After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

The old woman had already walked up to Xie Xing and was about to grab Xie Xing's arm with her large hand.

Xie Xingcai will not obediently accept punishment.

She turned and ran.

Madam Xie's eyes widened, her chest heaving with anger. She never expected that this rebellious daughter would dare to run away!

"Thank you, Xing!"

Madam Xie slammed her hand on the table, making a loud bang. "You try to escape!"

While dodging the nanny's attempts to catch him, Xie Xing turned to look at Madam Xie and said, "My mother is being unreasonable, so naturally I won't obediently accept the punishment!"

Madam Xie was so angry she nearly fell over: "You, you!"

"Fine, you spoiled country bumpkin, you're no good!"

Xie Xing was infuriating: "That still came from your belly, a mother doesn't dislike her child for being ugly."

"You despise your own daughter; you're not a good mother!"

Madam Xie: “…”

Her face flushed red with anger, and her finger trembled as she pointed at Xie Xing: "You, you unfilial daughter!"

"Granny, bring out the family discipline! I'm going to teach this rebellious girl a lesson today!"

"What matter warrants resorting to family discipline?"

Just then, a low shout rang out.

Xie Xing turned around and saw that it was Crown Prince Luo Cheng'an, Third Prince Luo Qingyun, Xie Ansheng, and Xie Yuhe.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince, Lady Xie's anger vanished, and she quickly rose to her feet and bowed, saying, "This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Three Princes."

Xie Mingzhu also bowed gently, saying, "Mingzhu greets His Highness the Crown Prince and the Three Princes."

Xie Xing followed suit and bowed.

Xie Ansheng glared at Madam Xie with a cold face: "What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?"

Madam Xie blushed and explained, "Xing'er is ignorant of manners, and I want to discipline her so that she won't be ignorant of etiquette after marrying into the Third Prince's mansion."

Xie Xing kept his head down and didn't say anything.

But in his heart he was thinking: "He says he's teaching me manners, but he just wants to beat me up."

Xie Yuhe, who could hear her thoughts, twitched his lips.

She, on the other hand, felt wronged.

Mingzhu was imprisoned in the Shenxing Division for three days before she felt wronged.

Xie Yuhe said gently, "Mother, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Third Prince came here today specifically to see Mingzhu."

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingzhu looked at Luo Cheng'an with tears welling up in her eyes: "Your Highness..."

That continuous, melodious cry, coupled with that pale and fragile face, truly conveyed an expression of extreme grievance.

Luo Cheng'an felt a pang of anxiety and instinctively took two steps forward, but then, remembering their current identities, he froze in place. After a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, "Mingzhu has been wronged."

Why did Prince Jin imprison you in the Censorate?

The prince frowned.

The Crown Prince was aware that Mingzhu and Princess De'an had been imprisoned in the Shenxing Division, and he had even considered rescuing Mingzhu.

However, Prince Jin was determined to imprison Mingzhu in the Imperial Prison for three days, and even when they went to see their father, the emperor avoided them.

Luo Chengan felt there was something wrong with this.

Xie Mingzhu's face paled at the thought of the Censorate.

She lowered her eyes, tears streaming down her face: "Perhaps Mingzhu offended Prince Jin, which is why he was so furious that he imprisoned me in the Censorate."

“Prince Jin is not the kind of person who acts so haphazardly,” Luo Cheng’an retorted instinctively.

"Mingzhu, tell me clearly, what exactly happened that day?"

Xie Mingzhu bit her lip.

She glanced subtly at Xie Xing, who was standing to the side.

Xie Xing was playing with his fingers with his head down.

She pursed her lips and said calmly, "When the princess heard that my sister was getting close to Prince Jin, she was furious and attacked her."

“When I went up to stop him, Prince Jin supported his sister and instead imprisoned me and the princess in the Shenxing Division.”

Xie Mingzhu's words were very clever; they both stated what had happened at the time and subtly implied that the relationship between Prince Jin and Xie Xing was unclear.

If Xie Xing hadn't been engaged, this wouldn't have been a big deal. But now, Xie Xing is engaged to the Third Prince Luo Qingyun and they will be married in a month. Yet, Prince Jin is standing up for Xie Xing, which makes it hard not to have some doubts.

Even though Luo Qingyun disliked Xie Xing, she still felt like she was being cuckolded.

His expression was somewhat grim. "Xie Xing, what do you want to say?"

Xie Yuhe's expression changed slightly.

He frowned, looking at Xie Mingzhu with a hint of disapproval in his eyes.

What exactly is Mingzhu saying?

Even if Xie Xing and Prince Jin have something going on, they shouldn't say it in front of the three princes. What good will it do Xie Xing if her reputation is ruined?

Xie Yuhe sighed inwardly, assuming that Mingzhu was just being stubborn.

He said, "Prince Jin has always been unpredictable. Perhaps he disliked Mingzhu and took the opportunity to punish her under the pretext of Xing'er."

Luo Cheng'an felt that this statement was incorrect.

What could Xie Mingzhu and Prince Jin possibly have in common?

Will Prince Jin disapprove of this?

Luo Cheng'an snorted coldly: "Then Princess De'an's claim that Prince Jin and Xie Xing are close was also just a rumor?"

His imposing gaze fixed on Xie Xing, and he said coldly, "You are now the daughter of the General of the State, and when you go out, you represent the identity of the General of the State."

"If you still uphold some womanly virtues and know some of the precepts for women, you should know that a married woman should keep her distance from men outside the marriage to avoid misunderstandings."

The meaning behind these words is simply to tell Xie Xing to stay away from Jun Lanjin.

Xie Xing nodded obediently: "Your Highness is right. Xing'er will listen to Your Highness."

Seeing how obedient and well-behaved she was, Luo Cheng'an's expression softened slightly.

But before he could catch his breath, he heard Xie Xing's soft voice again.

She looked up, her clear eyes meeting Luo Cheng'an's: "But the reason I followed Prince Jin was to repay the life-saving grace. My brother was there too."

As she spoke, she tilted her head to look at Xie Yuhe: "Big brother, you agreed to it back then, didn't you?"

Xie Yuhe nodded: "I sent Mingzhu and Xingxing to Prince Jin's residence together."

Xie Xing smiled sweetly upon hearing this: "I had no prior connection with Prince Jin."

"Then, where did Princess De'an hear these rumors from?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Mingzhu suddenly looked up, her autumn eyes glistening with tears, "What do you mean, little sister?"

Is my sister blaming me?

Her body trembled slightly, and she covered her lips with her slender hand: "Yes, I know that I have taken over my sister's identity, which makes my sister always dislike me."

"All the mistakes are my fault."

"Sister, you're blaming me!"

After Xie Mingzhu finished speaking, she turned around and tried to run away.

Xie Xing wouldn't let her run away.

She reached out and grabbed Xie Mingzhu's wrist, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling as she said, "Sister Mingzhu has indeed taken my place; I'm sorry to you."

"But whether she is the daughter of the General Who Protects the Nation or not is not up to me to decide."

“We are talking about the matter of Princess De’an hitting me first, and then you pleading for Princess De’an.”

"Since you've always felt sorry for me, why don't you mention at all that I was whipped by Princess De'an? You pretended not to see it and instead pleaded for Princess De'an?"

Xie Xing's questions struck Xie Mingzhu's heart: "Sister Mingzhu has always been so kind, so why can't you be kinder to your sister who has taken over your status?"