Chapter 263

Chapter 263

"Even if Wan Linlang has the ability, there's no way she could lead Jiang Baobao around by the nose without the two senior maids noticing even a trace!"

Dan Tao rubbed her eyes. "What does the mistress mean?"

Xie Run said gravely, "Jiang Baobao must have an informant Wan Linlang planted by her side."

It dawned on Dan Tao belatedly, "This servant will go ask Consort Jiang tomorrow how she communicated with Concubine Wan."

The next day, Dan Tao went to see Jiang Baobao early in the morning and brought news back to Xie Run.

Dan Tao: "Mistress, Consort Jiang said—"

"When she was in the small Buddhist hall, Concubine Wan herself would sneak over every night at midnight to deliver food. She has some martial arts skill, so climbing a wall was no trouble for her."

"After leaving the small Buddhist hall, messages were always passed through the maidservant Guiyuan."

"Yesterday Guiyuan wasn't with Consort Jiang. This servant has already sent someone to question her today."

Xie Run washed her hands. "What did Guiyuan say?"

Dan Tao: "What Guiyuan said was no different from Consort Jiang's version, except that Wan Linlang had secretly slipped her some silver."

"Wan Linlang gave her silver to do what?"

Dan Tao: "That's what this servant finds strangest of all. Guiyuan said Wan Linlang didn't ask her to do anything—on the contrary, she told her to help Consort Jiang more, so as not to blow their cover."

"Guiyuan thought this was Wan Linlang trying to suck up to her for the future, so she accepted the money."

A maidservant nearby handed her a towel. Xie Run wiped her hands and said softly, "Wan Linlang must still have someone beside Jiang Baobao."

"Go ask Jiang Baobao... though I doubt we'll get anything out of her."

Dan Tao understood immediately. "This servant will send people in two directions—one to question Consort Jiang, and one to search her rooms."

Xie Run gave her an appreciative glance. "Go on then."

Xie Run figured that Chun Juan should have found something by now as well.

She sat in her room and ate breakfast, and Chun Juan returned shortly after.

"Reporting to the mistress, we found nothing regarding the eldest young master, but the wet nurse Mu by his side is somewhat suspicious."

Xie Run: "Suspicious how?"

"A few days ago, Wet Nurse Mu returned to her parents' home twice. Each time after coming back, she would pass by Feihe Pavilion and linger there for over a quarter of an hour."

Xie Run glanced at Chun Juan. "She's the one who made the crack in the rock garden?"

Chun Juan pulled a box from his robes and handed it to Xie Run.

When Xie Run opened it, she saw a serrated iron blade as long as an arm inside—essentially a crude saw.

Chun Juan said quietly, "This servant found this in Wet Nurse Mu's room."

Xie Run: "Have you looked into Wet Nurse Mu's background?"

Chun Juan: "That's exactly what this servant finds puzzling."

"Wet Nurse Mu has a son and a daughter. She was only selected to enter the prince's residence as the eldest young master's wet nurse after giving birth to her daughter."

"Her son and daughter are currently being raised by her husband and mother-in-law."

"Her husband doesn't gamble, drink, or visit brothels. He does odd jobs here and there, and treats the children well. Her mother-in-law also has a reputation as a good one... This servant can't figure out why she would help Concubine Wan."

Xie Run: "Wan Linlang is best at finding people's weaknesses and exploiting them. Wet Nurse Mu must have some other secret being held over her. Keep digging!"

"Every single person around her must be thoroughly investigated!"

Chun Juan: "Yes!"

Xie Run was about to go see the eldest young master when news arrived that Qingsong Courtyard had summoned the imperial physician again.

Even Dan Tao felt uneasy. "Could something be wrong with the princess consort's health?"

Calling for the physician day after day was clearly a bad sign.

Xie Run guessed that the symptoms of the ectopic pregnancy were growing stronger and stronger.

The imperial physician and the princess consort were both agonizing over whether to keep the child or not.

Thinking of Xie Jiang still on the road, Xie Run sighed. "Let fate decide."

When Xie Run went to visit Jiang Baobao, Dan Tao had just finished searching the courtyard with her people.

Guiyuan was bound and kneeling on the ground.

Dan Tao held out a dark red bottle with chipped paint.

Dan Tao: "Mistress, this was found in Guiyuan's room."

"This servant noticed this bottle closely matches the description Consort Jiang gave of the bottle containing the fake pregnancy medicine. Zi Hu examined it, and there are indeed traces of the fake pregnancy drug remaining in the bottle."

Jiang Baobao stared at Guiyuan in shock, then grabbed the medicine bowl from her bedside and hurled it at Guiyuan.

"You ungrateful, backstabbing wretch!"

"After all I've done for you, you teamed up with Wan Linlang to harm me!"

Jiang Baobao had just miscarried and was weak, so the bowl only crashed to the floor in front of the bed.

But her outburst still startled quite a few people.

Guiyuan was so frightened she wept. "This servant didn't do it! This servant truly never betrayed her mistress!"

"That thing isn't this servant's at all!"

"This servant has no idea how that thing ended up in her room!"

Jiang Baobao, consumed by rage, demanded, "If it was found in your room, whose else could it be?!"

"And you secretly took silver from Wan Linlang—who knows if she bought you off to harm me?!"

Jiang Baobao fumed, "You were nothing but a scullery maid back then! No one in any courtyard wanted you! I was the one who picked you up and promoted you all the way up, and you dare to team up with that bitch Wan Linlang to harm me?!"

Jiang Baobao was so furious she could barely catch her breath. She grabbed Xie Run's arm and said, "A betraying wretch like this deserves severe punishment—only harsh torture will teach her a lesson!"

"She must not be let off lightly!"

Xie Run sighed, "Given how Shufei Jiang handles things, who knows how many innocent souls she has on her hands."

Jiang Baobao wouldn't listen to a word Xie Run said, staring daggers at Guiyuan as if she could kill her with a look.

Dan Tao frowned helplessly, "Shufei Jiang, at least have some regard for your own body. You just had a miscarriage; you shouldn't get worked up. Otherwise, you'll only hurt yourself, and that's not worth it."

Jiang Baobao shot back, "This little wench has teamed up with others to harm me, and you won't even let me get mad?!"

But right after she finished ranting, her face suddenly changed color, "Get the physician, hurry, go get the physician for me!"

Xie Run and Dan Tao were taken aback, "What's wrong?"

But they still hurried to summon the physician.

Faintly, Xie Run caught a whiff of blood.

After all that commotion, the physician wiped the sweat from his brow, "Lady Jiang, a miscarriage is hard on the body; you must avoid getting angry."

"You're already bleeding. If you get angry again, you could have a severe hemorrhage... Even the imperial doctors in the palace wouldn't be able to save you then."

No matter how arrogant Jiang Baobao was, her body didn't lie.

Angered into bleeding, her face instantly turned deathly pale.

After hearing the physician's words, she didn't dare act as arrogantly as before.

Xie Run glanced at her, then instructed Dan Tao, "Take Guiyuan outside and interrogate her. I have some words I wish to speak with Shufei Jiang."

Dan Tao replied, "Yes."

She then led Guiyuan and the other maidservants out.

Xie Run sat down on a chair, her tone calm, "Shufei Jiang, the one who betrayed you may not be Guiyuan."

Jiang Baobao took a while to recover before looking at her, "What do you mean by that?"

"Wan Linlang is cautious in her dealings; she certainly wouldn't leave such an obvious trail leading to Guiyuan."

"She's already administered the fake pregnancy drug to you, so why would she give the bottle to Guiyuan?"

"As for bribing Guiyuan with money, it seems more like a diversion to shift suspicion when things come to light today."

Jiang Baobao said impatiently, "Don't speak of things I don't understand."

Xie Run said bluntly, "Guiyuan didn't betray you; the one who betrayed you is someone else."

"Do you have any suspects in mind?"

Jiang Baobao fell silent instantly.