Chapter 303 - Ling Fengyan Raises False Charges in the Peach (2/2)

How dare he say something like that given his reputation? Ling Fengyan and Ling Rui’er were both angry and embarra.s.sed. Their faces were flushed. Li Youmo was a licentious man and was known throughout the city to be a wealthy playboy. He never had anything good to say. His words made it sound as if the rooms of the Ding General Manor daughters were like brothels that he could come and go as he pleased.

“Li Youmo…” Li Youmo was here to make trouble. Ling Rui’er was furious!

“Oh, it’s really different.

“Look, did I see wrongly? Her Highness’ hairpin has two more dots, they really look like flower stems.”

“It’s different.”

“It’s really different!”…

“Second Miss Ling, Third Miss Ling, are you still sure that I took your hairpin?” Mo Xuetong asked unhurriedly.

Everyone already saw that the two pins were similar. However, there were two slight flower stems on Mo Xuetong’s hairpin. Other than that, the two pins were practically the same.

Ling Fengyan flushed and paled. The situation had changed too quickly. She had gotten Ling Rui’er to force Mo Xuetong to reply earlier but there was no need for her to reply to Mo Xuetong’s question now. Everyone could see that Mo Xuetong’s hairpin was not hers.

Mo Ye took out a jewelry box and opened it, revealing a set of ruby head accessories. Other than the hairpin in Mo Xuetong’s hair, the others were all inside. She said, “Third Miss Ling, this is an entire set. Could it be that my mistress snuck into your manor? The Princess Royal gave my mistress so many accessories. Would my mistress be a thief and go over the Ding General Manor’s walls! Or did someone steal it and gave it to my mistress?”

Ling Rui’er flushed bright red when she heard that and she was rendered speechless. She stuttered and then turned to look at Consort Yu while stomping her foot angrily. Didn’t Consort Yu say that she had put the hairpin on Mo Xuetong’s head? It was a matter that they had confidence in. Why had it become so?

Consort Yu was shocked as well. She looked at the hairpin carefully. It was not the one she had given Mo Xuetong. She turned to look at Mo Xuetong bewilderedly as if she thought it was impossible. How did Mo Xuetong swap out the hairpins? She had helped Mo Xuetong to put the hairpin in her hair. Why was the hairpin different?

“Princess, did Consort Yu give you that earlier? Just now when I approached, the hairpin that Consort Yu helped you to put in your hair certainly blinded us. It glimmered under the sunlight. It is really different.” Li Youmo said with a laugh, successfully directing everyone’s attention to Consort Yu.

Earlier, Consort Yu had denied that she had given Mo Xuetong a hairpin and had forced her to say the reason why she had done so. Now that Li Youmo brought up the matter, everyone turned to look at Consort Yu suspiciously.

Mo Xuetong had once taken put the hairpin against the sunlight earlier but she had not done it for too long. Consort Yu did not expect that the ruby would reflect the sunlight and attract the attention of those standing not far away. Her eyes immediately widened and she felt a little awkward. She was about to say something to defend herself.

“Sir Li, you might have been mistaken. Her Highness Consort Yu said she did not give me any hairpin, so of course she didn’t. What Third Miss Ling was so certain about earlier has changed, so what Her Highness said earlier must not count as well.” Mo Xuetong said with a smile. Then, she slid the hairpin back into the air, looking as if she wanted to appease everyone.

She sounded as if she were trying to defend Consort Yu. However, because she was the one who said it, it made her seem magnanimous and even if Consort Yu wanted to defend herself, she could not do so. It felt as if she were punching a soft pillow, and that it was entirely futile. She had forced Mo Xuetong to speak up earlier, and there was now eyewitness that saw her giving Mo Xuetong the hairpin. It made others suspicious of her intention.

Consort Yu did not have many family members but got closer to the Yu family some time ago. What happened to Auntie Fang had spread throughout the city. It was said that she had tried to hurt the legitimate daughter of the Fu General Manor. That daughter was Princess Anping. The others could not help but be suspicious that Consort Yu was intentionally trying to frame Mo Xuetong.

She was indeed a vicious woman.

Some people backed away without a sound, trying to distance themselves from Consort Yu.

Consort Yu was so angry she almost fainted. She did not expect Mo Xuetong to be so smart. Even though Mo Xuetong had not questioned her and had instead foiled the plot herself and defended Consort Yu, Consort Yu now could not defend herself. Mo Xuetong had not said anything and if she did, others would grow even more suspicious of her.

She clutched onto the hand of the palace maid beside her tightly. The palace maid paled and shook as she looked at the ground.

Ling Fengyan immediately looked at Mo Xuetong with a gentle smile when she saw everyone’s attention on Consort Yu. She said apologetically, “Your Highness, it is my Third Sister who saw wrongly. It is because the two hairpins look so similar. Even I was mistaken. Please forgive us.”

She had tried to apologize simply for framing someone for theft. Furthermore, she did not seem apologetic for after all, it was a simple misunderstanding because the two hairpins were so similar.

If she had not seen the Fifth Princess’ ruby head accessories by coincidence, she would have fallen into their trap today. It was obviously a trap set for her. Otherwise, even if the hairpins did look similar, they would not need to put on such a big show as if they were afraid that others would not find out.

There was a light smile on Mo Xuetong’s lips as she said, “Second Miss Ling, you are too polite. Since I did not steal anything, I did not have to worry. However, since Second Miss Ling’s hairpin is indeed missing, and there are so many people present, why don’t we check? It might appear now.” Mo Xuetong smiled lightly.

They were going to conduct a body search with so many people present?

Everyone present quietened down and looked at Ling Fengyan.

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