Directly Expelling the Evil Guests

"Your family's child simply lacks discipline!" Seized by Yujie, Di Fenglan flared up in pain and rebuked, failing to notice that several young ladies beside her had stepped back a pace, their expressions turning reverent.

"It turns out the children of our household need to be sent to the Marquis Yongkang's estate to learn the upbringing of a Lady Di!" A cold snort came from behind.

Di Fenglan was momentarily startled. Having now caught the voice clearly, she glanced at Qin Wanru, whose lips were pressed tightly together, and whipped her head around to see Grand Princess Rui'an, surrounded by a large retinue of matrons and young ladies.

Instantly terrified, she pulled back her hand.

Stammering, she said, "Grand... Grand... Grand Princess Rui'an!"

Catching sight of Grand Princess Rui'an, Hao'er released Qin Wanru's hand and dashed toward the grand princess, crying out, "Grandmother!"

Seeing that her grandson was safe, the tense expression on Grand Princess Rui'an's face finally relaxed as she hurried forward to open her arms and embrace Hao'er.

"Grandmother, they tried to sell me!" Burrowing into Grand Princess Rui'an's embrace, Hao'er immediately turned his head, pointed a finger at the two bound individuals, and lodged his complaint.

Lifting Hao'er into her arms, Grand Princess Rui'an raised her gaze to the two bound servants, then turned her eyes to Qin Wanru's face, a slow smile gradually forming on her lips. Although others had been saying things earlier, she had not believed a word of it.

"A young lady of Marquis Yongkang's estate?" Grand Princess Rui'an's eyes finally settled on Di Fenglan.

"Grand Princess, this is my daughter!" The Marchioness of Yongkang had no choice but to brace herself and step forward.

"A fine daughter raised with such impeccable manners, she actually wanted to help me discipline Hao'er!" Grand Princess Rui'an nodded slightly, her smile faint and cold.

These words carried immense weight. How could Di Fenglan possibly endure them? Her legs buckled, and she nearly stumbled to the ground. Yet her reflexes were reasonably quick; capitalizing on the momentum of her stumble, she let her knees go entirely soft and dropped heavily to her knees with a loud thud. Lowering her head, she said tearfully, "Grand Princess, I was unaware just now that Young Master Hao was your grandson. I... I have gravely offended you!"

No matter how arrogant Di Fenglan was, she dared not act haughtily before Grand Princess Rui'an.

"Hmph!" Grand Princess Rui'an let out a cold snort and ignored her, her gaze returning to the bound coarse-featured matron. The ill-fitting garment worn by this woman belonged to the Grand Princess's Estate.

"Go investigate which department this matron belongs to!"

"Yes, this old servant will investigate immediately!" Nanny Gao nodded, gesturing for a few maidservants to come over and summon the stewards of each department. There were simply far too many people in the estate for Nanny Gao to recognize them all herself.

"Grandmother, Elder Sister saved me! They are lying, Elder Sister is the one who caught these two villains!" Hao'er rubbed affectionately against Grand Princess Rui'an's neck, speaking endearingly.

"Grandmother knows. Elder Sister is a good person, and the others are bad!" Grand Princess Rui'an stroked her grandson's head, her heart melting entirely.

Yet a sharp glint flashed across her eyes the next moment. "Bring over the maidservant who found the note!"

The entire incident concerning Qin Wanru originated from a note found by a maidservant. Ever since that maidservant discovered the note, Grand Princess Rui'an had kept people watching her.

"Your Highness, please send someone to look at the spot where Prince Xin broke out of the estate. See if anyone is still lingering there. Just now, this wet nurse said someone instructed her to carry Hao'er over!" Qin Wanru stepped forward, bowed respectfully to Grand Princess Rui'an, and spoke.

"Didn't people already check earlier and see no one?" The Marchioness of Yongkang, who had been left out in the cold, hastily forced a smile and said to Grand Princess Rui'an.

"Before was before, now is now!" Grand Princess Rui'an said coldly, waving her hand to dispatch a managing matron along with several other matrons toward the estate wall where Prince Xin had previously tunneled through.

Chu Liuxin followed behind Grand Princess Rui'an. Hearing Qin Wanru's words, his face flushed crimson with embarrassment, and he glared resentfully at Qin Wanru. He had already lost face once because of this matter, and having it brought up again made him feel humiliated all over again.

Chu Liuxin found Qin Wanru exceedingly detestable. He had originally wanted to be friends with her, but now they could not even be friends.

The maidservant was brought over and forced to kneel before Grand Princess Rui'an.

"Speak, how did this note come to be?" Grand Princess Rui'an demanded coldly.

"Th... This servant picked it up! Your Highness, this servant knows nothing, this servant simply found a note..." the maidservant stammered in panic.

"Then how did you recognize what was written on it?" Grand Princess Rui'an had questioned her earlier, but her thoughts hadn't been thoroughly sorted out at the time; now, however, she was beginning to trace some clues.

"A... Another maidservant came over and helped this servant read it. She is literate, and when this servant heard the matter concerned Young Master Hao, I ran to report it to Your Highness!" the maidservant said with a pale face. She was deeply regretting her actions now; had she known better, she wouldn't have tried to steal the credit by claiming she was the only one present alongside the other maidservant who saw it.

"Can you still recognize that maidservant?" Nanny Gao asked on behalf of Grand Princess Rui'an. She glanced at Qin Wanru, vaguely suspecting that the matter was still tied to her.

"At the time, this servant was too busy rushing to report to Your Highness and truly didn't pay attention to who it was. I only remember she was not someone from our estate," the maidservant cried, flustered and panicked.

Since the person could not be identified, the line of questioning concerning Qin Wanru seemed to end here.

Standing to one side, Qin Wanru raised her head slightly, her gaze falling upon Di Fenglan, who was still kneeling on the ground. With her head bowed, Di Fenglan remained kneeling properly as Grand Princess Rui'an had not given her permission to rise, looking as though she were truly repenting.

However, the moment the maidservant from the Grand Princess's Estate uttered those words, Di Fenglan's shoulders visibly relaxed, and a trace of cold light flashed deep within her eyes.

"Grand Princess, may I ask a few questions?" Qin Wanru requested.

Grand Princess Rui'an nodded. Although she had not yet questioned the details regarding her grandson, she could clearly see that Qin Wanru had saved him, and her fondness for the young lady grew all the more.

To give a plum in return for a peach, interrogating the maidservant publicly at this moment was meant to clear Qin Wanru's name.

"Take a look and see if the maidservant you saw is among these people?" Qin Wanru swept her hand in a circle, addressing the maidservant. Her gesture encompassed the maidservants and matrons brought by all the matrons and young ladies present.

Wherever her gaze swept, Di Fenglan's shoulders tightened once more.

By now, Qin Wanru had essentially unraveled the whole story. Di Fenglan had somehow learned that something was about to happen to the child and deliberately added Qin Wanru's name to the mix. If the child had truly perished while Qin Wanru happened to walk into a remote area without a witness to vouch for her, she would have been left with a charge she could never clear, no matter how many mouths she had.

How could such a malicious accusation ever be borne by a frail maiden secluded in her boudoir?

What an absolute mad dog! Simply because of an earlier conflict, she wished to bite her to death!

"Th... This servant cannot recognize her!" The maidservant timidly cast her gaze left and right. With so many maidservants and matrons present, she truly could not pick anyone out.

"Might I trouble the Grand Princess to investigate if anyone else here knows my name?" Following Di Fenglan's newly relaxed shoulders, Qin Wanru cast a cold glance at her, making no effort to conceal the disgust in her eyes. Di Fenglan must have thought she was safe now, but some truths were simply waiting for someone to connect the dots!

"I have just arrived in the capital, and this is my first time attending a banquet. I have no prior social connections with families in the capital. Why would anyone know my name, write it down, try to implicate me in this matter, and drive me to my doom?"

Qin Wanru spoke calmly.

Her words instantly served as a wake-up call to everyone present.

Qin Wanru's name was not something anyone could simply know on a whim. The crowd exchanged glances, and those with quick reactions immediately turned their attention to the people from the Marquis Yongkang's estate.

"Earlier, I heard people from Marquis Yongkang's estate say that the eldest young lady was named Qin Yuru. This young lady is likely named Qin Wanru; after all, they are sisters."

"That's right! The Marquis Yongkang's estate and this Qin family are relatives. Others might not know, but they certainly would!"

"It really is! That means this note is connected to the Marquis Yongkang's estate!"

"Earlier, Lady Di had an altercation with this young lady, and now this happens again. Could it be..."

Some speculated, some questioned, and others looked at Di Fenglan with astonished suspicion.

Without requiring Grand Princess Rui'an to press further, a few sentences whispered across the gossiping crowd instantly redirected all suspicions toward the Marquis Yongkang's estate.

The Marchioness of Yongkang froze, her complexion instantly turning unsightly as she blurted out, "This matter has nothing to do with our estate! The person who spoke earlier was not one of us."

Indeed, the one who spoke earlier was not them, but merely a maidservant who had accompanied them.

Yet what servant would dare speak out of turn without the instigation of their master? Everyone cast suspicious looks toward the Marchioness of Yongkang.

"Your Highness, I have finished asking!" With her objective achieved, Qin Wanru offered a calm, cold smile and ceased her questioning, stepping back to stand near the people of Grand Princess Rui'an's estate.

Her own ordeal was merely a minor interlude; the main event was the grave crime of kidnapping the grand princess's grandson, and someone had merely exploited the chaos to frame her.

As for Di Fenglan's involvement, it was entirely based on suspicion, and she could not definitively pin the crime on her. But for now, having sown this seed of doubt was quite enough!

"Marchioness of Yongkang, my apologies, but you may return home now. I have matters to attend to and will not detain you!" Grand Princess Rui'an said coldly, dismissing them with a wave of her sleeve without even sparing them a glance.

This was an outright dismissal in front of everyone present. For a moment, the Marchioness of Yongkang's face turned green and white, a mixture of shame and fury.

She was regarded as a prominent noble matron in the capital, distinguished by both her illustrious maiden family and her esteemed marital household. Always treated as an honored guest at banquets, she had never imagined she would be publicly driven away.

Had it been anyone else, she would have left with a cold sneer long ago. The problem, however, was that the person before her was Grand Princess Rui'an, the emperor's own paternal aunt.

"Mother!" Seeing Grand Princess Rui'an leave, Di Fenglan rose with the support of her maidservant, her resentful gaze locking onto Qin Wanru.

"Let us go!" Enduring the mocking and derisive gazes of the crowd, the Marchioness of Yongkang gritted her teeth and turned to her daughter.

"Mother, I..." Di Fenglan was unwilling to let it go and wanted to settle scores with Qin Wanru, but a fierce glare from the Marchioness of Yongkang silenced her. Shooting one final, furious glare at Qin Wanru, she turned and followed her mother away.

Somewhere behind them, a low chuckle rippled through the crowd, followed by waves of mocking laughter echoing in their wake. The Marchioness of Yongkang felt her entire face burn with an unprecedented sense of shame and humiliation.

Watching the Marchioness of Yongkang and her entourage depart, Qin Wanru slowly turned her head, preparing to stroll through the gardens a little longer, realizing that the banquet would not commence for some time yet.

"Second Young Lady Qin, please stay a moment!"