Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 861 - 859_1

Chapter 861: Chapter 859_1

Gong Zixuan was furious at these words. If he truly allowed Gong Qinghua to bring others into his prince mansion for a search, where would he put his honor?

Could he still hold his head high before the officials ever again?

But if he forcefully refused to let him conduct the search, even his own father, the emperor, might suspect that he himself stole the hundreds of thousands of bushels of food.

Gong Zixuan didn’t speak for a moment, rapidly thinking of a solution in his heart.

"What’s the matter, Crown Prince? Don’t tell me you’re deliberately stalling for time so you can move those supplies?"

"Isn’t your dog’s nose very sharp? If those food supplies have been moved, wouldn’t your dog be able to trace them?" Xiao’er couldn’t help but retort sarcastically upon hearing these words.

The corner of Gong Qinghua’s mouth twitched. "Your dog’s nose"... was that referring to his own nose being like that of a dog, or to his wolfdog’s nose?

He had just recently realized that Rui’an County’s sarcasm was utterly ruthless! And her words were so artful that it was impossible to grasp hold of any accusations against her.

Gong Qinghua pretended not to hear and looked at Gong Zixuan, saying, "Crown Prince, if you continue to obstruct my inspection, then I have no choice but to report this to the Emperor and have him issue a decree endorsing the search!"

This was an unadorned threat!

His words hardly showed any regard for his status as the Crown Prince!

Gong Zixuan was so angered that his face turned pale!

This trouble was instigated by Xiao’er. If she and Shangguan Xuanyi had not come to visit Shangguan Wanru today, then the wolfdogs wouldn’t have gathered and barked outside the Prince’s Mansion.

She is the one who caused the commotion, so of course she should help out in resolving it. Therefore, Xiao’er stepped forward, "Second Prince, you speak in such grand tones. According to you, the Nangong Emperor just does as you dictate, and issues any decree you want!"

This statement served as a covert jab that Gong Qinghua deemed himself superior to the Emperor! This was akin to him disrespecting the Nangong Emperor! It was tantamount to his outright rebellion!

Gong Qinghua was being driven to the edge of insanity by this! Despite his deliberate attempts to avoid her, she kept coming to him, was she specifically picking on him!

Gong Qinghua swallowed his anger, looked at Xiao’er, and gave a sardonic smile, "Princess Rui’an, don’t spew vitriol! Besides, this is an internal affair of our Nangong Country. You are not the princess consort of Nangong, aren’t you meddling too much?"

"Princess Rui! You should address her as Princess Rui!" said Shangguan Xuanyi, suddenly breaking his silence.

Gong Qinghua was momentarily stunned then cursed inwardly: Are this couple diseased! Both of them completely out of tune! Is this the time to discuss titles?!

"Don’t forget that the Crown Princess of your Nangong Country is the princess of our Minze Country. Today, we came to visit our princess and happened to see your bullying behavior. You have brought this upon yourself! Aren’t the maternal relatives supposed to step in?"

"I’m only acting on imperial orders. Hundreds of thousands of bushels of food, affecting the entire Nangong Nation’s food and clothing. The Crown Prince should set a good example and be the first one to step forward and accept the inspection! Princess Rui’an, to say I am bullying, your words are too harsh!"

Xiao’er clapped her hands upon hearing this, "Well said! In that case, as the second prince and the brother of the crown prince, you should also follow the crown prince’s lead and submit to his inspection! Crown Prince Nangong, the second prince wants to inspect your Prince Mansion. You should also take your men to inspect the second Prince’s Mansion now. You two princes setting a good example will assure other officials to follow suite! I am sure that if every household of the entire Nangong Country is inspected, the hundreds of thousands of bushels of food will surely be found!"

Gong Zixuan glanced at Xiao’er: the Princess Rui of Minze country is indeed wise and intelligent, she solved his dilemma with just a few words! He and his second prince brother setting an example would mean all civil and military officials, and all households, would have to undergo a check, which would solve the issue of one party suppressing the other!

"The food that has disappeared is mine! Why should I be inspected?!" Gong Qinghua scoffed at Xiao’er’s words.

Xiao’er looked at Gong Qinghua as if he was an idiot. "Don’t you get it? It’s because we don’t trust you. We’re afraid you’ll cry thief to cover your theft! What if you purposely claim that you’ve lost hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain and then frame the Crown Prince? After all, these dogs are yours, and only you can understand your dogs’ barking. Who couldn’t you frame?"

"You..." Gong Qinghua pointed at Xiao’er, unable to get the words out. Thankfully, his heart was strong, otherwise, this irritation would absolutely have given him a heart attack! They could turn black into white!

"What, me? In the morning, you stormed into the post station and accused me and my husband of stealing those hundreds of thousands of bushels of grain. When you couldn’t produce evidence, you came to the prince’s mansion in the afternoon claiming the grain was hidden there! Isn’t this framing and entrapment?"

Gong Qinghua was a man skilled in manipulation. He didn’t excel in verbal disputes or raucous confrontations like this, so he was momentarily stunned and unable to respond to Xiao’er!

Wait, to call Xiao’er a shrew would be unfair - there are no such beautiful shrews. But her disdainful look and righteous tone were enough to infuriate anyone. Looking at Xiao’er’s shimmering eyes and the smug look on her face, Gong Qinghua experienced a mix of emotions. If she were his wife, how wonderful it would be to mock others together!

Shangguan Xuanyi was also looking at Xiao’er, full of tenderness and admiration. His wife always had the knack for infuriating people to death!

"Why is the Second Prince suddenly so quiet? Did I strike a nerve? Are you afraid to let the Crown Prince search your house?"

Gong Qinghua knew if he didn’t agree, and this matter reached his father the king’s ears, it would stoke his suspicions yet again! With a father who was so paranoid, life could be terribly difficult.

He stared intently at Xiao’er before finally turning to Gong Zixuan. "Crown Prince, go ahead and search. Let’s see if I’m crying wolf."

"The Second Prince can also go in and inspect, to see if I’ve stolen your grain. Just remember that the Crown Princess is pregnant. Please don’t alarm her with your men and dogs, otherwise, I will not spare you!" Gong Qinghua had given ground. As the Crown Prince and his elder brother, of course, he had to step forward graciously and allow the search!

There was no choice. Their father was naturally suspicious. If he didn’t agree to the search, it would probably arouse his father’s doubts, making his life difficult indeed!

Having a father who was overly suspicious meant treading carefully and the lifestyle was really unbearable!

One has to say, at this moment, the two brothers surprisingly shared the same mindset!

"Crown Prince Nangong, you take people to search the Second Prince’s mansion. I will accompany the Crown Princess to ensure her safety," said Xiao’er.

Crown Prince Nangong felt relieved after Xiao’er’s assurance. "Thank you, I will remember your kindness."

Xiao’er waved her hand dismissively. After all, she had caused this matter and was merely taking responsibility for the troubles she had brewed.

Xiao’er looked at Gong Qinghua, "Second Prince, please proceed! Also, be careful not to break anything. If anything gets damaged, you’ll have to compensate!" After she finished speaking, she took Shangguan Xuanyi’s hand and went inside to inform Shangguan Wanru.

Gong Zixuan took his men to search the Second Prince’s mansion. Gong Qinghua glanced at Xiao’er, then led his wolfdog and soldiers into the Crown Prince’s mansion.

And the result—naturally, they found nothing!

Gong Qinghua reluctantly called back his troops. He looked at the dogs not understanding why they had stopped barking.

Shangguan Wanru looked at Gong Qinghua’s frustrated face and cheered, "Second Prince, have a safe journey, no need for farewells!"

Gong Qinghua left with a dark face.

Without finding those grains, he had no idea how to clear his name!

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