USWHC -Chapter 477 In Disarray (Part 7)

“Tomorrow, you must report all of this to His Majesty and let him stand up for you!” Consort Duan said sharply. “Hmph, that wretched woman actually dared to claim my daughter has loose morals and ran off with someone? How is that possible, right?”

“Mother, how could I have run off like that!” Princess Lanyi immediately cried. “I suffered so much grievance and fright—how could they not feel any sympathy for me?”

Consort Duan instantly hugged her tightly, her heart aching. “Exactly, we must make His Majesty truly feel sorry for you!”

But at that moment, the old nanny beside Consort Duan spoke softly, “Your Highness, I’m afraid that may not be appropriate.”

“What do you mean not appropriate? My daughter has suffered!” Consort Duan said unhappily.

The old nanny lowered her voice. “Your Highness, it’s true the princess has been wronged, but this matter also concerns her reputation. Whether the princess was abducted or eloped, rumors will inevitably spread among the people. And once those rumors start, they may be beyond our control.”

After speaking, the nanny’s small eyes flickered toward Princess Lanyi again and again, clearly hinting at something.

Reputation!

Consort Duan broke into a cold sweat. If people misunderstood and thought the princess had lost her chastity, how would her Lanyi ever marry in the future?

“Then what do you suggest? Are we supposed to just swallow this humiliation?” Consort Duan said, clearly displeased. She was not someone who would endure such indignity quietly.

The old nanny sighed faintly. “I’m afraid the other side wants to make a bigger issue of this. If Your Highness plays along, the humiliation to come will only just be beginning.”

“I’m a princess—would they really dare to humiliate me?” Princess Lanyi snapped.

“Your Highness, if they show concern for you, would you accept it?” the old nanny said. “If you claim you were abducted, they might ‘care’ for your body in all sorts of ways. At best, they’d summon a matron to examine you. At worst…” She paused, then continued in a low voice, “you might no longer be considered pure.”

“How could that be? I am clearly pure!” Princess Lanyi retorted proudly.

“Such things… with a few tricks done in secret, even if you know the truth yourself, no one else would believe you,” the old nanny said with a sigh.

Consort Duan, having fought her way through palace intrigues for years, had seen plenty of such dirty schemes. She immediately nodded. “Right. We must not let them examine her.”

After a moment, she sighed again. “Then are we just going to let this go?”

“Not necessarily,” the old nanny said with a smile. “We can turn a big matter into a small one, and a small one into nothing. Simply speak of how wronged you’ve been. When His Majesty hears it, how could he not feel pity? And if the Empress dares to press further at that time, she will only earn His Majesty’s displeasure.”

“Earn His Majesty’s displeasure?” Consort Duan let out a sly laugh. “Exactly—stones aren’t pierced in a day, and dams don’t collapse in a single moment.”

“Mother, then what should I say to His Majesty?” Princess Lanyi asked softly.

Consort Duan immediately looked toward the old nanny, who continued, “Your Highness, just say that while admiring the scenery, you accidentally fell off a cliff.”

“Ah? I fell off a cliff?” Princess Lanyi asked, confused.

“Yes. If the princess is injured, how could His Majesty not feel heartache?” the old nanny replied seriously.

“But according to that story, how did I end up at the outskirts of the city?” Princess Lanyi asked, puzzled. “This lie doesn’t quite add up.”

The old nanny answered, “You walked there. The princess lost her sense of direction and kept moving forward, eventually reaching the outskirts on foot. Fortunately, you encountered Commander Zhao, which is how you made it back.”

“You’re sure one can walk from behind the mountain to the outskirts?” Consort Duan asked skeptically.

“I’m not sure—but neither is the Empress. And His Majesty certainly wouldn’t know. Since that’s the case, if the princess insists she walked there, what’s the problem?” the old nanny said confidently.

“But I didn’t meet anyone along the way?” Princess Lanyi still hesitated.

“No. The princess was frightened and deliberately avoided people,” the old nanny said ingratiatingly.

Consort Duan and Princess Lanyi exchanged a glance. It seemed they both felt the lie was now perfectly crafted.