Chapter 148

Chapter 148

The Princess Consort saw right through Consort Jiang at a glance, and was inwardly even more astonished.

There were plenty of clever people in Prince Jing's residence, so coming across such a fool was a rare sight.

The Princess Consort only asked, "At this point, Consort Jiang, do you still refuse to own up to your mistake?"

"What wrong have I done?!"

Consort Jiang said, all self-righteous, "It was that Lady Lian who didn't know her place. I was kind enough to help her get rid of that bastard child, yet she was completely ungrateful, and even fought back and knocked over the abortion medicine."

"Ever since she came into the residence, the Prince has never called her to his bed. And coming from a place like that, who knows whose bastard she's got in her belly?!"

"Sending her that abortion medicine was clearly doing her a favor, and looking out for the residence's reputation to boot!"

"If word got out she was carrying a bastard, who knows what outsiders would say about the Prince."

Consort Jiang got more and more self-righteous as she talked, completely blind to how wrong her actions were.

Xie Run and the others listened, struck dumb.

Consort Jiang wasn't all that bright, but she still had her own twisted logic for handling things.

The Princess Consort's gaze was icy as she looked down at her.

It was like she was looking at a dead woman.

"Mother Li, slap her face!"

Consort Jiang was taken aback: "What do you think you're doing?!"

"How dare you! You wouldn't dare touch me!"

The moment she shouted, Mother Li stepped up and cracked a slap across Consort Jiang's fair face.

Before Consort Jiang could even cry out, another slap landed.

Consort Jiang tried to fight back at first.

After a dozen or so slaps, both cheeks were swollen and her head was ringing.

Only then did the Princess Consort say slowly, "Enough."

Mother Li stopped at once and stepped back to the Princess Consort's side.

All the other secondary consorts and concubines held their breath, cowed by the Princess Consort's authority.

The affairs of Prince Jing's inner quarters had always been the Princess Consort's domain.

No matter what outsiders said about her being all flash and no substance, in this residence, she was the one and only Princess Consort, with the power of life and death over hundreds of people.

She usually seemed warm and approachable, but when trouble came, who dared raise their voice in front of her?

Seeing that Consort Jiang had finally shut up, the Princess Consort said slowly, "Now that Consort Jiang's head is clear, let's continue looking into today's affair."

She glanced at Mother Li. "Bring them in."

Soon, Xing'er and Dong'er, Consort Jiang's maids, were brought in.

Zisu, Lady Lian's personal maid, also stepped up.

Once Consort Jiang fell silent, the whole Songya Courtyard settled into a hush.

The Princess Consort said, unhurried, "You said it yourself: a state has its laws, and a household has its rules."

"In that case, I certainly won't let you suffer an injustice."

Her gaze swept over the maids. "Let's start with Lady Lian's maid."

Zisu had been bottling up a bellyful of grievances, just waiting for this chance to let them out.

The moment the Princess Consort gave her the floor, tears came streaming down her face.

"Please, Princess Consort, get justice for our mistress! Consort Jiang is just too much!"

"She's jealous our mistress is pregnant and deliberately tried to kill both mother and baby!"

Hearing this, Consort Jiang shot Zisu a glare.

Too bad her cheeks were swollen and sore, her head was spinning, and Mother Li was watching her like a hawk.

She didn't dare say a word out of line.

Thinking of everything that had happened today, Zisu wished she could tear Consort Jiang apart and drink her blood!

The words she'd held in for so long came flooding out like a broken dam.

Zisu: "Today, Consort Jiang somehow got wind that our mistress was pregnant. She first lured our mistress to Songya Courtyard, then immediately laid into her with a torrent of insults, and had someone bring a bowl of abortion medicine, insisting the child in our mistress's belly was a bastard and had to be gotten rid of."

"Our mistress refused, so they held her down and forced the medicine down her throat. To protect the baby in her womb, she fought free and knocked over the bowl."

Zisu spoke, her eyes burning with hatred as she stared at Consort Jiang: "Who would've thought she'd come over and kick our mistress, sending her flying into that pile of broken porcelain!"

"Lady Wan said those porcelain shards were razor sharp—if one had sliced her neck, she really would've died today!"

Not just Zisu—everyone present winced and gritted their teeth at the words, as if they could picture the dangerous scene.

Zisu sobbed in grievance: "Luckily, our mistress was fortunate, and Lady Wan arrived in time to save the child in her womb. But the wound on her face... the doctor said it would probably leave a scar for life."

"A woman's face is everything! Our mistress's whole life has been ruined by Consort Jiang!"

"Consort Jiang is so arrogant, reckless, and utterly vicious. I beg the Princess Consort to get justice for our mistress!"

After listening to Zisu's tearful account, the Princess Consort's gaze turned even colder.

When it landed on Xing'er and Dong'er, both women felt a chill run down their spines.

"You serve Consort Jiang and were there at the time," the Princess Consort said coolly. "I'll ask just one thing: is what she said true?"

Xing'er pressed her lips together, not daring to speak carelessly.

Dong'er, loyal to Consort Jiang, naturally spoke up to plead their innocence.

"We're being wronged! Please, Princess Consort, see the truth—Zisu, in her eagerness to protect her mistress, is twisting the facts and shifting the blame!"

"Oh? Then tell me what actually happened."

Dong'er's eyes darted around. Naturally, she didn't dare follow Consort Jiang's lead and openly call Lady Lian's child a bastard.

She could only speak indirectly: "Since Concubine Lian entered the household, she has never attended to the Prince. Suddenly becoming pregnant, who wouldn't be a little suspicious?"

"If that were all, it might be one thing, but Concubine Lian knew of her pregnancy early on and did everything she could to hide it, refusing to tell anyone."

"My mistress happened to learn of it, and out of consideration for Concubine Lian, worried she might be tainted by scandal and bring shame to the Prince's household, so she thought to help her abort that bastard child... But she didn't know what was good for her, flat-out refused, insisting on having this child of dubious parentage bear the Prince's name."

Even Dong'er, who was wholly biased toward Side Consort Jiang, found these words beyond ridiculous.

She couldn't even convince herself, so how could she convince others?

Dong'er had to bite the bullet and say, "My mistress, with the reputation of the household and the Prince in mind, lost her temper and had a conflict with Concubine Lian. During the shoving, she accidentally knocked into Concubine Lian, leading to today's mishap."

"Mishap?!" Zisu was both furious and aggrieved, her eyes reddening.

"My mistress lies in bed, not knowing whether she's alive or dead, and you think a single word like 'mishap' can gloss over it?!"

Zisu gritted her teeth and said, "You're bullying us beyond belief!"

She clenched her fists tightly, using every ounce of strength to restrain herself from acting rashly, lest she make her justified anger seem unjustified.

But her chest churned with rage, making her feel like vomiting blood.

The Princess Consort asked succinctly and pointedly, "Was the abortifacient administered by your mistress?"

Dong'er: "...Yes."

"And was Concubine Lian kicked by your mistress into the broken porcelain, injuring her face?"

Dong'er's lips trembled, her heart racing, her voice shaking slightly as she replied, "Yes, Your Highness."