The Return of the Seventh Young Lady-Chapter 87 - 86

Chapter 86

While the investigation continued, the kitchen staff kept questioning each other, but no clear answers emerged. There was still no concrete evidence or a definitive witness pointing to the most suspicious person. However, at that moment, one male worker suddenly recalled something. He quickly turned to look at a smaller man sitting in the same row.

"It’s him! It’s De Ye!"

De Ye, the small man, jumped when he heard his name. Seeing that it was a coworker who had called him, he immediately looked confused. "What? Why me? Are you mad!?"

"Your Highness, it’s him! The most suspicious person is De Ye!" The man quickly turned to confirm with Duan Wang. The other workers fell silent and began to look at De Ye, thinking back on any incidents that might make him a suspect.

"You’ve gone mad! I haven’t done anything! You’re falsely accusing me!"

De Ye quickly defended himself, his previously calm face now panicked and guilty-looking. Sweat began to form on his forehead. Duan Wang observed De Ye’s nervous behavior and addressed the reporting man.

"Why do you say he’s suspicious?"

"Your Highness, today after we finished cooking and before we plated the food for lunch, we all went outside the kitchen to take a break and wait for the time. It so happened that when I came back in to fetch something, I saw De Ye lurking around the cooking pots,"

The man reported truthfully. Initially, he hadn’t thought much of it, but given the current situation, De Ye’s actions—staying behind while others took a break and lingering near the pots when no one was around—made him a prime suspect.

"N...no! It’s not me, Your Highness!" De Ye hastily denied, his blood pumping furiously and his heart racing out of rhythm. He quickly tried to find an excuse. "Your Highness, I was just checking if the food was ready. If left to cool too much, it would lose its taste, so I was checking the heat level to keep it warm!"

Duan Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the truth in De Ye’s eyes. But as De Ye met Duan Wang’s gaze, the pressure overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t hold the eye contact. He looked away, glancing around the room nervously.

It was said that those who spoke the truth could maintain eye contact, while liars couldn’t, as the eyes always revealed the truth. Without needing further investigation, Duan Wang was confident that De Ye was lying. He waved his hand in the air, signaling his personal guards.

"Search him!"

At the sound of their master’s command, two guards immediately began searching De Ye. Despite his attempts to resist, he couldn’t overpower the guards. Eventually, one of them found something hidden in De Ye’s inner garment, around his chest, and quickly handed it to Duan Wang for inspection.

"This is..."

Duan Wang frowned deeply as he took the small cloth bundle and opened it. Inside were only a few remnants of a fine powder. When the doctor examined it, he realized it was precisely what they were looking for.

"This is finely ground peanut powder, Your Highness. It must have been added to all the dishes!" The doctor, who examined it until he was sure, immediately turned to report.

Duan Wang raised his eyebrows slightly, his handsome face becoming even more serious. His eyes, fixed on De Ye, were chilling. "With evidence this clear, do you still have any excuses? Tell me, who ordered you to do this!?"

Duan Wang was quite sure that De Ye was not the true culprit. While De Ye might have been the one who carried out the act, he was not the mastermind. De Ye was merely an ordinary kitchen worker. Why would he foolishly risk harming her?

It was likely that someone had offered him benefits to carry out this task...

"I...I just had it on me! I didn’t do anything!"

De Ye continued to deny. If he admitted guilt, it would mean severe punishment. No matter what, he couldn’t accept that fate!

"Ben Wang has told you that Ben Wang has little patience. If you don’t tell who ordered you to do this or why you did it, don’t blame Ben Wang for being ruthless!"

Duan Wang sneered coldly, sending a shiver down De Ye’s spine. He then gave an order to his guards, "According to the law, anyone who attempts to harm the young miss is punishable by death. Their family members of the same bloodline will be branded as royal slaves and exiled to the border...Send our people to take De Ye’s family and punish them according to the law!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" The guards responded in unison, their voices resonating like heavy hammers pounding in De Ye’s head, bringing him back to his senses.

His body froze for a moment, his mind blank. He could think of nothing but Duan Wang’s words, echoing over and over. Initially, he denied everything to save himself, but he had forgotten about his family!

He still had his elderly parents, a wife, and two children. If they were to suffer because of his actions, branded as slaves and exiled to the border, De Ye couldn’t imagine the hellish life they would endure!

No!

It couldn’t happen!

He wouldn’t let it happen!

"Your Highness! It was me! It was me, Your Highness! I’ll tell you everything! I’ll confess, Your Highness!" De Ye quickly prostrated himself, bowing low to the ground, begging Duan Wang not to send anyone to capture his family. The defiant look on his face transformed into one of panic and deep regret for what he had done. He now fully realized that he should not be greedy for money, causing himself trouble like this.

"Who?" Duan Wang raised his hand to stop the guards and asked sternly.

"I...I don’t know who she was, Your Highness. B...but a few days ago, she approached me, offering me two hundred taels of gold to secretly add finely ground peanut powder to the lunch meal. I didn’t know that finely ground peanut powder would be harmful. I thought it wasn’t a big deal, so I accepted her offer, Your Highness,"

De Ye confessed everything without hiding anything anymore. Several days ago, a woman had approached him as he was returning home, offering him two hundred taels of gold in exchange for this small task. Blinded by greed, De Ye agreed without hesitation, leading to the tragic events of today, for which he now deeply regretted.

"Who is this woman? Can you guess?"

"Your Highness, I remember she was wearing fine silk clothing, though not as luxurious as those worn by ordinary young miss. Her attire was better than that of common folk, and her demeanor was quite strict. I believe she might be a close servant to a high-ranking young miss,"

De Ye tried to recall the woman who had contacted him and provided all the details he remembered. That day, after agreeing to her offer, he had secretly followed her to the carriage she used and noticed an inscription on the carriage.

"I...I’m not sure if my eyes deceived me, but I saw another woman’s face inside the carriage who seemed to be the mistress of that servant. I couldn’t see clearly, but I did notice that the carriage bore the symbol of the Cheng family, Your Highness!"

"The Cheng family?"

Duan Wang repeated in surprise. There were many Cheng families in the capital, but not many were nobility. Given De Ye’s claim that the mysterious woman was a servant to a high-ranking young miss, it had to be a noble family. Among all the Cheng families he had heard of, there was one that was particularly suspicious and well-known to him!

"Your Highness, may I speak?" Mu Qingxuan, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stood up and stepped forward to address Duan Wang. After waiting patiently, it was finally her turn to contribute to this act of the grand drama.

"Speaking of the Cheng family, recently, many incidents have occurred involving the eldest young miss of the Cheng family. She believes that all these troubles are the work of her. I’m not biased against her, Your Highness, but if we consider the motive, Young Miss Cheng seems to be the most likely suspect."

Seeing Duan Wang nodding in agreement, Mu Qingxuan continued in a measured tone, “Additionally, the fact that Miss Fei Yang’s peanut allergy is a secret that ordinary people couldn’t possibly know is significant. Even I didn’t know about it. For someone to attack her using this weakness shows they are well aware of this secret.”

“If I remember correctly, Eldest Young Miss Cheng lived in the same household as her since childhood. It wouldn’t be surprising if she knew about Miss Fei Yang’s weakness. Coupled with her previous grudge against the young miss, I believe Cheng Fuyuan is highly likely to be the mastermind behind this incident, Your Highness.”

Mu Qingxuan’s words were logical and well-founded, making her argument quite credible. Many in the room nodded in agreement, and even Duan Wang seemed to consider the possibility.

The only way to confirm this was to find evidence!

“Does Cheng Fuyuan study at the Imperial Academy?”

Duan Wang asked the headmaster sternly. The headmaster, trembling with fear, quickly responded, “Y...yes, Your Highness.”

“Bring her here! Send some men to search her storage at the academic building and another group to investigate the Cheng manor!”

Upon Duan Wang’s command, the guards immediately dispersed to carry out their tasks. The kitchen staff were taken outside, leaving only De Ye kneeling on the floor in defeat. Seeing that her plan was progressing well, Mu Qingxuan returned to her seat beside Wan Ningtong. As she sat down, Wan Ningtong quickly whispered to her.

“Young Miss Mu, are you sure this is the work of the eldest young miss of the Cheng family?”

“Wait for the evidence, and we will find out...” Mu Qingxuan replied with a slight smile, her peach-blossom eyes flashing with a hint of confidence.

Cheng Fuyuan was not a particularly clever person. If she acted alone, there would be plenty of evidence left behind to incriminate her. Moreover, this time, she had fallen into the trap set by her treacherous ally, Su Baimiao. Cheng Fuyuan had no chance of escaping this time!

Meanwhile, Cheng Fuyuan, who had been observing the events from outside, assumed that her rival, Meng Liting, had already died. Seeing the guards come out with grim expressions, she felt a spark of hope that her plan had succeeded. However, when she caught the eye of one of the guards who turned towards her, an ominous feeling began to rise.

“There she is!”

One of the guards shouted loudly, causing quite a commotion among the crowd. They quickly ran towards Cheng Fuyuan, and the people who had been packed tightly together suddenly dispersed in all directions like a hive of bees being disturbed. It was at this moment that Cheng Fuyuan finally realized that something was amiss.

But by then, it was too late...

"Let go! Let go of me! How dare you lay your hands on me! Let go!"

Cheng Fuyuan struggled to break free from the guards’ grasp, but she couldn’t match the strength of the three burly men. Despite her screams, they continued to drag her into the room, causing her hair ornaments to scatter across the floor along the way.

"Let go of me! This must be a misunderstanding! Let go!"

Cheng Fuyuan continued to resist. Though she was frightened by what happened, she still tried to struggle, frantically searching for a way to survive. When she was finally brought into the room, the three guards roughly let her down onto the floor in front of Duan Wang, pressing her shoulders to force her to kneel.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

Cheng Fuyuan, forced to kneel with such force that her knees throbbed in pain, winced and gasped. Her beautiful face twisted in agony. When she looked up and saw Duan Wang’s dark expression, her heart sank immediately.

"Cheng Fuyuan..."

Duan Wang addressed the young miss before him with a cold voice, his piercing gaze seemingly seeing right through Cheng Fuyuan’s heart, causing her immense fear. "If you are truly behind this, not even your father’s past merit in raising Ben Wang’s daughter will save you from my wrath!"

Gasp!

Duan Wang’s icy stare felt like a sharp blade piercing Cheng Fuyuan’s heart, making it tremble uncontrollably. Fear overwhelmed her, and her body shook like a lost little bird.

"I...I didn’t do it!" Cheng Fuyuan lowered her eyes, unable to meet his gaze. She desperately searched for an excuse; her flustered demeanor clearly noticeable to everyone in the room.

"This...this must...b...be a misunderstanding! Yes! It’s a misunderstanding!"

Mu Qingxuan picked up a teacup and sipped her tea leisurely, watching the scene unfold. Memories of Cheng Fuyuan’s past wrongdoings against her and her siblings resurfaced vividly in her mind.

In her previous life, Cheng Fuyuan had always been arrogant, bullying others at will. Now, seeing her cowering in fear before those of higher status brought Mu Qingxuan a sense of satisfaction.

De Ye, who had been waiting for his punishment with his head down, glanced at the woman beside him who continued to deny everything. Seeing Cheng Fuyuan’s face, his eyes widened instantly.

"It’s her! It’s her, Your Highness! She’s the one who was in that carriage!"

De Ye’s words were like a direct accusation, pointing to Cheng Fuyuan as the culprit. Duan Wang did nothing to stop him, merely watching the two conspirators before him with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Ridiculous! Who do you think you are! How dare you accuse the daughter of a nobleman like me!?" Cheng Fuyuan glared fiercely at De Ye. Seeing that he was dressed in the attire of a kitchen worker, any fear she had vanished completely. She immediately shouted at him defiantly.

"It was her, Your Highness! She was the one waiting on the Cheng family’s carriage, there’s no mistake!"

De Ye ignored the woman’s outburst, turning instead to Duan Wang to report the truth. This only made Cheng Fuyuan even more furious. She attempted to leap up and attack the small man but was held down by the guards.

"You’re slandering me! I never went to see you, so how could you have seen me!?"

Cheng Fuyuan continued to protest. She had never sent anyone to meet this man, and certainly had never met him herself. How could he claim to have seen her?

All she had done was send someone to buy finely ground peanut powder from the commercial district on Su Baimiao’s instructions. Su Baimiao had handled everything else. So how did this man she had never met end up accusing her of hiring him!?

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