Lu Qingyan raised her chin slightly and looked at Pei Hengyu, not a single trace of fear in her eyes.
"The Empress Dowager cherishes Princess Wenhui, and this concubine holds her dear as well," she said. "In daily life, I am always afraid the servants might neglect her, so I often come to look after her. Unintentionally, when I came yesterday and stayed talking for a while, I dropped the hair pin bestowed by Your Majesty here in Qiushuang Studio. I cherish Your Majesty's gifts beyond measure, so I wanted to ask the Princess to help me find it. To my utter surprise, I discovered that Princess Yuehua was harboring a man in secret, violating the rules of the palace. Fearing that gossip would spread and damage Princess Wenhui's reputation, I intended to detain them and have someone report the matter for Your Majesty to handle."
"Oh?" Pei Hengyu looked straight at Lu Qingyan. His past gentleness had completely vanished; his starry eyes carried a dangerous, oppressive weight. "Imperial Noble Consort Shu says Princess Yuehua was meeting a man in secret. Does the Princess admit to this?"
Chapter 51