After hearing that Tao Hua had hanged herself last night, Mr. Nian didn't sleep well at all.

"Princess Nian, please have some tea!" Ziling brought a cup of hot tea to the tea table where Nian was sitting. She was one of the six maids who had just been assigned to the South Courtyard. Lanqin was too lazy to think, so she named them after fruits: grape, water chestnut, pomegranate, lychee, kumquat, and crabapple. Water chestnut was called into the room to serve guests and Lanqin when she was entertaining people, and she was directly under the command of Xicha and Sihua. Grape was assigned to Cui Niang to manage things, pomegranate and lychee assisted Nianxue and Lanqi respectively, and kumquat and crabapple, like water chestnut, were also specifically responsible for all the chores in Lanqin's room.

"The concubine hasn't gotten up yet?" Madam Nian knew that Lanqin loved to sleep in, but it was already past 9 AM and she still hadn't gotten up. She felt a little jealous. This was all thanks to the Fourth Prince's pampering. Otherwise, how could the head of the household be allowed to sleep in so late?

There are some people who become consumed by jealousy when they discover that someone else has acquired a seemingly intolerable privilege before them. Nian Shilan was such a person. Having been raised as a boy in the Nian family since childhood, she was inherently strong-willed. Moreover, due to her beautiful appearance, she had always been favored by her father and brothers. Therefore, she could not tolerate Lanqin being favored by the Fourth Prince even more than she was, because Lanqin was not the Prince Consort.

“Our concubine has already risen and is having breakfast. Please wait a moment, Princess Nian,” Shui Ling said sweetly and obediently, then took the tray and left.

Mr. Nian picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teacup with its intertwined floral design, and upon lifting the lid, he saw several emerald green tea leaves floating on top, releasing a fragrant aroma. The tea leaves inside were a refreshing, vibrant green, resembling Pu'er tea.

Nian lifted the tea lid, smoothed the floating tea leaves, and took a sip. She immediately discovered that the tea was surprisingly delicious. It turned out that the tea Lanqin used to entertain guests was a pre-arranged portion. For example, the tea she brewed for Nian today was specially sourced from the ancient city of Pu'er on the banks of the Lancang River, a special gift from Fourth Master to Lanqin; it wasn't available anywhere else. Shuiling, having just finished her errand, probably took the wrong tea. The tea intended for entertaining guests was supposed to be Pu'er from Tonglu, Anhui, but she had taken the Pu'er from the ancient city of Yunnan that Lanqin had kept for herself.

Cui Ling glanced sideways and noticed that while Nian was drinking tea, her expression became unnatural. However, she clearly didn't dislike the tea, otherwise she wouldn't have kept drinking it.

"Princess, what's wrong?" Cui Ling lowered her head slightly and asked softly behind Nian's head.

"It's nothing. The things here, Consort Nian, are indeed extraordinary. Even the Pu'er tea here tastes better than mine." Finally, Lady Nian slammed her teacup down on the rosewood tea table beside her.

Just then, Lanqin emerged from the left side room, dressed in a light orange qipao. Over the satin qipao with longevity motifs, she wore a moon-white shoulder-length garment, with white rabbit fur trim on the cuffs and collar, which made Lanqin's fair face appear exceptionally white.

“Sister Nian, is it that the tea here doesn’t suit your taste?” Lanqin, holding a pale purple handkerchief, swayed as she walked out, supported by Cui Niang.

Lady Nian frowned, then quickly stood up, placing her right hand on her left and giving a slight curtsy: "Greetings to Consort Nian. Consort Nian has misunderstood. After drinking this tea, you became angry with your maids. They can't even brew tea properly. The tea here is much better, Consort Nian."

Lanqin walked to the main seat in the hall, sat down, straightened her back, and adopted the demeanor of a concubine, saying, "I was just joking with you, sister. May I ask what brings you here so early in the morning, sister?"

With Cui Ling's help, Lady Nian sat down, leaning to one side. Although she was very unwilling and didn't really care about Lan Qin, her concubine, she still maintained proper etiquette.

"Consort, I heard that a maid named Peach Blossom from Princess Yehe's quarters hanged herself. Alas, it's all my fault for not keeping Peach Blossom alive. I even came to report this to you. Otherwise, Peach Blossom might not have died." Lady Nian feigned deep sorrow. In truth, she was indeed filled with regret. If she had kept Peach Blossom alive, Princess Yehe wouldn't have erased this crucial witness. From the moment she heard the news of Peach Blossom's hanging, she refused to believe Peach Blossom would do such a thing. Therefore, she was naturally the one Princess Yehe eliminated.

“It seems that Sister Nian has something to say? As Consort Jun knows, Peach Blossom has been stealing things from Princess Yehe and has run away from her place several times.” Lanqin said.

Lady Nian sneered and hurriedly said, "Consort, don't be deceived by some people's words. Peach Blossom didn't steal anything; rather, she learned a secret, which led to her being silenced."

Lanqin picked up the tea that Shuiling had brought, took a sip, and said, "Sister Nian, everything requires evidence. What evidence do you have for what you're saying?"

At this point, Nian Shi no longer cared about making a contribution. She hurriedly recounted to Lan Qin in detail everything from when Tao Hua first discovered that Yu Hen had drugged her to the final incident where Yu Hen had a drug in his hand.

"Since Princess Nian knows so much, why didn't you say so sooner? If Princess Nian had said so earlier, the peach blossoms might have been protected long ago," Lanqin retorted.

Upon hearing this, Lady Nian's expression immediately became extremely unnatural. She said, "I never imagined that Lady Yehe would be so ruthless, committing murder so brazenly. I beg you, Consort, to uphold justice for Peach Blossom."

Just as she was saying this, Jinju came in from outside to report that Doctor Liang was requesting an audience.

Lanqin was about to go find out about Doctor Liang's autopsy yesterday when she happened to be talking to Nian Shi about it, and then Doctor Liang arrived.

Doctor Liang, dressed in a gray cotton robe, entered. After bowing to Lanqin, he reported, "Your Highness, there are indeed some suspicious circumstances surrounding Taohua's death. Would Your Highness like me to speak now?" He had clearly noticed that Lady Nian was present and wondered if Lanqin wanted Lady Nian to hear.

"Speak freely!" Lanqin quickly replied, understanding what Doctor Liang meant.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Doctor Liang, "I discovered that Tao Hua's tongue was not severed at the root. This is different from the usual practice of severing the tongue of someone who hangs themselves. Secondly, I discovered that she was likely hungry before her death. Based on these two points, I speculate that Tao Hua may not have hanged herself, but rather that her death was staged. The second point doesn't fit people's customs; as the saying goes, 'If you're going to die, die well.' Why would Tao Hua hang herself on an empty stomach? It's truly puzzling."

“Yes, Doctor Liang’s words make perfect sense. Peach Blossom would never hang herself, Consort! Just the day before Peach Blossom was imprisoned by the Yehe Clan, she came to see me. At that time, she even begged me to let her stay with me,” said Lady Nian.