Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 1131 - 1128_1

Chapter 1131: Chapter 1128_1

Zhiwen and Zhiwu heard Xiao’er’s voice and guessed that the person had been rescued and should no longer be disheveled. They stepped back out, prompting everyone else to follow suit out of curiosity about the commotion.

Seeing Liu Zhiwen appear, Fang Wanping viewed him as her savior: "Young Master Liu, considering that I once saved your life, could you take me as your concubine? I understand my humble status would not qualify me to be your wife, but you could take me as your concubine. If even you won’t save me, I’d rather end my own life!"

This plea put Liu Zhiwen in a difficult position: "Miss Fang, my family comes from a simple farming background; we don’t abide by the custom of taking concubines. If I dared to do so, my mother would undoubtedly cast me out!"

If he dared to marry Fang Wanping, his mother, Mrs. Liu, would indeed disown him. Moreover, after their many encounters, he had come to see Fang Wanping’s true character clearly and no longer believed that she had saved his life in the past.

Fang Wanping was disappointed after hearing this.

"Are you really not going to save me?" she asked.

Mrs. Fang couldn’t hold back her anger at Liu Zhiwen: "You ungrateful man, what a waste of all the sage books you’ve read! How could you turn a blind eye to someone’s plight? If it weren’t for Wanping saving your life, you’d be nothing but a pile of loess by now! Even if you do pass the civil service examination, you are a man who forgets the good done to him. As an official, you’re sure to harm the very people you’re supposed to protect. You’re unfit to be a public servant!"

If he refused to marry her daughter, she would ruin his reputation in front of his peers, ruining his chances of becoming an official.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiwu was outraged. What kind of people had they encountered? They were utterly malicious!

By this time, Jinghao had also returned to the sightseeing boat. Hearing what Mrs. Fang said, he interjected: "As far as Miss Fang’s favor to my cousin is concerned, he has already repaid her. There’s no need for Mrs. Fang to bring this up again and again! Don’t you understand the principle of acknowledging a favor without seeking a return? Besides, I was by my cousin’s side at that time. If Miss Fang hadn’t interfered, my cousin wouldn’t have been in danger!"

Xiao’er’s expression grew cold as she listened to Mrs. Fang’s words. It seemed they wouldn’t behave until they faced dire consequences.

She turned her gaze to the nanny on the boat: "Just now, I saw from the other boat that the two young ladies who fell into the water were arguing. Miss Fang was slapped by this lady, then bumped onto the guardrail of the sightseeing boat. When she hit the guardrail, it didn’t break. She didn’t fall into the water. Why then, she deliberately kicked the guardrail hard and it broke, causing her to fall into the water.

Immediately after, my two younger brothers, kind-hearted as they are, went to check what happened in a hurry, but this lady deliberately pulled at one of them, and they both fell into the water! My little brothers can’t swim! I have reasonable suspicion that the people on your boat colluded to deliberately plot to make my brothers fall into the water. This is attempted murder, how should we settle this?"

The nanny was stunned by what Xiao’er, whom she had initially mistaken for a fairy, had to say. Her accusation was too serious. Premeditated murder?! And the victims were Princess Rui’s younger brothers?! That was a capital offense!

"Princess Rui, could this be a misunderstanding? It was dark, perhaps you saw wrongly?" She couldn’t admit that the ladies on her boat had intentionally tried to murder them.

"Is the nanny suggesting that I, the princess, am deliberately framing them?" Upon hearing this, Xiao’er shot the nanny a calm look.

Feeling a jolt of fear, the nanny quickly lowered her head: "This servant dares not."

"You are indeed framing us!" Fang Wanping quickly protested once she heard what Xiao’er had said.

How did their situation escalate to them being accused of attempted murder?

"Yes, we did have an argument because she stole my hairpin. I slapped her, causing her to fall into the river. Indeed, two young gentlemen came to save us. In my haste, I tried to grab one of them to ask for help, but slipped and fell, inadvertently pulling both of them into the river. It was truly an accident. Please discern the truth, Princess Rui!" The other lady who had fallen into the water with Fang Wanping was Zhang Yanqing. Hearing Xiao’er’s words, she too grew fearful.

Being accused of the attempted murder of Princess Rui’s brothers was a serious crime!

"Whether it’s a misunderstanding or a false accusation can be easily verified!" After saying this, Xiao’er walked towards the spot where they had fallen into the water.

Seeing this, the nanny and everyone else quickly followed.

Fang Wanping and Mrs. Fang felt their hearts in their throats: never in their wildest dreams did they think that Princess Rui would slap the charge of attempted murder on them out of the blue!

Having just been released from jail, were they to be thrown back into the same predicament?

Xiao’er arrived at the spot where they had fallen off the sightseeing boat. She observed an oil slick on the corridor of the boat, then bent down to closely examine the broken guardrail.

Seeing this, Yang Liu quickly held Xiao’er: "Princess, be careful you don’t fall into the river."

"No worries." Xiao’er glanced at the broken edge of the guardrail, spotting some wormholes and yellow powder at the fracture site.

The nanny also leaned over to take a peek, then let out a sigh of relief: "Princess Rui, it seems we’ve had a misunderstanding. The ladies really did fall into the river by accident. I did not expect that termites had infested the sightseeing boat’s guardrail, causing so many people to fall into the water. I have failed in my duties. The accident shouldn’t be categorized as attempted murder, should it?"

An accident is subject to compensation, whereas intentional murder would earn them a trip to jail!

Fang Wanping chuckled coldly, her head bowed. Did they think it was easy to catch her off guard? When she discovered that the guardrail was infested with termites, she planned to use the opportunity to her benefit. She was merely waiting for the right chance!

"Even if the guardrail had been gnawed by termites, who’s to say she hadn’t noticed the infestation and used it to her advantage? I personally saw her bump into the guardrail, which remained intact. She should not have fallen into the water, but she forcefully kicked the guardrail which then broke, causing her to fall.

How do you explain the pool of oil on the floor? This is peanut oil. Is the boat’s kitchen located on this level, causing a servant to accidentally spill the oil? I suspect someone purposely spilled the oil here to facilitate a slip!" Xiao’er stood erect after saying this.

It was time to deal with this mother-daughter duo persistently creating trouble. Any allowance on her part would only harm others in the long run. Seeing how they refused to repent, it was best that they return to jail for reform.

"This..." The nanny was at a loss for words. Why was there oil on the second floor of the sightseeing boat when everyone knew that even if the boat did have a small kitchen, it would only be located on the bottom deck?

"This must’ve been because someone accidentally spilled oil from a lamp! Princess Rui, I know you’ve been suspicious of me, but I’m not the person you think I am," Fang Wanping explained.

Hearing this, Xiao’er sneered inwardly: who was she trying to fool?

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.