Chapter 455: Tremors from the Depths of the Soul

Chapter 455: Tremors from the Depths of One's Soul

Some of the young ladies present were already whispering among themselves.

"That seems a bit excessive..."

"Miss Yu, General Yu's sister, such a delicate and adorable girl, probably wouldn't do that..."

"There's no evidence either..."

Bits and pieces of hushed discussions reached Yu Mingzhu's ears.

Surprisingly, they were all speaking in favor of Miss Xingxing.

Yu Mingzhu struggled to maintain her demeanor, not letting her true emotions show, and managed a faint, helpless smile: "...Miss Yu, what you're saying..."

She turned her head to look at Miss Bai, appearing somewhat troubled: "Qinqin, we've been like sisters for many years, and I naturally trust you unconditionally. But Miss Yu also appears deeply wronged..."

A young lady beside Yu Mingzhu quickly tugged at her sleeve, quickly glancing at Miss Bai, and said to Yu Mingzhu: "Mingzhu, you place too much trust in Miss Bai. I know you're kind-hearted and consider Miss Bai a sister, but in matters like this, Miss Bai should provide evidence..."

The two of them played off each other, framing the situation as Yu Mingzhu being overly trusting of her close friend.

The other young ladies thought about it and agreed. Miss Bai had so confidently asserted that Miss Yu was carrying poison, and Yu Mingzhu had always been close to Miss Bai.

Now, the pressure clearly fell on Miss Bai.

Miss Bai, however, directed her resentment toward Miss Xingxing. Her eyes burned with anger as she glared at Miss Xingxing and sneered: "You're all talk and no action!"

She pointed at the pouch on Miss Xingxing's waist, "Do you dare to reveal what's inside your pouch to everyone?!"

All eyes turned to Miss Xingxing's waist.

Miss Xingxing remained calm and composed: "Of course, I dare. But, Miss Bai, this is highly inappropriate. I came here with good intentions to attend the banquet, and now, because of Miss Bai's baseless accusations, I have to endure this humiliation of proving my innocence. If I permit Miss Bai to act in this manner, then in the future, whenever someone suspects something, wouldn't I have to let others search me?"

Miss Xingxing had a soft, delicate appearance, completely non-threatening. As she spoke, there was no trace of anger or accusatory tone in her voice; she spoke calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter.

Everyone couldn't help but think deeper about Miss Xingxing's words.

Indeed, nothing had occurred, and yet Miss Bai suddenly accused this young girl of carrying poison—she had been peacefully enjoying her snacks when Miss Bai forced her to prove her innocence.

If this sets a precedent, wouldn't everyone have to be on guard whenever they go out?

This is utterly unacceptable!

The young ladies' voices grew louder as they defended Miss Xingxing: "Exactly, nothing happened. Miss Yu didn't do anything, didn't provoke Miss Bai, and yet Miss Bai suddenly accused her of carrying poison. This is utterly ridiculous!"

"Miss Bai, are you just trying to bully Miss Yu because she was sitting there quietly eating snacks?"

"It seems like it! What did Miss Yu do to deserve this? She came to attend the birthday banquet as a guest, and suddenly she's accused of carrying poison and has to prove her innocence. This is too much!"

The more the young ladies spoke, the more outraged they grew, feeling deeply wronged on Miss Xingxing's behalf!

Such a delicate, adorable, and well-behaved girl, just attending the banquet peacefully—who did she offend? And now Miss Bai comes along and bullies her like this!

Miss Bai, hearing the accusations from everyone, grew even more furious!

How could she not know whether this little wretch was carrying poison?!

She had suffered greatly because of this little wretch before!

Just as Bai Huanqin was about to lose her temper, a voice tinged with amusement came from outside, questioning, "What are you girls up to? Why all the commotion?"

It was Jiao Shi, the wife of the Duke of Xinguo's heir, who had arrived.

The girls quickly curtsied and respectfully greeted Madam Jiao Shi.

Yu Mingzhu also called out affectionately, "Mother."

Holding Aunt Jingchun's hand, Jiao Shi gazed at her daughter with a blend of pride and tenderness.

Even among a gathering of beauties, her daughter shone the brightest.

Jiao Shi was about to ask what they were discussing when her gaze unexpectedly fell upon a quiet corner.

There stood a young girl, calm and composed.

She wore a soft green dress with gold-embroidered butterfly patterns and a fur-lined collar, which accentuated her fair and delicate face, making her look like a piece of white jade cake in the snow.

Unspeakably sweet and adorable.

Jiao Shi was momentarily taken aback.

That face...

Noticing something, Aunt Jingchun followed Jiao Shi's gaze and immediately spotted Xingxing.

Aunt Jingchun couldn't help smiling and whispered to Jiao Shi, 'Madam, this is the one I mentioned...'

With so many people around, Aunt Jingchun left her sentence unfinished.

But Jiao Shi caught her drift.

This was the girl Aunt Jingchun had spoken of... the one who looked like her in her youth?

Indeed... strikingly so.

Jiao Shi instinctively took a step forward.

From the moment she saw the girl, Jiao Shi felt an inexplicable urge to cry, as if stirred from the depths of her soul.

Jiao Shi couldn't quite put it into words.

But in that moment, she felt a strong desire to speak with the girl.

"...Mom?"

Seeing Jiao Shi in a daze, Yu Mingzhu couldn't help calling out again.

Jiao Shi snapped back to reality, her expression slightly odd.

But the impulse seemed too strange; it was just a girl who bore a slight resemblance to her younger self. Why was she so moved?

"What is it, Pearl?" Jiao Shi brushed the impulse aside, steadied herself, and asked Yu Mingzhu with a smile.

Seeing Jiao Shi back to normal, Yu Mingzhu felt relieved and smiled, "You asked what was going on here, right?... Actually, it's a misunderstanding. Huanqin mentioned that the General of the Western Garrison's sister is carrying poison, and we were figuring out how to deal with it."

"The General of the Western Garrison's sister?"

The Duke of Xinguo's household was part of the noble lineage, and while they had some interactions with the military faction, they were not extensive.

Even so, Jiao Shi had heard of the highly sought-after General of the Western Garrison in the capital.

So, when sending out invitations, Jiao Shi made sure to include one for the General of the Western Garrison's residence.

Bai Huanqin pouted and couldn't help but say, "Aunt Jiao, I'm not just making this up. I was actually poisoned by that little... that Yu Xingxing before and suffered because of it. So today, seeing her bring her pouch filled with poison to Mingzhu's birthday, I couldn't help but speak up to warn everyone."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Shi's face turned pale with shock: "A pouch filled with poison?! That's too dangerous."

Aunt Jingchun's face also showed a change in expression.

She hadn't yet told her mistress about the little girl who looked so much like her; their mistress didn't know—that the General of the Western Garrison's sister was that very girl.

That delicate and lovely little girl was carrying poison?

Aunt Jingchun couldn't help but look towards Xingxing, seeing the little girl standing there quietly, neither speaking up for herself nor showing any agitated emotions.