Chapter 250: Putting Her on the Spot

Chapter 250: Roasting Her on the Fire

The women's sharp accusations pierced like icy needles, making Jiang Shuning's scalp tingle.

With no way to avoid them, she slowly turned around, hiding the flowerpot behind her back as she lowered her eyes and curtsied.

"Greetings to the four Secondary Consorts. I am..."

Her voice caught in her throat, momentarily unsure how to introduce herself.

Her eyes fell on the flowers in her hand, and a flash of inspiration struck. She quickly added, "I am the mansion's gardener."

"How insolent!" Wang Bishan's voice was shrill. "Who allowed you to refer to yourself as 'I' before your masters? A creature who doesn't even know the rules!"

Huo Xianyue stepped forward, openly scrutinizing her from head to toe.

When her eyes landed on Jiang Shuning's face—unadorned yet still strikingly beautiful—jealousy flared instantly in her gaze.

"A gardener, and you dare to dress so provocatively? With that vixen-like appearance, who are you trying to seduce?"

Faced with this unreasonable accusation, Jiang Shuning found it completely absurd.

She never knew secondary consorts could be so domineering and unreasonable.

Beside them, Zhao Ruowan suddenly let out a faint sneer.

"What are you laughing at?" Huo Xianyue and Wang Bishan demanded, their tones hostile.

"I'm laughing at how you've let yourselves be hoodwinked by your own stupidity," Zhao Ruowan said, glancing at Jiang Shuning. "Do you really believe everything she says? Don't you find this 'gardener' a bit familiar?"

At that, Wang Bishan and Huo Xianyue immediately scrutinized Jiang Shuning anew.

This time, they looked more closely, and finally saw something familiar in that face.

Their expressions instantly shifted to a mix of fear and contempt.

"She... she's that Jiang..."

"She is my beloved."

A cold, steady voice cut in without warning, interrupting their words.

At some point, Xiao Lingchuan had quietly approached them from behind.

His expression was as cold as stone, but as he walked over, he reached out with an air of undeniable possession, pulling Jiang Shuning into his embrace.

Jiang Shuning's body stiffened instantly.

His scent enveloped her, and the seemingly protective gesture felt more like a shackle, publicly declaring his ownership.

She instinctively tried to break free, but his arm held her like an iron clamp.

"Her name is Ning'er," Xiao Lingchuan's cold gaze swept over the four secondary consorts' shocked faces, announcing word by word, "Formerly a gardener, now my personal attendant. In Prince Jing's Mansion, her status is second only to mine. From now on, even you must bow to her when you see her."

These words struck like a thunderbolt, draining the color from the consorts' faces.

Jiang Shuning looked up at Xiao Lingchuan in disbelief.

Was he insane?

What was he trying to do?

This so-called promotion was clearly putting her in the line of fire!

"Your Highness!" Wang Bishan and Huo Xianyue couldn't hold back first, crying out in protest, "What do you mean by this? You expect us, proper secondary consorts, to bow to a gardener?"

Xiao Lingchuan's gaze grew icier, as if he were looking at a bunch of clowns.

"The woman I love will one day be the Principal Consort of this mansion. You mere secondary consorts—what's wrong with bowing to her?"

Zhao Ruowan, the calmest among them, suppressed her shock and sneered, "Forgive me for speaking bluntly, Your Highness, but she is clearly Jiang Shuning, daughter of Chancellor Jiang—the fugitive who killed Prince Rui's beloved concubine!"

At these words, the air froze completely.

Jiang Shuning's heart sank to the bottom.

"I say she is the gardener Ning'er, so she is the gardener Ning'er!" Xiao Lingchuan's tone carried a murderous chill, his gaze fixed on Zhao Ruowan. "What, Secondary Consort Zhao wants to report me for harboring a fugitive? Think carefully—if I am tried and my property confiscated, as a secondary consort, can you escape unscathed?"

This naked threat turned Zhao Ruowan's face deathly pale.

She bit her lower lip tightly, unable to utter another word.

In the midst of this tense standoff, the previously silent Cui Zhilan stepped forward and made a graceful bow to Jiang Shuning, her posture humble and respectful.

"This consort pays respects to Miss Ning."

Her bow broke the deadlock.

Then she turned to the other three iron-faced secondary consorts and said softly, "Sisters, we have disturbed His Highness and Miss Ning for too long. Perhaps we should return to Cangjin Pavilion."

Though the consorts were filled with reluctance and resentment, facing Xiao Lingchuan's unguarded favoritism and threats, they could only swallow their anger.

They offered a perfunctory bow and left in fury.

Walking back along the path, Wang Bishan finally exploded: "A shameless fugitive, and His Highness protects her like that! He truly doesn't care about us at all!"

"His Highness not only disregards us," Zhao Ruowan smoothed her wind-tousled hair, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "he also disregards our maternal clans. If you still dream of gaining even a shred of husbandly affection from him, you're far too naive."

"That Jiang Shuning has nothing but a bit of seductive charm, yet she has His Highness completely bewitched. Even after killing someone, she's protected like this. If she can do it, why can't we?!" Huo Xianyue's words were dripping with bitter jealousy. "Since gaining His Highness's favor brings such honor, I'll do everything I can to snatch his heart!"

"That's right! If we join forces, how can we lose to her alone?" Wang Bishan immediately agreed.

Zhao Ruowan looked at them as if they were fools, her sneer unwavering. "I'm afraid you'll lose your lives before you capture His Highness's heart."

They bickered incessantly, while Cui Zhilan remained silent, as if detached from it all.

Wang Bishan noticed her peculiarity and called out irritably, "Hey, Secondary Consort Cui! You were the most polite to that 'gardener' just now! She's here to snatch our husband—why give her so much face?"

Cui Zhilan stopped and smiled faintly, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

"I am but a plain, unremarkable woman. Even without that Miss Ning, His Highness wouldn't spare me a second glance. I have enough self-awareness for that. Instead of defying His Highness at every turn upon entering the mansion, it's better to follow his will. As long as I can live peacefully in Prince Jing's Mansion, that's enough."

"How convincing!" Huo Xianyue mocked. "Wasn't it you who said we should rely on our own skills to win His Highness's favor? Now after just one look at that vixen, you suddenly act so humble?"

Cui Zhilan curved her lips, her eyes calm and untroubled.

"That's called facing reality. Sisters, didn't you see His Highness's attitude toward that 'gardener'? Our ultimate goal in seeking His Highness's favor is to secure a foothold in this mansion. If being polite to the one he loves can achieve the same result, why wouldn't we?"

These words left the others dumbfounded.

None of them noticed the complex, unreadable glint of shrewdness in Cui Zhilan's eyes when she lowered her gaze.

Cousin, I've seen that Miss Jiang you've been pining for.

She seems... to have gained more favor from Prince Jing than we ever imagined.

It seems that helping her leave the Prince Jing's Mansion is no easy task.

The group walked out with mixed feelings; Wang Bishan and Huo Xianyue, their anger still simmering, walked with heavy, impatient steps, while Zhao Ruowan maintained her usual aloof, observant demeanor.

Only Cui Zhilan lingered at the back, unhurried, as if admiring the bare winter scenery in the main courtyard.

Bringing up the rear to see them off was a second-rank maidservant named Liu Ye.

She kept her eyes down, walked silently, and had a barely noticeable presence.

Just as they were about to step out of the main courtyard's moon gate, Cui Zhilan's wide cloud sleeve seemingly brushed casually against the green bamboo by the gate.

With a dull thud, a faint golden glint slipped from her sleeve and fell into the snow at the corner of the wall.

The three women ahead were completely unaware; only Liu Ye, who was at the back, saw it clearly.

She quickly stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the object.

It was heavy in her hand—a small but substantial gold ingot.

Liu Ye's breath hitched for a moment. She tightened her grip on the gold ingot, hurried to catch up with Cui Zhilan, who had already walked out of the courtyard gate, and respectfully presented it in a low voice.

"Concubine Cui, you dropped this."

Cui Zhilan turned around, her gaze flickering briefly over the gold ingot before landing on Liu Ye's face, a mix of tension and hope, and gave a gentle smile.

"This isn't mine."

"But I clearly saw it fall from your sleeve just now, madam..."

Before she could finish, Cui Zhilan stepped forward, took Liu Ye's hand, and patted it gently.

"Since you picked it up, it is yours." Cui Zhilan's voice was as soft as a breeze, but every word reached Liu Ye's ears with perfect clarity. "Keep it safe and don't speak of this."

Liu Ye instantly understood.

"...Yes, I understand. Thank you for your kindness, Concubine Cui. In the future... if there is anything Liu Ye can do for you, please feel free to call on me."

"Mmm." Cui Zhilan nodded with satisfaction, released her hand, and without another word, turned and walked away gracefully.

From then on, she had successfully planted her first spy in the main courtyard that imprisoned Jiang Shuning.