Li Chengyuan, seeing Yan Wanqing address her, imdiately knelt straight: "I beg the Commandery Princess to preside over justice!"
"Alright!" A dark flash passed through Yan Wanqing’s eyes, epheral as it was, just when the male guests had also arrived at the scene and were shocked by what they saw.
"What’s going on?"
"Chengcheng, how did you fall into the water?!" A man in blue robes, with a face as fair as jade, and lips red and teeth white, who looked like a handso scholar, rushed out from the crowd. He looked nervously at Li Chengyuan, who was kneeling on the ground.
By then, Li Chengyuan had slight redness around her eyes, but still, not a single tear had fallen.
"I’m fine, brother-in-law. The Commandery Princess will ensure justice is t," she said with a choked voice.
Only then did the man notice Yan Wanqing was also present and hastily bowed: "I have seen the Princess Anping."
"No need for formalities," Yan Wanqing stared blankly at the red mole between the man’s brows, sowhat surprised. "You are?"
"I am Wa Chengnan, presently without title or office, a retainer in the Crown Prince’s household," Wa Chengnan answered respectfully.
Yan Wanqing of course rembered him. In her previous life, when Xiao Pingfeng was trapped in a battlefield unable to return and the Eastern Palace retainers totaled three thousand, there was only one nad Wa Chengnan who could stand against her, causing her quite a headache for so ti. Though she eventually outmatched him, Wa Chengnan was indeed a formidable opponent.
However, Yan Wanqing did not expect to encounter him this early in this life.
So he was already Xiao Pingfeng’s retainer.
"Was it the two of you who pushed Chengcheng into the water?" Wa Chengnan looked at Wang Keren and Zhang Nian with furrowed brows.
Wang Keren stood silently, her eyes brimming with tears, while Zhang Nian scoffed coldly: "Despite being from the Li family, marrying into it that Li family’s eldest daughter truly fell bad luck to marry such a wimp like you. Which of your eyes saw us pushing her into the water? You open your mouth accusingly even when the Commandery Princess herself has not yet made a decision. You think it’s your place to prattle here!"
Zhang Nian had an answer for everything and didn’t need Wang Keren to say much beside him.
This left Wa Chengnan flushed with embarrassnt, the red mole between his brows also dimming slightly.
Yan Wanqing watched as another gust of wind blew, and Li Chengyuan, wrapped in her cloak, shivered. She lazily spoke up.
"I ask you, would you like to go freshen up and change first, or would you follow as you are to seek justice from the Empress?"
Li Chengyuan’s eyes serious: "Zhang Nian and Wang Keren have been after my life more than once. If not for a maid closely following and saving , I would have been a wronged soul by now. Even if it costs my life, I must ask the Empress and the Commandery Princess to uphold justice for this servant girl!"
"Alright," Yan Wanqing stepped forward: "Then we’d better speak less nonsense and everyone follow ."
She moved quickly, disappearing around the end of the artificial hill within monts. Li Chengyuan hurriedly had her maid help her follow, and Wa Chengnan, with a flash of worry in his eyes, had no choice but to follow.
In the end, only Zhang and Wang were left looking at each other. Eventually, they gritted their teeth and followed.
"Any way you look at it, she can’t produce any evidence."
"This matter was originally orchestrated by her elder sister, what does it have to do with us? It’s her own fault for trying to seduce her elder sister’s man, born with a seductive appearance, disgusting!"
Thinking of Li Chengyuan’s look, Zhang Nian couldn’t help but spit.
Wang Keren sighed helplessly and pulled her forward: "It’s just a difference in perspective. Li Chengyuan’s sister stealing the lover is not any better. Princess Anping is wise and will surely understand the whole story. It was only an accident that she fell into the water. It wasn’t us who pushed her; it’s just that Li Chengyuan wouldn’t believe it herself. Since she insists on making a fuss to the Empress, we can only tell the truth."
Soon, the group arrived outside Zhang Lanyi’s pavilion, where Yan Wanqing went in to explain the situation.
Zhang Lanyi’s indifferent gaze swept over Li Chengyuan once before she dispassionately withdrew it. She set down the cup in her hand, "Is it you who wants to administer justice on your behalf?"
"Co forward." Yan Wanqing looked at Li Chengyuan and said.
Li Chengyuan, bracing herself, walked to the pavilion and knelt down, "Greetings, Empress."
"The weather’s quite miserable for falling into water, why didn’t you take a hot bath before coming here?" Zhang Lanyi asked.
Li Chengyuan shook her head sobbingly, "The matter is unclear, and I, even in death, cannot swallow this grievance without speaking out. I’ve no mind for other matters."
"So, it’s a stubborn temperant." Zhang Lanyi hooked her lips in a smile, "Very well, since you seek the truth, I will take ti to uphold justice for you."
Her eyes swept over those present, finally settling on the two young ladies from the Zhang and Wang families who stood in the crowd like frightened quail. She waved at them, "Why stand so far away, co closer."
Zhang Nian and the Wang girl stepped forward and imdiately knelt down. Zhang Nian burst into tears, "Empress, it’s an injustice! We two did not push her, soone else did."
Li Chengyuan, hearing Zhang Nian’s words, imdiately retorted, "At that ti, only the two of you were behind , who else could have pushed into the water! The Empress is here, and you still dare to lie!"
Wang Keren, unable to bear it after hearing Li Chengyuan’s certainty, spoke up, "Miss Li, there was also your maid behind you at that ti, why do you not suspect her?"
"My maid?" Li Chengyuan instinctively looked at her thoroughly drenched maid and imdiately countered, "Impossible, why would she push then save ?"
Wang Keren looked at the maid and scoffed, "That’s for her to know what she’s thinking. Anyway, neither Zhang Nian nor I pushed you. You said it yourself, the Empress is here, we must not speak carelessly. It wasn’t us, and we certainly won’t admit to sothing we didn’t do."
Li Chengyuan’s face turned pale, her little face still slightly purple from the cold. She looked at the faces of Zhang Nian and Wang Keren and then suddenly turned to her personal maid.
The maid instantly knelt on the ground, trembling and dared not utter another sound.
By now, the situation had beco sowhat clearer.
All present were wise.
Zhang Lanyi lazily glanced at Li Chengyuan on the ground and waved her hand, "Go take a hot bath. Today is the Commandery Princess’s housewarming joy; I won’t hold this against you. Don’t bring every trivial matter here in the future; I’m the master of the Six Palaces, not the child king for you youngsters."
Yan Wanqing imdiately smoothed things over with a smile, "It turns out it was just a big misunderstanding. The young ladies of the Zhang and Wang families must have been terrified too. Stay and drink so warm tea. Cong Ge, quickly help Miss Li to bath and change her clothes. As for Mr. Wa, it’s better you go back to where the n gather; this area is mostly won, not convenient to host you."
Wa Chengnan bowed respectfully, then followed behind Li Chengyuan as they left together.
The young ladies from the Zhang and Wang families took a seat and stayed on, thus the matter was left behind.
As for how Miss Li’s maid would be dealt with, that was her own affair now.
Yan Wanqing returned to sit beside the Empress. As she settled down, a pinch on her waist made her gasp in pain.
She saw Zhang Lanyi’s red lips approach and leaned her ear closer to listen.
"Girl’s squabbles, was it worth causing such a scene today?"
Yan Wanqing slightly curled her lips, her face gentle and charming as she said, "Your Majesty knows well, I do nothing without benefit."
Zhang Lanyi poked her forehead with her slender finger, "You, you really don’t treat as an outsider, always using fully when you need to."
"What is Your Majesty saying?" Yan Wanqing slowly peeled an orange, placing the citrusy segnts on a plate and pushed it forward, "That’s a bit harsh, have so oranges. They were freshly bought this morning, very sweet."
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