Chapter 251

Chapter 251: Who Was Embarrassed

A noble lady shouted, “Princess Qing Ning, how could you treat a human life so lightly?”

Another accused, “Miss Meng was just telling us she felt sorry toward you. If we had known you couldn’t tolerate her, she never should have returned with Qi Shi Zi. Who knew you would be this vicious!”

Someone snapped, “It’s not just that you couldn’t tolerate her becoming a concubine. You couldn’t even tolerate her being alive!”

Voices rose one after another, and the hall turned into a mess.

Sheng Zhi Wan was not moved in the slightest. Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes swept over every face as she said, “What a pity. I didn’t push her with my hands. I kicked her with my foot. Could it be that all of you were blind and didn’t see clearly?”

After that blunt mockery, the Princess Consort’s eyes flashed with shock. “Qing Ning, are you serious? Miss Meng falling into the water – you did that?”

Sheng Zhi Wan turned her head and looked straight at the Princess Consort with eyes as dark as jade. “Princess Consort didn’t want me to admit it?”

The Princess Consort’s gaze reflexively avoided hers.

The Princess Consort knew Ming Jia only wanted to make Qing Ning suffer, but the Princess Consort did not expect it to blow up this badly, almost taking a life.

Since Ming Jia had brought this “Miss Meng” here, the “falling into the water” scene must have been arranged by Ming Jia as well.

The Princess Consort sighed in her heart. Fine. Qing Ning was a princess. Compared to Ming Jia marrying into the Eastern Palace, this bit of grievance was nothing.

At worst, the Princess Consort would be more thoughtful with the holiday gifts she sent to Qing Ning later, and treat Qing Ning even better.

While the Princess Consort was thinking this, Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice carried through the air with a chill beneath its smile.

“But you all guessed wrong. I didn’t kick her because of a man. There are thousands upon thousands of men in the world. Even without a Qi Shu Xian, I could still have a consort.”

Sheng Zhi Wan paused.

Then Sheng Zhi Wan looked at Ming Jia’s face, which was still full of malice, and said slowly, one word at a time, “I kicked her because she said Commandery Princess Ming Jia was not Princess Consort’s daughter. I got angry, so I kicked her into the water.”

“What?” The surroundings fell dead silent.

Then, in the next instant, the silence shattered into chaos.

Ming Jia was the first to jump up. “Sheng Zhi Wan, what nonsense are you spewing? I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

The Princess Consort’s anger followed immediately. “Qing Ning! Don’t you dare speak nonsense! Ming Jia was born after I carried her for ten months. How could she not be my daughter?”

Others cried out as well, “Exactly!”

Another voice snapped, “Princess Qing Ning, even if you want to lie, you should have some limit!”

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “I also thought she was lying, but now…”

Sheng Zhi Wan bent down and grabbed Meng Yang by the hair, pulling it aside to reveal the red mark behind Meng Yang’s right ear. “Now I discovered that Commandery Princess Ming Jia does not have the red mole behind the right ear that all Lian Family women have, but Meng Yang does.”

Sheng Zhi Wan lifted her gaze to the Princess Consort.

The Princess Consort’s voice stopped abruptly.

Like a chicken with its throat squeezed tight, the Princess Consort stared at the spot behind Meng Yang’s right ear in disbelief.

Ming Jia let out a sharp scream and lunged at Meng Yang. “Impossible! How could this be!”

Ming Jia clawed at Meng Yang’s hair.

The more Ming Jia tore at it, the clearer it became.

The Princess Consort stood rigid, but the Princess Consort saw everything clearly. The color, the size… that birthmark… that birthmark was exactly the same as the one the Princess Consort had, the one the Princess Consort’s mother had, the one her sisters had.

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke softly, “I once read a medical book. Some birthmarks can be inherited for generations, like Old Madam Lian, like you, like your sisters, and like your sisters’ children.”

Sheng Zhi Wan continued, her voice still quiet, “Every one of them has that birthmark, yet only Commandery Princess Ming Jia does not. Princess Consort, don’t you find that strange?”

Each word was light, yet it landed in the Princess Consort’s heart like stones.

The Princess Consort backed away step by step.

Ming Jia tore herself away from Meng Yang and lunged at Sheng Zhi Wan like a madwoman. “You’re lying! Shut up! Even if this Commandery Princess doesn’t have a birthmark, so what? This Commandery Princess is Mother’s daughter! I am!”

Ming Jia was crazed, her eyes fierce enough to want to rip Sheng Zhi Wan apart.

Yet Liu Shang easily restrained Ming Jia.

Ming Jia tried to scream again.

The Princess Consort suddenly let out a piercing cry.

Ming Jia whipped her head around and saw her mother rush toward the still-unconscious Meng Yang. “Wake up! Someone, hurry! Save her! I order you – wake her up!”

The Princess Consort’s voice sounded as if it were breaking.

Ming Jia froze in place.

Several old servant women crowded around and fumbled through a chaotic attempt to revive Meng Yang.

Only then did Sheng Zhi Wan walk slowly to Ming Jia’s side and say, “Ming Jia, you wanted to use Meng Yang to embarrass me. You didn’t expect it, did you? Now tell me – who was embarrassed?”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s tone stayed calm. “If you hadn’t tried to scheme against me, I truly wouldn’t have wanted to meddle in your affairs. But you had to provoke me.”

Sheng Zhi Wan lowered her voice. “You even brought Meng Yang here to humiliate me. Heh. Fate really cannot be defied.”

Only Ming Jia heard those words.

Ming Jia’s whole body trembled.

Even now, Ming Jia still did not understand how things had reached this point.

Ming Jia really was not the Princess Consort’s daughter. Ming Jia had learned this secret ten years ago, but the only woman who knew the truth had long since died of illness.

So why – why was that child, who should have been dead, still alive?

And why had Ming Jia personally brought her into the Prince Huai Residence?

Ming Jia’s knees went weak, and Ming Jia almost collapsed to the ground.

At that moment, Meng Yang finally woke up.

Seeing the chaos around her, Meng Yang tried to speak, but before Meng Yang could say a word, the Princess Consort pulled Meng Yang into a tight embrace.

Meng Yang froze.

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Miss Meng should perhaps thank me for helping you find your birth mother.”

“What?” Meng Yang stared in shock.

Meng Yang knew the person holding her was the Princess Consort, but… her birth mother?

What did that mean?