allonlinenovel Chapter 374 Take away
Chapter 374 Take away
Su Qingchan used the last bit of strength in her body to run out.
She hesitated for a long time.
Yu Wan had said that she couldn't rescue her by herself.
She had to save herself.
How could she be willing to die before she had even witnessed Prince Yong meet his just end?
Su Qingchan hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind.
Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, she strained to look in the direction of Princess Changning.
Her lips moved slightly, and she silently uttered a few words.
Everyone else thought she was asking Princess Changning for help, but only Yu Wan understood that what she wanted to say was—I did it.
Princess Changning's pupils twitched violently. Almost the instant Su Qingchan fell to the ground, she cried out in a trembling voice, "Catch her!"
Her maid, Yu Wan, reacted quickly and rushed forward to support Su Qingchan.
The moment she caught Su Qingchan, she could barely feel her weight.
Too light.
Even the slimmest person shouldn't weigh this little.
What exactly did she suffer?!
Yu Wan clenched her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms, as she struggled to suppress her nearly out-of-control emotions.
After helping Su Qingchan up, Yu Wan lowered her head and quietly stepped aside.
She is currently Princess Changning's "maid," and her identity must not be revealed.
Princess Changning felt a slight sense of relief when she saw Yu Wan catch Su Qingchan, and then she suddenly looked up at Liu Qing.
She was pampered by Empress Su and Emperor Wenjing as she grew up, and she still had a touch of naivety and innocence in her. Even when she was angry, she rarely had a strong sense of authority.
Liu Qing was always aware of this.
He dared not offend Princess Changning, not out of fear, but because of her noble status as a princess.
However, at this moment, Liu Qing and the guards of the Yongwang Mansion felt that the Princess Changning in front of them was definitely not the delicate woman they usually saw.
His imposing presence inspired fear.
"Who is this person?"
Princess Changning spoke in a cold voice, her tone icy, as if filled with boundless rage.
Liu Qing's face instantly turned ashen.
In fact, if Prince Yong were in his residence at this moment, he could easily make up a reason to cover up the matter.
But Prince Yong was not in his residence.
As a steward of the royal palace, Liu Qing dared not be perfunctory or evasive in front of Princess Changning and the others.
But if he doesn't try to evade or give a perfunctory answer, what should he say?
Princess Changning's face was ashen as she stared intently at Liu Qing and questioned, "Liu Qing, didn't you say this was my brother's favorite concubine, who was only under house arrest? I had no idea that mere house arrest could torment someone into such a wretched state!"
"Do you think I'm a fool, trying to make a fool of me?!"
She shouted angrily.
Liu Qing knelt on the ground with a thud, his body trembling like a leaf, his forehead pressed tightly to the ground. "Your Highness, spare my life! I dare not deceive you, but... but there is another secret behind this."
Princess Changning once refused to believe that Prince Yong would commit such a heinous act as the torture and murder of a pregnant woman. But now, after witnessing Prince Yong's schemes to frame Yu Wan and other evil deeds, she had no choice but to believe it.
Her ninth brother was clearly an absolute villain and a scoundrel!
Princess Changning's lips curled into a cold smile as she stared at Liu Qing and said, "There's more to this than meets the eye? Then tell me, what exactly is it that could have tormented a perfectly healthy person into this wretched state? If you can't give me a proper explanation today, I will certainly not let you off easily!"
Liu Qing raised his head tremblingly, a bruise already formed on his forehead. He stole a glance at Princess Changning, and seeing her unfriendly expression, he quickly lowered his head again.
He quickly racked his brains for a response.
He can't tell the truth! He has to find an excuse to gloss over this...
"Your Highness, you may not know this, but after Miss Su was confined to her quarters, she somehow angered one of Prince Yong's concubines. That concubine is usually very jealous, and while Prince Yong was away, she secretly had Miss Su tortured to this state. I tried my best to stop her, but I couldn't stop her at all."
The expressions on the faces of the noble ladies present became somewhat subtle upon hearing this.
If they hadn't seen Su Qingchan's injuries with their own eyes, they might have believed it.
But now that they have witnessed the shocking wounds on Su Qingchan's body, they simply cannot believe that such severe injuries could have been inflicted by another woman.
Having lived in the inner quarters for a long time, they knew best the methods of infighting within the inner quarters, always calculating in secret and leaving no trace.
How could they be so blatant as to leave such an obvious handle on someone?
Clearly, this Steward Liu was lying through his teeth, trying to deceive them.
However, everyone was filled with fear, and no one dared to voice their doubts.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Huanyan spoke up, "I also recognize a few of the concubines in my cousin Yongwang's harem. I wonder which one Steward Liu is referring to?"
"With such ruthless methods and such a vicious heart, it's best not to let her stay in the Prince's mansion."
“This man has probably been tortured to the point of losing half his life. Since we have stumbled upon this, we cannot ignore it. If my cousin, Prince Yong, were still at his residence, he would naturally be in charge of handling this matter. But since he is not here, we are the ones who must take care of it.”
As Xiao Huanyan spoke, a faint smile graced her face, but the smile did not reach her eyes, which were filled with icy coldness.
These days, she has also begun to doubt what Consort De has always said.
Was Prince Yong truly innocent?
If he is innocent, why are there so many rumors about him circulating in Shengjing?
If Consort De's words are all believable, then why would Consort De, who claims to treat her as her own daughter, want to marry her off to an official from a poor family as a concubine?
And from beginning to end, Consort De never once asked her if she was willing.
Xiao Huanyan's hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched quietly, her tone becoming increasingly sharp: "Steward Liu, please find this person."
Cold sweat rolled down Liu Qing's forehead like raindrops, and his eyes darted nervously across the faces of the crowd.
Looking for it? Where is he going to look?
Which concubine in this prince's mansion hasn't suffered torment at the hands of the prince? Moreover, the prince was in an unusually bad mood recently, and when he took action, he couldn't control himself, and those concubines who often appeared in public were all injured in the open.
If they were called out now, wouldn't that further confirm the fact that these women were being abused by the prince?
Liu Qing really couldn't understand why Xiao Huanyan, who was always generous and reasonable, was being so aggressive today.
He stammered, "This...this..."
However, his tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Princess Changning had long lost her patience and didn't want to waste any more words on him: "I will report today's events to my father. As for this young lady..."
She glanced at Su Qingchan, who had fainted in Yu Wan's arms, and said with a sneer, "I'll take her away first, so she doesn't die in the palace."