Chapter 14

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Chu Qing paused for a moment before she continued, “Oh, I also obtained information that Peony Pavilion was reserved by Prince Ling yesterday, but he did not attend.”

Han Jing tried to recall what happened last night as she listened to Chu Qing’s information.

She could vaguely remember that she recently received a letter. In it, Prince Ling Su Xingyan asked her to meet him in the Peony Pavilion where he would wait for her.

Lady Han did not think twice and she went to the Peony Pavilion because she was obsessed with him. When she reached the pavilion, a maid asked her to wait for Prince Ling and poured her a glass of fruit wine. Han Jing did not remember anything after drinking the wine.

She had only regained consciousness in the morning. Her body was aching and littered with bruises, there was even a pool of blood on the bed. Lady Han figured out what happened and panicked before she remembered she had an appointment with her lover, Prince Ling. Elated, she went straight to the Ling Manor after leaving the Peony Pavilion.

Before she could enter, Han Yuxiao stopped her in her tracks. Han Yuxiao tried to beat around the bush, saying that Prince Ling had not stepped foot into Baihua Compound nor the Peony Pavilion. Han Jing did not trust her, but she became emotional right before tripping into the river beside her.

Now that Han Jing linked these vague memories and Chu Qing’s information together, she figured out what had happened.

Han Jing turned to Dong Bao, “Where were you last night?”

“My Lady, please punish me!” Dong Bao kneeled in shame. “It was my fault for panicking and believing Second Young Lady when she said that you went to look for Princess Yi Feng late at night in Xi Shan. I… I thought you went to Xi Shan out of anger because Prince Ling did not care about you. I only realized that something was off after searching for you for hours. I only heard that you were in the Ling Manor after I returned to the residence…” she trailed off.

She was indeed reckless about what happened last night.

Han Jing pressed her temples, “Get up. I know what happened.”

She guessed that Han Yuxiao and Han Yan had been plotting against her. Han Yuxiao made Su Xingyan reserve the Peony Pavillion courtyard. Before that, she asked her brother to bring Su Xingyan back to the Han Manor to stall him. 

She got someone to prepare the wine and a fake letter in Su Xingyan’s handwriting. Since Lady Han was never suspicious of Su Xingyan, she fell for Han Yuxia’s trick and went to the Peony Pavilion.

For Han Yan, she tricked Dong Bao to leave. It would not be surprising that the bad-tempered Han Jing would leave the city in the middle of the night. Dong Bao would not only be suspicious, but also worried for her. Since Dong Bao had lived with Princess Yi Feng and Lady Han for a long time, she would not suspect that Han Yan was lying.

Lady Han was drugged by someone when she reached the Peony Pavilion.

She thought that she was with Prince Ling for the night when she woke up. That was when Han Yuxiao agitated her with her words, making her fall into the river!

Han Jing frowned. It seemed like both Han Yuxiao and Han Yan not only wanted to ruin her reputation; they wanted her dead too!