Upon hearing this, Count Jingwen turned pale with fright, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. He hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Highness, what is the meaning of this? This subject holds not the slightest disrespect toward Your Highness! I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"
Song Xiuyuan let out a cold laugh, his gaze sharp as ice as he stared straight at the Count, articulating each word clearly: "Last time, I personally stated that the Third Miss encountered and saved my life in Lin'an Alley. Why, then, is your Count's Estate still spreading rumors outside that the Third Miss was kidnapped? Are you, Count Jingwen, deaf and senile that you could not hear and forgot, or do you think my life—is utterly worthless?"
The Count's pupils contracted, all the color draining from his face. The terror and confusion in his eyes as he looked at Prince Jing were palpable. "Your Highness, there is no such thing! Given Your Highness's noble status, the Count's Estate considers it the utmost honor to be able to do even the smallest thing for Your Highness! Your golden words are engraved upon this subject's heart; I would never dare violate them, let alone—" His voice trembled slightly as he raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. "Yingzhi is my own flesh and blood, and she is the legitimate Third Miss of the Count's Estate. As her father, how could I spread rumors to slander my own biological daughter? This matter must be the work of someone maliciously slandering…
Chapter 20