Chapter 9: 009 Playing Dumb to Counterattack

009 Counterattacking by Playing Dumb

"Father, we would never dare to harm Second Sister. It—it was Second Sister who, for some reason yesterday, took a Spring Palace Map and secretly broke into Xiyun Garden to show it to Young Master Yelu. Out of embarrassment and anger, Young Master Yelu scolded her a few times, and in her state of shame and confusion, she accidentally fell into the lake. The Crown Prince, Prince Nalan, and Young Master Yelu were all present at the time. You can call them all to ask; your daughter would never dare to lie to you, Father." Seeing Prime Minister Murong's tiger-like eyes looking at her and her sister without a shred of warmth, Murong Xue's tears suddenly burst forth like a spring, and she began to wail.

"A Spring Palace Map?" Consort De gasped upon hearing this. Yue'er was already foolish and plain-looking, and it had been difficult enough to secure a good marriage; the engagement with General Yelu's household had only been possible because she relied on the Emperor's favor to forcefully suppress any attempts to break it off. The General's household also knew that if they broke the engagement simply because she was foolish and plain, they would have no moral standing and would be despised by the world.

But if Yue'er had truly been secretly keeping a Spring Palace Map, she would have committed the sin of lewdness under the "Seven Out" rules. In that case, the General's household could demand the dissolution of the engagement openly, and even the Emperor would be unable to refuse.

"Father, Eldest Sister is not wrong. We would never dare harbor any intent to harm Second Sister. She... she is the legitimate daughter you cherish most. Your daughter respects and loves her more than words can say; how could I dare to do anything to disadvantage her? Father, although I am still young, I know the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children. No matter how much Sister acts out or makes a mess, we always serve her cautiously by her side. How could we dare to show her even a hint of neglect! Even this time, when she secretly took the Spring Palace Map to run out and find Young Master Yelu, I only dared to chase after her, doing everything in my power to stop her. It is my fault; if only I had run a little faster, perhaps I could have stopped her before she broke into Xiyun Garden!" Murong Shuang lowered her eyes, kneeling on the ground in a well-behaved and submissive manner, speaking through sobs. Her soft, graceful voice recounted her "inner thoughts" and "grievances" in a measured pace, drawing the Emperor's attention.

The Emperor's majestic face was also moved by the words of this filial and tolerant woman, softening considerably. He turned his gaze toward Prime Minister Murong, his eyes carrying a hint of displeasure. Even if she was a concubine-born daughter, to possess such a tolerant and kind character—he shouldn't be so harsh on her!

"Minister Murong, perhaps this truly was an accident. Fortunately, Yue'er was not harmed, so let us not make things difficult for the two children! You two, rise!" The Emperor spoke, waving his hand for them to stand. He then turned his gaze back to Murong Shuang and asked, "You are Minister Murong's third daughter, Murong Shuang? Truly a woman of exquisite intelligence and heart. In the future, pay more attention to taking care of your second sister. She is quite senseless, so you must work a little harder!"

"Yes, it is only right for this humble girl to take care of Second Sister; I would not dare call it hardship." A flash of joy crossed Murong Shuang's eyes. As expected, the Emperor valued filial piety and benevolence most of all. Her words had already caught his attention. If she performed well in the future, she would surely gain the Emperor's favor and no longer be looked down upon. When that time came, even her father would not dare to criticize her too harshly.

Father was always like this. No matter what happened to Murong Yue, his first instinct was to question her and her younger sister. Did he not know that the more he acted this way, the more she hated Murong Yue?

Murong Yue was merely lucky to have the status of a legitimate daughter. In what way was she, Murong Shuang, inferior to her? It was only that her birth was not prestigious, but in terms of beauty and wisdom, why should she be subordinate to that foolish, ugly woman? She had to work hard to obtain what she deserved.

"Yue'er, how could you be so muddled? No matter how much you act out in your daily life, your aunt will indulge you, but how... how could you go to look at that kind of map that ruins one's reputation!" Seeing that the matter was truly caused by Murong Yue herself, and that the fall into the water could not be blamed on anyone else, Consort De realized that Yue'er had earned the reputation of a lewd woman for secretly keeping a Spring Palace Map. When the Emperor attended court tomorrow, General Murong would surely propose breaking the engagement.

If Yue'er's engagement were broken, she would likely never be able to marry anyone for the rest of her life. What was to be done!

"Map?" Murong Yue raised her head blankly, looking at Prime Minister Murong with a face full of heartache. She tilted her head as if thinking for a moment, then spoke: "The map... Eldest Sister gave it to me!"

"What?" The room fell silent. Everyone turned their gaze toward Murong Xue, with Consort De's gaze filled with extreme hatred. She had long heard that this Murong Xue bullied Yue'er, though she had never been too excessive. As Consort De, she naturally could not interfere in the quarrels between sisters within another family to avoid gossip.

She had not expected that Murong Xue would be so bold as to instigate Yue'er to take a Spring Palace Map and cause a public disgrace. If this were proven true, she would certainly not let Murong Xue off easily.

"Xue'er, is what Yue'er said the truth?" Prime Minister Murong asked in a heavy voice. Although Xue'er was a bit harsh toward Yue'er on ordinary days, he could not believe that Xue'er was such a calculating and vicious person. However, he had to ask Yue'er clearly.

"Father, I am being framed! I absolutely did not do this; it is Second Sister lying. Father, you know that Second Sister is a fool, she..." Murong Xue panicked. This fool usually never uttered a word no matter how much she was bullied, so why did she have to... today of all days...