“Your Excellency, please tell me.” Shao Yanru lowered her eyes and said softly.

Although she was pleading, she looked dignified and scrupulously honest, which made Qiu Yu more convinced that his beloved girl did live up to her reputation as a dignified and decent lady.

He thought her quite a rare good girl, even in private. So he decided not to let Shao Yanru down and told her everything in detail.

He started with the accident, where the Fifth Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion hurried down the mountain but fell into the cliff with her carriage in front of others, and only a maid jumped off the carriage and survived.

However, people went to the lake under the cliff, but only to find that there was no one in the carriage and the Fifth Miss Shao had gone. Later, she and her maid were found on an old tree above the lake. They probably had hung on the tree when jumping out of the carriage. Fortunately, they were fine and just passed out.

It was discovered by the capital yamen runners at first because they happened to go to the foot of the Yuhui Nunnery to catch a villain. However, instead of catching the villain, they discovered such a case related to Duke Xing’s Mansion. Besides, based on the terribly frightened maid’s words, they found that the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion seemed to be the one who set up the Fifth Miss.

The capital yamen official thought the case was out of their administration scope, so he immediately reported it to the Ministry of Justice and it was immediately placed on file.

The Fifth Miss Shao, who had escaped from death in the accident, was picked up by Rui’an Great Elder Princess, who went there after hearing of the accident.

After Shao Yanru heard Qiu Yu’s narration, her face turned a little ashen. She was shocked by the fact that Shao Wanru survived in the accident.

She pulled the handkerchief hard in her hand twice, hid the viciousness in her eyes and thought that Shao Wanru was quite lucky.

“Isn’t the Ministry of Justice in charge of major cases? Now that my Fifth Sister is fine, why did the capital yamen official report it to the Ministry of Justice?” After thinking for a while, Shao Yanru raised her head and asked.

“It’s not supposed to be something serious, but the one reporting the case said that it was related to your mansion and the Fifth Miss would have got killed if she hadn’t been lucky enough. Since the Fifth Miss is a member of the royal family and of a high status, we can’t handle it in a perfunctory manner.”

Qiu Yu answered casually.

Meanwhile, Shao Yanru clenched the handkerchief in her hand with more strength and thought, “A high status? How could he describe a girl growing up outside as a Miss of a high status? It’s so unpleasant to the ear.”

Everyone knew that the lineal eldest daughter in a mansion was of a much higher status than other Misses. Why Shao Wanru was considered a Miss of a high status in Duke Xing’s Mansion?

But now it was not the time to argue about it. Shao Yanru stood up, bowed deeply to Qiu Yu and said, “Thank you, Your Excellency. I’ll report it to my father and grandma after returning. Since my Fifth Sister had such an accident, I should ask my father to find out who intended to set up our Duke Xing’s Mansion.”

Shao Yanru magnified the plot against Shao Wanru to a plot against Duke Xing’s Mansion in an unnoticed way and thus to clear her suspicion.

“First Miss, since you are here, you should have dinner before leaving. How can I let you leave with an empty stomach?” Qiu Yu reached out to stop Shao Yanru from leaving with a smile and said with affection in his eyes. He, who finally got a chance to meet Shao Yanru in private, would not let his beloved girl leave easily.

Shao Yanru frowned and looked displeased. However, thinking that the case was in the charge of the Ministry of Justice, she could not refuse Qiu Yu directly.

As the door was opened, a shop-boy came in with dishes and glanced at the two of them with a smile. They were very close to each other, and Qiu Yu reached out to stop Shao Yanru from leaving. From the shop-boy’s angle, they seemed to be holding hands. The shop-boy involuntarily thought that she was not a decent lady as he expected and didn’t deserve such a ravishing look.

The shop-boy placed the dishes on the table and left with a smile.

Seeing the shop-boy come in, Shao Yanru stepped back and subconsciously avoided Qiu Yu. Qiu Yu didn’t chase after her and stepped aside uneasily.

After the shop-boy left, he invited Shao Yanru back to her seat.

In the autumn, they found the room a little stuffy when the window was close, but felt cool when the window was opened. They could see the street out of the window, and it was lively in the darkness. The lifted curtain enabled their figures to be vaguely seen.

Opposite the restaurant was a jewelry shop composed of two floors, and there was a place for customers to have a rest on the second floor. Several Misses were talking about jewelry there. One of them looked out of the window and asked in astonishment, “Is it the First Miss Shao opposite?”

Their position was facing the window of the restaurant, where the lights were on, so they had a clear view. However, they couldn’t make sure at the moment based on a side face.

“It seems to be her!”

“I think so, too!” Hearing one of them talk about Shao Yanru, the other two Misses also got interested and came over. Although they were not very close to Shao Yanru, they had seen the First Miss Shao, who was known as the first beauty in the capital from a distance.

“Who is that man?”

“Is it the First Young Master Shao?” They shifted their attention from Shao Yanru to Qiu Yu.

“No, the man doesn’t look like the First Young Master Shao!”

“I don’t think so either. Look, the man is so attentive to the lady opposite him that he even picks every dish for her. They don’t look like brother and sister at all!” Another Miss said.

However, she just saw the man’s side face and just felt that he didn’t look like the First Young Master Shao.

Several Misses got interested. They all leaned on the windowsill and pointed at the window of the opposite restaurant, guessing if the lady was the First Miss Shao and who the man was.

Their discussion finally attracted Shao Yanru’s attention. She raised her head and gave a hint to her maid, and her maid hurriedly stepped forward and drew the curtain.

Beside the window opposite the restaurant, several Misses, who were watching the fun, sighed helplessly and sat down. Although their view was blocked, it didn’t prevent them from continuing to talk about it.

The First Miss Shao, a well-known beauty, was meeting a man in private! This was really big news. But was it true? They were not sure, but only felt the lady looked like Shao Yanru.

In the room of the restaurant, Shao Yanru stood up and made her farewells. This time Qiu Yu did not stop her but said that he would inform Shao Yanru immediately if there was any news and asked Shao Yanru to rest assured.

After thanking him politely, Shao Yanru muffled herself in a cloak and went downstairs with her maid.

The shop-boy at the stairs hurriedly took two steps back and got out of the way, while saying politely, “Miss, have a safe trip home. Please come again next time!”

Shao Yanru nodded and hurried down the stairs with her maid. Unexpectedly, there came several strong men, who seemed to be drunk, from downstairs. Four or five of them crowded the foot of the stairs and staggered up, leaving no room for others.

Shao Yanru leaned against the armrest and made way for them, intending to go downstairs after they left.

The four drunk men came up while swaying their arms. When one of them walked past Shao Yanru, he somehow swayed and bumped into Shao Yanru, which made Shao Yanru stagger and almost fall down the stairs. Fortunately, the drunk man reacted quickly, grabbed Shao Yanru’s arm and stopped her from falling down the stairs.

“Little… little beauty, I… I saved you. Why don’t you show me… your face!” The drunk man said and reached out in an attempt to lift Shao Yanru’s cloak.

“How dare you!” The maid behind Shao Yanru got anxious, pushed her way to the front of Shao Yanru and shouted angrily.

“What… what’s going on? I saved her just now… Why does she turn against me… at once?” The drunk man said. Although he seemed to have lost his sobriety, he still kept gripping Shao Yanru’s cloak and looked as if he wouldn’t let Shao Yanru go until he saw her face.

“How dare you! If you dare to touch my master, get ready to lose your hand!” The maid said harshly.

Shao Yanru brought her trusted second-class maid Yanxiao instead of Shuqi or Moyan, who usually followed her for fear that her identity would be exposed because of the company of her personal maid.

“I… I would like to see which mansion such a… tough Miss is from!” Seeing Yanxiao’s stern look, several drunk men burst out laughing. After that, one of them suddenly reached out to lift the hood of Shao Yanru’s cloak and said.

Shao Yanru was so scared that she involuntarily screamed and hurriedly put on her cloak.

“I’m from the Ministry of Justice. Get out of the way! Do you intend to hinder me from handling the affairs of the Ministry of Justice?” Qiu Yu’s cold face appeared at the top of the stairs. He said and stared at the drunk men with his cold eyes.

His claim to handle the affairs of the Ministry of Justice was enough to frighten the drunk men. They couldn’t help stepping back, and Yanxiao hurriedly took Shao Yanru’s hand and ran away.

After they got out and got in the carriage, Shao Yanru felt relieved and gnashed her teeth with hatred. If it weren’t for the fact that she had to conceal her identity during the visit, she would not have spared these reckless drunk men. Fortunately, Qiu Yu showed up and helped her out. Otherwise, she would not be able to leave easily.

“Miss, shall I find out who those drunk men are and send some people to teach them a lesson?” Yanxiao said angrily.

“No!” Shao Yanru shook her head and said with a gloomy face. She couldn’t create side issues at this time, so she had to go back and report it to her mother.

Although Shao Wanru escaped from death in the accident, she was still in a coma. Meanwhile, a terribly scared maid insisted that it was Shao Yanru who set up Shao Wanru. It was a knotty problem, so Shao Yanru thought that she had to take the preemptive opportunity.

When Shao Yanru hurried home to talk it over with Madam of Duke Xing, it was not peaceful either in the courtyard of Young Madam of Duke Yong’s Mansion. At that time, Qin Yuru had held back a trick and specially sent someone to stay in the teahouse to watch over the situation and report it to her. Unexpectedly, the person heard the words of the old maid, who betrayed her.

So the person immediately came back to report it to Qin Yuru in a hurry.

Qin Yuru had lived a hard life in Duke Yong’s Mansion in the past two years, but it endowed her with shrewdness in some respects. On hearing that the old maid defended the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion but actually shifted the blame onto the Qin’s Mansion, she knew that the old maid should work for the First Miss of Duke Xing’s Mansion. She got so furious that she smashed several cups on the table.

The old maid she assigned to serve Old Madam Qin actually worked for Shao Yanru. How could she not be furious?