My Dragon Baby and Billionaire Husband-Chapter 653: The Petty Mo Yinhe 2
Song Yuan had just raised this question to Si Mingjing when Madam Ying personally came to offer an apology.
The butler reported that Madam Ying was outside the palace seeking an audience. Si Mingjing did not wish to see her and ignored her. However, it was said that Madam Ying had stood outside the palace for two hours without leaving.
Today, the sun was blazing, its rays scorching. Afterwards, Madam Ying fainted outright.
When the butler came in to report, Si Mingjing furrowed her brow and said to Song Yuan, "Have two people go and help her in. I will meet her in the living room."
Song Yuan nodded. He called for two guards to drive out, help the fainted Madam Ying into the car, bring her into the palace, and then carry her to the sofa in the living room. They let Madam Ying lean against the back of the sofa. Si Mingjing poured her a glass of water and said, "Drink some water first."
"Thank you, Crown Princess Consort."
Madam Ying drank half a glass of warm water and slowly recovered, but her complexion was still somewhat pale. It seemed she was not feigning it.
Si Mingjing took Madam Ying’s pulse and found that her body did indeed show some signs of heatstroke. She instructed the butler to tell the kitchen to prepare a bowl of heat-relieving soup for her.
Madam Ying shook her head. "There’s no need to trouble yourself, Crown Princess Consort. I just wanted to come and explain. Our Ying Family... we truly have not colluded with outsiders against you, nor would we ever harm you. We asked you to examine my husband because he is indeed ill. His illness is, more than anything, a sickness of the heart. I thought he might listen to you, and I hoped he would give up alcohol and pull himself together."
"I understand. I never said it was your family that communicated with outsiders. You don’t need to be so nervous," Si Mingjing said.
How could Madam Ying not be nervous? Right after Si Mingjing was kidnapped, her husband was taken away.
Crown Prince Yinhe was furious and intended to execute her husband.
Now that her husband’s fate was uncertain and he was also ill, tears began to fall relentlessly as Madam Ying thought about it.
All of a sudden, she stood up from the sofa. THUD. She knelt before Si Mingjing, saying, "Crown Princess Consort, could you please ask Crown Prince Yinhe to release my husband?"
Si Mingjing gave Song Yuan a look, asking him to help Madam Ying up.
However, Madam Ying was unwilling to rise and pleaded desperately, "Crown Princess Consort, I beg of you. You know my husband is frail; he can’t withstand this."
Si Mingjing maintained her composure, defending her own husband with a calm voice, "Stand up. I didn’t know your husband had been arrested. You don’t have to worry about this. The Crown Prince is not a man who cannot distinguish right from wrong. Once things are clear and there are no issues, he will surely release your husband."
But Madam Ying insisted, "Crown Princess Consort, you don’t understand. The Crown Prince and my husband have deep-seated grievances. Normally, when my husband doesn’t cause trouble, it’s fine as he doesn’t give the Crown Prince any leverage. But now, the Crown Prince will definitely not spare my husband easily. I implore you, only you can save my husband now."
Si Mingjing disliked such words, as they made it sound like her husband was a villain.
Si Mingjing’s expression turned stern, and she said to Madam Ying, "Yinhe has never been one to confuse personal grudges with public matters. He is a Crown Prince, cherishing his people as his own children!"
Si Mingjing’s tone was very serious. Madam Ying had many words choking in her throat. She wanted to speak out yet hesitated, and in the end, she swallowed them back down and collapsed onto the carpet, her expression forlorn.
Si Mingjing said, "The kitchen is preparing a heat-relief soup for you. Sit here for a while. I will go upstairs to ask Yinhe about this kidnapping incident—specifically, whether or not your husband was involved. If he wasn’t, I will intercede on your behalf."
Madam Ying lifted her head, hope tinting her eyes as she nodded excitedly, "Thank you, Crown Princess Consort."
Si Mingjing left the living room and went upstairs.
Mo Yinhe was dealing with official affairs in the study, and Si Mingjing did not enter to disturb him.
She returned to her bedroom, walked out onto the terrace, sat down to think for a moment, then called Ye Siyuan to ask what had caused the deep-seated grudge between Ying Qiao and Mo Yinhe.
On the phone, Ye Siyuan hesitated. "Ah, this... Sister-in-law, I’ll come to see you and tell you in person."
"Okay, then come over. I’m drinking fruit tea on the terrace. Do you want a cup?"
"Yes, I’ll bring my knitting. We can chat while I work on a sweater."
"Alright, bring it over then."
It seemed that the matter couldn’t be explained in just a sentence or two; otherwise, Si Yuan wouldn’t have needed to bring her knitting to work on a sweater.
Ye Siyuan, carrying a half-finished sweater, arrived at the East Garden of the palace. Seeing Madam Ying sitting alone in the living room, she paused for a moment, exchanged a brief greeting with Madam Ying, and then went upstairs to the terrace to find Si Mingjing.
Si Mingjing brewed two cups of flower tea and handed one to Ye Siyuan. "Have a taste."
Ye Siyuan sat down and said, "Did Madam Ying come to ask you to plead on her husband’s behalf? She really is confused. By asking for your help, isn’t she just adding fuel to the fire? Does she want her husband to die faster? Sister-in-law, don’t advocate for him in front of my brother, or Ying Qiao will never be able to return home."
Si Mingjing leisurely held her small teacup and sipped her tea. "What happened? Did Ying Qiao use to like me?"
"That’s not it, but Ying Qiao really did use to dote on you. My brother can be so petty..."
At this point, Ye Siyuan glanced behind her instinctively, making sure her brother wasn’t there. Then, she started to complain about her own brother, who had said today that she was like water that had been thrown out, a daughter married off—she was someone who held grudges.
Ye Siyuan said, "Back when my brother hadn’t yet seized power, the real power of Atlantis was in the hands of the elders from the six great families. My brother brought you into the Undersea World, aiming to seize power, and it involved quite a bit of cunning and palace intrigue. Of course, to take power, he had to start with the great families.
"At that time, Ying Qiao was the pride of the empire, hailed as the empire’s most handsome man, basking in endless glory in Atlantis.
"After you came to Atlantis with my brother, wanting to help him, you set your sights on the Ying Family.
"Back then, I was in A Country, so I’m not very clear on how exactly you and Ying Qiao got to know each other. I only know that Ying Qiao doted on you a lot and even took you as his sworn sister.
At that time, you and Ying Qiao were very close, and actually, my brother was quite annoyed. Ah, men, there isn’t one who isn’t a little petty, even though my brother was just a teenager at the time.
"Later, as the palace intrigue grew more and more turbulent, the Ying Family elder saw through my brother’s ambition and wanted to teach him a lesson, so they targeted you..."
Stopping there, Ye Siyuan’s voice suddenly ceased.
Si Mingjing narrowed her eyes and asked, "What did they do to me?"
Ye Siyuan said in a huff, "This deed was done by other members of the Ying Family. They knew how much Ying Qiao doted on you and thought he wanted a May-December romance. At the time, Ying Qiao was twenty-five and you were just thirteen. They actually schemed to deliver you to Ying Qiao’s bed and invited many witnesses to catch you in the act, making it public knowledge.
"However, Ying Qiao didn’t harm you. He just saw you as a sister. By the time everyone rushed in, Ying Qiao had already cut his palm, bleeding to stay awake and calm.
"So, even if it was the fault of the Ying Family, it wasn’t Ying Qiao’s fault. Sister-in-law, you tried to argue in Ying Qiao’s favor with my brother, but he wouldn’t listen. You thought my brother was being unreasonable and gave him the cold shoulder for half a month, almost leading to a complete breakup. My brother’s jealousy boiled over, and thereafter, he saw Ying Qiao as a thorn in his side."
