You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 195 Bluffing
Jian Shuyan's face flushed with anger: "Go ahead and sue me! Why would I be afraid of your baseless accusations and attempts to sow discord between me and the Dowager Consort? People are truly treacherous! I never imagined that the Dowager Consort's favor would attract so much jealousy! They'll stop at nothing!"

"I'm jealous of you?" Xie Wan'er scoffed. "You know my aunt likes me and wants me to marry my cousin. In order to win my aunt's favor, you went to great lengths and planned this assassination attempt."

That day, you inquired about my aunt's itinerary beforehand. After returning from the Temple of the Matchmaker, you pretended to be unwell and parked your car near the scene of the crime to rest. After waiting for a long time without any news, you sent Granny Sun away under the pretext of getting water. The time it takes to burn two incense sticks was actually to check on the progress of the matter.

But then, out of nowhere, Liang Jiang suddenly appeared and disrupted your plans. The coachman, Lao Qian, drove away, so you decided to go all the way and kill Lao Qian, then faked a runaway horse.

Then you'll seize the opportunity to falsely claim a life-saving favor, so you can smoothly marry into the Prince of Pingxi's household. I despise this kind of favor obtained through unscrupulous means.

Jian Shuyan bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes brimming with tears as she innocently protested, "Your Highness, I didn't. That day, I just had a bumpy ride and suffered a bit of heatstroke, so I rested for a while halfway through the journey."

"Princess Wan'er, you're making this up out of thin air, suspecting me like this. If it were really me, I would have killed him to silence him the moment I learned he was still alive."

"You think that by instructing Yu Shu to poison Lao Qian, you can shift all the suspicion onto Liang Jiang? She had already anticipated this; that day was just a ploy to lure the snake out of its hole."

Jian Shuyan sobbed, "If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. How could I possibly have such connections to make Princess Heya's loyal maid work for me? We've never even met."

“You may not have seen it, but Aunt Sun has. Wasn’t the poison Yu Shu used given to her by Aunt Sun?”

"I am not Princess Heya, who is knowledgeable in medicine and an expert in this field. Why would I be carrying poison with me when I come to visit the Dowager Consort? What evidence does Princess Wan'er have?"

“Of course, someone saw it with their own eyes. Yu Shu’s every move that day was under our surveillance and we saw it clearly.”

"Since you were so certain, why didn't Princess Liheya expose you on the spot the other day? Instead, you had to instigate Princess Wan'er to play the villain?"

Xie Wan'er was speechless at the counter-question.

Consort Xie also said in a deep voice, "Wan'er, you can't speak recklessly without evidence, and you shouldn't listen to others' malicious slander and be used as a pawn without realizing it. Why don't you quickly apologize to Miss Jian?"

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but we cannot accept this apology. Princess Wan'er has gone too far!" Minister Jian said righteously, "Even if I have to give up my post tomorrow, I will still file a complaint with the Emperor."

"Then go ahead and sue!" Xie Wan'er said confidently. "There's a saying that goes, 'Man proposes, God disposes,' and 'Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws.' When the time comes, I'll naturally have witnesses to prove that what I said is true. Assassinating the Dowager Consort? You can just wait to be beheaded!"

Minister Jian snorted coldly: "Since that's the case, then I have nothing more to say. We'll see each other in the court! My lord, I'm sorry for offending you. Shuyan, let's go!"

Jian Shuyan wiped away her tears and secretly glanced at Gu Xizhi. Seeing that Gu Xizhi's lips were slightly curved and he looked amused, without any intention of pleading for mercy, she immediately lowered her eyes.

"Dad, this..."

"Silly girl, they've already bullied you like this, what are you still hesitating for? Let's go!"

Jian Shuyan followed behind Jian Shangshu, turning back every few steps.

Xie Wan'er patted her chest, looking as if she was still shaken.

"Oh my god, that's so fierce, it scared me to death."

Xie Fubai asked, "Wan'er, is what you just said true? Do you really have evidence?"

Gu Xizhi sighed softly: "If she had evidence, she wouldn't have been able to hold back; she would have just presented it."

Xie Wan'er stuck out her tongue: "Cousin is truly a genius. We can't afford to lose face, even if we lose the game. Did I put on a good show just now? No flaws, right?"

These words startled the Marquis of Huaiyuan's household: "You have no evidence? Then tomorrow in court, when the Emperor interrogates you, won't you be punished? How could I have given birth to such a troublesome wretch!"

Xie Wan'er darted behind Gu Xizhi in a flash: "Cousin, save me! Liang Jiang taught me to do this."

"Nonsense, Princess Heya is always very prudent, why would she follow your nonsense?"

Xie Wan'er still grinned: "I admit that kidnapping that old woman was indeed my own decision, without listening to Liang Jiang's advice. But I had nowhere to go just now, so I went to her. She told me to come back and confront Jian Shuyan in person, and told me to make sure I acted convincingly, preferably enough to fool them."

"Old Qian is awake?" Gu Xizhi asked.

Xie Wan'er shook her head: "No, she reacts, but she just can't wake up. Madam Liang said that she should be able to wake up in a day or two at the latest."

Gu Xizhi vaguely understood Liang Jiang's intention.

"She's betting that Minister Jian won't dare to confront you in court, so she's having you bluff and buy time."

Xie Wan'er nodded: "That seems to be the idea."

Consort Xie said angrily, "Without any evidence, you've judged Miss Jian guilty based on mere guesswork. What if it's just a misunderstanding? You've really disappointed your aunt!"

Xie Fubai frowned in displeasure: "That's right, you were so certain that I thought we had solid evidence. Now that things have escalated so much, let's see how you handle this in the end?"

Xie Wan'er felt wronged: "You'd rather believe Jian Shuyan than me?"

"I only believe in evidence!" Consort Xie said disappointedly, "Xi Zhi, you're still fooling around with them. Can't you see that Wan'er is just making excuses and guessing out of thin air! Liang Jiang, I think she's also wicked. Wan'er is simple-minded and has been manipulated by her."

"I do not have……"

Empress Dowager Xie refused to listen to Xie Wan'er's explanations: "I'm not going to interfere in your affairs anymore. You'd better take care of yourself! If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll always be so willful!"

He got up and stormed off.

Marquis Huaiyuan and Xie Fubai also looked disappointed: "Minister Jian will be impeached in court tomorrow, and we can't protect you."

Xie Wan'er's mood plummeted instantly.

She knew she had made a mistake and shouldn't have ignored Liang Jiang's advice.

But no one believed her, and they all thought she was framing Jian Shuyan, which made her feel indescribably wronged.

Gu Xizhi shook his head slightly: "Never mind, tomorrow morning at court, I will personally ask Minister Jian to plead for you."

"Cousin, you don't believe me either?"

Gu Xizhi said helplessly, "We have to give the Jian family a way out. The Jian family's goal is to make you back down, not to escalate the situation. It won't do them any good."

If everything you're saying is true, I believe Minister Jian will know when to stop and won't dare to report this to the court.

Xie Wan'er reluctantly nodded in apology: "Cousin, I was wrong. I won't be so reckless and willful in the future."

Gu Xizhi offered a few words of advice, then left the Marquis's residence to catch up with Consort Xie's carriage.

Pingxi Palace.

As soon as Consort Xie stepped off the carriage, she saw Jian Shuyan waiting at the entrance of the Prince's Mansion.

Jian Shuyan sat on the steps by the door, hugging her knees and burying her face between her legs, looking lonely and full of grievance.

Consort Xie felt a little uneasy. She stepped forward gently and called out, "Shuyan."

(End of this chapter)