Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Madam Li only assumed she was shocked by Concubine Yun’s miscarriage, her expression turning more severe.

“To plot against the prince’s offspring is an unforgivable crime!”

“The prince and princess have issued an order: lock the second gate, everyone must stay in their courtyards and not move, and the first thing to investigate is where this safflower came from.”

Xie Run curtsied slightly, “Madam, acting on behalf of the prince and princess, we will fully cooperate. However, please enlighten us on what we need to do?”

Seeing that Xie Run was reasonable, Madam Li’s expression softened a bit, “I’m afraid we’ll have to search the courtyards.”

Xie Run was not flustered at all. She sat down on a chair in the courtyard, her delicate, youthful face showing a hint of seriousness.

“Dan Tao, Xiaoshu, escort Madam Li and ensure every corner is searched. Everyone else stays in the courtyard and does not leave!”

The maids immediately bowed, “Yes!”

Seeing Xie Run so cooperative, Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief and said to the matrons beside her, “Be gentle with your movements. If you damage any of the mistresses’ or young ladies’ fine belongings, I’ll hold you responsible.”

“Yes.”

The matrons acknowledged and split up, entering the side rooms of the courtyard to begin the search.

Fortunately, Xie Run had recently changed the search schedule to once every seven days, so she remained very composed.

With Dan Tao and Xiaoshu watching, she didn’t believe anyone would dare to tamper with anything.

After a thorough search, nothing was found.

Madam Li then hurriedly took her people to the next courtyard.

Xie Run had completely lost her appetite. She distributed Mid-Autumn Festival bonuses to the maids and matrons and returned to the main room with Dan Tao and Xiaoshu.

Xie Run asked Dan Tao, “Was anything damaged?”

“No. Madam Li had already warned them, so the matrons were careful.”

Xie Run nodded, thought for a moment, and said, “Tomorrow, send someone to ask around about what happened tonight.”

Xiaoshu volunteered, “Miss, how about I go back and ask my mother?”

“Don’t go out tonight. You can investigate tomorrow.”

With that, Xie Run removed a gold filigree bracelet and handed it to Xiaoshu.

Xiaoshu instinctively declined, but Xie Run said, “I heard your sister is getting married. Consider this a betrothal gift from me. You must not refuse.”

“Before you go out tomorrow, take a pouch of silver from Dan Tao. When doing business, you need silver to grease the wheels. I understand that much.”

Xiaoshu couldn’t refuse and accepted it.

Seeing her mistress’s attitude lately, she knew that her mistress intended to give her more responsibility.

Giving her the bracelet was also a way to show her favor. Xiaoshu felt grateful and was even more determined to do a good job, so as not to let down her mistress’s trust.

After Xiaoshu left, Dan Tao let out a soft sigh.

Though young and usually composed, she was now feeling shaken.

“The prince’s inner courtyard is truly treacherous. It’s a constant cycle of harming each other. Now I understand why you’re so cautious, miss.”

At that moment, Dan Tao dared not even feel happy about the possibility of Xie Run being pregnant.

In fact, Xie Run herself wanted to vent.

After all, this was the prince’s inner court, full of poisonings and schemes, leaky as a sieve. Was it just to provide a plot for a transmigration novel’s heroine?

Xie Run sighed as well, “In this inner courtyard, getting pregnant is not a skill. The real skill is being able to carry the child to term and raise it well.”

Thinking this, Xie Run suddenly admired Concubine Ning.

At the very least, she had successfully borne Prince Jing two sons.

That was no ordinary ability.

That night, Xie Run slept soundly, her sleep quality unaffected.

When she woke up, Xiaoshu had already returned from gathering news from her parents.

During breakfast, Xiaoshu spilled everything, “Miss, this time it’s a big deal!”

“Last night, during Madam Li’s search of the courtyards, they actually found safflower in Wenxiang’s quarters.”

Xie Run was eating congee and nearly choked, “Who? Wenxiang from the princess’s courtyard?”

Dan Tao was also very surprised, “This… could it be a misunderstanding?”

Last night, Madam Li had been ordered by the princess to conduct a public search, only to find the harmful substance in the princess’s own maid’s room.

This was like the princess slapping her own face.

Xie Run stated firmly, “It can’t be the princess!”

“First, the princess has no reason to harm Concubine Yun’s child. Second… if the princess really did it, she wouldn’t have ordered a public search at all.”

Xie Run had another point she couldn’t say out loud: even if the princess had done it, the searchers were her own people.

Madam Li could easily have made the evidence vanish.

Unless the princess was set up and caught off guard.

At the Green Pine Courtyard, the princess was making the same argument.

“My lord, it’s not just Concubine Yun who is pregnant in the inner courtyard. What would I gain from harming an unborn child? Is there any advantage for me?”

The princess remained calm, untroubled by the rumors. “And if I had done it, why would I have ordered Madam Li to search the courtyards right away? As if I wanted my deeds to be discovered?”

Concubine Ning had come to pay her morning respects, biding her time for this moment.

She immediately said, “True, there’s more than one pregnant woman in the inner courtyard, but Concubine An accidentally ate cold-natured foods some time ago and is still not stable in her pregnancy… no need for the princess to take action.”

“As for ordering Madam Li to search the courtyards… it’s common for the guilty to cry ‘stop thief’.” Concubine Ning’s red lips were bright, her smile laced with sarcasm.

The princess sneered, “Are you saying I plotted against Concubine Yun?”

Concubine Ning quickly rose and curtsied, looking aggrieved, “I didn’t mean that; I was just pointing out a flaw in your reasoning.”

You may not have done this, Your Highness.

Upon hearing this, the Consort could not feel pleased at all.

Sure enough, Shufei Ning's tone shifted, "Perhaps Your Highness was careless and failed to discipline your servants properly, that led to Sister Yun's misfortune."

It was unclear whether she meant the Consort was innocent but dragged down by Wenxiang, or guilty for not having Wenxiang hide the poison, thus causing harm to Lady Yun.

The Consort sneered, "I indeed failed to discipline my servants, allowing malicious people to exploit a weakness."

Shufei Ning smiled dismissively.

Then the Consort continued calmly, "But Your Highness, I have a way to prove my innocence!"

Prince Jing, who had remained silent, finally spoke slowly, "I naturally trust the Consort."

Shufei Ning frowned and instinctively glanced at Nanny Zhang beside her.

Nanny Zhang shook her head slightly, signaling her not to act rashly.

Shufei Ning also sneered, confidently leaning back in her chair, waiting to see how the Consort would prove herself.

Soon, Wenxiang, who had been detained all night, was brought in and knelt in the hall.

The Consort's voice was not loud but plainly audible, "Where exactly did the safflower in your possession come from?"

Wenxiang said weakly, "Wasn't the safflower given to me by my mistress?"

"You suffer severe pain every time your period comes. I don't know where you heard this folk remedy saying safflower can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and that occasional use can relieve your pain, so you told me to buy some at the pharmacy when I went home." Wenxiang appeared very aggrieved. "I was merely following your orders. I don't know what I did wrong."

"The matter of Mistress Yun's miscarriage has nothing to do with me. I truly have no idea..."

Shufei Ning tapped the armrest with her slender fingers, "Is that so? But Sister Yun's maid said that before delivering the miscarriage-preventing tonic, she only saw you, and you even deliberately opened it to check... There are many witnesses to this."

Wenxiang replied, "But this tonic was bestowed by the Consort upon Mistress Yun. I check it every time to make sure there is no problem before sending it to Mistress Yun."

This was also the rule of the princely mansion. If a concubine was pregnant, the Consort had to personally bestow a tonic, which was a way to show virtue. The Consort was always cautious, afraid that the tonic might be tampered with, so she arranged for Wenxiang, her second-rank maid, to oversee it.

Despite all precautions, an accident still occurred.

Shufei Ning pressed on relentlessly, "Isn't it easiest for a guard to steal himself? No one else touched it, only you had contact with the medicine. No one else had safflower, yet it was found in your place... How can there be so many coincidences in the world?" She laughed, "Too many coincidences point to intentional harm."

The Consort glanced at Shufei Ning, a sarcastic smile on her face, coldly watching her put on a show.

When the room fell silent, she slowly rose and bowed to Prince Jing.

"Your Highness, originally involving family shame, some matters are not fit to be aired. But now, to clear my name, I must speak."

Prince Jing's eyes were calm and composed. He gestured, "You have always acted prudently, just speak plainly."

The Consort thought to herself that all the hardships she had endured in the rear courtyard over the years had not been in vain.

She turned to Shufei Ning and said with a light laugh, "Half a month ago, Fang Shi came to the main courtyard to see me."

Shufei Ning was puzzled as to why the Consort brought up Fang Yuaner at this moment, but she sensed something was wrong.

The next moment, the Consort continued, "She came to complain to me, saying that Shufei Ning had betrayed the household by stealing the soap recipe and giving it to the Ning family, allowing their shop to compete with His Highness's shop."

Shufei Ning's scalp went numb. She slammed the armrest and arched her brows angrily, "Nonsense!"

"Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, what does what the Consort just said have to do with you harming Shiqie Yun?" Shufei Ning's heart was pounding. "You'd better not change the subject!"

Inwardly, she cursed her useless Ning family members.

After stealing the soap recipe, she had repeatedly instructed them to leak the recipe, first let a few shops rise, then do business themselves. But the greedy, short-sighted Nings ignored her orders and privately used the recipe.

At that time, there were only a few soap shops in the capital, all under Prince Jing's name. Suddenly, another shop appeared, and a quick investigation revealed who was behind it.

Outsiders would think that Prince Jing favored Shufei Ning, but she knew she was clearly betraying the family. If Prince Jing found out, she would face severe punishment.

Fortunately, Prince Jing did not pursue the matter; after a few anxious days, she relaxed. She never expected the Consort to bring it up now.

The Consort was unflustered, "Shufei Ning, don't be impatient. I haven't finished speaking yet."

Shufei Ning gritted her teeth, "When was I impatient?"

The Consort chuckled lightly, her gaze falling on Prince Jing again. She continued, "Fang Shi came to complain, but I couldn't convict Shufei Ning without evidence, so I sent a servant to investigate."

Prince Jing's hand clenched, already showing some anger, but his tone remained unchanged, "What did you find?"

The Consort knew that this anger was not directed at her, and her smile grew wider. "Just two days ago, the servant followed the purchaser of that soap shop and found that they had bought more than usual—specifically, safflower."

Shufei Ning stood up abruptly, "The Consort is becoming increasingly skilled at framing others! Since you sent people to investigate half a month ago, couldn't it be that you were plotting behind the scenes?"

"Furthermore, if you truly believed I would harm someone, why didn't you speak out a few days earlier? Now that Sister Yun's child is lost, you bring this up—isn't it too late?"

The Consort nodded slightly, "Shufei Ning's words make sense."

She bowed again to Prince Jing, "Then I implore Your Highness to investigate thoroughly and see who truly harmed Shiqie Yun."

Shufei Ning said panickedly, "Your Highness, it has nothing to do with me! Someone is trying to harm me!"

Now it was the Consort's turn to speak sarcastically, "The investigation hasn't even started yet, and Shufei Ning already claims someone is trying to harm her? Clearly, there's no need to investigate—you've already confessed."

Shufei Ning retorted angrily, "Every word from the Consort is aimed at convicting me! If you want to clear yourself of the crime, you must shift the blame onto someone else!"

Prince Jing gave Shufei Ning a meaningful glance, "Enough."

The Consort and Shufei Ning fell silent at once.

Shufei Ning looked at Prince Jing with tearful eyes, calling softly, "Your Highness..."

Prince Jing said calmly, "I will send people to investigate. No matter who it is, I will not show leniency."

With that, he placed his teacup on the table.

"Shi An, escort Shufei Ning back to Fragrant Orchid Garden. Before the truth comes out, no one from Fragrant Orchid Garden is allowed to step out of the courtyard."

Upon hearing this, Shufei Ning was stunned. Her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed.

"Your Highness, Jue'er comes to Lanxiang Garden for his meals every day. If he finds out I've been confined to my quarters..."

Prince Jing: "I almost forgot about Jue'er."

Shufei Ning's expression relaxed, thinking Prince Jing would go easy on her.

As long as her people were free to act, she could naturally handle any lingering problems.

Unexpectedly, Prince Jing said, "Shi An, take Jue'er to the main courtyard. For now, Jue'er will be under the Princess's care."

The Princess was startled, but she knew it was an order.

In this society where the husband reigned supreme, she had to take the kid in whether she liked it or not.

"Yes." The Princess volunteered, "Prince, until the truth comes out, no one from Qingsong Courtyard will leave the grounds."

Prince Jing gave the Princess a meaningful look and repeated himself.

"Of course I trust the Princess."

By the time word got out from the main courtyard, it was already evening.

Xie Run also learned from Xiaoshu the main reason why Concubine Yun was still alive.

It turned out that Concubine Yun was delicate and weak; having taken a large amount of safflower at once, she was already hemorrhaging by the time the imperial physician arrived.

The imperial physician said that to stop the bleeding with acupuncture would take at least half an hour. To prevent Concubine Yun from collapsing, they needed a century-old ginseng to keep her alive.

But the Prince and Princess were far away in the palace, and without the tally token, who'd dare break into the storehouse to grab the ginseng?