Chapter 149 Centrifugal Forces (Part 2)

"My lord!"

Suddenly, Caiyue's exclamation came from outside the door. Caixing turned around and saw Shenmeizhuang being supported by Caiyue at the door. Her expression changed drastically, and she and Yu Ying'er knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"My lord..."

Cai Xing's face was filled with worry, while Yu Ying'er looked terrified and pale.

"I'm fine." Shen Meizhuang waved Caiyue's hand away. She had only swayed slightly in a panic after hearing Yu Ying'er's suggestive remark. She was certain that there was nothing wrong with her body at the moment. But her heart was still unsettled, and she wouldn't feel at ease until she understood what had happened today.

Amidst the unease of the three, Shen Meizhuang walked up to Yu Ying'er, looked at the trembling palace maid kneeling on the ground, and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you separate me from Consort Wan? And on what basis did you say that Consort Wan was too scheming?"

"This servant, this servant..." Yu Ying'er stammered, panicked, and looked to Caiyue and Caixing for help.

"Don't look at those two. Tell me the truth, what else are you hiding!" Shen Meizhuang said sternly, which startled Yu Ying'er so much that she trembled and fell to the ground, sobbing softly.

"What, can't you answer? If you can't answer, then you're framing her. Who gave you the audacity to frame a palace concubine?"

"No, this servant didn't..." Yu Ying'er quickly looked up. She dared not admit to Shen Meizhuang's accusation. Her eyes, filled with tears, looked at the angry Shen Meizhuang, pleading, "My lady, this servant really didn't."

"Then explain it clearly."

Shen Meizhuang wouldn't allow herself to be soft-hearted. She might feel uncomfortable because Zhen Huan had given the clothes she had given her to Huanbi. But that didn't mean she would immediately believe a palace maid's insinuation that Zhen Huan would harm her. Regardless of whether Zhen Huan's feelings for her were genuine, Shen Meizhuang's feelings for Zhen Huan were always real.

Seeing that there was no way to retreat, Yu Ying'er gritted her teeth, kowtowed three times on the ground, and explained in a trembling voice with her forehead red from the kowtowing.

“This servant is guilty. I actually paid money to get to Xianfu Palace.”

Yu Ying'er's words didn't surprise Shen Meizhuang and her two servants, as such things were commonplace in the palace. Seeing that Shen Meizhuang didn't question her, Yu Ying'er swallowed hard, lowered her head, and continued, "This servant was originally a palace maid in the Yimei Garden. On the night of the New Year's banquet, I was picking plum blossoms in the garden..."

Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang's expression instantly changed. Although she hadn't deliberately pressed for details, she knew that Yimei Garden was the source of Zhen Huan's favor with the emperor. She glanced deeply at the terrified Yu Ying'er kneeling on the ground, and Shen Meizhuang's voice was somewhat cold, "Continue."

"Yes. It was so cold that night, and nobody ever came to Yimei Garden, so I hid in a corner and took a break. And then, I saw, I saw..."

"What do you see?"

Yu Ying'er quickly looked up at Chen Meizhuang and, seeing that she was still relatively calm, decided to tell her everything.

"Look, Consort Wan arrived alone at Yimei Garden, wearing a cloak and carrying a palace lantern. At the time, I didn't know it was Consort Wan, but I could tell from her clothes that she must be a concubine. Because we were afraid of being questioned, none of the servants stood up and hid in the corner waiting for Consort Wan to leave."

But to my surprise, Consort Wan also seemed very nervous and cautious. Annoyed, I followed her gaze and soon saw Consort Wan dancing. I dared not utter a sound, and like Consort Wan, I hid and didn't move…”

According to Yu Ying'er's narration, Shen Meizhuang roughly deduced that Consort Wan danced to compete for the emperor's favor, and Huan'er must have discovered Consort Wan's plan and appeared in Yimei Garden. Judging from the final result, Huan'er gained the emperor's favor, which means that Huan'er schemed against Consort Wan.

This was completely contrary to Shen Meizhuang's previous perception of Zhen Huan as a refined, dignified, and upright person, leaving her somewhat bewildered. However, she persisted in listening, wanting to understand just how much more "scheming" Huan'er possessed that she was unaware of.

"When the Emperor and Prince Guo appeared, Consort Wan began to pray under the tree... When the Emperor pressed her to reveal who she was, Consort Wan said she was a palace maid from the Yimei Garden, and that her shoes and socks were wet, so she wouldn't let the Emperor come over..."

As a result, when Consort Wan was leaving, she accidentally fell and was discovered by the Emperor, who helped her up... Prince Guo even said that Consort Wan misspoke in the line "the wind understands my heart," saying it was something like "north wind"...

After the Emperor left with Consort Wan, I dared to come out. Knowing so much, I felt uneasy and took out all my savings to try and transfer away from Yimei Garden.

After Yu Ying'er finished speaking, the air fell silent. Caiyue and Caixing looked at Shen Meizhuang with concern, afraid that she would not be able to bear it.

Shen Meizhuang was indeed greatly shocked. Just because Yu Ying'er couldn't understand it doesn't mean she couldn't understand it either. Huan'er has always been known as the "female Zhuge Liang," and her performance in Yimei Garden lived up to that title.

It wasn't a case of misremembering the poem; it was clearly intentional. Disguised as a palace maid, she left a clue with the poem, playing hard to get, creating a stark contrast to Consort Wan's deliberate actions. If she hadn't tripped and fallen while leaving, the plan would have been even more perfect.

Consort Wan will become her target, allowing Huan'er to escape unscathed, avoid the limelight, and then find a way to reunite with the Emperor. At that time, the Emperor will naturally be moved by Huan'er's deep impression of her yet her lack of ambition and competitiveness.

No wonder, no wonder Consort Wan is so arrogant and so unscrupulous in stealing Huan'er's favor. She is still worried about Huan'er and indignant on her behalf.

Shen Meizhuang closed her eyes and sighed deeply, a bitter smile appearing on her lips. In the end, she had valued the friendship from her childhood too much, forgetting that after so many years, everything can change, and people's hearts are even more unpredictable.

Shen Meizhuang knew very well that in this palace, only those with cunning could survive. Zhen Huan wasn't a bad person, and hadn't done anything wrong to her yet. She wouldn't casually speculate about Zhen Huan because of her actions in vying for the emperor's favor, but it was impossible for her to treat Zhen Huan the way she used to.

Actually, she should have known this long ago, shouldn't she? There's no room for sisterly affection in the palace.

"My lord..."

"I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Then I'll help you back to rest."

Shen Meizhuang nodded and took Caiyue's hand. "Yinger, get up. I'll pretend I didn't hear anything. Don't tell anyone else."

"Yes, thank you, Your Highness." Yu Ying'er kowtowed gratefully, watching Shen Meizhuang leave dejectedly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

...

In Zhongcui Palace, An Lingrong, once again mocked by Huanbi, felt resentful. After visiting Zhen Huan, she wanted to get some fresh air, a rare occurrence. Not wanting to run into anyone else, she took Zisu and headed towards a secluded corner.

"Your Highness, Huanbi is too arrogant. How can Consort Wan indulge her like this?" On the way, Zisu couldn't help but complain, speaking up for An Lingrong.

"Never mind, it's just that I'm not favored." An Lingrong gave a bitter smile. She hadn't been able to serve the emperor yet, so it was no wonder that Huanbi's arrogance was growing.

However… what An Lingrong didn't say was that ever since she discovered Zhen Huan's excessive indulgence of Huanbi, she had been subconsciously observing her. Both were personal maids brought from the household, but Zhen Huan treated Huanbi much better than she treated Liuzhu.

It was initially just a guess, but seeing Huanbi wearing the same shimmering brocade that Mei-jie had given Zhen Huan, An Lingrong first felt humiliated, then her heart skipped a beat when she looked at Huanbi. Huanbi used to favor bright red and green outfits. But now, dressed in simple, elegant clothes similar to Zhen Huan's, her features even bore a slight resemblance to Zhen Huan's…

It was this discovery that made An Lingrong restless. She couldn't stay in Zhongcui Palace any longer and ran away. She thought that if her guess was true, then... that would be the crime of deceiving the emperor...

Just as An Lingrong was filled with fear and wild thoughts, she suddenly heard a faint cry for help.

"Help... Someone help me... Help me..."

"My lady." Zisu, who had also heard the cries for help, gripped An Lingrong's arm tightly, afraid that she would be drawn into some trouble.

An Lingrong was also very scared, but after thinking about her current situation and the ticking time bomb that was Huanbi in Zhongcui Palace, she gritted her teeth and decided that fortune favors the bold, and she would fight for a way out for herself.

Patting Zisu's hand, An Lingrong carefully headed towards the source of the sound. She quickly turned past the artificial hill and came to a small pond, where she saw a girl struggling in the water, about to sink due to exhaustion.

An Lingrong's pupils contracted, "Princess Wenjia!"