Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The young girl asked two questions in a row, and the system answered the first one in order: "Yes, it’s a strange coincidence that both died on the same day."

Shen Zhinuo’s brow furrowed deeply, increasingly feeling that this was a huge conspiracy. Otherwise, how could everything be so coincidental?

Seeing that the Princess did not speak, the system continued to answer the second question: "Let's talk about Qing Shuang. After she heard from others that her Princess had passed away, she couldn't believe it and didn't want to believe it. She rushed back in a frenzy to see, only to find the two nannies kneeling by the bed, weeping uncontrollably, repeatedly calling out 'Princess.'"

"Qing Shuang's legs went weak, and she couldn't even stand, but she refused to give up. She crawled to the bedside and found that her Princess had indeed passed away, without even leaving a word."

Princess Lanzhen listened with growing anxiety, tightly gripping her daughter's hand. Princess Huayue felt the pain but didn't make a sound, leaning against her mother.

Shen Zhinuo: "Didn’t the Princess’s manor have a court physician? Wasn’t there any attempt to save her?"

System: "They tried to save her, but it was unsuccessful."

Princess Lanzhen’s expression hardened.

Could it be that one of those two nannies took advantage of Qing Shuang's absence to harm her daughter?

But that shouldn’t be the case. Since she left those two nannies to take care of her daughter, she must have trusted them.

At her age, she couldn’t have misjudged the people around her, could she?

Shen Zhinuo sighed inwardly, not knowing what to say for the moment.

The system continued: "The house steward of the Princess’s manor dispatched a messenger on horseback to inform Princess Lanzhen outside the city. However, on her way back, Princess Lanzhen learned that your father had been demoted and your family sentenced to exile, so she altered her course to pursue you, missing the messenger."

"She hurriedly met with your family, then rushed to the palace to plead for mercy. After all the turmoil, she returned to the manor only to find that she had missed her daughter's final moments, leaving her devastated."

Shen Zhinuo: "With so many things happening one after another, didn’t my aunt notice anything unusual?"

System: "She did. When she brought Princess Huayue back from the estate, Princess Lanzhen already suspected that someone might be intentionally harming her daughter. She had secretly ordered the manor guards to investigate, but nothing was found for the time being."

"During that period, Princess Lanzhen was completely devoted to her daughter, both physically and mentally exhausted. Additionally, some incidents occurred in the Princess’s manor, leaving her overwhelmed. Since the guards found nothing, she lacked the strength to delve deeper."

"By the time frequent changes occurred and your family was also in trouble, she realized something was wrong, but it was already too late. Everything that was supposed to happen had already happened."

"She was busy arranging the funeral while also working tirelessly for your family, so she didn’t have time to investigate carefully."

"Later, after Princess Huayue was buried, Princess Lanzhen promptly set out to rejoin your family."

Seeing that the system had been talking for so long without mentioning Qing Shuang’s cause of death, Shen Zhinuo pressed: "What about Qing Shuang?"

System: "After Princess Lanzhen clarified the events surrounding her daughter’s death, she held no grudge against Qing Shuang. However, Qing Shuang was consumed by guilt, always feeling that if she hadn’t left her Princess’s side, her Princess might not have died."

Shen Zhinuo: "Why did Qing Shuang think that? Did she know something?"

System: "She didn’t. After Princess Huayue and Fei Xue passed away simultaneously, she was engulfed in sorrow but still managed to serve by Princess Lanzhen’s side until both were buried. Only then did she collapse and faint. Princess Lanzhen, moved by her sincerity, gave her some silver coins and had her parents take her home to recover."

"After returning home, Qing Shuang languished in a daze, lying in bed and crying, unable to stop reliving the events repeatedly in her mind."

"The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and the more she became convinced that her Princess and her close friend had been harmed."

"She couldn’t bear to remain idle. She wrote down all her suspicions and then wrote a letter to her family and Princess Lanzhen, hiding them under her pillow. Then, she went alone to the Xue family’s estate outside the city."

Shen Zhinuo: "Did Qing Shuang go to investigate?"

System: "Yes, she went to investigate. But she never returned, vanishing without a trace, her fate unknown."

Shen Zhinuo's heart tightened: "Why was she so reckless? If she found any clues, she should have told my aunt. Why would she go alone and take such a risk?"

Yes, why was she so reckless?

The little girl's words echoed the thoughts of Princess Lanzhen and Princess Huayue.

Princess Huayue shot Qing Shuang an exasperated look.

Qing Shuang: "..."

Unexpectedly, the inner voice said, "Qing Shuang wasn't reckless; she was so overwhelmed by guilt that she didn't want to live anymore. In her farewell letter, she explained where she was going and what she intended to do. She warned that if she didn't return, it would mean she had been killed. She also told her parents to gather as many people as possible and go to the manor, to make the situation so big that the government couldn't cover it up."

Shen Zhinuo was puzzled: "Why did Qing Shuang do this?"

Princess Huayue, Princess Wen'an, and Shen Weiqing were equally confused, all turning their gazes toward Princess Lanzhen.

Princess Lanzhen, however, quickly grasped the situation.

At the time, the Crown Prince had been demoted, the Empress Dowager was gravely ill, and the 11th Prince's fate was uncertain. The Crown Prince's faction had effectively crumbled.

At that time, the 14th Prince's Consort had died, along with her unborn child, the 14th Prince had taken monastic vows, the 13th Prince had been executed by the Emperor, and the 8th Prince's fate was unclear. However, all signs pointed to a tumultuous and unpredictable upheaval in the court and the country that winter.

In such a situation, if the matter wasn't made public, who would care about the death of a mere princess, especially since they were seen as part of the Crown Prince's faction.

The inner voice: "At that time, the court was in turmoil, and the Princess's household had also fallen from grace. Qing Shuang feared that Princess Huayue's death would go unnoticed and unavenged. She believed that only by causing a commotion could she draw the Emperor's attention."

Princess Lanzhen thought to herself, 'Exactly.'

Shen Zhinuo, however, held no hope: "But wasn't the Old Emperor, who was losing his mind from taking elixirs? He ignored my grandmother's illness and even turned his back on our family due to slander. I doubt he would have cared about my sister Huayue's death."

The inner voice: "Indeed, Qing Shuang's family rallied all their relatives, friends, and anyone they could muster from the Prince's household. A group of several dozen people marched to the manor demanding justice, even clashing violently, which alarmed the Five City Military Command."

"The officials of the Five City Military Command, realizing this matter involved the Princess's household and the death of Princess Huayue, didn't dare to act independently. They detained everyone and then submitted a report to the Old Emperor. But whether the report never reached the Old Emperor or he simply ignored it, the matter was left unresolved."

Princess Lanzhen, Shen Weiqing, and Princess Huayue, all quick to anger, clenched their fists and glared toward the palace.

Princess Wen'an, recalling the sweeping eunuch from the Eastern Palace and the flower-cutting eunuch from the Fengyi Palace, glanced around the courtyard at the servants going about their duties. Fearing that the Emperor might have spies among them, she quickly patted each of them, signaling them not to clench their fists in the direction of the palace.

They understood and silently unclenched their fists.

Shen Zhinuo, her mind a tangled mess, didn't notice their subtle movements and pressed on: "What was my aunt's reaction when she returned?"

The inner voice: "Later, Princess Lanzhen escorted your family back. After your family was buried, she also fell ill. Even though she knew there was something suspicious about her daughter's death, she no longer had the energy to pursue it. She passed away not long after falling ill."

Everyone sighed deeply, unable to hold back their emotions: "Alas."

Hearing the collective sigh, Shen Zhinuo tilted her little head and looked around, her childish voice filled with confusion: "What's wrong? Why are you sighing?"

They all shook their heads in unison, saying, "It's nothing."

Shen Zhinuo felt that this didn't seem like nothing. She slid down from the beauty couch, walked over to them, and examined each one closely. Some smiled at her, while others looked up at the sky, clearly hiding something strange.

The little girl walked up to her second brother, Shen Weiqing, raised her little foot, and kicked him twice: "Second brother, tell me."

Shen Weiqing yelped and jumped up, holding one foot and hopping around: "Second brother's leg is broken."

The handsome young man deliberately made a funny face, causing everyone to burst into laughter, easing the tension that had been building for so long.

Shen Zhinuo, her train of thought interrupted, couldn't remember what she had been about to ask and decided not to pursue it. Feeling a bit hungry, she hugged her round little belly, even though she was hungry, and leaned against Princess Lanzhen's leg, whining: "Auntie, Nuo Er is hungry."

Princess Lanzhen, upon hearing this, exclaimed "Oh no!" and quickly picked up the little girl: "It's all my fault for letting our little Nuo Er go hungry. Kitchen staff, go and prepare the meal, our little Nuo Er is going to eat now."

A maid responded and hurried to the kitchen.

Princess Lanzhen, holding the chubby little girl, gestured for Princess Wen'an and Shen Weiqing to enter the hall and wait.

After Princess Huayue and the others entered, she then waved to Qing Shuang, and when she came close, whispered instructions: "Go to my third uncle's household and tell Xue Wan that I miss her and want to invite her to my house to play for a couple of days. Ask her to come with you today."

Their little princess, who couldn't stand being alone, always liked to invite friends around her. Although Xue Wan from the third uncle's household was of lesser status, the little princess never looked down on her and often played with her.

Qing Shuang, without hesitation, nodded: "Yes, I will go now."

Fei Xue, seeing that she wasn't needed here, said: "Princess, then I will go back to continue tidying up the clothes."

After saying this, the two curtsied and were about to leave together.

Looking at the two who were like elder sisters, and thinking about what A Tong had just said, Princess Huayue called out to them: "Wait a moment."

They turned around.

Princess Huayue walked over, first hugged Qing Shuang tightly, then hugged Fei Xue tightly, leaving them both stunned: "What's wrong with the princess?"

Princess Huayue laughed lightly, "Nothing, you can go and do your work."

The two couldn't help but laugh, curtsied again, and left.

As they walked out, they whispered to each other.

"I feel like our princess and the Junior Prince are becoming more and more alike, with unpredictable behavior."

"Right, you noticed it too. Just now, our princess was glaring at me one moment and smiling at me the next. I was wondering what was going on, turns out she's learning from the Junior Prince."

...

Princess Huayue, who was following behind, reluctant to see them go, and wanting to walk them a few steps: "..."

She put her hands on her hips, stamped her foot, and loudly warned: "If you dare say I'm like him again, I'll have you beaten."

The two stumbled and scurried away.

Their scurrying away made Princess Huayue bend over with laughter.

When the meal was brought, Princess Lanzhen served the children their meal.

After the meal, Shen Zhinuo sat on the chair, feeling extremely sleepy, her little head nodding off, on the verge of sleep.

Princess Wen'an was about to pick up her sister, but Princess Lanzhen quickly reached out to take her, softly saying: "Hui Er, go play with your sister, I'll put her to sleep."

Princess Wen'an obediently said okay and left with Princess Huayue who was waiting aside.

Shen Weiqing usually didn't like to be around the talkative Princess Huayue, but knowing that the two sisters were surely going to talk about A Tong, he followed them.

Princess Huayue, unusually, didn't stop him, took the two to her courtyard, closed the door, shooed away the servants, and their heads came together whispering secrets.

Shen Zhinuo, being rocked in her aunt's arms, quickly became drowsy.

But suddenly she remembered the question she had forgotten to ask earlier: "Hey, you, you've been talking for so long, haven't mentioned my uncle and cousin, where did they go?"