Chapter 186: Slander
"For Ye Shixian?"
Princess Qingyang cut him off. Her chest felt tight, a dull ache spreading within her.
She let out a laugh that was more anger than amusement.
"Murong Ye, have you lost your mind? Everyone knows what crime Ye Heng committed. If Su Wei didn’t have solid evidence, would he have just arrested the man? And now you’re coming to me for help? You must be insane!"
Murong Ye had never been cursed at like this before, especially not by Princess Qingyang, who had been devoted to him for years.
But the image of Ye Shixian’s tear-filled, worried eyes came to mind, and he took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions.
"Qingyang, there must be something wrong with this case! Just think about it, why would he poison Han Yao at that specific time? It’s like he was afraid people *wouldn’t* suspect him!"
Princess Qingyang sneered. "Who knows? Maybe he’s just as stupid as a pig."
A vein throbbed in Murong Ye’s temple.
Princess Qingyang turned to leave. "It’s not that I can’t help you, but even if I could, I wouldn’t get involved! If he’s truly innocent, the Ministry of Justice will clear his name. But if he did it... then he deserves whatever’s coming to him!"
Murong Ye had considered that Princess Qingyang might refuse, but he hadn’t expected her rejection to be so absolute. After all, this was the first time he had ever asked her for help.
Seeing her walk away without a second glance, her stance resolute, Murong Ye hurriedly reached for her wrist.
As if sensing his move, Princess Qingyang deftly dodged his grasp.
Murong Ye froze.
’Her martial arts seem to have improved quite a bit...’
But the thought flashed through his mind and was gone, replaced by an indescribable sense of humiliation and anger.
"Qingyang, you really aren’t going to help me, are you?"
Princess Qingyang turned back and stared at him, her gaze sharp and clear.
"I’m not." She enunciated each word. "Murong Ye, you saved my life once, and I owe you a favor. If you were asking me for something for yourself today, I would agree without a second thought. But you’re not. I may be a Commandery Princess, but this case has wide-reaching implications, and there’s a limit to what I can do. Your father is a Second-Grade Official of the court. If he were willing to help, things would surely be much simpler. Why don’t you go ask him?"
Murong Ye’s brow furrowed tightly.
’Princess Qingyang must have guessed that my father was the first person I asked. If he had been willing to help, I wouldn’t have debased myself by coming to her.’
’She’s saying this just to make things difficult for me!’
Seeing his expression grow uglier, Princess Qingyang felt a chill spread through her heart. It was all so absurd, so laughable.
"In all these years, I’ve never seen you work so hard for anyone."
Murong Ye gritted his teeth. "I..."
Princess Qingyang’s patience ran out. She cut him off. "If you want to be a hero, then do it with your own abilities. Don’t drag others into it. I—am—not—interested! Understand?"
With that, Princess Qingyang turned and walked away.
Murong Ye hesitated for a moment before chasing after her.
"Qingyang! Wait!"
Princess Qingyang’s mood was completely ruined. She was just thinking about leaving the palace altogether when she suddenly heard several low voices murmuring not far ahead.
"Is it true? Is Ye Chutang really that kind of person?"
Princess Qingyang frowned and stopped in her tracks, looking toward the source of the voices.
Hidden by the swaying branches of an osmanthus tree, a few young women were huddled together, completely unaware of Princess Qingyang’s presence.
One of them, dressed in a light pink skirt embroidered with lotuses, gently covered her lips with a handkerchief.
"Isn’t it so? We all used to think she was so pitiful, losing her parents at a young age and raising her younger siblings all by herself. Who knew she was so indecent?"
Her words immediately earned the agreement of the other women beside her.
"I always found it strange. She was only fourteen when her family had that incident. How did she manage to return safely to the Capital City with her siblings three years later? Thinking about it now, she must have... borrowed some ’help’..."
"You have to admit, she’s got some real skills. How long has she been back, and she’s already latched onto the Dingbei Marquis Mansion? Say what you will, but that face of hers is certainly pretty. What man wouldn’t feel a pang of pity for her?"
"Exactly! The Heir of Duke Dingbei never paid any attention to women before, but he’s shared a carriage with her several times to take her home. Isn’t that just because she risked her life to save him? But there were so many pilgrims on Wulan Mountain that day. How did she just happen to run into the Princely Heir? I heard that he was actually on Wulan Mountain that day to meet with Prince Qi! Only she knows how she managed to appear there..."
The woman in the light pink dress huffed. "If you ask me, that Ye Chutang is quite the schemer! In the future—"
Before she could finish, she casually glanced up and saw Princess Qingyang standing in a nearby corridor. She let out a cry of "Ah!" and jumped in fright.
She hurriedly bowed. "P-Princess Qingyang! W-what are you doing here?!"
The others all turned their heads and were just as startled.
"Greetings, Princess Qingyang!"
Princess Qingyang raised an eyebrow. "Go on, why did you stop? This Princess was just getting to the good part."
The women trembled with fear, and the one in the pink dress looked as if she were about to burst into tears.
"Commandery Princess, w-we weren’t saying anything. You misunderstood..."
"Oh?" Princess Qingyang retorted with feigned interest. "Are you implying that this Princess’s hearing is poor?"
"No, no! Your subject would never dare imply such a thing!" The woman in pink was visibly flustered and dropped to her knees. "Your Highness is magnanimous, please spare your subject this once!"
’Who doesn’t know that Princess Qingyang is not to be trifled with? I heard she’s on good terms with Ye Chutang. For her to hear us saying these things... didn’t we just walk right into a trap!?’
The other women looked at each other, equally terrified.
Princess Qingyang stared at the woman. "You look a little familiar... Is your father Luo Yingqi, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites?"
The face of the woman in pink turned deathly pale in an instant.
She had thought she could get away with it since Princess Qingyang didn’t know her, but she was unaware that the princess had an exceptionally good memory for faces. If she had seen someone once, she could always place them.
Back when she was with King Yan Nan on the Southwest Border, she had used this very skill to identify a traitor at a single glance.
But that was long ago, and most people in the Capital City were unaware she possessed such an ability.
A smirk played on Princess Qingyang’s lips. "So that’s why there have been so many nasty rumors lately. I was wondering which gossip was wagging her tongue. Who would have thought it was a young lady of the Luo family?"
Ever since the news spread that Ye Chutang had been injured while saving Shen Yanchuan, some unpleasant rumors had quietly started to circulate.
Princess Qingyang had decided to let the matter rest for the time being, planning to investigate later since Ye Chutang was still recovering from a serious illness. But she never expected—
Princess Qingyang took a step forward and beamed at the woman in pink.
"Does your father know that you’re out here, fabricating slander about a benefactor of the Dingbei Marquis Mansion and an honored guest of the Long Princess Mansion?"