Something Is Off About This

Aunt Leah was never one for subtlety. She still wanted to stick around and watch the drama unfold, but Mrs. Yuan dragged her away.

The rest of the crowd, sensing the tension, left with various expressions, leaving only Grace Wan and her sister-in-law Serena Leng (Wan Baolu's mother).

...

"Sister, how did this happen? Why are Baolu and Kenneth..." Serena Leng looked confused, though there was a hint of excitement in her eyes.

She and Bella Wan were clearly on the same wavelength.

Kenneth Lawrence was a much better catch.

Grace Wan slowly turned, radiating fury as she glared at the door. "Come. Out. Here. Now!"

The door swung open, and Kenneth Lawrence stepped out.

Grace Wan stormed forward and slapped Kenneth Lawrence hard across the face, making him stumble. "What on earth is going on here? Why were you in that room? Huh?"

Kenneth Lawrence looked utterly lost. "I think... I really did drink too much... I was so out of it at the time."

"How could you be 'out of it' at a time like this?" Grace Wan threatened to hit him again.

But Serena Leng, feeling protective of her son-in-law, stepped in front of Kenneth Lawrence. "Don't blame Kenneth just yet! Something's off here! Why is Princess Xinyao perfectly fine? And where did Jason Zhuo go?"

Grace Wan snapped out of her shock, her mind gradually clearing.

That's right!

Something's not right!

This whole thing is off!

What on earth is going on?

Was it the medicine, or is someone playing tricks?

"It has to be Chloe Zhu!" Grace Wan said through gritted teeth. "She was just with the princess—it's definitely her!"

"Sister, now's not the time to focus on that. What should we do next?" Serena Leng asked.

Grace Wan forced herself to calm down, thought for a moment, and instructed them, "No matter what, you two know nothing. Just say Jason Zhuo and Chloe Zhu teamed up to set you up. That's our story..."

Kenneth Lawrence and Serena Leng both nodded repeatedly...

Once she finished giving instructions, Grace Wan hurried off.

With things as they were, she had to handle the aftermath.

First, she needed to get her hands on the evidence.

That wine jug...

Second, she had to make sure everyone who witnessed this kept their mouths shut!

As for the doctor and his apprentice, she'd threaten and intimidate them: if a single word got out, they'd wish they were dead!

But Aunt Leah and Mrs. Yuan... obviously, she couldn't threaten them.

She could only beg them not to breathe a word of this to anyone.

And then there were all those servants and guards...

Heavens! With so many people, how could she possibly keep the lid on this?

She couldn't keep it under wraps!

Why did she have to bring so many people along?

Grace Wan walked along, nearly on the verge of a breakdown several times.

But she managed to hold it together, kept her cool, and returned to the banquet hall, where she finally got her hands on that wine jug.

...

The guests gradually left. Chloe Zhu and Maya Summers escorted the princess back to the palace.

The matriarch and Minister Zhuo waited with grim faces, ready for Grace Wan and her son to report.

Grace Wan walked over, dropped to her knees, and cried out in grievance: "Mother, Prime Minister, Kenneth's been framed! You have to help him!"

"Framed? How? By whom?" the matriarch asked.

"Someone drugged the wine! Kenneth drank it and lost his senses, and then..." Grace Wan had someone bring out the wine jug. "Mother, Prime Minister, there's something wrong with this wine!"

"Yes, that's right! Chloe Zhu was the one who poured me the wine—it had to be her who drugged it!" Kenneth Lawrence added.

"Second Brother, Chloe Zhu was by your side the whole time, pouring wine. If she really drugged it, why were you the only one affected? No one else had any problems." Jason Zhuo said from the side. "Besides, you were clearly drunk—I was the one who helped you to the garden!"