Lu Tianjiao vaguely felt that what the maid was reporting must be related to her brother Han.
After the maid whispered something to Mei Xiyuan for a moment, she left Mei Xiyuan's ear, and Mei Xiyuan was instantly stunned and frozen in place like a wooden doll.
Could it be true that she dreamt last night that her brother Han was eaten by a huge creature? Had something really happened to her brother Han? At this moment, a very bad premonition suddenly arose in Lu Tianjiao's heart.
She just wanted to rush to Lin Yuexuan to find out what was going on, but how could that place be a place where she could come and go as she pleased? But she couldn't just stand there dumbfounded with this foolish woman. She suddenly thought, how wonderful it would be if this foolish woman weren't holding her back in the Prince's mansion! Then she could, like on New Year's Eve, quietly stand at a distance and observe the movements in that courtyard, to see if her Han-gege was still alive and well.
Just then, Mei Xiyuan suddenly turned around, her expression indifferent, and looked rather uneasy. She said to Lu Tianjiao, who was also stunned, "I suddenly feel a little dizzy and want to rest for a while. You should go back too."
Lu Tianjiao seemed to have finally lost all control of her anxiety. Mei Xiyuan's feigned calmness sent chills down her spine. At this moment, her entire body began to tremble slightly.
She knew all too well that she had never truly gained Mei Xiyuan's trust and approval. The information Mei Xiyuan obtained was rarely mentioned to her, and even when it was, its veracity was uncertain. But she didn't really care. In the end, their relationship was just a collaboration and transaction between women, each getting what they wanted.
However, when it came to matters concerning her beloved Han-gege, she was willing to disregard everything else and cared about nothing. If forced to, she wouldn't hesitate to engage in a true contest with him, or even with anyone else. She felt this was her way of loving that man, and her unwavering loyalty to him. In this life, he could only belong to her alone.
So, she lowered her voice and trembled as she asked Mei Xiyuan's back as she passed by, "Did something happen to Brother Han?"
For some reason, tears welled up in Mei Xiyuan's eyes. Hearing Lu Tianjiao's voice, she stopped and told her, "Your brother Han is fine. During the New Year, he took the princess and the crown prince to the most famous brothel in the south of the city. Not only that... that ugly girl... went too."
As she finished speaking, Mei Xiyuan suddenly bit her lower lip tightly.
"What? That's impossible! Brother Han has always been chaste, averse to women, and has a history of germaphobia. How could he possibly go to a place like that? You must be mistaken!" Lu Tianjiao was stunned upon hearing this.
After Mei Xiyuan finished speaking, she closed her eyes slightly, and tears slid down her beautiful face. A moment later, she opened her eyes and, with a fierce air, turned and headed towards the Shaohua Pavilion without looking back.
Lu Tianjiao was left standing there, completely bewildered. He kept shaking his head and muttering to himself, "No, they must be mistaken. It must be. Brother Han would never be that kind of dissolute person. He would never be."
As she spoke firmly, she raised her hand and forcefully broke off a blooming Chinese plum tree, along with its entire branch, and threw it under her feet, stomping on it in a fit of rage.
As soon as Mei Xiyuan entered Shaohua Pavilion, she felt dizzy and had a splitting headache. She touched her temples and felt as if the whole sky above her was about to collapse.
Granny Zhao quickly helped her to the side, where she leaned against a soft couch where sunlight still streamed in. She applied a little calming essential oil to her hands and massaged her to relieve her discomfort, asking with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong? Just because our Prince went to a place like that doesn't mean he did anything shameful. Everything is still unclear, why are you worrying unnecessarily?"
Mei Xiyuan leaned back lazily, her eyes slightly closed, trying to calm her anxiety. She slowly said, "Granny Zhao, those words I just said were only meant to shut that bitch up. Do you know, Granny, the thing I feared most has happened."
“Your Highness means…” Granny Zhao exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, Mei Xiyuan's earlier discomfort seemed to have subsided. She stopped Zhao Mama, stood up, and frowned, saying, "Besides this news, my brother sent someone with something even more important. He suspects that I am intentionally delaying the search for the legitimate princess. He warned me that I must never do this again, or he will tell Father. For many years, although Mother has been by Father's side, he has always remained devoted to the legitimate empress, and he feels guilty. If he had done his best to prevent the legitimate empress from returning to Western Qin back then, this great misfortune would not have occurred. If Father were to find out that I have neglected this matter that is of utmost importance to him, not only will I fall out of favor, but Mother will also be implicated. At that time, I'm afraid Father will also suspect Mother's motives."
“How about… we investigate as the Third Prince suggests? Perhaps the legitimate princess… is destined to die young. It’s not certain she’ll live. Even if she is, we can still make her disappear forever…” Granny Zhao pondered to herself as she listened.
Mei Xiyuan sighed deeply, her face still full of melancholy, and said, "No, the message my brother just sent said that because I neglected this matter, he has personally gone to the Yi family in the west of the city, near that girl's house, and investigated that family very thoroughly. He suspects that the ugly girl is most likely the legitimate princess of our Dongning Kingdom who has been lost for more than seventeen years."
"What? The Third Prince has already found out about it himself? He actually got involved. Then... then this matter will probably be difficult to handle?" Granny Zhao exclaimed in surprise, her face showing a troubled expression.
"My royal brother invited me to meet him in person when I had the chance. What should I do? What should I do? What should I do? What should I do?" At this moment, Mei Xiyuan was in a state of utter confusion. She roared as she got up from the bed and paced back and forth on the floor.
Now, she has completely lost herself, unsure how to face the things and people that have entered her life—people and events that can elevate her to the heavens or trample her underfoot.
Zhao Mama looked helplessly at Mei Xiyuan's madness, then suddenly thought of something and said, "That's right, before His Highness left, he ordered the gates to be closed, and that the Princess Consort must not step out of the manor before he returns, nor are any strangers allowed to enter. So how can the Princess Consort get out of the manor to see the Third Prince now? Why not use this as an excuse to refuse him first?"
Mei Xiyuan stood by the window, gazing at a cloud floating in the sky. She seemed to suddenly quiet down, saying, "You can't hide forever. Perhaps my brother will think I deliberately neglected him and punish me even more severely. Why has everything turned out this way? I remember when I was little, in the Dongning palace, I followed my third brother, so happy and carefree. Whether in front of Father and Mother, or in front of the Empress… But why does the world always develop in the direction we don't want to see?"
Just then, a flustered maid in a pink dress rushed in, stumbling and staggering.
The maidservant rushed in and immediately knelt down, gasping for breath, "Your Highness...Your Highness, hurry...hurry...hurry to see! Something terrible has happened! His Highness Prince Qin...His Highness...he...he..."
The little maid in front of me was clearly terrified, so much so that she was incoherent and couldn't even utter a single word.
Mei Xiyuan couldn't calm down. Before she could finish reporting the news, she rushed out the door. When Zhao Mama saw this, she glared at the little maid who was still kneeling timidly on the cold floor in front of her, panting heavily. She quickly walked to the side, picked up a light yellow cloak, and followed after her.
At this moment, Lin Yuexuan's door was tightly closed.
At the foot of the stone steps before the gate, Lu Tianjiao knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, her heart breaking and her heart burning with anxiety. She pleaded again and again, "This humble woman, Lu Tianjiao, sincerely begs Your Highness Princess Yue and Your Highness the Crown Prince: please allow me to enter Lin Yuexuan and catch a glimpse of Prince Qin. Just one glimpse will be enough; I will be eternally grateful..."
Inside Lin Yuexuan, everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Hearing the pitiful and heartbreaking cries of a woman outside, Xuan Yuanhao couldn't help but ask Xuan Yuan Yue, who was wiping Xuan Yuan Han's travel-worn face, "Sister, who is that woman kneeling at the entrance of Lin Yuexuan, crying her eyes out? In this Qin Prince's mansion, I've never heard of any other women besides Princess Yongle, who was forced upon our Uncle by Dongning Kingdom! Could it be that Uncle Qin has finally realized that there's too much yang energy in his Qin Prince's mansion and is considering taking in more women to balance the yin and yang?"
"Hao'er, don't talk nonsense. That's Lu Tianjiao, the daughter of Lu Xian, the dean of Xiqin Academy. Don't you recognize her?"
Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Yue's words, Xuan Yuan Hao quickly moved closer to the window. When the group of people rushed in earlier, he had only caught a glimpse of the beautiful young woman hiding by the osmanthus tree, and hadn't really gotten a good look at her. Now, after carefully observing her for a while by the window, it seemed that this woman truly resembled Lu Tianjiao, the beloved daughter of Lu Xian of Xi Qin Academy, who used to cling to his royal uncle like a leech.
"It's been years since I last saw her, and she's grown even more beautiful. It's a pity that no matter how much she changes over the years, my royal uncle just doesn't like her. It's all for nothing!" As Xuan Yuanhao spoke, he returned to Xuan Yuanyue's side and helped her change into a soft, clean white cloth.
"Lu Tianjiao is a cunning and scheming woman. She doesn't seem like a kind person. You should stay away from her in the future and not let her scheme against you."
Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Yue's words, Xuan Yuan Hao immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? So she's a femme fatale after all. Sigh... then Uncle Qin would be even less likely to like her. Uncle Qin prefers women like Yun'er who are pure, kind, brave, and have a touch of pride in their bones."
The moment Yun'er was mentioned, the siblings fell silent again, their faces darkening.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the courtyard...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com