Chapter 181 - The Hypocrisy and Sincerity (2/2)

Shi Baoyan didn’t expect Shi Qingxue to be so calm. She was stunned for a while and then advised her patiently, “Qingxue, don’t try to deny. Now Father is mad. As long as you apologize to him, he would forgive your meeting a man secretly and staying outside for one night.”

“Meet a man secretly? What a crime! Baoyan, when you went out with me yesterday, why didn’t you say that? You kept telling me that you have never seen the magnificent King Rui’s mansion and insisted on having a look. You wanted to enter the mansion even when you knew that His Excellency was not at home.”

Shi Qingxue taunted and peeled off Shi Baoyan’s hypocritical mask.

Shi Baoyan had thought that once Shi Qingxue was exposed, she would be panicked, but unexpectedly she could point out something wrong with her behavior and make her unable to reply.

What Shi Qingxue said was true.

Many people in the Luotong Boudoir knew that she insisted on asking Shi Qingxue to take her out yesterday, and she couldn’t deny it, but she blamed Shi Qingxue now, and it seemed that she waited to find fault with Qingxue.

But it was a fact that Shi Qingxue dated Mo Junyang. Shi Baoyan didn’t feel scared after being nervous for a while. There was such a great chance in front of her. Even if it would make her father dislike her, she would ruin Shi Qingxue’s fame.

Shi Baoyan pretended to be awkward and responded purposely, “I didn’t know then. I thought you had got Mother’s permission, so you could go out. If I had known that you didn’t tell Mother, I would have stopped you from doing anything wrong even if I risked my life.”

She said she didn’t know and wanted to dissociate herself. It was a worthwhile deal.

Shi Qingxue sneered. “Baoyan, as you said, I went out with permission, but you suddenly wanted to go out with me. Did you tell our parents?”

“Qingxue, our parents are present. Since you did something wrong, you should admit your mistake. Why did you tell a lie?” Shi Baoning cut in harshly. Obviously she was mad because Shi Qingxue still refused to admit her mistake.

Shi Qingxue was petrified. Her expressionless face didn’t change because Shi Baoning criticized her. She didn’t even give Shi Baoning a glance.

However, Shi Junhe looked at Shi Baoning with displeasure and asked indifferently, “Baoning, why are you so sure that Qingxue told a lie?”

“I…” Shi Baoning believed that it was Shi Qingxue’s fault, and moreover, it was so “clear”, so she said that.

But she knew why Shi Junhe asked such a question. Because she was Shi Qingxue’s sister, she shouldn’t have said that before the truth was found.

“Father, I just get mad at Qingxue because she made Mother so angry, so…” Shi Baoning blushed and explained hesitantly, but she couldn’t help blaming Shi Junhe in her heart as he was partial.

Did Shi Junhe love Shi Qingxue so much that he didn’t blame her after she made his wife faint?

“Yes?” Shi Junhe didn’t show his opinion.

Then he impassively said something beyond everybody’s expectation. “Qingxue told me before she went out yesterday.”

So the crime of meeting a man secretly was not existent.

“No way!”

“No way!”

Zhou Ruyu and Shi Baoyan denied at the same time, and even Shi Baoning looked at Shi Junhe in disbelief.

Shi Junhe’s expression didn’t change. “Why? Do you think that I will help Qingxue tell a lie?”

As the first reaction, all the three thought Shi Junhe was lying, but soon they realized that it was impossible. With Shi Junhe’s upright character, he would never tell a lie in order to cover up for Shi Qingxue.

In another word, Shi Qingxue told Shi Junhe and got his permission before going to King Rui’s mansion yesterday, but Shi Baoyan suddenly went out with Shi Qingxue without asking for her parents’ permission.

Shi Baoyan got nervous and expressed hurriedly, “But, Qingxue didn’t return home last night, and yesterday she didn’t see His Excellency but went with Prince Haoran (the third prince of the Zhao Country)…”

“Baoyan, please speak with caution!” Shi Qingxue suddenly interrupted and warned Shi Baoyan.

“It’s fine if you defame me. Prince Haoran is from the royal family of the Zhao Country and a respected guest of our country. You can’t slander him recklessly. So please think twice before speaking. Can you take the responsibility for your words?”

Shi Baoyan was frightened and trembled. There was hatred in her heart, but she didn’t dare to provoke the royal family’s majesty, so she could do nothing but shut up.

Seeing that Shi Baoyan was scared, Zhou Ruyu got anxious again. She finally found Shi Qingxue’s fault. If she let Shi Qingxue turn the table, she didn’t know when she would have something on this girl.

She glared at Shi Baoyan a few times secretly, but the latter pretended not to notice. Then she had to aim at Shi Qingxue. “Even though you told your father before you went out, it’s true that you didn’t return home last night. We didn’t wrong you.”

“Prince Haoran asked me to compete on shooting in the training ground, and I couldn’t refuse his kindness, so I had to go with him. Later we went to the mountain behind the training ground to practice horsemanship, but I didn’t know why my horse got panicked all of a sudden and ran crazily. Then His Excellency saved me, but we got lost as a result.

“Unfortunately, there was heavy rain. His Excellency and I had to take shelter from rain and spend the night in a cave. At dawn today, His Excellency was worried that I would be commented when I returned home in a sorry state, so he kindly invited me to King Rui’s mansion so that I could change my clothes and asked his subordinate to send me back home.

“That was what had happened. Aunt, if you don’t believe me, you can go to ask in King Rui’s mansion or the embassy of the Zhao Country. Neither His Excellency nor Prince Haoran would lie because of me.”

The people in Mo Country were open-minded and wouldn’t strictly forbid the unmarried women from going out. Although Shi Qingxue shouldn’t have spent one night outside, it was an emergency, and it couldn’t be commented.

Under the situation, Zhou Ruyu couldn’t blame Mo Junyang because he should have left Shi Qingxue alone and come to tell her family that Qingxue sprained her ankle on the training ground, so he left her in a cave and came to inform them to pick her up.