Chapter 69

Chapter 69

The Princess said, "This is also my fault for not managing things properly."

Concubine Lu quickly replied, "How could the Princess be to blame?! The Princess handles countless matters every day; it's inevitable that the stewards under you have selfish intentions."

"The Princess can control people, but not their hearts."

Admittedly, Concubine Lu knew how to say the right thing.

Even though the Princess had intended to punish her severely, after hearing Concubine Lu's considerate words, much of her anger subsided significantly.

The Princess raised a hand to rub her forehead. "First, find a way to return whatever you stole from Concubine An. If the items are gone, compensate with silver."

Concubine Lu hesitated, as if wanting to say something.

The Princess's gaze turned cold. "What, are you unwilling?"

Concubine Lu said helplessly, "It's not that I'm unwilling. The fact is, I'm broke. If I had more money on hand, I wouldn't have done such a stupid thing..."

The Princess's eyes fell on Ping'an. "Then that's settled."

"Ping'an, go back and discuss with Concubine An, draw up a list and figure out the total amount."

"From now on, take half out of Concubine Lu's monthly stipend to repay the debt until it is cleared."

Concubine Lu could no longer cry; her heart ached fiercely, and she could barely catch her breath.

She said weakly, "Princess..."

The Princess gave her a cold look. "But theft really ruins the family's reputation. Even if you avoid death, you can't escape punishment."

Concubine Lu immediately shouted, "Please have mercy, Princess!"

The Princess said, "Considering it's your first offense and you have some mitigating circumstances, I order ten strokes with the cane and one month under house arrest."

Concubine Lu declared loudly, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess!"

Ten strokes wasn't too harsh; she'd recover after resting for a while.

Being confined was just a loss of face.

Concubine Lu had always been thick-skinned and didn't care about being embarrassed.

For now, she just hoped this whole thing would blow over.

The Princess added, "Concubine An's maid, Juzi, who betrayed her mistress and plotted with Concubine Lu to steal, will get thirty strokes of the cane and be thrown out of the mansion."

Concubine Lu's face tightened. "Princess!"

"What, do you have an objection?"

Concubine Lu gritted her teeth. "I'm more at fault. Juzi only acted under my coercion. Please go easy on her, Princess."

Concubine Lu continued, "Her parents got sick and needed money, so I used that to blackmail her. Please let her off this once, Princess, and not kick her out of the mansion. Even letting her stay as a scullery maid would be fine."

"In this... she's also innocent."

The Princess found her words rather amusing. "As far as I know, Concubine An has treated you rather well."

"But you sneaked into the master's bed behind her back and now steal from her. Clearly, you're not the type to remember old friendships. Yet now you plead for a maidservant—I find that strange."

Concubine Lu was quiet for a long time, then said, "It's not the same."

As for how it was different, she could not tell the Princess.

Even if you heard it, you might not understand.

The Princess was born a mistress; how could she understand a servant's thoughts?

The Princess suddenly said, "Li Mama, go to Concubine An's quarters later. Tell her I'm giving her this favor—whether Juzi stays or leaves is up to her."

Concubine Lu let out a sigh of relief.

She then said cautiously, "Princess, could I take ten strokes in Juzi's place? She is still young; thirty strokes could ruin the rest of her life."

Concubine Lu knew that the people who dish out the blows also adjust their severity based on who it is.

For the same ten strokes, the ones on her would be lighter than those on Juzi.

The Princess looked at her meaningfully. "Very well. I grant your request."

Sturdy matrons dragged Concubine Lu outside for the punishment. Juzi was already kneeling there, pressed down by others. Now the two were punished together.

Before the crowd dispersed, the Princess said, "I am also at fault in this matter. I will forfeit one month's stipend to compensate Concubine An."

Li Mama and others tried to dissuade her.

But the Princess was firm in her decisions; once she spoke, she never changed her words.

After Concubine Lu and Juzi had been punished and taken away, the Princess asked Li Mama, "What is the story with Concubine Lu and Juzi?"

Few in the manor knew about Concubine Lu's past, but Li Mama happened to be one of them.

"Does the mistress remember Concubine Liu?"

The Princess lowered her eyes, searching her distant memory for information about this Concubine Liu.

"Is she the one who was brought into the manor two years ago and went to Secondary Consort Ning's gate to curse like a fishwife?"

Indeed, the Princess had a deep impression of this Concubine Liu.

She dared, as a mere concubine, to provoke Secondary Consort Ning, who already had two sons, standing with her hands on her hips at the entrance of Lanxiang Courtyard and cursing for a full hour, until Secondary Consort Ning fell ill from anger.

In all the rear courtyard, she was the only one.

Li Mama nodded. "That's her."

"The mistress may have forgotten, but Concubine An entered the manor together with Concubine Liu. One was fiery and domineering, while the other was honest and docile."

The Princess, always shrewd, seemed to understand. "Did those two have a conflict?"

"It wasn't a conflict; Concubine Liu bullied Concubine An."

Li Mama recounted slowly. "When they both first entered the manor, Concubine Liu claimed that Concubine An had disrespected her and wanted to beat her. At the time, it was Concubine An's maidservant Jixiang who stopped her."

Jixiang was now Concubine Lu.

Back then, the Princess was too busy to bother with such trivial matters and delegated them to Li Mama to handle.

Thus, Mama Li knew this so clearly.

Mama Li: "Because of this, Concubine Liu was punished and bore a grudge against Jixiang. I vaguely remember that winter, Concubine Liu invited Concubine An to enjoy the snow, and while doing so, she brought up the story of lying on ice to catch carp for a sick parent."

"Coincidentally, Jixiang's parents were seriously ill..."

The Princess's heart skipped a beat. "What happened afterward?"

"I don't know the exact details, only that Concubine Liu insisted that Jixiang go to the Moon-Viewing Pond to break the ice and catch fish."

The Princess frowned. "And Concubine An agreed?"

Jixiang was Concubine An's maid. As long as Concubine An refused, no matter how much Concubine Liu made a scene, she couldn't touch Jixiang.

Mama Li said resignedly, "You know Lady An's nature, Your Highness. When others bully her, she doesn't get angry; instead, she goes out of her way to make excuses for them."

"With Concubine Liu being so domineering, what could she say?"

"In the dead of winter, Jixiang jumped into the Moon-Viewing Pond to catch fish... Since this matter didn't escalate, no one bothered with it. All we know is that Jixiang never appeared again that winter."

The Princess suddenly thought of the medical records from the three household physicians. "The physician said she has severe cold in the womb?"

Mama Li: "That was likely when it started."

"I think Lady Lu pleaded for Juzi because she thought of herself. Back then, her own parents were also seriously ill."

In fact, if Mama Li had asked around, she would have known.

Jixiang's mother had also passed away that winter.

The Princess suddenly smiled. "Concubine An is quite lucky."

Mama Li didn't understand the Princess's meaning at first, but after thinking it over, she quite agreed.

Concubine An had received little favor from the prince since entering the household.

Although Concubine Liu was shrewish and overbearing, Prince Jing had favored her for a few days.

Yet the once-favored Concubine Liu had died early at the hands of Secondary Consort Ning, while the unfavored Concubine An's life was getting more and more comfortable. What's more, she was now carrying Prince Jing's child.

Rumor had it that it was twins.

This luck... it's really hard to say.