Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I raised an eyebrow.

The owner of this bracelet was Commandery Princess Minghui, a woman who could not tolerate any maidservant around her being better-looking than herself.

If any woman dared to be more beautiful than her, that person was bound to suffer.

Those she could kill, she killed; those she couldn’t, she isolated and suppressed, ensuring they would never dare appear before her eyes again.

Consequently, at any gathering she attended, the ladies never dared to stand out, each dressing themselves as plainly as possible.

During a banquet, Commandery Princess Minghui had fallen in love with Gu Qinglan at first sight. Upon learning that Gu Qinglan held Su Qianyu in high regard, she teamed up with Su Mengyao to frame Su Qianyu.

If Su Qianyu really knelt, the Princess wouldn’t just let her go; she would only redouble the humiliation, crushing her both physically and mentally.

Su Qianyu likely understood the stakes as well.

She took a deep breath and said calmly, “Fine. Since that’s the case, let’s take this to court. If I really just broke this bracelet, why are there traces of bone glue at the fracture? Or is it that your shop actually sells fake goods reinforced with glue specifically to defraud customers?”

She picked up the bracelet, showing the bone glue at the break to the crowd.

An uproar ensued as the onlookers began to point fingers and condemn the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper tried to defend himself, his face flushed with panic, but Su Qianyu countered him methodically.

I knew some of the plot, but not in such detail.

I only knew that Su Qianyu would win against this slander, dealt a heavy blow to Su Mengyao and the others, and gained Gu Qinglan’s favor. I hadn’t realized it would happen in such a spectacular fashion.

She was beautiful, intelligent, and exceptionally talented, yet the path she walked was no different from my Empress Mother’s-both existed merely as accessories to the male lead.

Empress Mother was bound by the System’s requirements, while Su Qianyu was bound by societal expectations.

Everyone believed that their way of proving themselves was to stand beside the strongest men in the world. But why couldn’t she become a powerhouse herself?

Once Su Qianyu had seized total control of the situation and held the upper hand, I slowly began to clap and gave an order to the guards beside me.

“Seize all of these people and take them to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Ask the Governor to handle this impartially.”

“As for her…” I pointed my finger at Su Mengyao. “Thirty strokes of the cane. Carry out the sentence immediately.”

Su Mengyao was scared out of her wits.

“Princess? Greetings, Princess! This daughter of a subject does not know what wrong she has committed. I beg the Princess to enlighten me.”

“This jade bracelet belongs to Commandery Princess Minghui. No matter how poor she might be, she would never put her jewelry up for consignment. Today’s events are clearly a case of you stealing the Commandery Princess’s bracelet and conspiring with the shopkeeper to frame your elder sister. Is This Princess’s reason for punishing you sufficient?”

I flicked my sleeve and sat down in a horseshoe armchair in the center of the hall, nonchalantly watching the weeping, pathetic Su Mengyao kneeling on the ground, a slight curve at the corner of my lips.

Su Mengyao was terrified; she shook her head violently, tears and snot streaming down her face.

“No, I didn’t steal it! I am innocent! I truly didn’t know the truth of the matter! I beg the Princess for mercy, please spare me!”

“Sister, save me! Mother is still waiting for us to go home together. Are you really going to watch me die and do nothing?”

“I just misunderstood you, I didn’t do it on purpose! Waaaah…”

She cried pitifully.

Su Qianyu’s face was grim.

I watched with interest to see if she could see things clearly.

If she couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, then I would have to ditch her and work alone.

Fortunately, the female lead was the female lead after all.

She said coldly, “You truly knew nothing? I didn’t even want to look at that bracelet; it was you who insisted on shoving it into my hand. Before I even had a firm grip, you let go and bumped into me, causing the bracelet to fall. The moment it broke, you immediately demanded I pay for it. This was clearly a trap you designed against me; every step you took was meant to drive me into a corner. I will not harm you, but I will not help you either. Everything is for the Princess to decide. The Princess is wise; she will not wrong an innocent person, nor will she let a villain go free!”

Good!

I liked this female lead.

In the original plot, she was framed time and again, fighting back each time to prove her ability while winning the male lead’s admiration.

But how much was the male lead’s admiration actually worth?

Moreover, the villains kept jumping up again and again, endlessly.

Why let a grasshopper jump so high repeatedly?

If you can crush it once and for all, don’t do it in two turns.

I said coldly, “Beat her!”