Chapter 348: Cover-Up

Chapter 348: Shielding Her

The two gazed at each other with deep affection, ignoring everyone around them.

Mu Rongyue snapped out of her shock, wild with jealousy, and cried out in shock and anger: "Your Highness, Second Miss Ji made me switch Princess Ye's answer sheet and frame her for plagiarism."

"She's lying to you. She's not as innocent as she appears. If you marry her, you will surely regret it."

Luo Jingshen's eyes darkened, and he immediately rebuked: "How insolent! The one who switched Princess Ye's answer sheet and hired someone to frame her is clearly you, yet you dare to flip the blame and play the victim."

"How dare a scheming woman like you badmouth my future princess consort?"

"Guards, drag this troublemaker away and give her thirty hard lashes."

Two black-clad guards came to drag Mu Rongyue away, but she fought, slapping their hands away and kicking and punching wildly.

"Get off me! Don't touch me!"

Mu Rongyue shrieked hysterically, pointing at Ji Qingqing, who stood behind Luo Jingshen.

"Your Highness, it's her! It was Ji Qingqing who made me do this! I never meant to frame Princess Ye. She used me! She's the real snake in the grass."

Ji Qingqing's gaze flickered, her long lashes hiding the darkness in her eyes.

When she looked up again, she was back to her usual frail, innocent act, tugging on Luo Jingshen's sleeve and saying: "Your Highness, can I have a word with Third Miss Murong?"

Luo Jingshen pursed his lips slightly, his gaze softening.

"Alright, I've got you. Don't be scared."

Ji Qingqing smiled at him, then stepped forward to face Mu Rongyue, stopping a meter away.

She said: "Third Miss Murong, is there some misunderstanding here?"

"I've been cooped up at the marquis's residence these past few days. I only left once yesterday to cheer on my third brother during his match."

"After that, I came down with an illness and was out cold for a whole day. My mother even called in three imperial physicians to check my pulse and give me acupuncture. The whole marquis's residence saw it. You can ask around and find out."

"I swear I never met you during this time. Maybe you misremembered, or someone set you up, and you got the wrong idea about me?"

Hatred seethed in Mu Rongyue's eyes. The moment Ji Qingqing finished speaking, she lunged at her, trying to claw her face, but was stopped by the two black-clad guards beside her.

Her eyes were bloodshot and wild, and she gritted her teeth and said: "Ji Qingqing, cut the act! You might fool others, but not me!"

"Last night, your maid Cui Liu came to see me herself. She gave me a letter, claiming it was from you, with the prescription in Princess Ye's own handwriting and the things you wanted me to do."

"You said Ji Zihang was out and Ji Yuntang didn't deserve the laureate. As long as I helped get Ji Yuntang disqualified and made her look like a cheater, you'd have your third brother marry me after it was done. Are you really going to deny all of this?"

Ji Qingqing covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked: "Third Miss Murong, what are you talking about? How could I possibly harm my own sister?"

"Her winning the laureate is an honor for our Marquis Yongning's estate. I'd be thrilled, so why would I want her disqualified? And as for my third brother, everyone knows he has two older brothers ahead of him. My eldest and second brothers aren't even married yet, so how could my third brother marry before them? I don't have any say in their marriages either!"

Mu Rongyue was shocked by Ji Qingqing's two-faced act!

She hadn't expected Ji Qingqing to be such a good actress, selling it like it was real.

Seeing that she couldn't reason with Ji Qingqing, Mu Rongyue turned her gaze back to Luo Jingshen.

She figured it was all because Luo Jingshen was backing her.

Without his support, what would Ji Qingqing have to lord over her?

Mu Rongyue shouted: "Your Highness, everything I said is true. You have to believe me. Ji Qingqing is not a good person. Don't let her fool you."

Luo Jingshen's eyes darkened. Whether Ji Qingqing was good or not, he had to protect her now.

He needed the Marquis Yongning's support, and marrying her was a decision he'd made after careful thought.

Besides, it wasn't like he could only ever have one woman.

After marrying her, he could still marry others, couldn't he?

With that in mind, Luo Jingshen's face turned cold as he said to Mu Rongyue: "You have no evidence. Why should I believe you?"

Mu Rongyue froze for a moment. Evidence?

She clearly remembered that when Cui Liu came yesterday, she'd insisted on watching her burn the letter to keep it from leaking!

Where was she supposed to find evidence now?

Mu Rongyue's heart sank to the bottom. It hit her too late that Ji Qingqing had planned everything from the start.

From coming to her for help, to making her steal the Hanlin Academy's sample essays, to burning the letter she'd written.

Every step of the way, she'd been using her.

If this came out, Ji Qingqing could pin all the blame on her and let her take the fall.

Mu Rongyue stood there, dazed. Luo Jingshen gave a slight wave, and the two guards immediately came to grab her.

She snapped out of it and struggled, trying to lunge at Ji Yuntang, but the guards held her down.

"Princess Ye, save me! Please, save me!"

A guard knocked Mu Rongyue out with a chop to the neck and dragged her out.

Ji Yuntang watched coldly, making no move to stop it.

In her eyes, Mu Rongyue had brought this on herself!

Driven by greed, she'd let Ji Qingqing use her and ended up like this.

Hurting others only hurts yourself; she had no one to blame but herself.

The crowd watched, shaking their heads in dismay.

The prestigious Canglang Poetry Talk competition had come to this, and Mu Rongyue had destroyed her own life.

In the crown prince's hands, she was unlikely to end well.

The happiest of all was Ji Qingqing!

The crown prince had publicly proposed to her, and she'd gotten rid of that bitch Mu Rongyue. Ji Qingqing couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Standing next to Luo Jingshen, she shot Ji Yuntang a smug, provoking look.

As if to say: I'm about to be the crown princess. What can you do to compete with me?

Ji Yuntang caught the message in Ji Qingqing's eyes and flipped her off.

Ji Qingqing immediately caught Ji Yuntang's meaning.

Mess with me? You're not even in my league!

She flew into a rage, glaring viciously at Ji Yuntang.

Down below, Xie Liuzheng and Luo Qingge happened to catch the whole thing!

The two of them sat together, and Luo Qingge rolled her eyes at Ji Qingqing.

"Look at her, all high and mighty like a petty nobody who just won the lottery—you'd think she was already the Crown Princess!"

A glint of cunning flashed in Xie Liuzheng's eyes as he leaned in with a mischievous grin and said, "Princess Jiu, want to give her a beating to get some payback for your third sister-in-law?"

Before Luo Qingge could respond, Xie Liuzheng urged further, "Think about it—that scheming little innocent will soon be your second sister-in-law. Once that happens, you won't have a chance to hit her. So why not seize the chance for us to team up..."

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