Qiao Jinniang looked at Tong Yingying. Tong Yingying was an overweening and self-righteous idiot, but she didn’t think she would dare to make up this matter.

  After all, this would get Tong Yingying killed.

  Looking at Tong Yingying’s unyielding look, Qiao Jinniang knew that Tong Yingying must truly believe that she was the murderer of Qiao Ruoyun.

  “Who told you that I killed her?”


  Tong Yingying said, “Young Madam has never had any feud with anyone except you. You are the real daughter, and she is the fake!

  “You hate her for stealing your position as the eldest daughter of Duke Anyuan, and it just so happened that you were from Lin’an, so you had your men kill her there!”


  Qin Shu struggled to get up and said frantically, “Crown Princess, Ruoyun treated you like her real sister! How could you do it!”


  The guards surrounded Qiao Jinniang to protect her.

  Qin Miaomiao came out and said, “How could it be the Crown Princess? Brother, no matter how sad you are, you can’t listen to Tong Yingying’s nonsense! Last year, when Sister-in-law’s life was on the line, it was the Crown Princess who saved her!”


  Qin Shu said, “Ruoyun, Ruoyun. Who else could be the murderer except her? Except for Qiao Jinniang, no one has ever had a grudge against Ruoyun! Ask all the guests, except Qiao Jinniang, who hates Ruoyun?!”


  Mrs. Qin hurriedly said, “Qin Shu, are you crazy? Even if you’re sad, you can’t say this sheer nonsense!”


  Tong Yingying said to Qiao Jinniang, “A life for a life. You can’t get away just because you are the Crown Princess.”


  Qiao Jinniang sighed helplessly. “Tong Yingying, it is undeniable that you are talented in literature, but you are too blindly confident.

  “This time you have been used by others but you don’t even know it. Sacrificing for justice? Have you ever thought that you were misled by others?”


  “Our feud started when you felt that I disrespected my clan. I know you wanted to make a name with that matter. Yes, in the end, your clan theory became known all over the world, and you won.

  “I know you look down on me, including everyone here. You all think I’m vulgar.”


  Everyone hurriedly knelt down, saying that they didn’t dare.

  Qiao Jinniang continued, “It doesn’t matter if you think I’m vulgar. After all, it’s true that I grew up among the folks, so Tong Yingying, I never wanted to deal with you, because it’s kinda amusing to watch you make a fool of yourself.

  “If I want to do something to you, I can directly ask the Ministry of Penalty to arrest you for disrespecting me. Then can you still stand here now?

  “Likewise, if I hate Ruoyun, do I need to kill her? I could have just removed her name from the Qiao family. All I need to do is to issue an oral decree.

  “Tong Yingying, you’d better quickly confess who made you come here to slander me!”


  Tong Yingying frowned. What Qiao Jinniang said seemed to make sense. She looked down on Qiao Jinniang because she felt that she was not worthy of the position of the crown princess…


  But it was true that Qiao Jinninang didn’t have to kill Qiao Ruoyun. What good would killing Qiao Ruoyun do to her?

  Tong Yingying saw Mrs. Zhou in the crowd. No, she couldn’t give up. As long as she insisted that Qiao Jinniang was the murderer.

  Not only did she not have to pay back the 10,000 taels of silver.

  More importantly, she could regain her reputation and wash away all her disgraces.

  Tong Yingying said, “Qiao Jinniang, cut the crap. You murdered Qiao Ruoyun, so you have to pay back with your own life!”


  Qiao Jinniang said helplessly, “Tong Yingying, I’ve given you a chance. Since you don’t cherish it, I can’t help you. Come, let’s go back to the imperial palace.”


  “Yes, Your Highness.”


  Tong Yingying shouted loudly, “Stop, Qiao Jinniang, you murderer! You have to pay back with your own life! Everyone, how can you just let the murderer leave?”


  Everyone was kneeling on the ground and no one dared to raise their heads.

  “Tong Yingying slanders the Crown Princess. Come, catch her and send her to the Ministry of Public Security.” A guard beside Qiao Jinniang said.

  Tong Yingying looked at the people kneeling on the ground and struggled hard, trying to break free from the shackles of the guards and screaming, “Qiao Jinniang, even if you can put me in jail, you can’t hide the fact that you are the murderer. I will wait and see how you die in misery!”


  At this moment, a maid who was kneeling on the ground suddenly stood up and said, “Crown Princess, you killed our young madam. I must avenge her! Go to hell!”


  The maid held a dagger in her hand, which was obviously prepared in advance, and stabbed towards Qiao Jinniang.

  Qiao Jinniang said casually to the guards surrounding her. “Get out of the way.”


  The guards stepped aside one after another, making way for the maid.

  Everyone who watched this scene out of the corner of their eyes: “…”


  Was the Crown Princess crazy, or did they see it wrong? Someone wanted to assassinate the Crown Princess, but the Crown Princess actually asked the guards to step aside to make way for the assassin?

  But that maid froze halfway…


  Then she pretended to stumble and the dagger was stabbed towards Tong Yingying.

  Qiao Jinniang rushed over and held the maid’s hand. “Don’t you want to avenge your young madam? Why do you want to kill Tong Yingying? To make her shut up forever?”


  “So that you can pour the dirty water on me?” Qiao Jinniang sneered. “The maids who followed your young madam to the South are all dead, but why are you still alive? Let me guess, they keep you alive so that they can use you to implant the crime on me, right? Smart move.”


  Qiao Jinniang ordered the guards to take a poison sac from between the maid’s teeth.

  “Come, put her and Tong Yingying into jail and surround the Qin Mansion. No one who is present today is allowed to leave.”


  Mrs. Zhou frowned and said, “Qiao Jinniang, you are only the Crown Princess, but Duke Qin is a hereditary duke. Even His Royal Highness won’t dare to surround the Qin mansion. What are you doing? Who do you think you are?”


  Qiao Jinniang said, “Just as Tong Yingying said, a life for a life. Whether the murderer of my sister or those who slandered me, none of them can get away.

  “And who I use today are the people of my Qiao family. Our Qiao family are doing this to uphold justice for a family member!

  “If Father blames me, I will go to him to receive my punishment!”


  Everyone knelt on the ground, shivering. The Duke Qin Mansion was surrounded! Something big was going to happen in Luoyang! If they had known this earlier, they would not have come to express their condolences in such a hurry.

  Now they were confined in the Duke Qin Mansion, and they didn’t know when they could leave.

  Qin Miaomiao walked up to Qiao Jinniang and said, “Your Highness, I believe you are not the murderer, but it is really inappropriate to have troops surround the Qin Mansion. If you don’t stop, your life might be in danger!”


  “Inappropriate? Why? Since they dare to bully and even kill my Qiao family’s daughter, they should be ready to receive our retaliation!” Qiao Jinniang said.

  “Besides, even if His Majesty is angry, our Qiao family still has the Absolution Token!”


  With that, Qiao Jinniang turned and left the Qin Mansion.

  Tong Yingying was caught by the guards, struggling and shouting that Qiao Jinniang was the murderer.

  Mrs. Zhou felt that things seemed to have gone wrong. Maybe Tong Yingying would give her out.

  Qiao Jinniang obviously would get to the bottom of this matter. If Tong Yingying confessed everything, she would be finished…


  Mrs. Zhou noticed that the whole Qin Mansion had been surrounded by troops layer by layer.

  Outside, Zhou Sisi, Prince Huai, Li Lingling, and others were stopped at the door when they tried to come in.

  Mrs. Zhou looked at Zhou Sisi and said something to her silently, hoping her daughter could understand what she meant…


  Zhou Sisi immediately got what her mother meant. She held the wood carving in her hand and suddenly foolishly walked up to Tong Yingying. “Cousin, play wood carving!”


  Tong Yingying was still struggling hard, trying to break free from the guards, so she frowned when she saw Zhou Sisi. “No!”


  Zhou Sisi said to the two guards, “Who are you? Why are you grabbing my sister? Let go, let go!”


  The guards didn’t dare to act rashly because she was Consort Huai, but unexpectedly, when they relaxed the grip on Tong Yingying, Zhou Sisi suddenly stabbed the carved knife in her hand into Tong Yingying’s abdomen.

  Tong Yingying looked at her retarded cousin in disbelief!

  Was she really stupid or was she faking it…


  At this moment, Tong Yingying turned around and saw her aunt heave a sigh of relief, and only then did she realize that she was just a pawn for them…


  She hadn’t been able to be a role model for women in the world. She hadn’t made a name for her mother. She didn’t want to die…