The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Chapter 631: Chapter 618: Private Meeting

Upon seeing this, the Queen’s formerly enraged countenance quickly returned to calmness, and even swapped it for a smile. “I’ve made you all laugh. A clumsy maid in my palace knocked over a jade vase.”

“It wasn’t a big deal at first, but the jade vase was granted by the Emperor and is a favourite of his. Moreover, the clumsy maid injured herself. She has been sent for treatment now, and I can’t relax until I pay her a visit, so, please excuse me.”

A maid being injured is a minor issue. Sending someone to see her and rewarding the imperial doctor to treat her would already be a great act of kindness. However, the Queen insisted on visiting her personally amidst the Full Moon Banquet for the royal grandson.

Recalling the Queen’s apparent rage, everyone suspected that perhaps there was some great trouble afoot.

However, without the Queen explicitly stating anything, none dares to speculate and can only humor her with smiles.

“The Queen’s compassion for her subordinates is truly virtuous.” Someone tried to flatter her.

“Indeed, the Queen sets a good example for all women.”

“Your Majesty, feel free to attend to your duties, we will make ourselves comfortable.”

“…”

Being showered with compliments and flatteries, the Queen had no heart to pay any attention, she barely managed a smile before she hurriedly left for a side hall in the garden, accompanied by her maid.

In the side hall, a maid was already waiting. She had no idea what to do when she saw Princess An Le, who was curled up on the couch with disheveled clothes, messy hair, and crying pathetically.

“An Le.” The Queen anxiously rushed over and held Princess An Le in her arms as her heart ached.

“Mother.” Princess An Le called in a low voice before bursting into a fresh wave of sobs. “I beg you, mother, protect my reputation and kill that bastard.”

“Your Highness, your words are improper.” At the side, Liang Xuelin, who was also in disarray, said gravely, “It was you, princess, who sent me an invitation for a secret meeting. You embraced me of your own accord the moment I entered the door. Why are you now accusing me of being a lecher and tarnishing your reputation?”

“Could it be that you’re bearing a grudge against me and trying to frame me? If that’s the case, I will have to clear my name in front of the Emperor.”

“You scoundrel, how dare you!” Princess An Le, enraged, extricated herself from the Queen, picked up a vase from the table, and hurled it at Liang Xuelin.

The vase hit Liang Xuelin squarely on the forehead, causing blood to spurt out.

“Even if you want to kill me, princess, I will not allow myself to be wronged. I will seek justice from the Emperor.” With blood soaking his forehead, Liang Xuelin’s words were firm and powerful.

Any onlooker would probably deem him a man of integrity who cares about his reputation seeing him in such a plight.

But the Queen knew his true nature like the back of her hand. Her brows furrowed, and her expression grew even more solemn. “Take Mr. Liang to get his wound treated immediately. If anyone dares let word of this spread, their tongues will be cut off and they will be expelled from the palace!”

The maids knew the Queen’s ruthless methods and dared not utter a word. Softly accepting, they took Liang Xuelin aside to attend to his wound.

“Mother, why do you care about that scum? Just let me kill him!” Princess An Le could not hold back her tears.

“He is an influential official. If he is to die in the palace, it will cause a great uproar. If your father investigates and discovers the truth, would you want everyone to know?” The Queen said, “First, tell me how you ended up with Liang Xuelin, to begin with.”

When Princess An Le heard what the Queen said, she burst into tears recalling the terrible scene before, resting her head on the Queen’s lap, sobbing and panting.

Helpless, the Queen could only look at the maid, Yu Xing, who was always by Princess An Le’s side. “You tell me.”

Yu Xing kneeled on the floor, with her head lowered, her body trembling as she replied. “After we arrived in Her Majesty’s palace, the princess found it boring, so she decided to come out for a stroll. An unfamiliar palace maid said that the chrysanthemums were in full bloom this season, so the princess decided to go look at the flowers.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“During this time, someone served some refreshments. The princess took a sip of tea. After a while, someone said the tea was cold and they would replace it. However, the cup was accidentally knocked over and the princess’s dress was spoiled. The princess then asked for a change of clothes so she could go to the side hall to change.”

“At that moment, Liang Xuelin rushed in, intending to take advantage of the Princess…”

Being terrified by this incident, Yu Xing also began to shed tears while narrating the incident.

This made the Queen’s brow furrow even further.

Yu Xing would never lie, and Princess An Le had always been prideful. Even if she was to have a private meeting with someone, she would not choose someone like Liang Xuelin, who had neither good looks nor wisdom.

The only explanation could be that Princess An Le had been caught off guard and fallen into someone else’s trap.

And the biggest beneficiary of this trap was Liang Xuelin. But Liang Xuelin, being a courtier, didn’t have the ability to corrupt the palace maid, leaving the only suspect being the currently prominent Concubine Liang.

You’re brazen, Mrs. Liang!

How dare you harm my daughter after I’ve treated you so kindly and supported you!

The Queen was gnashing her teeth in anger. “Summon Mrs. Liang for me!”

“Mother, are you looking for me?”

Before the Queen could even finish speaking, Mrs. Liang had already entered, bowing to the Queen and smiling sweetly. “What could mother possibly require of me at this hour?”

“You still want to play dumb in front of me?'” The Queen’s eyes narrowed on Mrs. Liang. “Don’t pretend! You’ve done such a dishonorable thing!”

“Your Majesty is mistaken.” Mrs. Liang’s smile did not waver. “I had heard long ago that Princess An Le had taken a liking to my younger brother. She has even tried to send gifts several times to woo him, but my brother was virtuous and did not give her a straightforward response. I never thought the princess would go to such lengths. I was honestly quite surprised.”

“Now that things have developed to this point, even if I always wanted to find a good marriage for my brother, seeing how infatuated Princess An Le is, I could not help but try to arrange it and see if I could persuade my brother to agree to marry her.”

“Mrs. Liang!” Enraged by Mrs. Liang’s audacity, the Queen stood up, her yelling sounding sharper and carrying a freezing cold tone. “Enough!”

“The side concubine to the First Prince, Mrs. Liang, has suddenly come down with a chill. She needs to be confined to bed for a few days. Please, go back to the First Prince’s residence and take good care of your health!”