquis didn’t mean it this way. You misunderstood."

"It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have..."

"Shut up." Shen Shi interrupted her coldly. "You have no say in front of me."

Jiang Yiniang shrank her delicate shoulders, her beautiful face tilting slightly upward. Her eyes, filled with tears, looked as pitiful as a fragile flower.

Shen Shi paid her no further attention and simply said, "Chen Mama."

Chen Mama stepped forward and respectfully presented a piece of silk paper to the Matriarch.

Upon seeing the silk paper, Cui Mama's face instantly turned pale, as if she had seen a ghost.

(End of Chapter)