Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Crown Prince, Shen Ningning Has Been Found

Qin Fangmei was stunned. "Are you all crazy? You dare to throw me out? Believe it or not, I’ll have my uncle-in-law come and deal with you!"

She had never paid this bunch of villagers any mind.

Because she had Landlord Du’s backing, Qin Fangmei had considered herself a young lady of some standing since she was a child.

But she never expected that these villagers, who were usually afraid of offending her, would actually dare to drive her away!

The old village chief’s voice was stern. "Your father borrowed Silver to buy rice and used your village house as collateral!"

"Now he can’t pay it back, so the house belongs to us."

Qin Fangmei couldn’t believe her ears.

"What about my mother? She would never stand by and let you steal our house!"

Sister-in-law Liu let out a derisive snort.

"You haven’t heard, have you? The wicked things your parents did have been exposed."

"They threw your grandmother out on the mountain to fend for herself, then spewed a bunch of lies to try and slander Ningning."

"Luckily, the heavens are just. The County Magistrate himself gave the order to throw your parents in jail. They’re even going to be caned!"

Qin Fangmei collapsed onto the ground.

Her face was pale with fright. "How is that possible? My uncle-in-law didn’t tell me!"

The villagers all started talking at once, mocking her—

"What good would it do even if Landlord Du told you? The one who gave the order was the County Magistrate!"

"Your family bullied Ningning so viciously, but I bet you never imagined she was the County Magistrate’s benefactor, did you?"

"The house isn’t yours anymore, and Xiangyun Village doesn’t welcome the Qins!"

As everyone chimed in, Qin Fangmei finally understood.

’So Shen Ningning was the one who caused my parents to offend the County Magistrate and get thrown in jail!’

’Not only that, but she took advantage of my family being gone to claim our house for herself!’

Qin Fangmei’s fingernails dug into her palms, her whole body trembling with anger.

Just then, the old village chief gave a meaningful look.

Sister-in-law Liu and another village woman shoved Qin Fangmei directly.

They threw her out forcefully.

"Oof!" Qin Fangmei got a mouthful of dirt.

She scrambled up, crying and shouting resentfully, "You bunch of paupers, just you wait! Shen Ningning is a disaster star! You’ll all die with her sooner or later!"

The moment the words left her mouth, the village chief’s grandson, Deng Fugui, shot a pebble at her with his slingshot.

The pebble hit Qin Fangmei in the stomach, and she immediately doubled over in pain.

Deng Fugui shouted, "Don’t you dare say bad things about Little Wolf Sister!"

The villagers joined in, shouting for Qin Fangmei to get as far away as possible.

Seeing how riled up they were, as if they wanted to strangle her just for badmouthing Shen Ningning, a frightened Qin Fangmei stumbled away in her escape.

In this situation, her only option was to return to her uncle-in-law Landlord Du’s home.

But how could Qin Fangmei be resigned to this?

As she followed the mountain path, she wiped her tears and muttered curses against Shen Ningning.

Just then.

The sound of hoofbeats, CLIP-CLOP, grew closer.

Qin Fangmei looked up to see a man who looked like a guard dismount and walk over to her.

For a moment, she felt a thrill of excitement.

’Could it be? Did my uncle-in-law send this guard to pick me up?’

But to her surprise, when the guard saw her, his first words were, "Are you from Xiangyun Village?"

Qin Fangmei was suspicious. "Yes, I am. Why?"

The guard clasped his hands and asked, "Excuse me, is there a little girl in your village with the surname Shen and the given name Ningning?"

Qin Fangmei’s eyes widened.

’Shen Ningning again?!’

Seeing her silence, the guard pressed on.

"About four or five years old, with fair skin and round, dark eyes." He was repeating the Crown Prince’s own description.

However, as soon as the guard finished speaking, Qin Fangmei flew into a rage.

She shrieked hysterically, "She’s dead! She’s dead!"

The guard frowned, asking urgently, "Are you telling the truth?"

"Shen Ningning was taken away by a pack of wolves, lost her footing and fell off a cliff! Nothing was left of her body! If you don’t believe me, you can go look at the bottom of the cliff yourself!"

After saying her piece, Qin Fangmei shoved the guard aside and left.

What she said was, of course, the vicious curse she wished upon Shen Ningning in her heart.

The guard, however, was stunned.

’Living with a wolf pack—that detail matches!’

The Crown Prince had sent hundreds of guards to search the area around Wolf Mountain for this little girl.

’We finally found her!’

’But it turns out to be terrible news!’

This was a major issue. He had to report it to the Crown Prince at once.

The guard immediately galloped back to the palace.

「Meanwhile.」

Inside and out, Zichen Palace, where the Crown Prince resided, was immaculate.

The faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted through the hall.

Mo Lingwei was leaning back in his chair, resting with his eyes closed.

The eunuch who served him personally ran in from outside, his tone panicked.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, we’ve found her!"

Mo Lingwei’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately stood up.

"Where is she?"

The eunuch dropped to his knees at Mo Lingwei’s feet, his voice trembling. "She... she’s dead."

The hall fell silent for an instant!

Suddenly!

Mo Lingwei seized the Chief Eunuch by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"What did you say?" His voice was devoid of any emotion.

Yet, his eyes were a deep, chilling black.

Like the heavy, dark clouds of a winter storm, promising the crushing force of a thousand thunderbolts!

The eunuch’s legs went weak with fear. "The guard reported that Miss Shen is from Xiangyun Village. The investigation found that she lived in the forest with a wolf pack, but she accidentally fell from a cliff... and has perished."

Mo Lingwei froze.

’She’s dead?’

’So that’s why the wolf pack was no longer living in the same place.’

’So that’s why the spring dried up.’

’It’s all because she’s gone.’

’No...’

’Something is amiss.’

He had spent several days with Shen Ningning and knew that both she and her grandmother had been driven out by their family.

If she had been living in the mountains the whole time, how would the people in the village know she had fallen off a cliff?

One question after another surfaced in his mind.

Mo Lingwei strode out of the hall and said coldly, "Where is the guard? Bring him to the main hall. I will question him myself."

The eunuch quickly led the way.

「At that moment.」

Shen Ningning had already arrived at the private school in Guangyang County.

The County Magistrate had already made the arrangements.

Mr. Zheng, a man over forty, was waiting at the entrance with two Attendant Students to welcome Shen Ningning.

The weather was scorching, and he was drenched in sweat, constantly wiping his face, which was flushed red.

Seeing Shen Ningning, he hurried forward to greet her.

"Miss Shen, our school isn’t very large. The main classes are held in the South Garden and the North Garden. Given your age, you’ll be fine attending classes in the South Garden."

"We started a new class this spring, so they’ve already had a head start on etiquette and rites."

"But don’t worry, Miss Shen. I will privately tutor you on the material you’ve missed."

Shen Ningning was wearing a prim, goose-yellow dress, with two yellow silk ribbons tied to the buns on either side of her head.

She looked both playful and adorable.

She followed alongside Mr. Zheng, blinking her big eyes and saying obediently, "Thank you, Teacher."

The little one imitated the bowing gesture she had just seen, bending and clasping her hands. She looked like a fluffy little flower taking a bow.

A smile immediately filled Mr. Zheng’s round, plump face.

"You’ll need to come to the school for lessons every two days. You don’t have to return home during that time; you can live here at the school."

"Therefore, I’ve arranged for Miss Shen’s quarters to be in a special room in the East Garden."

A "special room" meant a private room.

Ordinary students usually shared a room with one other person.

But since the County Magistrate had personally given the instructions, Shen Ningning’s treatment naturally had to be the best.

The little one didn’t understand what a "special room" was, however.

She just saw that Mr. Zheng’s face was very red and couldn’t help but say, "Teacher, you seem very hot. Why don’t you sit down and rest for a bit?"

Mr. Zheng waved his hand, panting heavily. "I’m fine, just a little dizzy..."

The moment he finished speaking, his large body fell backward with a THUD.

He landed right on his bottom on the long stone bench under the corridor.