The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

Chapter 239

Clang!!

Unfortunately for the enemy, their speed was already within the deputy general’s sight. His reputation was not earned by chance, and the Wang’s trust in him was never misplaced. So, when the arrow was released, the deputy general’s sword swung and knocked it far away.

"How dare you!!" The Crown Prince’s voice thundered. Seeing a way out, he couldn’t let it slip by. He pointed and ordered the immediate capture of the shooter. If he allowed Young Miss Chang to die, he would undoubtedly face the same consequences as before. Thus, the Crown Prince’s soldiers rushed to apprehend the culprit while the remaining soldiers protected Young Miss Chang with all their might.

The deputy general, her fiancé, did not delay either. He commanded his men to surround the area. They had to investigate thoroughly and no one should escape. However, within 20 seconds, the Crown Prince’s men, who acted first, captured the assailant. The assailant, being swift, immediately ingested poison to avoid interrogation, as their employer’s hostages would be in danger otherwise.

Upon seeing the assailant commit suicide, the Crown Prince cursed loudly in anger. The Second Prince was equally furious, still wanting to uncover the truth behind the incident. However, seeing the look in Young Miss Chang’s eyes directed at his wife, coupled with her earlier reproachful words, he chose to remain silent and pressure his consort instead.

"It’s alright now. However, if this matter isn’t resolved today and the culprit isn’t apprehended, it will only bring you trouble in the future," Yueqian gently patted Young Miss Chang’s shoulder, allowing her to nod in understanding.

Seeing that her survival alone had incited such an attempt to silence her, it was clear that if this matter wasn’t properly addressed, there would be no future to speak of.

"Although we don’t fully understand what transpired, everyone can see now that Young Miss Chang is still alive. Young Miss Chang, could you please explain the true details?" The Crown Princess spoke up immediately, noticing the vengeful and disappointed look in Chang Mei’s eyes towards the consort.

Everyone took a deep breath upon hearing that, waiting for her answer, knowing that what she revealed next would surely shake the heavens.

"Yes, Crown Princess," Chang Mei replied in a low voice. The Second Prince’s consort’s eyes spun as she tried to think. Nonetheless, the stress and pressure made her truly weary, causing her to stumble backward. This was no longer an act but genuine exhaustion from her mental exertion.

"Earlier, I received an invitation from the consort to meet at the thousand-year-old tree after offering incense to Guanyin. I didn’t know the real reason, but I went there with one of Consort Gui’s court ladies and that wretched servant." When she mentioned this, it was clear what had transpired, including the identity of the woman lying dead in her clothes.

"But of course, I never reached the tree because Furen Mu had warned me beforehand. I didn’t understand at the time, but I changed into different clothes as she advised. Then, I asked the court lady to swap outfits with me, pretending my clothes were dirty. If I hadn’t worn that outfit, the consort might not have seen me from afar. The court lady couldn’t refuse, or I might have suspected something."

A mocking smile immediately appeared on Chang Mei’s lips as she looked at the Second Prince’s consort, who was in the arms of one of her court ladies.

"And it turned out to be true. The culprits didn’t check properly and dealt with the court lady instead. Meanwhile, I hid in the temple as Furen Mu had suggested, thinking there might be a grand opera show for me to witness."

"At first, I didn’t understand why I had to do this, but now I do. Furen Mu wanted me to see the truth with my own eyes. If I had hidden elsewhere, I wouldn’t have known what was happening, whether it was the change in the invitation from the consort or some letter I had never seen."

"There were also the Crown Prince’s men, who killed the court lady dressed as me, while the Second Prince’s consort pointed the blame at Furen Mu, as if she knew this would happen."

"Perhaps the two concubines can also serve as witnesses, provided they are willing. After all, when arranging the meeting with Furen Mu, I understood that they were the ones who sent the message themselves," Chang Mei continued, revealing the whole truth, including details the two concubines had never known.

The two concubines were utterly stunned. Their mouths trembled, as it seemed they had somehow been dragged into the assassination attempt on Young Miss Chang. They had genuinely intended to help her and believed it was the Crown Prince’s faction that acted. They never expected that Yueqian was not the guilty party but that they themselves had been deceived from the start.

Concubine Ji and Concubine Ping were bewildered by Yueqian’s letter about increasing favor with men. Wasn’t this plan intended to catch the Crown Prince’s faction red-handed? Also, it even involved asking Yueqian for help. They had not fully believed it from the beginning, but was there a chance that Yueqian might have cooperated with the Crown Prince? This kept both of them silent.

That was just foolishness, though. They hadn’t realized Yueqian had given them a chance to tell the truth, which they failed to take, remaining silent until now. This meant that making excuses now that they were not involved was too late.

"I only have a few questions for Consort Gui," Chang Mei swallowed her sobs.

"Did you ever consider me a friend, as I considered you?" At these words, the consort’s eyes wavered slightly before returning to normal.

She placed her hand on her chest as if she couldn’t breathe, looking at Chang Mei as if just realizing her presence. A joyful smile appeared on her face as if there was no pretense.

"Mei’er, you! It’s really you. You weren’t assassinated? This must be a miracle," Consort Gui was overjoyed, almost rushing to hug Chang Mei. Chang Mei’s eyes turned red again.

"Are you still putting on an act? I heard everything when I was behind there! You dared to use my worries and consult me as a tool, exposing me in front of everyone, claiming I arranged a meeting with Furen Mu just to please my fiancé. How could you do this?! Now you pretend to love and care for me? Do you feel any guilt at all?!"

Chang Mei spoke through her tears. Although such words risked severe punishment, even death, this was no ordinary situation. A consort intended to kill her own friend, who had helped her many times without reason. How could she still pretend?

No one knew if the Second Prince’s consort had lost her senses or not. Not only did she not feel guilty when accused, but she even pretended to cry.

"Mei’er, what do you mean by saying this? I genuinely care for you and love you, but look at what you’re doing now—collaborating with that wretched court lady to accuse me? Why are you doing this to me?" The consort played the victim skillfully, and Yueqian almost wanted to applaud her acting prowess.

"You, you!" Chang Mei was at a loss for words. Despite the evidence and her own presence right there, the other party still dared to claim victimhood.

"Consort, you need not worry. No one here can falsely accuse another, as the Wang would have intervened himself by now," Yueqian interjected, placing a reassuring hand on Young Miss Chang’s shoulder to encourage her.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Wang appeared. His face was dark and grim, as if signaling that he was ready to kill anyone. Who would have thought that while he was in the midst of military drills, an arrow would come flying at him, seemingly aimed to take his life? Had he not dodged in time... he might have already met the Grim Reaper in the afterlife.

However, his curiosity led him to notice a message on the end of the arrow. It was a short message, but the handwriting was distinctive: "Invitation to an opera show." With this, he stealthily arrived before anyone else and hid with his trusted guards to observe the actions of the people involved.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that the handwriting was clearly intelligent Yueqian’s, he might have ignored it. Fortunately, he witnessed everything with his own eyes and thus knew who did what. Even the court lady who had secretly written the letter and stuffed it into the corpse’s hand, he had seen it all.

For everyone else, seeing the Wang arrive brought a sense of relief. His judgments were always fair and impartial, without any favoritism. Even the Crown Prince felt somewhat at ease.

"Greetings, Your Highness/Greetings, my Wang," everyone bowed in unison. Even Yueqian felt relieved that he had come as she requested.

If the Wang could hear Yueqian’s thoughts, he might have coughed up blood in frustration. He would probably ask how she could consider what she did a "request." If he didn’t see her as part of his own faction and beneficial to the people, he might have walked over and returned that arrow straight to her little head.

"No need for formalities. Today, I’ve witnessed quite the grand opera, thanks to Consort Gui," he said bluntly, without the verbosity of the ladies and nobility. As soon as he arrived, he stated clearly that he had seen everything and that the guilty party was Consort Gui.

"Punish her. Execute her with poison and send her body back to the Gui family. As for the court lady who forged the letter and slandered others, have her torn apart by horses. Do not allow her to die too comfortably. The two concubines who collaborated should be demoted to servants in the inner manor and receive twenty lashes each. As for the Second Prince, who failed to manage his palace and allowed such disgraceful events, he is to be relieved of his duties regarding the reception of the diplomatic delegation. I will consult with the Emperor about appointing a replacement."

Hearing these severe punishments, everyone was shocked, but no one objected. It was a fitting punishment, given the heinous nature of Consort Gui’s actions, even daring to commit such deeds in a temple, showing her utter lack of virtue.

Gui Zhong, upon hearing this, could only look at his daughter with sorrow. He could do no more. His beloved daughter had committed such grave sins, and as her father, he too bore responsibility. Later, he transferred all his knowledge, books, and a portion of his wealth to Mu Heng and Yueqian, as if trying to atone for his daughter’s crimes. Then, he took his own life with poisoned wine, following his beloved daughter into death.

It wasn’t because he loved his daughter too much, but because he felt responsible. He had failed to raise her well, letting her become envious and malicious, willing to harm her own friends. For this reason, he felt he had no right to continue living.

However, the Wang’s statements were not yet finished. He continued with several more words.

"Console Young Miss Chang of the Chang family. I will seek a royal decree to arrange her wedding after the Hu Region delegation’s visit. Also, console Furen Mu and her unborn child, granting her the Cold Jade Palace as part of her dowry, separate from Governor Mu. And to the Crown Prince, the spear techniques you requested—I will personally teach you."

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