Chapter 5 The maid died
Chapter Five: The Maid Died
Three days later, the Yongning Marquis's mansion held a flower banquet, and invitations were sent to everyone in the Meng family.
This banquet, ostensibly a flower-viewing feast, was actually a gathering of eligible young men and women to admire each other – a fact that was an open secret in the capital.
The Shen family would naturally not let such a good opportunity pass by and wanted to bring Shen Tang along.
Shen Tang didn't really want to go because of her entanglement with Meng Huaiyan.
Whenever these occasions occur, the young women gossip about her behind her back.
They said she was like a toad trying to eat swan meat, trying to climb the social ladder, and was vain.
In the past, she could ignore these comments in order to see Meng Huaiyan.
But now, she doesn't want to go up there and get scolded.
Besides, those who can go to the Yongning Marquis's residence are all from prominent families or are talented young men. With her bad reputation, it's no wonder they would be interested in her.
Shen roughly knew why she didn't want to go, but what if...
He was unusually assertive, his tone leaving no room for argument: "No, you have to go."
Shen Tang: "......"
*
Besides them, all the women from the first and third branches of the Yongning Marquis's household were present at the Yongning Marquis's residence today.
Shen's relationship with the first and third wives was not very close; they only maintained a superficial relationship.
After exchanging brief greetings and pleasantries, the two sides boarded the carriage and headed to the Yongning Marquis's residence.
The Meng residence and the Yongning Marquis residence are not far apart, only a quarter of an hour's drive apart.
Shen Tang was dragged out of bed by A Yun at dawn today to get ready. After a whole morning of this, she was exhausted.
I quickly took a nap in the carriage, and soon the carriage arrived at the Yongning Marquis's residence amidst the swaying and rocking.
When the gatekeeper saw that it was the Meng family, he greeted them warmly and led them to the flower hall.
The Yongning Marquis's residence covers a vast area; without a servant to guide you, you might easily get lost.
Along the way, Shen Tang observed that this mansion, from its pavilions and terraces to its flowers and bonsai, exuded an overwhelming sense of wealth.
When will she become this rich?!
Seeing Shen Tang's unworldly demeanor, Meng Caiwei couldn't help but feel disdain.
When no one was looking, he walked up to Shen Tang and bumped her shoulder, whispering, "Country bumpkin."
Shen Tang: "......"
Meng Caiwei is Meng Huaiyan's younger sister. Because of Meng Caiwei's crush on her brother, Meng Huaiyan felt like a pig trying to steal her cabbage and disliked her very much.
Every time they met, he would make sarcastic remarks to her, but because she was Meng Huaiyan's younger sister, she chose to endure it.
Unexpectedly, her tolerance only emboldened Meng Caiwei, who last time even pushed her into the pond during a scuffle.
It caused her to fall seriously ill, and afterwards she didn't even offer an apology.
Shen Tang couldn't help but roll her eyes.
We haven't even settled the score with her for pushing me into the water last time, and now she's doing it again.
This time, she won't tolerate it.
Taking advantage of her unpreparedness, Shen Tang imitated her and shoved her back without any hesitation.
Seemingly not expecting her to retaliate, Meng Caiwei was completely unprepared.
She stumbled from the impact and cried out in surprise. If the maid hadn't caught her quickly, she probably would have fallen to the ground.
The commotion was too loud and attracted the attention of those in front. The princess turned around, frowned slightly, and asked in a stern tone, "What happened?"
Meng Caiwei was intimidated by her mother's stern face, especially since her mother had told her not to cause trouble when she left home that morning.
Meng Caiwei dared not tell the truth this time, and could only swallow her anger and say, "Mother, I accidentally twisted my ankle, it's nothing serious."
After this incident, Meng Caiwei dared not cause any more trouble. She glared at Shen Tang fiercely and stormed ahead of her.
Shen Tang snorted and ignored her.
The flower hall was very large, and many ladies and young women had already arrived, making it quite lively.
Upon seeing the princess and her entourage, they all rose and bowed.
The eldest princess said calmly, "Get up, there's no need to be so formal."
Despite this, no one dared to be too unrestrained in front of the princess.
The once lively flower hall became somewhat solemn due to the arrival of the Princess.
Soon after, Lady Yongning, seeing that everyone had arrived, invited them to a banquet.
Today's flower banquet is held outdoors, with men and women seated separately, separated by gauze curtains.
The gauze curtain was thin and transparent, and anyone with a discerning eye could see everything clearly, rendering it virtually useless.
Shen Tang sat next to her aunt, quietly eating her food.
She always felt like someone was watching her, but when she turned around to look, she couldn't find any trace of it.
Was it just her imagination?
Shen Tang shook her head, guessing that she must have misjudged the situation.
After the banquet, her aunt told her that she didn't need to come with her and could go out and have fun on her own.
They practically had "Perform well and get to know more people" written all over their foreheads.
Shen Tang obediently agreed, but after coming out, she led A Yun to a secluded spot.
The Marquis's mansion was very large. Shen Tang wandered around without paying attention to her direction and stumbled upon a secluded spot by sheer luck.
The pavilion was cleverly designed, with two crabapple trees planted outside it.
You can't see inside unless you look closely from the outside, but you can see the scenery outside through the gaps in the tree branches from inside the pavilion.
Shen Tang was very satisfied, breathed a sigh of relief, and sat down in the pavilion with peace of mind.
Ayun was somewhat reluctant. She had dressed up her mistress so beautifully today to attract the attention of those young masters.
What if, by some stroke of luck, you meet your destined one today?
But the young lady is hiding here; how is she supposed to keep an eye on those young masters?
Ayun offered a few words of advice, but Shen Tang rejected them without hesitation.
Seeing that her mistress was unmoved by reason, A-Yun gave up and sat down next to Chen Tang.
It was a beautiful spring day, and the crabapple blossoms outside the pavilion were in full bloom. Chen Tang leaned on the railing, enjoying the scenery outside.
Suddenly, they saw a maidservant carrying a wine pot next to the artificial hill on the opposite side, looking rather furtive.
Shen Tang nudged A Yun with his elbow, and A Yun looked up at the spot Shen Tang was pointing to.
The maidservant, looking flustered, poured some white powder into the black wine pot, shook it, and headed towards the garden.
Looking flustered and acting suspiciously, and running in such a hidden place, it's obvious he's up to no good.
What should we do now? Should we intervene?
Shen Tang was conflicted. Reason advised her not to do anything about it, as everyone who came today was of noble status and she couldn't afford to offend any of them.
If the person behind it all found out that she was the one who interfered and caused the matter to be exposed, there's no guarantee they wouldn't hold a grudge against her.
But if she left it alone, she... seemed unable to do it. After thinking for a few moments, she decided to follow them and see what was going on.
To avoid being discovered by the maid, Shen Tang carefully followed her from a distance, watching as she skillfully made her way to the pavilion on the south side of the garden.
The pavilion was built on the lake and had curtains. Inside, two people were drinking, but they were far apart, so their faces were not clearly visible.
However, Shen Tang was very familiar with Meng Huaiyan. Although there was only a back view, she was certain that it was Meng Huaiyan, and the other person was most likely Jiang Congyu.
It's just unclear which of the two they are being targeted by.
The maid put down the wine pot and left. Only after she had gone far away did Shen Tang emerge from her hiding place and head towards the pavilion.
Since Meng Huaiyan was involved, Shen Tang had no choice but to intervene.
After all, she drugged him in her past life and ruined his marriage. If she can help him this time, it will be her way of repaying him.
From then on, they were truly even.
Jiang Congyu spotted Shen Tang from afar and gave Meng Huaiyan a mischievous smile.
He was just telling Meng Huaiyan that Shen Tang hadn't appeared for a while, but he didn't expect her to arrive in less than fifteen minutes.
Shen Tang really knows how to pursue someone.
Meng Huaiyan ignored Jiang Congyu's teasing and, seeing Shen Tang approach, slightly suppressed the irritation in his heart.
Knowing that Meng Huaiyan disliked her, she stopped bothering with formalities.
He addressed the two of them succinctly, saying, "There's something in this wine. I saw the maid put it in with my own eyes."
These words were like a bolt from the blue.
Upon hearing this, Qingyang, who was standing nearby, quickly took out a silver needle from his pocket. The silver needle turned black instantly upon contact with the wine, indicating that it was highly poisonous.
Qingyang and Tingsong were shocked and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "It was our dereliction of duty, please punish us, Your Highness."
Meng Huaiyan's face showed no emotion, but a hint of malice flashed in his eyes.
He was careless today; he never expected that person's reach would extend to the Marquis's residence.
Acting arrogantly without being prudent or cautious is more like a silent warning.
Meng Huaiyan chuckled as he thought about the things he had been investigating recently.
Jiang Congyu's face was grim. The Yongning Marquis's residence was always heavily guarded, and such a situation had never occurred before.
Today, due to the flower banquet, there were many people and distractions, and some people with ulterior motives managed to sneak in.
Jiang Congyu spoke to Meng Huaiyan in a cold and stern tone, tinged with a hint of shame: "It was my negligence today that almost caused you harm."
Meng Huaiyan shook his head: "It has nothing to do with you. This is specifically targeting me."
Having said that, he coldly ordered Qingyang, "Go investigate!"
Qingyang accepted the order and withdrew.
Jiang Congyu stood up and bowed to Shen Tang.
Gone was the disdain she had shown when discussing her with Meng Huaiyan earlier; her tone was now sincere and earnest: "Thank you so much, Miss Chen. If it weren't for your reminder, Huaiyan and I would probably not have escaped this calamity."
"If you ever need anything from the Marquis's mansion in the future, just ask. As long as it is within the Marquis's mansion's power, we will do our best to help."
It's not easy to get a promise from the young master of the Marquis's mansion; anyone else would be overjoyed to receive one.
Shen Tang couldn't laugh. She thought that the maid had at most given someone drugs that made them unconscious or aphrodisiacs, and her only goal was to get close to the Meng or Jiang families.
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be poison. The person behind the attack on the Jiang and Meng families in Beijing must be someone of high rank and great power.
They don't even respect the Meng and Jiang families, let alone a nobody like her.
She ruined their plans today. If they were to decide to kill her to vent their anger, it would be an easy task. Thinking of this, Shen Tang felt a little scared.
She had finally been reborn, but before she could even enjoy a good life, she didn't want to die like this.
Shen Tang forced a smile and said perfunctorily, "Then thank you very much, young marquis."
Everyone in the pavilion had a somber expression and remained silent for a moment.
A moment later, Qingyang returned, his expression grave: "Young Master, that maidservant drowned herself in the lake."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
