Lanqin then said to Madam Li, "Sister, please sit for a while. I'm going to relieve myself and also see what this servant wants."

Li nodded happily, and Lanqin stood up and went out the door with Nianxue's help.

The master and servant walked into the courtyard and went straight to the gatehouse along the corridor. Sure enough, Li Shubao was waiting at the door. When he saw Lanqin coming, he quickly said to Granny Wang, "This is our princess. Please let me in!"

Lanqin quickly winked at Li Shubao, then said to Granny Wang, "Granny, I'm going out to digest my food; I'm a little too full from eating just now."

After saying that, before Granny Wang could say anything, Lanqin pulled Nianxue and slipped past her.

Anyway, she was a princess, so Granny Wang naturally didn't dare to stop her. She just said in a flattering tone from behind, "Princess, be careful. It's cold outside and it's pitch black."

Lanqin pulled Li Shubao to a short distance away, where they saw a bright, silvery moon hanging on the treetops.

On a moonlit winter night, everything was covered in white, but there was no snow on the roads. Servants responsible for sweeping had already sprinkled salt into the snow to melt it, so that it could be swept out for their masters to walk on.

"How is Sister Song doing?" Lanqin's breath was white as she spoke, thankfully she was wearing rabbit fur hand guards and a thick cotton cloak.

"There shouldn't be any major problems. When Zi Ran came back, she said she had already taken the medicine and prepared it for Song Gege according to Gege's instructions," Chen Shubao replied. Actually, he came to see Lan Qin not for Song's matter.

"Oh, that's good. I'll go see Sister Song tomorrow." Lanqin didn't know Li Shubao's purpose in coming; she only thought he had come to report to her.

"Princess, this servant has come to report something to you! It's not about Princess Song, it's about us, about our South Courtyard!" Uncle Li glanced at Lan Qin cautiously, his expression somewhat strange.

"What happened in our courtyard? What happened?" Lanqin looked at Li Shubao with a puzzled expression and asked casually.

"This servant doesn't know whether I should tell the princess now, but I'm afraid it might delay her affairs. That's why I dared to come and report to her." Li Shubao was gentle and kind, and he was also methodical in his work. He was quite trusted by Lanqin and Nianxue.

"Just tell me quickly, so that the princess won't worry," Nianxue urged, seeing Li Shubao's hesitant manner.

“When I was on my way back to deliver a message to Zi Ran, I unexpectedly saw Huan Bi in the small garden.” Li Shubao swallowed and said, “I saw her follow someone into the small garden. Out of curiosity, I quietly went over to listen and heard something that greatly surprised me.”

Upon hearing that it was about Huanbi, Nianxue's brows furrowed involuntarily, while Lanqin gestured for Li Shubao to continue.

"This servant heard a woman with a hoarse voice telling Huanbi to put some things in our courtyard, and that she must hide them well, and that there would be a great reward after it was done!" When Li Shubao said this, his tongue was a little slurred. He was not a man who had experienced much, and when he suddenly heard such a thing, he was very uneasy.

"This servant wanted to peek out to see who was talking to Huanbi, but unfortunately it was very dark, and they didn't have any lanterns, so I couldn't see clearly. As soon as this servant returned to the south courtyard, I asked Granny Wang if Huanbi was in the courtyard. Granny Wang told this servant that Huanbi wanted to go to the kitchen to get some vegetables for everyone to cook." Li Shubao then finished explaining the basic situation. When Lanqin left, she told them that they could also have a small feast, and asked Niu Baoquan to make a hot pot to cook the vegetables.

Upon hearing this, Nianxue was even more shocked than Lanqin, but she was also more furious. She immediately said to Lanqin, "I've long suspected that Huanbi is not a good person. She always likes to cheat and sly, and she loves to sneak into the master's room. Princess, you can't tolerate her this time."

After listening to Li Shubao's words, Lanqin remained silent for a long time, and was really unable to react for a moment.

What is this? A power struggle within the family? Someone sent their maid to harm others!

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

Seeing Lanqin staring blankly at the crescent moon by the tree, lost in thought, Nianxue quickly nudged Lanqin's arm and called out.

"It's alright, the moon is really bright tonight. Let's go see Sister Song!" Lanqin seemed to disregard Li Shubao's words, and after thinking for a moment, she decided to go to Song's place.

"Princess, you're going to arrest Huanbi now and ask her about her conscience. How has the princess treated her all this time? She's actually betrayed you and done things that are unfair to the princess and to Nanxiaoyuan!" Nianxue was unusually agitated.

"You think you can convict her just based on a few words from him? You're oversimplifying things, Nianxue!!" Although Lin Mengyao is a history PhD, her logical and rational thinking is impeccable, far more composed than the emotional thinking of women like Nianxue.

After Lanqin said that, Nianxue thought about it and realized that it made sense. She hadn't done anything yet, so what crime would they charge her with if they arrested her?

“Princess, then we must be wary of Huanbi.” Nianxue glanced at Lanqin’s expression and saw that she remained somewhat indifferent, as if she was not surprised at all by hearing such a thing.

Lanqin nodded silently, sighing inwardly: "Why do these things always seem to come knocking on my door?!" She had always been content with her lot, never causing trouble, yet she still couldn't escape those conspiracies and power struggles within the family!

In the blink of an eye, Lanqin and her two servants arrived at the gate of Song's courtyard. Seeing Ziran coming out, they asked her about Song's situation.

After a busy day, she was quite tired. She was surprised to see Lanqin suddenly appear, but she was calm and never showed her emotions. She said to Lanqin, "Gege Song's fever has basically subsided. She is still asleep, but Doctor Zhou said that as long as the fever is gone, she will be fine."

Lanqin said to Ziran, "You and Uncle Li go back first. I'm going to see Sister Song, and then I need to go back to the East Courtyard. Uncle Li, don't make a fuss about that matter yet. Let me think about it."

Li Shubao nodded and went back with Zi Ran.

Lanqin and Nianxue entered Song's room and found that the room was not well lit. Qingping and a younger maid were guarding Song's bedside, but no one else could be seen.

"What, are there only the two of you serving in Sister Song's room?" Lanqin asked, a slight pang of sadness in her heart.

"Greetings to Princess Niu. Princess Niu usually prefers peace and quiet. Originally, the master arranged for four people to serve her, but since she didn't have much to do on weekdays, she sent them outside to do some rough work and not to come into the house." Qingping quickly stood up and curtsied.