Chapter 46: Chapter 46: By Order of the Crown Prince, Escorting Shen Ningning to the Palace
Mr. Huang also had doubts.
He had personally witnessed Shen Ningning suddenly appear before him, claiming an Attendant Student had summoned her.
He tried to recall if the statue of the Rain Goddess was already missing at that point.
But he couldn’t remember, no matter how hard he tried.
He only remembered that after returning to his room, he’d found errors in the scriptures Lu Shaoyuan had submitted and had called him over to point them out.
Thus, Mr. Huang could only be certain of one thing: the statue of the Rain Goddess was still there when he woke up this morning.
He couldn’t be sure about what happened after that.
When Mr. Huang remained silent, Lan Qian stepped forward.
"Mr. Huang, it’s very likely Shen Ningning saw how valuable the statue was and decided to steal it."
"What makes you so sure it was me?" Shen Ningning retorted forcefully.
Lan Qian stared at her. "Because you come from a lowly background! Because your family is poor!"
"You’re just an orphan from Xiangyun Village in the mountains. You only got the chance to study at our academy because you happened to save the County Magistrate."
"You act so generous all the time, deliberately creating this image of having a good family background. You’re just afraid everyone will find out the truth, aren’t you?"
"All those things you bring are surely bought with the silver the County Magistrate gave you!"
"Shen Ningning, you’re so shameless! Spending someone else’s charity money while pretending to be some rich young miss at the academy!"
Shen Ningning clenched her small fists, her watery eyes dark with anger.
"I never said I was from a wealthy family! I share food with everyone because my grandmother taught me to share!"
All of her classmates stared at Shen Ningning in shock.
It was true. She had never said her family was well-off, nor had she ever boasted about her parents.
Everyone had just assumed. Seeing her fair and neat appearance, and how she always brought piles of delicious food, they had all thought she was the daughter of a high-ranking official.
Lan Qian sneered. "Then do you dare to admit that you’re just an orphan, that you live in the mountains with just your grandmother?"
Lu Shaoyuan angrily rebuked, "Have you said enough?! Even if this is all true, she would never steal."
The last thing Lan Qian wanted was to hear Lu Shaoyuan defending Shen Ningning.
"Brother Shao Yuan, how much do you really know about her? No matter what, the statue of the Rain Goddess was found in her room!"
Just as Shen Ningning was about to speak, Mr. Huang cut in sternly. "That’s enough! Not another word from anyone!"
His gaze was grave as it swept over Shen Ningning’s and Lan Qian’s faces.
"Now that the statue of the Rain God has been found, have someone deliver it to the County Magistrate immediately. We mustn’t miss the auspicious time for the Emperor’s rain-praying ceremony at the altar."
Just then, however, an Attendant Student came running in, panicked.
"Mr. Huang, this is terrible! There are a lot of constables at the gate!"
A trace of smugness flashed through Lan Qian’s eyes.
She glanced at Shen Ningning. "As soon as I heard the Rain God’s statue was missing, I had my maidservant report it to the government."
"This is a serious matter. Mr. Huang should just hand Shen Ningning over to the government for a thorough investigation!"
This time, even if Mr. Huang wanted to cover for Shen Ningning, she wouldn’t give him the chance!
With County Magistrate Fu Yuansong away, wasn’t her father, the Blue Chief Clerk, the one calling the shots in all of Guangyang County?
The last time Lan Qian went home, she had her mother tell her father that she was being bullied at the academy!
Her mother had told her father to stand up for her and make Shen Ningning suffer!
The man in the lead wasn’t Chief Wang, but a fierce and menacing-looking man.
"Mr. Huang, we’ll be taking this student with us. We’ll bring her back once the investigation is complete."
As soon as he finished speaking, two constables stepped forward and grabbed Shen Ningning’s small hands, one on each side.
"Mr. Huang!" Shen Ningning cried out anxiously. "I’m being framed!"
Mr. Huang frowned slightly and couldn’t help but say to the arrest officer, "There may be a misunderstanding here."
"I just remembered. I’m the one who accidentally gave the statue of the Rain Goddess to Student Shen to admire and keep for me. I simply forgot to get it back. This is my fault."
"There’s no need to take her away. I will be sure to admonish her privately."
Shen Ningning was surprised. She hadn’t expected Mr. Huang to come up with such an excuse to protect her.
But the fiendish-looking arrest officer was having none of it.
"Nonsense! This concerns the prayer for rain! How can a mere teacher like you explain this away with a few words?"
"We must take her back for a proper interrogation. Take her away!"
The constables dragged Shen Ningning forward.
The little one struggled. "Let go of me!"
Lu Shaoyuan blocked the doorway. "You can’t take her!"
Lan Qian grabbed Lu Shaoyuan and yanked him aside.
"Quickly take the suspect away!" she shouted.
Shen Ningning was too small and weak to resist and was forcibly dragged away.
Lu Shaoyuan couldn’t break free from Lan Qian’s grip. In his desperation, he kicked her squarely in the chest.
"Get out of the way!"
"Oof!" Lan Qian stumbled from the kick, crashing into a table.
Lu Shaoyuan immediately dashed outside, only to see the struggling Shen Ningning being thrown onto a horse.
The constables galloped away toward the government office.
Lu Shaoyuan gritted his teeth, thinking quickly.
’I’m alone and powerless; I can’t just storm the government office and rescue her.’
Just then, his attendant, who had been waiting at the academy gate, hurried over. "Young Master, what happened?"
Lu Shaoyuan immediately ordered, "Bring the carriage around! We’re going to the capital! I have to find my grandfather!"
His carriage quickly left the academy.
Not long after, Chen Shaobei arrived with a squad of soldiers on fast horses.
He had finally found out where Shen Ningning was studying.
He had been delayed by other matters ever since Mo Lingwei told him about her.
He had gone straight to Xiangyun Village this morning, but the villagers only knew that she had gone to the city to study; they didn’t know which academy.
There were four counties in the area, but luckily, Chen Shaobei managed to learn that her studies had been arranged by Fu Yuansong, the County Magistrate of Guangyang County.
So he rode directly to Guangyang County.
When he arrived at the gate, he saw the students inside, every one of them looking alarmed and uneasy.
Mr. Huang rushed out the door, saw where Shen Ningning had been taken, and cried out, "This is bad!"
He immediately called to an Attendant Student. "Quick, go into the city and send a message to the Lord County Magistrate!"
Chen Shaobei saw their frantic state and didn’t know what had happened.
He still stepped forward, cupped his fist in his hand, and inquired politely, "Pardon me, is there a young girl here named Shen Ningning?"
Mr. Huang snapped out of his panic and looked at him uneasily. "Sir, why are you looking for her?"
Chen Shaobei explained in a solemn voice: "By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, I am to escort Miss Shen to the palace for an audience."
The Crown Prince!?
Everyone in the academy turned pale with shock.
Mr. Huang’s lips trembled. "The government just forcibly took her away."
Chen Shaobei’s expression changed, his eyes turning razor-sharp. "The government? Why did they take her?"
Mr. Huang hurriedly explained the matter clearly.
Chen Shaobei’s brows furrowed deeply.
’Who could this Shen Ningning have offended?’
With no time to think further, he cupped his fist in thanks, then immediately swung himself onto his horse.
He ordered a soldier, "Immediately go to the Heavenly Temple to find His Highness the Crown Prince and inform him of the situation."
「Meanwhile.」
Shen Ningning was taken to the government office and directly locked into a pitch-black, filthy, and foul-smelling prison cell.
BAM—
The cell door was locked.
Shen Ningning’s watery eyes stared intently at the prison guard.
He dangled the keys. "Little girl, don’t bother crying about how you’ve been wronged. Since you’re a pretty one, I’ll tell you the truth: now that you’re in here, you can forget about ever getting out. What did you expect for offending someone important?"
