Chapter 6: The Harmless Princess of Beiyang vs. the Ruthless Prince of Beiyang Who Betrayed His Own Kin

Wen Yurou’s father, Wen Ming, the Dean of the Imperial Academy, had always been at odds with the Marquis of Zhenxi. If he were to find out about this, she feared she would be subjected to the family’s harsh disciplinary measures.

"Aunt, you must believe Ruwei! This has nothing to do with me! It was Liu Wenyu who forced himself upon me! He was drunk... and I am but a weak woman... I couldn't resist him!"

Wen Ruwei pleaded bitterly with Lady Wen, sobbing uncontrollably. "I truly don’t know how this happened, Aunt! Please believe me, wuwuwu..."

The people gathered here were mostly family members of prominent figures in the capital. News of tonight’s events would likely spread across the entire city by morning. Wen Ruwei would lose all face, becoming the laughingstock of the capital.

"Ladies, thank you for accompanying me to find my sister. Now that she has been found, as for the rest..."

Before Wen Yurou could finish, a woman dressed in floral pink robes walked in and interrupted, "Those who are irrelevant should leave. Her Grace, Consort Ling, hopes that everyone will treat this matter as if it never happened."

Upon hearing the mention of Consort Ling, the crowd quickly offered their bows and departed. Consort Ling was the Emperor’s favorite consort and held great power over the inner palace; who would dare to offend her? Moreover, Consort Ling’s adopted daughter, the Third Princess Xiao Muyu, was betrothed to the second son of the Marquis of Zhenxi. The two families were already in-laws, so now that such an incident had occurred, it could only be resolved in private.

After everyone had left and before Consort Ling arrived, Liu Wenyu regained consciousness. He looked up and saw Wen Yurou, frozen in shock, his eyes darting about. Why was she dressed so neatly? Her clothes had clearly been torn to shreds.

"You, you..."

Seeing his state, Wen Yurou sneered, "You beast, daring to bully my sister!"

Sister? Liu Wenyu turned his head, suddenly snapping to his senses. He knelt down, "Princess Beiyang, it has nothing to do with me! It was Wen Ruwei who told me to wait for you here, but I didn’t know—"

His voice cut off abruptly as Consort Ling and the woman who had delivered the message walked in. They had heard his words clearly. Consort Ling looked at Wen Ruwei with a complex expression.

Wen Ruwei’s face turned deathly pale. She shook her head incessantly, "It’s not like that! It’s not like that! I didn't! He’s spouting nonsense, framing me!"

She argued desperately, but was met only with mocking and disdainful looks. Although she was headstrong and capricious, she was not a fool; she knew her situation well. If they were to believe she was the mastermind, she would never be able to marry into a noble family!

Wen Ruwei suddenly thought of the wine from earlier that evening... Could it be that the wine had been tampered with?

"It was you!" Wen Ruwei glared at Wen Yurou with fury, "I’ll kill you!"

She lunged forward aggressively, raising her hand to strike Wen Yurou. Wen Yurou had been on guard and dodged to the side immediately. She curled her lips into a scornful smile and whispered, "You deserve it!"

"You bitch! I’ll kill you!" Wen Ruwei gritted her teeth.

*Slap!*

The woman beside Consort Ling stepped forward, grabbed her, and delivered a sharp slap across her face!

"Shut up!" the woman snapped.

Seeing this, Wen Yurou choked out, "You... how could you do something so filthy and shameful! I am your elder sister! How could you!"

As she spoke, tears welled up and spilled down Wen Yurou’s face, making her look incredibly pitiful. The woman looked at Wen Yurou with sympathy and pity.

Consort Ling let out a cold hum, her gaze filled with contempt as she looked at Wen Ruwei. "What exactly is going on? Miss Wen, shouldn't you give this palace a reasonable explanation?"

"It was you!" Wen Ruwei clutched her face, her eyes bloodshot with hatred. She had never suffered such humiliation and wished she could tear Wen Yurou to pieces. "Consort Ling, you must seek justice for me! It was Princess Beiyang who switched my wine; I have been framed by her!"

Lady Wen looked at Wen Yurou with indignation. "What is wrong with you, child?" Although she didn't know why Wen Ruwei was here, she had personally helped her to the small room to rest, so she was inclined to side with her. "Wen Yurou, tell the truth. Her Grace is here; was it you who switched your sister's wine?"

Hearing this, Wen Yurou wiped her tears, looking both pained and wronged. "Mother, this has nothing to do with me!" She clutched her chest as if she had suffered a great injury.

"Stop pretending! You framed me!" Wen Ruwei clenched her fists, her eyes red and filled with malice. She would make this bitch pay for tonight!

Wen Yurou wiped her tears clean and looked at Consort Ling, kneeling and saying sincerely, "Regarding what happened tonight, I beg Your Grace to discern the truth..."

Before Wen Yurou could finish, Wen Ruwei suddenly lunged forward, grabbed a tea cup from the table, and smashed it against Wen Yurou's head!

*Crash—*

The porcelain shattered, and blood splattered.

Wen Ruwei continued to wave her arms as if possessed, "Bitch! Bitch! I’ll kill you!"

Wen Yurou staggered back two steps, blood streaming down her forehead and soaking her hair and collar. She collapsed against the back of a chair, touching the blood gushing from her head, her tears flowing uncontrollably. "How have you become like this? You... you are not my sister. You are simply... you are a devil..."

Her lips trembled, eyes filled with tears, clearly shaken to the core.

Seeing her state, Wen Ruwei shouted even more excitedly, "Hahaha! Bitch, who told you to take everything that should have been mine! I’ll kill you!"

She picked up a shard of porcelain and lunged at Wen Yurou with it!

*Bang—*

"How dare you!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously. A man in black robes pulled Wen Yurou tightly into his arms and kicked Wen Ruwei away. The man’s brows were sharp, his entire presence radiating a gloomy and solemn chill. His deep, icy pupils stared coldly at Wen Ruwei.

"Seize her!"

The man spoke coldly, his aura as terrifying as a demon from hell. The temperature in the room plummeted, and everyone felt the air grow thin. Such suffocating majesty and pressure were enough to strike terror into anyone.

Wen Ruwei trembled all over; looking into those dark eyes was like facing the Grim Reaper himself!

Those eyes were too terrifying!

Wen Ruwei dropped the porcelain shard in a panic, "Prince Beiyang..."

"Drag her away." Xiao Zexuan did not hesitate, his order cold.

Two guards immediately stepped forward to haul Wen Ruwei away. Wen Ruwei screamed and wailed, "Prince Beiyang, don't be fooled by her! She is not what she—"

Lady Wen quickly interceded for Wen Ruwei, "Ruwei was only acting on impulse. Yurou used to bully her quite a bit back at the Wen estate..."

Xiao Zexuan turned his cold gaze toward Lady Wen and interrupted in a deep voice, "Do you wish to join her?"