frightfiction Chapter 137 Lying
Chapter 137 Lying
His brow furrowed slightly as he carefully recalled what had happened that day.
The one who truly amazed him was Qiao Qingshu, the eldest daughter of the Qiao family; she was a stunning beauty.
Which of the three girls was hit by the car?
The image of a short, plain-looking face gradually appeared in the prince's mind.
This face was really unremarkable, extremely bland, with rough skin and vulgar features. If it weren't for the fact that she was dressed decently, he would have thought she was a maid from the Qiao family.
He did bump into the third young lady, but the guards beside her immediately helped her up, and she was not injured.
He didn't even bother to look at it and just walked away.
Why is this third young lady writing letters now?
Upon opening the thick envelope and reading only two or three lines, a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
He thought to himself, "What an arrogant and shameless bastard! He actually sent me, the Crown Prince, a love letter. What a shameless thing!"
He flung the stack of papers away like trash, scattering them across the ground.
Cui Mei stared wide-eyed at the scene in shock, her mouth agape, unsure of what to say.
The Crown Prince glanced at Cui Mei with disgust, and said with obvious disdain,
"You have disturbed my peaceful night! Drag him away and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"
Startled by the explosive rebuke, Cui Mei's legs went weak, and she collapsed to her knees with a thud, her body trembling uncontrollably.
The prince, embracing the prostitutes, chuckled and went straight back to his residence, slamming the gate shut behind him.
The dim light came from the lanterns at the entrance of the Crown Prince's residence, casting shadows on several sheets of paper covered with writing on the ground, making them look rather comical.
Qiao Qingle waited all night but Cui Mei didn't come back.
He was so angry that he started cursing in the house early in the morning.
"That brat must have received a reward from the Crown Prince and gone off to have some fun somewhere. When she gets back, I'll give her a good slap to teach her a lesson!"
Just as she was getting angry, a commotion suddenly broke out outside, so Qiao Qingle got up and went out.
Then they saw Cui Mei being carried in by a servant, covered in blood, her face pale and weak.
Qiao Qingle frowned and rushed over to ask,
"What happened? How did it get like this?"
The servant who was supporting Cui Mei said,
"Third Miss, Cui Mei was brought back by a kind person on the roadside. It is said that Cui Mei was beaten and covered in blood, lying paralyzed in the alley in front of the Crown Prince's Mansion. If Cui Mei hadn't called out the name of our Marquis's Mansion and promised the person some money, how would they have brought her back?"
Qiao Qingle frowned, her face full of disgust. She patted Cui Mei's weak face and said unhappily,
"Weren't you sent to deliver a message? Why were you beaten? Did you say something wrong?"
Cui Mei was already badly beaten and didn't even have the strength to speak. If she hadn't been brought back, she probably would have frozen to death in the alleyway of the Crown Prince's residence.
She had originally thought that returning to the Marquis's mansion would bring her some care and medical treatment, but her own daughter was still questioning her.
She felt a chill in her heart, but still answered honestly.
“I said everything exactly as you instructed, Miss, without uttering a single extra word.”
Qiao Qingle sized up Cui Mei, then curled her lip in disdain.
"That's because you're ugly, and the Crown Prince beat you up because you're an eyesore."
Cui Mei weakly raised her head and looked at her master with an incredulous expression.
She worked tirelessly for her master, yet her master still mocked and ridiculed her even after she had suffered such a serious injury.
She felt both angry and aggrieved, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.
Upon seeing her cry, Qiao Qingle found her even more annoying.
He shouted,
"Why are you crying? It's just some superficial injuries, what's there to cry about?"
"Did you give the letter to the Crown Prince? Did the Crown Prince say anything? What was his expression when he saw the letter?"
Cui Mei lowered her head and sobbed, lost in her own sorrow, and did not answer these questions.
Seeing that Cui Mei was only crying and not speaking, Qiao Qingle angrily pinched the tender flesh on the inside of Cui Mei's arm hard.
"Speak up! I'm asking you a question!"
Qiao Qingle was very anxious. She had been waiting since last night, and after waiting all night, she was still anxiously waiting for a response.
He was going crazy. Now that Cui Mei wasn't saying anything, he was determined to pry her mouth open immediately.
Cui Mei screamed with her head thrown back as she was being pinched. Her screams were so pitiful that even the old women and servants who were helping her couldn't bear to hear them.
"Third Miss, Cui Mei is seriously injured. Let's call a doctor to take a look first, and then we can ask her questions slowly after she is healed."
"Yes, Third Miss, Cui Mei can barely stand. Let us take her back first."
Qiao Qingle is young but has a bad temper. She usually acts well-behaved in front of her elders, but she is extremely arrogant and domineering in her own courtyard.
Seeing that the servants were all speaking up for Cui Mei, she pinched Cui Mei harder and harder, even pinching her cheek.
She glared and angrily rebuked him.
"Speak! I'll let you go rest if you talk!"
"If you don't talk, you're in for another beating!"
Cui Mei closed her eyes in despair. Others might not know the nature of her mistress, but how could she, her personal maid, not know it?
Qiao Qingle has an impulsive and impatient personality. If things don't go her way, she'll definitely make sure everyone else is in a bad mood.
She sighed deeply and answered in a barely audible voice,
"The Crown Prince received the letter and read a few lines..."
Cui Mei was suddenly stunned. If she told Qiao Qingle the truth now, she would know that the Crown Prince had become furious after reading just a few lines of the letter, threw it all away, and looked at her with disgust.
If I tell the truth, Qiao Qingle will definitely go crazy and take her anger out on me. How can I live like this?
Now that she is so weak that she can't even stand up, Cui Mei knows that she must find a doctor as soon as possible, otherwise her life will be in danger.
She glanced at Qiao Qingle and decided to buy herself some time to see a doctor.
Qiao Qingle was clearly very anxious, tugging at her sleeve and saying,
"Tell me quickly! What was the Crown Prince's reaction when he saw the letter?!"
Cui Mei forced a weak smile.
"The Crown Prince was overjoyed, his face beaming with happiness."
Qiao Qingle clapped her hands and shouted foolishly.
“That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful! I knew the Crown Prince would be very happy. How could he not be happy that I’m willing to marry him?”
But his joy quickly turned cold, and he stared at Cui Mei, puzzled.
"So what happened to you? How did you get beaten up like this?"
Once Cui Mei told the first lie, she was about to tell a second.
“What you say is right, it was my fault. I said the wrong thing. The Crown Prince was quite happy at first, but I angered him and that’s why he gave me a beating.”
Qiao Qingle believed this without question and gave Cui Mei a disdainful look.
"I should have sent someone else instead. What a fool to have displeased the Crown Prince!"
Cui Mei nodded, knowing that she absolutely could not refute him at this moment.
As expected, Qiao Qingle didn't make things difficult for her anymore. Instead, she waved her hand with a happy smile and said casually,
"Take her away and let her rest."