Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Concubine Lu gritted her teeth: "They all say I betrayed her, but didn't she abandon me long ago?"

"Just because she is the mistress and I am the servant, she can abandon me without restraint, while I have to resign myself to a lifetime of humiliation?!"

"I refuse to accept it, but I had no other choice. Just then, Juzi's mother's illness worsened and she needed more money for medicine, so I had to take the path of climbing into the master's bed..."

Concubine Lu had endured so many years by Concubine An's side. If she hadn't truly reached a dead end, she wouldn't have resorted to bed climbing at this time.

If she had really had ill intentions, she would have climbed into the master's bed years ago!

Xie Run listened to her words and sighed deeply.

"When I first came to the mansion as a concubine, I always felt uneasy, uncertain about the future. Now that I think about it, you servants must have had it even harder."

"Exactly."

For a moment, both of them fell into silence.

The atmosphere in the room was also somewhat somber.

After Concubine Lu left, Xie Run sat by the window and couldn't help pondering the relationship between servants and masters.

People in this world have always been two-faced.

When one is a master, naturally one wants the servants to be loyal and obedient, preferably clever and sharp.

But if she were to become a servant, would she really be willing to be shackled by loyalty?

To be bossed around for a lifetime, even if starving and freezing, being abused without being allowed to fight back?

Probably not.

Concubine Lu's choice was not wrong; it's just that this era gave her too few ways to move up.

The mistress wasn't ambitious, and her own life was difficult. Climbing into the master's bed to rise in status was her only way out.

But this one and only path was looked down on by everyone.

She put up with everyone's scorn to get to where she is today, all for her own sake and for the sake of those around her.

Now, before she's gotten anything out of it herself, the people around her have already met with misfortune.

Bearing a load of shame, her path ahead looks even harder.

"Nobody has it easy."

Xie Run sighed.

Dan Tao stepped forward and asked softly, "Mistress, what did Juzi's letter say?"

"Why did you suddenly change your attitude toward Concubine Lu? You even want to stick up for her?"

Concubine Lu's reputation in the mansion is truly terrible.

Even though she saved Princess Ruyi this time, it didn't redeem much.

Xie Run, a favored secondary consort, would never get involved with her unless absolutely necessary.

Xie Run pulled the letter from under the paperweight on the table and handed it to Dan Tao to read.

Her thoughts were also somewhat complicated.

Xie Run said, "Concubine Han had someone cut the kite string and create chaos at the Stillwater Pavilion. The person she really wanted to frame wasn't Concubine An—it was me!"

Dan Tao read the letter and couldn't help but gasp.

She suddenly got why her mistress had just said she owed Orange a favor.

The letter sent Dan Tao's heart racing.

"According to Concubine Han's plan, Orange would first implicate Concubine An, and after the jade pendant was found, she would then turn around and implicate you, then bash her head against the wall and die... At that point, you'd be a hundred times worse off than Concubine An."

"The jade pendant went missing for no apparent reason. Even if you made a huge fuss throughout the manor, once Orange implicated you, you'd still be stained with suspicion no matter what."

That suspicion would never wash away because of Orange's death.

Dan Tao tensed up. "First Sang Cao falsely accused you of pushing Concubine Han, then the kite string thing got dragged in, and then Concubine Li's fall..."

"If the rabid rabbit biting people also gets traced back to you, even if you are clever and eloquent, with all these incidents piling up, can the Prince really not suspect anything?"

There's a saying that's really nasty, but everyone couldn't help thinking it.

"If it wasn't you, then why are you involved in everything?"

One thing, you were framed for—but everything? Were you framed for everything?!

At that point, Xie Run wouldn't be able to defend herself at all.

Concubine Han was really out to kill Xie Run this time, leaving her no way out!

Xie Run said in a deep voice, "I must accept Orange's favor!"

Orange hid the jade pendant and didn't implicate Xie Run, saving her a ton of hassle.

Concubine Han threatened Orange with her mother's life, forcing Orange to carry out the plan. Orange had no choice but to comply.

She just followed the plan and only implicated Concubine An, cutting off the trail at Concubine An.

Concubine An was clearly not very suspicious. If Prince Jing and the Princess investigated further, they would surely trace it back to Concubine Han, giving Xie Run a chance to survive.

Xie Run said, "She only asked me to protect Concubine Lu and not let her be bullied in the rear courtyard. Such a small request—how could I refuse?"

Previously, Dan Tao, like everyone else in the manor, did not think highly of Concubine Lu.

From all the things Concubine Lu had done since climbing into the Prince's bed, aside from saving Princess Ruyi, there was indeed nothing that earned respect.

Now that she understood some of the inside story, Dan Tao couldn't help but change her view of Concubine Lu.

Dan Tao said softly, "I heard that after Concubine Lu fell into the water, she was not quite clear-headed. The first thing she asked the Princess when she saw her was whether she had rendered a service, and she wanted to ask the Princess to let Orange serve by her side."

"The next day, when she heard of Orange's death, she even forced herself out of her sickbed to make a scene at Concubine An's place."

"At that time, everyone in Chunshan Courtyard only watched the commotion as entertainment—how could they know the truth behind it?"

"Orange helped Concubine Lu steal charcoal back then, which completely ruined her reputation. She was bullied and ostracized by the people in Concubine An's courtyard."

"Then Concubine Han seized the opportunity to threaten her with her mother, forcing her to agree to Concubine Han's demands. But Orange, even to her death, still wanted to protect Concubine Lu. She wanted to use her own life to secure a place for Concubine Lu in this rear courtyard."

"These two are truly loyal and devoted."

Dan Tao said, her eyes reddening with emotion.

Xie Run also felt a pang of melancholy.

Xie Run sighed, then said calmly: "Send someone to quietly look into what happened when Concubine Lu was serving beside Concubine An."

Dan Tao was taken aback: "Does my lady not believe Concubine Lu's story?"

"I believe her, but I trust evidence even more."

"At the very least, I need to know if she's been lying to me."

Dan Tao also calmed down: "This servant was careless."

Xie Run smiled slightly. "It hardly matters. Even if it were false, we would lose nothing."

She had agreed to protect Concubine Lu, but only on one condition.

If Concubine Lu ever intended to harm anyone, Xie Run would have nothing to do with it.

Dan Tao then asked: "My lady, how should we handle this jade pendant?"

"Put it in the storeroom, and no need to make a fuss." Xie Run suddenly smiled: "This household really doesn't need another master thief."

Mentioning the phrase "master thief" reminded Xie Run of Feihua.

"Ever since the poisoning in Concubine Li's courtyard, I've always suspected someone in the household knew martial arts and was skilled at stealing and lock-picking."

"I never imagined it would turn out to be Feihua, the maid serving by Concubine Li's side."

"The jade pendant that went missing was probably stolen from me by Feihua on Concubine Han's orders."

Dan Tao looked worried: "Please, my lady, don't even mention it. Hearing about the incident at Qiufeng Courtyard, I still get chills thinking about it."

"Who exactly is this Feihua? She even dared to wield a blade and injure others in full view of everyone!"