Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Crown Prince, Shen Ningning Found!

Qin Fangmei exclaimed in shock, "Are you all insane? How dare you drive me away? Do you believe I'll call my uncle to deal with you!"

She had always looked down upon these villagers.

Relying on the backing of Du Yuanwai, Qin Fangmei had always felt like a young lady since her childhood.

Qin Fangmei had never expected that the villagers, who were usually afraid of offending her, would dare to drive her out!

The old village chief spoke sternly, "Your father borrowed money to buy rice and mortgaged your village house as collateral!"

"Now that he can't repay the money, the house belongs to us."

Qin Fangmei couldn't believe her ears.

"What about my mother? She wouldn't just sit by and let you take our house!"

Aunt Liu sneered mockingly.

"You still don't know? The disgraceful deeds your parents did have been exposed."

"They abandoned your grandmother on the mountain to fend for herself and then lied through their teeth, trying to slander Ningning."

"Fortunately, justice prevails. The county magistrate himself ordered your parents to be imprisoned and flogged!"

Qin Fangmei fell to the ground, sitting down hard.

Her face turned deathly pale, "How is that possible? My uncle didn't tell me!"

The villagers began to laugh and talk among themselves—

"What good would Du Yuanwai telling you do? The decree came from the county magistrate himself!"

"Your family once bullied Ningning mercilessly, but you never expected that Ningning is the county magistrate’s benefactor, did you?"

"The house isn't yours anymore, and the Qin family is no longer welcome in Xiangyun Village!"

With each comment, Qin Fangmei finally understood.

Shen Ningning had caused her parents to offend the county magistrate, leading to their imprisonment!

Not only that, but Shen Ningning also took advantage of her family’s absence to claim their house as her own!

Qin Fangmei's nails dug into her palms, her whole body trembling with anger.

At that moment, the old village chief gave a signal.

Aunt Liu and another village woman directly shoved Qin Fangmei.

They threw her out harshly.

"Ouch!" Qin Fangmei landed face-first in the dirt.

Crying as she got up, she spitefully yelled, "You bunch of paupers, just you wait and see! Shen Ningning is a disaster, you'll all die with her sooner or later!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth,

Than Deng Fugui, the village chief's grandson, shot a stone at her with his slingshot.

The stone hit Qin Fangmei in the abdomen, causing her to double over in pain.

Deng Fugui shouted, "Don't you dare speak ill of Little Wolf Sister!"

The villagers joined in the outcry, telling Qin Fangmei to get as far away as possible.

Watching their fervent reaction, as if they would strangle her for speaking ill of Shen Ningning, Qin Fangmei fled in panic.

In this situation, her only option was to return to her uncle Du Yuanwai's house.

But how could Qin Fangmei be content with this?

As she walked along the mountain path, she wept and wiped her tears, cursing Shen Ningning under her breath.

Just then,

The sound of galloping horse hooves approached from a distance.

Qin Fangmei looked up to see a guard-like figure dismounting and approaching her.

A flicker of excitement crossed her heart for a moment.

Could it be that this guard was sent by her uncle to pick her up?

Unexpectedly, upon seeing her, the guard immediately asked, "Are you from Xiangyun Village?"

Qin Fangmei, puzzled, replied, "Yes, what about it?"

The guard then respectfully inquired, "Do you know of a young girl in your village named Shen Ningning?"

Qin Fangmei's eyes widened in shock.

Shen Ningning again?!

Seeing her silent, the guard continued to press.

"About four or five years old, with fair skin and round, dark eyes." His description matched what the Crown Prince had told him.

However, as soon as the guard finished speaking, Qin Fangmei reacted as if she had gone mad.

She hysterically screamed, "She’s dead! She’s dead!"

The guard quickly frowned and asked, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Shen Ningning was taken by a pack of wolves and fell off a cliff. Her body was completely destroyed. If you don’t believe me, you can go and search below the cliff yourself!"

Having said this, Qin Fangmei pushed past the guard and left hastily.

What she said was merely a vicious curse she harbored in her heart against Shen Ningning.

But the guard was greatly shocked by her words.

Living with a wolf pack – that detail matched!

The Crown Prince had deployed hundreds of guards to search around Wolf Mountain for this little girl.

They had finally found her!

But, alas, it was terrible news.

This was a matter of great importance; he needed to report back to the Crown Prince immediately.

The guard immediately raced back to the palace.

At that moment,

The Zichen Palace, where the Crown Prince resided, was clean and orderly.

The scent of medicinal herbs lingered in the air.

Mo Lingwei leaned back in his chair, his dark eyebrows furrowed, resting with his eyes closed.

A panicked eunuch serving him ran in from outside.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we have found her!"

Mo Lingwei's eyes snapped open, and he immediately stood up.

"Where is she?"

The eunuch knelt at his feet, his voice trembling, "She... she's dead."

A moment of stunned silence filled the hall!

Suddenly!

Mo Lingwei grabbed the chief eunuch by the collar and yanked him up.

"What did you say?" His voice devoid of any emotion.

Yet, his eyes were a deep, icy black.

Like dark winter clouds, heavy with the threat of a thunderstorm!

The eunuch, terrified, his legs going weak, stammered, "The guard reported that Miss Shen was a resident of Xiangyun Village. Investigations showed she lived in the forest with a pack of wolves but unfortunately fell off a cliff... She's deceased."

Mo Lingwei was suddenly struck dumb.

She's dead?

So, that's why the wolf pack wasn't in their usual place.

So, that's why the spring had dried up.

All because she was no longer there.

"No, this doesn't add up..."

"There's something fishy here."

"Having spent a few days with Shen Ningning, I know that she and her grandmother were driven out by their family."

"Since she's been living in the mountains all along, how could the villagers know about her falling off a cliff?"

A series of questions began to surface.

Mo Lingwei stepped out of the palace hall, saying coldly, "Where is the guard who reported this? Bring him to the main hall. I will interrogate him myself."

The eunuch hurriedly led the way.

Meanwhile,

Shen Ningning had already arrived at the private school in Guangyang County.

The county magistrate had already informed the school.

Master Zheng, over forty years old and accompanied by two students, waited at the entrance to greet Shen Ningning.

The weather was hot, and he was drenched in sweat, continuously wiping it off his red-cheeked face.

Seeing Shen Ningning, he hurriedly greeted her.

"Miss Shen, our school is not large. The main classrooms are in the South and North Gardens. Given your age, it's best for you to attend classes in the South Garden."

"This spring, we started a new class where they have already learned some rites and rituals."

"But don't worry, Miss Shen, I will personally teach you the topics you've missed."

Shen Ningning was dressed in a proper, goose-yellow dress, with two yellow silk ribbons tied in her hair.

She looked playful and adorable.

Following Master Zheng, she blinked her big eyes and said obediently, "Thank you, Master Zheng."

The little girl imitated the bowing gesture she had just seen, bending her body and clasping her hands together, like a fluffy flower that could bend at the waist.

A broad smile spread across Master Zheng's round, chubby face.

"You'll need to come to the school every other day. During this period, there's no need to go home; you can stay at the school."

"Therefore, I've arranged a special room for Miss Shen in the East Garden."

A 'special room' meant one room per person.

Normally, students shared rooms, two per room.

But by the county magistrate's personal instruction, Shen Ningning's accommodations were naturally the best.

However, the little girl didn't quite understand what a 'special room' meant.

She just noticed Master Zheng's face turning red and couldn't help saying, "Master Zheng, you seem very hot. Why don't you sit down and rest for a while?"

Master Zheng waved his hand, panting, "It's nothing, just feeling a bit dizzy..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his large body collapsed backwards with a thud.

He landed on a stone bench in the corridor.