Chapter 390: Exposing Qin Shaojing’s Drugging

Chapter 390: Exposing Qin Shaojing's Drugging

After hearing Cheng Hui vent for a while, Lu Lingyun became even more convinced that Qin Shaojing was seducing her brother.

Especially after recalling that Nanny Qin had bought aphrodisiacs in the commoner's market in the west of the city, it all clicked for her.

"Sister-in-law, my brother came back sick the other day, complaining of stomach trouble and diarrhea. It had to be from whatever Qin Shaojing slipped him!" Cheng Hui said angrily.

Lu Lingyun nodded. "Sounds like it."

"I always knew Qin Shaojing was after my brother!" Cheng Hui clenched her fists. "My brother’s so clueless, falling for her tricks again!"

"What do you plan to do?"

"I need to set him straight. Sister-in-law, come with me and back me up," Cheng Hui wiped her tears. "Once he knows what she’s done, he’ll see right through her!"

Lu Lingyun just nodded and followed Cheng Hui back to the general’s mansion.

Cheng Hui steeled herself and rushed back to confront Cheng Qi.

But when she got back, the mansion was buzzing with activity, people hauling stuff inside.

Cheng Hui was puzzled; she hadn’t ordered anything recently.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about that. She grabbed a servant. "Where’s my brother?"

"The general’s having dinner in his quarters."

Hearing this, Cheng Hui and Lu Lingyun made a beeline for Cheng Qi’s courtyard.

She rushed back in no time.

"Brother, I have something to tell you."

She burst in to find the dinner table, meant for one, now occupied by a man and a woman.

Cheng Qi was laughing and eating with a stunning woman, her hair in a bun. He was peeling shrimp, her plate already piled with them.

Cheng Hui froze. She couldn’t believe Qin Shaojing was sitting in her seat, eating in her house.

"Hui Hui, what are you doing back so early?" Cheng Qi jumped up, guilt written all over his face.

Cheng Hui ignored him, glaring at Qin Shaojing. "What are you doing here?"

"Sister Hui Hui," Qin Shaojing said calmly, standing gracefully with a smile. "You’re back."

She reached for Cheng Hui’s hand, but Cheng Hui slapped it away. "Why are you still with my brother? Have you no shame?"

"Hui Hui, watch your tone," Cheng Qi frowned. "Shao Jing’s family. She’s been mistreated at the Duke’s place. What’s wrong with her staying here a few days?"

It hit her—all that stuff being moved in must be Qin Shaojing’s!

Cheng Hui couldn’t hold back. "Brother, how is she family? In the whole Imperial City, only the Lady of Xue from the Ningyang Marquis’s mansion is her family. What’s she to you?"

"Hui Hui, how can you be so cold-hearted? We used to live together at our uncle’s place. Shao Jing is like your sister."

Cheng Hui snorted. "I used to call her sister, but did she ever respond? She, a noble lady, has never looked down on me, or you!"

"Hui Hui," Qin Shaojing spoke up, "at that time, my father had just passed away, and I was staying with my aunt to take my mind off things, so I couldn’t pay much attention to other matters. If I ever made you feel dissatisfied, I apologize as your elder sister."

"Cut the act! If you didn’t want to interact with anyone because of your father’s death, why were you throwing poetry and tea parties in the east courtyard and inviting a spiritual medium to perform rituals, drawing attention all over the place!"

Cheng Hui’s words immediately left Qin Shaojing speechless. Cheng Qi’s expression turned stern, "Hui Hui, mind your tone! Shaojing is just staying here for a couple of days, and you’re being so confrontational."

Cheng Hui, upon hearing this, was truly furious, "Brother! You’re totally enchanted by this woman! She’s now a married woman, with no blood relation to you, yet she’s brazenly staying in our house. Aren’t you worried about the gossip or the Liu Duke’s family making trouble for you!"

"We have nothing to hide and fear no gossip. That villain Liu Ye is the one who mistreated Shaojing. Does he even dare to come looking for trouble with me!" Cheng Qi said coldly.

Cheng Hui: "..."

She turned to look at Qin Shaojing beside her and saw a glimmer of triumph in her helplessly lowered gaze.

Cheng Hui couldn’t stand this.

"Brother, if Liu Ye is a villain, does that make Qin Shaojing a saint?" Cheng Hui pointed at Qin Shaojing.

"Hui Hui! If you keep badmouthing Shaojing like this, I really will get angry with you!"

Cheng Hui turned to him, "Brother, do you remember what I told you the other day about a noblewoman’s nanny at the western pharmacy who accidentally picked up aphrodisiacs and led to someone’s death?"

Cheng Qi froze upon hearing this, while Qin Shaojing’s face suddenly changed color.

Seeing Qin Shaojing’s changed expression, Cheng Hui sneered, "Miss Qin, luck really isn’t on your side. You tried to seduce my brother by slipping him a drug, but instead, it gave him diarrhea for a whole day!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Shaojing’s eyes flickered nervously before she looked up at Cheng Qi, "Brother Cheng Qi, that’s not true..."

"Not true?" Cheng Hui stepped forward, pointing at Nanny Qin behind her, "Your nanny was caught by Auntie Zhao from the west city that day, tossing a gold ingot as compensation, and it was witnessed by a crowd! Should I call people over now to identify her?"

At this, Qin Shaojing’s heart truly sank.

She glared at Nanny Qin. She had always emphasized the importance of this matter, not to let others handle it.

She had even asked Nanny Qin to handle it personally, yet she had messed it up!

And now, Cheng Hui and the others had found out!

At this moment, Nanny Qin fell to her knees with a thud.

"Miss Hui Hui, please don’t wrong our Miss!"

"You old servant, are you still trying to say I saw wrong?"

"No!" Nanny Qin desperately took the blame, "I was the one who grabbed the medicine, but it wasn’t for our Miss, it was for myself..."

Cheng Hui sneered, "Do you think anyone would believe that!"

"Miss Hui Hui, it really was for myself, it has nothing to do with our Miss. I did such a shameful thing and even implicated our Miss, I truly deserve death!" As she spoke, Nanny Qin slapped herself repeatedly.

"Keep up the act!"

"Enough!"

At this moment, a man’s voice rang out, Cheng Qi spoke up.

"Brother, now you see Qin Shaojing’s true colors, don’t you?" Cheng Hui looked at Cheng Qi with anticipation, "That day when you came back, you told me you had diarrhea for a whole day, it was because you ate the medicine they gave you!"

Cheng Qi looked at Cheng Hui and uttered a sentence.

"You’ve got it all wrong, my diarrhea was from eating something wrong myself, it has nothing to do with Shaojing."