Chapter 271

Chapter 271

Xie Run stepped forward two paces. "So you mean the eldest young master deliberately intended to harm Consort Sun?"

Zhang Kuan was so frightened by these words that he fell to his knees.

"Your servant does not know—your servant only spoke of what he saw!"

"They say Consort Xie is lenient and merciful. If I confess now, perhaps I will receive a lighter punishment. Otherwise, once the Prince returns, I fear my life will be hard to keep..."

It was precisely because everyone around him kept muttering about this that Zhang Kuan, with his mouse-sized courage, dared to come to Spring Mountain Court to turn himself in.

"Your servant dares to swear to heaven that there is not a single word of falsehood!"

"Though your servant has no evidence, the people around the eldest young master can testify on my behalf!"

Xie Run said, "I will naturally send people to question those around the eldest young master. It is not as if whatever you say is the truth."

Xie Run thought for a moment. "The eldest young master has come to this day partly because you withheld information and failed in your service. No matter how you look at it, you cannot escape this punishment."

"Your servant is willing to accept punishment, only begging Consort Xie to spare the young master's life."

"Your offense does not warrant death." Xie Run said, "Then go and receive twenty strokes of the board first."

She thought for a moment. "From now on, you can no longer serve by the eldest young master's side. Go to the stables and help wash the horses."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kuan kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.

This punishment was, in fact, somewhat heavy.

Xie Run felt that Zhang Kuan was rather innocent as well.

Though the eldest young master was young in years, he was stubborn and ruthless—not someone a mere servant boy like Zhang Kuan could admonish.

The eldest young master was close to Zhang Kuan, perhaps precisely because he saw that Zhang Kuan had no opinions of his own and was easy to control—dare not go west when told east.

Zhang Kuan was the eldest young master's servant. Even if he knew the young master was doing something wrong, how would he dare to go against his master's wishes?

But in matters like this, reason could not be argued.

Zhang Kuan was the one who served the eldest young master. When something happened to the young master, it meant he had failed in his service, and he deserved punishment.

What the household staff murmured was not wrong either.

Falling into Xie Run's hands meant merely receiving a punishment.

If they waited until Prince Jing returned to the residence and investigated, their lives would hardly be spared.

After all, no matter how wrong the eldest young master was, he was still Prince Jing's own son.

By punishing him heavily now, when Prince Jing heard of it later, at least his anger would be appeased, and he would not rage further.

Xie Run punished Zhang Kuan, then had his confession written down and his fingerprint pressed upon it.

Two copies were made—one sent to the Princess Consort, and one to the front courtyard to Guard Jin Yuan's post.

Xiaoshu teased from the side, "Your servant has been in the Prince's residence for quite a few years now, but this is the first time I've seen the mistress handle matters this way."

"It's like hearing a case at the Court of Judicial Review—troublesome, but who did what and who said what is all perfectly clear. In the future, no one can change their story!"

Xie Run smiled, thinking to herself that she wanted to leave a record precisely to prevent anyone from changing their testimony later and splashing dirty water on her.

She was not the Princess Consort—she did not have years of accumulated authority, nor did she have the power to have the final say.

She could only use such methods to protect herself.

Dan Tao collected the confession and carefully organized it. "According to what Zhang Kuan said, the eldest young master wanted to harm Consort Sun, but who would have thought he ended up harming himself instead."

Xie Run walked to the window, looking at the flowers that had just sprouted new buds. "Do you two still remember where the eldest young master and Consort Sun were standing?"

Both Dan Tao and Xiaoshu showed curiosity in their eyes.

"When we rushed over, a group of people were tumbled together. We truly did not notice that detail."

Xie Run's fingertip rested on the newly sprouted flower bud as she said softly, "I deliberately looked at the rockery twice at the time."

"If the original crack in the rockery had not been repaired, Jiang Baobao should have fallen slightly forward."

"That position would only have struck Consort Sun, not the eldest young master who stood opposite her."

"The eldest young master is young, but he has a measure of cleverness. He guessed that Nanny Mu wanted to scheme against someone behind his back. Without revealing anything, he used Nanny Mu's scheme to drag Consort Sun into it."

From beginning to end, the eldest young master only wanted Consort Sun to meet misfortune.

As for his being struck—that was entirely because Xie Run had the rockery repaired in advance, causing Jiang Baobao's scheme to go awry, resulting in an accident.

In a certain sense, he had brought it upon himself just like Jiang Baobao.

Upon hearing Xie Run's words, the two maids fell into silence.

At that moment, the malice of a child was laid bare before their eyes.

Xie Run continued, "Moreover, the eldest young master is this clever—who knows whether he is truly simple-minded or merely pretending."

The two maids instantly raised their heads in shock.

"Does the mistress mean that the eldest young master's dementia might be feigned?!"

Xie Run shook her head. "I am only speculating."

"A child full of malice and ruthlessness—I cannot help but guess the worst about him."

Dan Tao said uneasily, "Mistress, if the eldest young master is not truly simple but pretending, what should we do?"

"What should we do?" Xie Run smiled. "Do nothing."

"They say to play the pig to eat the tiger, but play the pig for too long, and sooner or later you will become one with the pigs."

A fool—whether truly or falsely—would receive education and resources far inferior to those of a normal child in the Prince's residence.

Such a pig, played for too long, could only become a real pig.

"Whether he is truly simple or pretending, we do what we should do."

Xie Run thought for a moment. "Once Zhang Kuan's words are sent out, the eldest young master may not be able to live in peace."

Xiaoshu said, "Consort Sun was so enraged by Consort Jiang that she is barely hanging on by a thread. If she learns that her disfigurement was deliberately engineered by the eldest young master, she will hardly let the matter rest."

For now, Xie Run could not allow anything else to happen to the eldest young master—otherwise, when Prince Jing returned, he would likely view her with displeasure no matter what she did.

"Go to the front courtyard and tell Guard Jin Yuan to arrange for someone to protect the eldest young master well. Don't let him come to the back courtyard unless necessary."

The front and back courtyards of the prince's residence were strictly separated. As long as the eldest young master stayed away from the back courtyard during this period, Cefei Sun wouldn't be able to extend her influence there for now.

Xie Run only sought this temporary peace.

As soon as the news Xie Run had uncovered reached the Green Pine Courtyard, Cefei Sun's people soon got wind of it too.

After listening to what her maid said, she was stunned, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Her hand drifted unconsciously to her veiled cheek.

Even through the veil, she could still feel the hideous scar on her cheek.

Cefei Sun's voice trembled slightly. "Are you telling me the one who ruined my face was just a little kid of a few years old?!"

Taoyao said uneasily, "Mistress, could Cefei Xie be trying to exonerate Shufei Jiang by deliberately shifting the blame onto the eldest young master?"

Before Cefei Sun could speak, Mama Du had already asserted firmly, "Impossible!"

"Have Cefei Xie and Shufei Jiang ever gotten along? Why would she make up a lie to frame the prince's eldest young master for Shufei Jiang's sake?!"

"Besides, Cefei Xie has always been pretty fair in her dealings... Since she dares to say that the eldest young master harmed our mistress, the evidence must be conclusive."

Cefei Sun clutched a comb tightly in her hand, nearly crushing the ivory comb to pieces. "I thought of every possibility, guarded against every threat, yet never once thought I would be ruined by a child!"

"Because of this ruined face, I wished nothing more than to die together with Jiang Baobao, to slash her face as well."

"Now that she's barely hanging on in bed, it serves her right! It's karma!"