Chapter 7: This Eldest Miss Tang Is No Ordinary Woman

Tang Rong nervously swallowed, what was Tang Mi planning to say?

Tang Mi didn’t speak right away but instead kowtowed respectfully to the Princess once more. “This humble girl was originally resting at the guest courtyard but ended up encountering something terrible. I was nearly violated. I beg Your Highness to uphold justice for me.”

As soon as Tang Mi said that, the gathered noblewomen erupted into a flurry of shocked voices.

“She was almost violated too? What on earth happened here?”

“Both Eldest and Fourth Miss Tang encountered incidents? Something’s clearly off.”

“Maybe she’s making this up to avoid punishment?”

“I don’t think so. Who would joke about such a thing? She’s still an unmarried young lady.”

The Princess hadn’t expected Tang Mi to make such a claim either. Her face turned stern as she looked at Tang Mi. “Explain everything from the beginning. If there is even a single lie, this palace will not let it slide.”

“I would not dare,” Tang Mi answered, sitting up straight and speaking clearly. “At the banquet, Fourth Sister brought me a bowl of tea. After drinking it, I felt a severe headache and weakness throughout my body…”

Before she could finish, Tang Rong angrily interrupted, “Tang Mi, don’t you slander me! Just because you’re unwell doesn’t mean it was the tea I brought!”

Tang Mi gave her a calm glance. “Fourth Sister, please don’t be so agitated. I’m simply recounting events as Her Highness requested. It’s a fact that I only became ill after drinking the tea you brought. Many people at the banquet saw this, they can testify.”

Tang Rong wanted to shout again, but the Princess cut her off with a cold glare. “Tang Rong, this palace did not give you permission to speak.”

The words “Tang Rong” spoken so formally made her stiffen in fear. She no longer dared to utter another word.

The Princess turned back to Tang Mi. “Continue, Eldest Miss Tang.”

Tang Mi nodded and continued, “Fourth Sister said she would take me to the guest courtyard to rest. At the time, I was so dizzy I could barely walk and had to rely on her support. She brought me to this room. There was incense burning inside, and I soon fell asleep. Later, I vaguely heard a conversation outside, a man and a woman. The man addressed the woman as ‘young lady.’ She instructed him to come in and defile me, saying she wanted all the nobles in the capital to see how debased I truly was. I was terrified. When I heard them about to enter, I dragged my weakened body and escaped through the rear window.”

After hearing Tang Mi’s account, the noblewomen fully understood what had happened. As experienced wives and mothers in noble households, they were no strangers to such schemes.

The implication was clear: the young lady giving those orders had to be none other than Fourth Miss Tang. It all lined up perfectly.

Fourth Miss Tang must have been jealous of Tang Mi, so she drugged her, arranged for a man to enter the room to defile her, and ruin her reputation. But Tang Mi overheard the plan, managed to escape, and the man ended up with Tang Rong instead, leading to her current disgrace.

“What a shameless woman, this Fourth Miss! She even dared harm her own cousin!”

“Thank goodness Eldest Miss was alert. Otherwise, she would’ve been the victim.”

“So young and already so vicious? She deserves what she got!”

“Truly despicable. Clearly her fault, yet she had the gall to slander Eldest Miss Tang!”

Hearing the scolding voices, Tang Rong grew both panicked and furious. She glared at Tang Mi and shouted, “You wretched girl! Who got a man to harm you? Stop framing me!”

Tang Mi looked at her in shocked innocence. “Fourth Sister, I never said it was you. I was only repeating the conversation I overheard, there was no mention of you. But now that you’ve leapt out like this… are you truly innocent, or just exposing your guilty conscience?”

Her expression shifted to one of dawning realization, as if she had uncovered something terrible. “Now that I think about it, everything I experienced today being drugged, brought to this room, nearly assaulted, it was all premeditated. If I hadn’t happened to hear that conversation, I might have been the one ruined today.”

Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at the Princess and choked up. “My father died young. I’ve always conducted myself with utmost propriety, barely leaving the house to avoid bringing shame to my late parents. I’ve tried to live cautiously and righteously. I never imagined someone would go so far to harm me. This person’s heart is too cruel. I beg Your Highness to uphold justice for me!”

She finished her plea and kowtowed again.

Her words moved all the noblewomen deeply.

“How pitiful Eldest Miss Tang is. General Tang was such a valiant hero, and his wife so graceful and elegant. Who could’ve imagined their daughter would be treated like this?”

“General Tang gave his life for the country. Eldest Miss Tang is the child of a national hero. And yet they dare to bully her so?”

“She’s grown up without parents. The Tang estate must be a difficult place for her.”

“That Qin woman and Fourth Miss Tang are truly shameless. Your Highness, you must give Eldest Miss Tang justice!”

The Princess looked steadily at Tang Mi, now understanding her earlier intentions.

This girl was no fool far from it. She had cleverly turned the tables, made her enemies suffer their own trap, distanced herself from the whole setup, and established herself as the true victim.

This Eldest Miss Tang… is no ordinary woman.