Chapter 132
Chapter 132: So It Was You
Qiao Xi Wan collapsed to the ground as she thought: [I clearly saw Xia Meng Yan drugged and carried into that room. How is she outside now? Then who is inside?]
Zheng Ming Lan was thinking the same thing and snapped her head toward the maid who had gone in to check, then noted how the woman’s eyes dodged her gaze.
With a bad feeling rising, Zheng Ming Lan quickly scanned the area, searching for someone.
A scream burst from the room, sharp enough to make everyone’s heart jump; people almost felt the pain themselves.
Xia Meng Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Duan Yi Chen, and he leaned close, proud and eager to take credit, as he whispered: “I didn’t do much. Zheng Jing Nian likes to play, so I let him play to his heart’s content. He had to last until you showed up.”
Xia Meng Yan’s mouth fell open as she thought: [From when I left until now, it’s been a full hour. Did Zheng Jing Nian keep going the whole time? After today, a good son turns into a daughter. What a pity.]
Duan Yi Chen pitched his voice and called out: “What are you all waiting for, hurry and go in to take a look.”
The onlookers snapped out of it and muttered as their curiosity spiked; they had heard a man’s voice inside, so what on earth was going on. One madam shot her personal nanny a look to go check.
Zheng Ming Lan, still not seeing her elder brother anywhere, suddenly remembered something and rushed forward as she shouted: “No one goes in.”
Everyone froze when she barreled ahead and slammed the door shut. They stared; why was she doing that, unless the person inside had something to do with her.
Xia Meng Yan stroked her belly and walked forward slowly, her gaze like a hook that seemed to see through everything, which made people across from her tremble, as she said: “Miss Zheng, what are you doing? The Buddhist Sect is a pure place. Someone is doing something indecent, yet as the Prefect’s daughter you do not punish them and even shield them. Could it be that you know the person inside?”
Zheng Ming Lan snapped back: “Xia Meng Yan, shut up.” She now understood she had been tricked; Xia Meng Yan had never fainted and had only pretended to confuse her. [Vile woman. I’ll kill you.] But she had something more urgent: if she was right, the one inside was her elder brother. If his scandal came out, the Zheng Family’s first branch would be finished.
Xia Meng Yan covered her chest and put on a frightened look as she said: “When did I ever offend Miss Zheng? I only want to clear my name. How did that make Miss Zheng so unhappy?”
A madam who had long disliked Zheng Ming Lan saw her blocking the door and sneered as she said: “Just now Miss Zheng wasn’t like this. What is it now, unless it’s like Miss Xia says and the person inside is tied to the Zheng Family?”
Another added with a sharp tone: “Right, doing something indecent in the clean ground of the Buddhist Sect, even if he is a relative of the Zheng Family, even if he is from the Zheng Family, he should not be spared.”
A third chimed in: “Yes, Miss Zheng, as the Prefect’s legitimate daughter, you should put justice first, even if it means punishing your own kin.”
Zheng Ming Lan flushed with anger. These people usually treated her with great respect; now, over a few words from Xia Meng Yan, they dared talk back. She gritted her teeth as she thought: [Fine. Very good. I’ll make each of you pay.]
Duan Yi Chen did not bother to wait; a pebble flicked from his fingers and struck Zheng Ming Lan right on the knee.
With a cry she went down. Nanny Song, already waiting at the door, seized the chance, strode inside, and then shrieked as she said: “Young Master Zheng, how is it you? You, how can you do something indecent with a monk?”
The crowd outside gaped. No wonder Zheng Ming Lan had gone mad trying to stop them. So it was her elder brother. Wait, a monk? A man?
Xia Meng Yan’s eyes widened as she looked at Chun Yue and lowered her voice to say: “We just learned a huge secret about the Zheng Family. Will they come after us?”
That line made several madams blanch. Lord Zheng loved his public face; his son had been caught with a man. If that spread, they would be dragged into it. Some were already regretting coming to watch.
Zheng Ming Lan ground out, voice shaking: “Xia Meng Yan, how dare you scheme against me, our Zheng Family…”
Right then, yamen runners arrived with men. The leader took in the crowd outside the door and assumed the one who reported the case was among them as he asked: “Who filed the report?”
Xia Meng Yan turned, and the leader straightened and saluted as she said: “I filed it. But now there is an even more important matter. Sir, please give a fair judgment.”
Hearing her call him “sir,” the leader pulled himself even straighter as he said: “Speak.”
Xia Meng Yan pointed at the door as she said: “The Zheng Family’s legitimate son, Zheng Jing Nian, is inside Cloud Mountain Temple doing indecent acts with a monk. He is in that room right now. Sir, please handle this impartially.”
The leader almost choked as he blurted: “What did you say? The Zheng Family’s eldest young master and a monk?”
Xia Meng Yan nodded and said: “If you don’t believe me, you can go in and see.”
The leader met Zheng Ming Lan’s eyes and understood a lot at once. He coughed and said: “I came up the mountain to handle the temple fire. As for Young Master Zheng’s indecency, that is not under my charge.”
Lord Zheng was his superior; arresting his son would be suicide.
Xia Meng Yan had not planned to make him act. She only wanted the matter known. Since she had reached that effect, she moved to the main point as she said: “Sir, I found this handkerchief at the crime scene. I do not know if it helps the case.”
Silent until now, Qiao Xi Wan saw the handkerchief in Xia Meng Yan’s hand and felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave as she thought: [It’s over.]
The leader took the handkerchief, studied the embroidery, and asked: “Miss Xia, do you have a suspect in mind?”
Xia Meng Yan answered without pause as she said: “Yes. Qiao Xi Wan. After the fire, I met her in the yard. I saw the twisted edging on her sleeve, exactly the same as on this handkerchief. I never thought that a few more questions from me would bring her revenge.” She had given Qiao Xi Wan a chance earlier; since Qiao Xi Wan chose to work with Zheng Ming Lan instead of her, she would return the favor.
Qiao Xi Wan shook her head again and again as she said: “It wasn’t me. I don’t know anything.”
The runner ignored her, grabbed her wrist, held the handkerchief to the edging on her sleeve, and, seeing they matched, ordered his men to take her away.
Qiao Xi Wan struggled and cried out as she said: “You can’t take me. I’ve been framed. Miss Zheng, help me.” But Zheng Ming Lan had her own crisis and no time for fake kindness.
The runners went off to examine the scene, and the gawkers took the chance to slip away. The Zheng Family’s scandal was not something to gawk at; better to leave than risk dragging their own husbands into trouble.
In a short time the back mountain was empty except for Xia Meng Yan, Zheng Ming Lan, and the half-dead Zheng Jing Nian still inside.
Zheng Ming Lan lunged and screamed as she said: “Xia Meng Yan, how dare you harm my elder brother.”
Xia Meng Yan dodged at once to protect the child in her belly, and Zheng Ming Lan hit the ground hard.
Xia Meng Yan looked down at her and said coldly: “Miss Zheng, you know the truth better than I do. Don’t act like a thief crying to catch a thief. I never offended you. You were the one pushing and pushing. And don’t think you can use the Lin Family to threaten me. My surname is Xia, not Lin.”
Zheng Ming Lan twisted her head up, eyes full of vicious hate, as she said: “Just you wait. The Lin Family cannot cover the sky with one hand in Man Lin City, and the Xia Family cannot do whatever it wants in the Capital. Others may care about the Xia Family, but the Zheng Family does not.”
Xia Meng Yan gave a flat reply as she said: “Is that so? Then I’ll wait.” She had heard every kind of threat in the Capital; Zheng Ming Lan’s words were worth less than a beggar’s.
“You…” Zheng Ming Lan stared as Xia Meng Yan leaned on a maid and left, then pounded the ground in rage.
A Shadow Guard dropped down to help her up, but she slapped his hand away as she said: “Useless things. She ran and you didn’t even notice.”
The Shadow Guard bowed his head and said: “It is this subordinate’s fault. Please punish me, First Miss.”
Zheng Ming Lan watched the direction Xia Meng Yan had gone and said, voice like ice: “Do something for me. Now.”