Chapter 6: 006 Questioning the Guilt, A Scandal Throughout the City (3)

Han Xi'er arrived looking bewildered and astonished. The moment she saw her mother’s state, she flew into a rage. "Ziqing, you! What are you doing?"

This woman was quite the actress!

"Big Sister, you can cry slowly later. Tell her what is going on," Ziqing said coldly. Trying to play dumb with her? Han Xi'er was still too green!

Madam Han had already been scared out of her wits. She blurted out, "I don't know, I don't know anything! Ask Xi'er! Ask Xi'er, she’s the one who knows. She’s the one who took you there. I don't know anything, I beg you, please let me go!"

As soon as these words left her mouth, not only did Han Xi'er’s face darken, but Prime Minister Han’s face turned black as well.

"Sister Xi, I had only just finished three cups of tea with you before I lost consciousness. I don't know what happened after that. Tell me, how did I end up being accused of adultery the moment I woke up? It was clearly you who brought me inside!" Ziqing asked with an innocent expression and a polite tone.

"Yes, yes, yes, it was Xi'er who brought you in. Ziqing, please, let me go! I really don't know anything!" Madam Han immediately chimed in. At her age, being this humiliated was driving her to the brink of madness.

Han Xi'er’s eyes glinted with malice. She wanted nothing more than to kick her mother away, but she had to endure it. Han Ziqing was so clever; it seemed her caution had been justified.

She hurriedly explained, "Ziqing, it seems you’ve misunderstood me. It is true that I took you to Guose Tianxiang, but it wasn't like what you’re thinking!"

"And what am I thinking?" Ziqing countered.

"You... no, no, it is definitely not what others are thinking. I also believe you wouldn't commit adultery. It must be a misunderstanding!" Han Xi'er was forced to change her tune.

Ziqing sneered inwardly. With such solid evidence—the marks on her body hadn't even faded yet—this family could truly turn black into white.

However, since they were working so hard to prove her innocence, shouldn't she be happy?

"How could it be a misunderstanding?" Ziqing asked again.

Han Xi'er took a deep breath and explained earnestly, "Guose Tianxiang is our own family's establishment. I took you there to help Father check the accounts, and we sat for a while. You said you wanted to take a nap, so I specifically arranged a room on the top floor for you. Who would have thought that you... I’ve been busy since yesterday and I don't know what happened. Why don't we call the manager over and ask?"

"Sure," Ziqing said indifferently.

Before long, the manager of Guose Tianxiang arrived. He immediately threw himself at Prime Minister Han’s feet, wailing and howling, "Master, kill this servant! It was my carelessness, I deserve to die! I didn't know the Second Miss was in the room. I mistakenly thought... Master, just kill me!"

Prime Minister Han was furious. He kicked the man away and barked, "You dog! Explain yourself clearly!"

"Last night, all the rooms in the building were full. The son of Magistrate Chen insisted that I vacate a room. I didn't know the Second Miss was in the top-floor room, so I let Young Master Chen go up! This morning, the servant cleaning the room didn't recognize the Second Miss, so he just..."

The manager lay on the ground like a dog, trembling. At that moment, a young man in green robes rushed over, knelt on one knee before Prime Minister Han, and spoke with a righteous air, "Commoner Chen Xu greets Prime Minister Han. I have committed a capital offense by defiling the Second Miss. I boldly beg the Prime Minister to allow me to marry the Second Miss into the Chen family. I will treat her well for the rest of my life!"

Han Xi'er had certainly prepared for every contingency! She had cleared herself of all blame, but even a fool could see that she was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Firstly, as a concubine-born daughter, she would never take her legitimate sister to check accounts. Secondly, even with the current liberal social climate, a maiden would never just fall asleep in a place like Guose Tianxiang. Thirdly, what kind of place was Guose Tianxiang? It only ever hosted princes and the sons of high-ranking officials. How could a mere magistrate’s son get in?

However, this result was exactly what Ziqing wanted. The hickeys on her body were evidence seen by the entire city; she could never wash herself clean. No matter how big this incident became, she couldn't just kill this family to vent her anger. If she did, it would no longer be a family matter, but a criminal case for the imperial court.

She only wanted to drag Han Xi'er down with her, and she had succeeded.

As for this truth, riddled with suspicious holes, she would leave it for the people of the city to discuss over their tea and meals. Since even a fool could see what really happened, why should she be the one to expose it?

"So that’s how it is... Xi'er, you... when it comes down to it, this is all your fault. How could you be so careless! Do you have any conscience toward your sister?" Prime Minister Han immediately reprimanded her, acting perfectly impartial.

"How... how could this happen?" Han Xi'er immediately knelt down, actually squeezing out tears, choking so hard she couldn't speak. "Xi'er... *sob*... Sister is sorry! It was Sister who harmed you. Scold me, hit me!"

Not content with just crying, she crawled over on her knees, grabbed Ziqing’s legs, and looked up with a face full of tears. "Ziqing, Mother didn't know anything, please let her go! It’s all Sister’s fault. If you want to hit or scold someone, take it out on me!"

Ziqing sneered, pushed Madam Han away, and said indifferently, "Alright."

With that, she raised her hand and delivered a sharp, stinging slap!