The butler wailed as the board hit on him. “The butler is just a servant. How dare he be so arrogant and smear the crown prince?”
“The guards found that the butler actually is the nephew of Noble Consort Lan’s wet nurse,” Ouyang Shaochen replied blandly.
Upon hearing that, Murong Xue thought of something. Noble Consort Lan? Wasn’t she the mother of Gong Qianze? Her wet nurse and wet nurse’s nephew naturally took refuge in Gong Qianze and helped him set Gong Qianyu up.
The strategy of doing evil deeds to frame someone seemed simple, but very effective. The ancients attached great importance to their reputation. The prince who oppressed his people and stirred up hatred naturally gained more support of people than the lord who was gentle and empathetic.
Gong Qianze did whatever it took to get the throne. How despicable and unscrupulous he was!
“Fortunately, you have returned to capital in advance. Otherwise, you are to be despised by people, like rats crossing the street.” Murong Xue looked at Gong Qianyu, her eyes flashing with sympathy.
Gong Qianyu had always known Gong Qianze’s hostility towards him, but he did not expect that Gong Qianze would set him up in such a despicable way.
“Starting today, I won’t give Gong Qianze any chance to manipulate me again,” Gong Qianyu continued. Since Gong Qianze wanted to levy war on him, he would fight. He would kill all spies beside him and killing the butler was just the first step.
A guard stepped forward and said respectfully, “Your Highness, Minister He has delivered the verdict of returning the butler’s embezzlement to the Prince Mansion. Shall we transfer it back to the mansion?”
“Alright.” Gong Qianyu nodded and looked up at Murong Xue. “You can go to my Mansion with me and stay there.”
“No, thanks.” Murong Xue smiled and shook her head. On the one hand, they belonged to Qingyan. Qingyan and Nanjiang were at war. On the other hand, Gong Qianze kept a close watch on them. If they went to the Prince Mansion, they would get into trouble.
Gong Qianyu said with disappointment, “Then where are you gonna stay? An inn?”
“When I traveled to the capital of Nanjiang earlier, I bought a house in the suburb,” Ouyang Shaochen said blandly. He had asked servants to clean the house and he could move in at any time.
Upon hearing that, Gong Qianyu looked down with disappointment. With his eyes fixed on Murong Xue, he said, “Then remember to visit me when you are free.”
“Okay.” Murong Xue nodded, her cold eyes flashing with a smile. Ouyang Shaochen held her by the arm and helped her into the carriage. “Let’s go.”
Then Ouyang Shaochen also got into the carriage and put down the curtain immediately.
The carriage drove forward slowly while the scenery on both sides moved backwards. Murong Xue frowned and said with anger, “Why do we leave in such a hurry though it’s still early?”
“Although the house is cleaned well, it has been unoccupied for many years. Without decoration, we can’t stay there. Now it is 5:00 p.m., so we have to go there and get everything set up. Otherwise, we’ll have to stay in an inn,” Ouyang Shaochen answered, with almost a sneer.
Murong Xue’s small face sank. She had never been to that house. How did she know the house should be decorated? It was wicked of Ouyang Shaochen to say to her like that.
Suddenly, a crisp barking made its way to her ears. Murong Xue reacted, “Why does this sound so familiar? Just like Beibei’s barking!”
She drew the curtain and looked out of the window. She saw a puppy running fast in the crowd. It had black eyes and snow-white hair which fluttered in the wind. It was as cute as Beibei.
“Beibei!” Murong Xue called out in a voice as soft as breeze.
The puppy stopped suddenly. Following the sound, it looked up at Murong Xue with a gleam in its eyes. Then it ran over to Murong Xue.
It startled Murong Xue that the dog was really Beibei. “Stop, stop now.”
The driver was stunned, not knowing what happened. With a sudden pull on the reins, the hurrying horse stopped steadily.
Murong Xue lifted the curtain. Beibei plunged into her arms with its little head touching her clothes affectionately.
Murong Xue gently tapped it on the head. “How did you get here?” Before she left for Lord Freedom’s Mansion, she placed Beibei in the Duke’s Mansion and asked Hongxiu to take care of it. Why was it here?
It must be that it felt lonely without its owners around it. That’s why it found them by following the smell.
Thinking of that, Murong Xue gently gave it a squeeze, only to find that Beibei was all skin and bones. She could tell that this small animal hadn’t been eating proper meals for at least half a month. What a pitiful little dog!
As Murong Xue stroked her dog, there was an upsurge of noise. “Go, find it! Don’t let that snow-white puppy run away,” someone was shouting.
A large group of maids and manservants rushed over, anxiously looking for Beibei. When they saw Beibei that was in Murong Xue’s arms, their eyes lit up. “Here, here, the little white dog is here.”
Murong Xue frowned and gave Beibei a pat on the head, saying, “Did you wreak havoc again?”
Beibei barked again. It pleaded that it didn’t cause any trouble. It just ran past the doorway of a noble mansion. Unexpectedly, such a large group of people suddenly emerged from the mansion and chased it in hope of catching it.
A middle-aged maid ran over to Murong Xue first and looked at the snow-white puppy who was in Murong Xue’s arms. “Thank you, girl. This is the dog in our mansion. Please give it to me and I have to take it back.”
Upon hearing that, Murong Xue frowned. What did she mean? Beibei was given to her by Ouyang Shaochen.
“Sorry, this dog is mine,” Murong Xue said.
“I am afraid it is not yours,” the maid said. “This dog is cute with snow-white hair and black eyes. Obviously, it belongs to my master.”