Li Man'er had long expected the Eldest Princess would not let the matter rest. She was the legitimate daughter of the late Emperor and Empress Dowager, and the Emperor's first child. Raised like a pearl from birth, how could she tolerate criticism and ridicule?
Yet, Li Man'er had done just that. The Eldest Princess's restraint and decision not to punish her at the banquet was already a significant concession. Her ability to leave the Eldest Princess's manor safely was truly a blessing from her ancestors.
What she hadn't anticipated was that the Eldest Princess would not only brazenly frame her and tarnish her reputation but now was also so impatient to push her own son forward to expose her.
Was this a joke? Of all people, why would she choose Tong Qiao to do this? What if something went wrong? What about Tong Qiao's reputation?
Or perhaps, this wasn't the Eldest Princess's idea at all, but Tong Qiao had been misled by someone.
In the courtyard, Madam Cui was impatiently asking Tong Qiao who the poisoner was.
Just as Tong Qiao was about to speak, he looked up and saw the Ninth Prince walking out. He immediately flinched and called out in a small voice, "Uncle."
Li Man'er sneered inwardly. Yes, she had forgotten. The current Emperor was Tong Qiao's maternal uncle, and the dreaded Ninth Prince was also Tong Qiao's uncle. Even if Tong Qiao did something despicable, he had these two to shield him. What did he have to fear?
"What are you doing here?" The Ninth Prince's voice was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth, as if the person standing before him was not his nephew but his enemy.
Tong Qiao had feared Qi Yihan since he was a child. He didn't know why, even though Qi Yihan treated everyone the same way, Tong Qiao felt that his uncle disliked him immensely.
Tong Qiao didn't feel as timid when he met the Emperor as he did now.
"I know who poisoned the Marquis."
As he spoke these words, Li Man'er had already risen and was walking out.
Madam Guo and Li Zha'er were bewildered, not knowing what she was doing. However, they were happy to see Li Man'er make a fool of herself, so neither of them stopped her.
The King of Hell was outside. If she wanted to court death, let her.
Madam Bai was startled and rose to stop Li Man'er. "Eldest Miss, we shouldn't go out at a time like this. You are a young lady, and even if the Young Duke is your fiancé, the Ninth Prince is still here!"
That was a formidable god whom one dared not even look up at. Madam Bai hadn't dared to raise her head when she saw him. She had secretly come to the side room to hide while he went to the consultation room to see Li Shu.
"Thank you for your kindness, Second Aunt, but I have no choice but to go."
Just as Madam Bai was about to ask why not, she heard Tong Qiao's confident voice from outside the courtyard: "The one who poisoned the Prince is none other than his legitimate eldest daughter, Li Man'er."
Madam Bai was shocked, and her gaze towards Li Man'er changed.
Li Zha'er directly cried out, "Li Man'er, how dare you harm Father!"
This person is an idiot, no need to pay attention.
Li Man'er automatically ignored Li Zha'er's barking and pushed the door open to walk out.
The few people standing in the courtyard simultaneously turned their gazes towards her. Among them, one gaze was the most piercing. Without even thinking, Li Man'er knew the gaze belonged to the Ninth Prince, Qi Yihan.
She slowly walked towards Tong Qiao, making him unconsciously slow his breathing. He had witnessed Li Man'er's methods at Zuihu Lou before and knew that if this woman decided to strike him, he would definitely suffer.
Fortunately, his uncle was here, so she wouldn't dare to be presumptuous.
With this thought, Tong Qiao straightened his back, trying to appear taller.
His action not only made Li Man'er feel childish but also made the Ninth Prince frown slightly. He was born to the Eldest Princess, yet he was so petty. He wondered how the Tong family had raised him.
"Li Man'er, do you have any explanation?" Madam Cui's eyes were like poisoned darts. It was clear that Madam Cui believed Tong Qiao's words. Although she hadn't directly convicted her, her tone revealed everything.
Li Man'er had initially intended to bow. After hearing Madam Cui's words, she stood up directly and couldn't be bothered to pretend anymore.
"Explanation? Why should I explain?" Li Man'er retorted, directly addressing Tong Qiao. "Young Duke, you are quite amusing, coming all the way to my home to slander me."
"Who is slandering you!" Tong Qiao did not want to lose his momentum. He said, "Do you think I'm happy to be here? I don't want to see an ugly woman like you."
Ugly?
A'qi, who had been standing behind the Ninth Prince, curled his lips. Did this Young Duke have a problem with his eyes? He glanced at A'wu, asking with his eyes: Is Miss Li ugly?
A'wu remained silent, as if he hadn't seen him.
"I don't have time to argue with childish people like you. Do you have evidence?" Li Man'er got straight to the point. "Young Duke claims my father was poisoned by me. Where is the evidence? Did you see it with your own eyes, or did you hear it, or perhaps..."
She paused deliberately, then smiled and said, "Has the Young Duke resorted to any means to break off our engagement? It was like this at your estate before, and when I saw through your scheme, you drew your sword to kill me. One plan failed, so you devised another, and now you're slandering me for harming my own father. You truly hate me to the bone."
Her words made Tong Qiao's face flush, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to hide in. However, he retained a shred of rationality, knowing that getting angry now would be useless and only make him appear incompetent.
"What do you mean by slander? I have evidence."
"Where is it? Bring it! Without evidence, you're no different from a mad dog."
Tong Qiao was so angry that veins popped on his forehead. "I have evidence. I ask you, did you live at your maternal grandfather's home for a few years when you were a child?"
"Three years and seven months." That was when the original owner was ten years old. Li Zha'er fell ill and couldn't be cured no matter what. A master was consulted, who said her fate clashed with Li Zha'er's, and she had to be sent away.
At the time, they intended to send her to a temple, but Madam Guo, fearing being accused of mistreating her own daughter, changed her mind and sent her to the Ning family. During this period, Madam Guo did everything she could to prevent the original owner from returning home, wishing she would die in Jiangnan.
Old Master Ning, a shrewd man his entire life, how could he not guess Madam Guo's intentions?
When the original owner was nearly fourteen, Old Master Ning personally escorted her back to the capital. Madam Guo's plan to replace her naturally failed.
"Haha, you admit it. Everyone knows the Ning family in Jiangnan has a strange doctor. Who is Ning Daocheng to you?"
"My maternal uncle."
Tong Qiao rejoiced as if he had caught her in a trap, clapping his hands. "Your maternal uncle, Ning Daocheng, is a strange doctor and a poison doctor. When you were at the Ning family, you were closest to your maternal uncle, so you learned some superficial knowledge of poison from him. You resent the Marquis of Iron Courage for mistreating you, so you poisoned him, is that not so!"
Li Man'er said helplessly, "Young Duke, did you forget to bring something when you left home? Did you leave your brain at home?"