16 Not everyone can be so lucky.
"Hehe, Your Highness is too fond of joking. How could this humble concubine say such a thing? Shui Han is not as good as Chun He, and would never have the audacity to have a secret rendezvous with someone in the middle of the night." Hua Ni Chang smiled awkwardly, not forgetting to mock the concubine as she spoke.
Hearing Hua Nishang's sarcastic words, Consort Wang's face darkened, and she glared fiercely at Chunhe behind her. Chunhe kept her head down and remained silent. Perhaps influenced by Liu Hanruo's words, Consort Wang couldn't help but worry that Chunhe might be a spy. It was as if, once a person became suspicious, they would find fault with everything the other person did, always worrying whether they were speaking ill of them or plotting to harm them, thus completely ignoring the other person's feelings and only finding them increasingly displeasing.
Although she was annoyed by Chunhe, it was ultimately a matter of her own face, so Consort Wang was not about to let it go and began to mock her in a loud voice.
"Madam Hua is too kind. Although Chunhe's secret rendezvous was wrong, she is, after all, of marriageable age. It is understandable that she might develop feelings for someone and pledge her life to him. It's just that they used the wrong method. On the other hand, Shuihan is in her prime, full of youthful vigor. It is understandable that she might succumb to temptation and do something wrong. Madam Hua should patiently guide her back to the right path, so that others do not mistakenly think that a master raises a maid like her."
"Hehe, no matter how bad my maid is, she is still different from Consort Wang. At least she wouldn't do such a scandalous thing. Besides, I believe that I have a deep bond with Shui Han and know her very well. I believe she is not shameless. Moreover, I have already told Shui Han that if she ever meets someone she likes, I will definitely help her and will never ruin her life."
"Hmph, flower..."
"Shut up, both of you! Who gave you the audacity to make such a racket here? Do you even respect me? You think this is your own courtyard, where you can do whatever you want? Look at you two, gossiping like this! Where did you learn the 'Precepts for Women'? Where did you throw away your feminine virtues and manners? If you're so free, go back and study the 'Precepts for Women' properly!" Liu Hanruo glared coldly at Hua Nishang and Consort Wang, her powerful roar interrupting their 'interaction'.
After taking a deep breath, Liu Hanruo spoke coldly again:
"Madam Hua, if Shui Han did not have an affair, why did he buy musk, and where did all that musk go?"
"Your Highness, this...it was actually a maid and someone from my humble servant's quarters..."
"How dare you! Madam Hua, how can there be so many coincidences in the world? Do you really think I'm a three-year-old child, someone you can toy with?"
"This lowly concubine dares not!"
"Hmph, if you're capable of murdering the prince's offspring, what else wouldn't you do?!"
"Your Highness, I am innocent! Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I would never dare to harm the Prince's child! Please, Your Highness, see the truth!" Hua Ni Chang knelt on the ground, her face filled with fear and utter grievance.
"Injustice? Then I'll ask you, where did all this musk go? Don't tell me you don't know!"
"Your Highness, this humble concubine truly knew nothing. All this musk was bought by Shui Han. This humble concubine truly knew nothing!"
"Hmph, according to you, Shui Han made all the decisions on his own and bought the musk. You had no idea where the musk went?"
"This...this lowly concubine..."
"Hehe, since Madam Hua doesn't know, let me tell you. That batch of musk has probably already been added to the incense and burned every day. Liu Hanxue has been unknowingly inhaling the musk incense every day, which has caused her to be emotionally volatile and have a lot of ups and downs, directly affecting the growth of the fetus."
"Hehe. If what Your Highness says is true, then this humble concubine believes that the imperial physician should have noticed something as soon as he entered. How could he have been completely oblivious?"
"Madam Hua, among so many people here, who doesn't wear perfume? With so many fragrances mixed together, no one could possibly notice even the slightest hint of musk in the air."
"The princess said that no one could smell the musk, so why did she insist that the musk that Shui Han bought was put into the perfume?"
"I hadn't paid any attention at first, and my intuition told me that safflower was the cause of the miscarriage. But when I was checking the accounts, I suddenly found half a pound of musk. So I made a bold guess: if someone bought musk, where would they use it? Perhaps in incense? So I secretly had my servants take the incense ash to test it. The result was obvious. Just as I had guessed, it contained the scent of musk."
Hua Nishang knew that saying anything now was superfluous. To protect the funds, she only had one option. Gritting her teeth and steeling her heart, she said sorrowfully:
"It is my fault for failing to properly discipline Shui Han. I never expected her to be so heartless and commit such a grave mistake. I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
"Lack of discipline? Does Madam Hua mean that Shui Han acted on his own initiative and that it has nothing to do with you?" Looking at the submissive Hua Nishang, Liu Hanruo smiled coldly and asked.
"Your Highness, this humble concubine truly did not know. If this humble concubine had known, she would certainly have stopped it and would never have allowed Shui Han to do such a thing!"
"Hehe, Madam Hua, I've truly learned something! Is this what you call the deep bond between master and servant? When it comes to life and death, you push all the responsibility onto the maid?"
Liu Hanruo smiled mockingly, then looked at Shui Han and said with pity:
"Shui Han, you heard everything. Madam Hua said that you acted on your own initiative and that she knew nothing about it. Now, I'm giving you a chance to defend yourself. Do you have anything else to say?"
Shui Han lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, her heart filled with sorrow. Although she had long anticipated this ending, hearing it with her own ears still caused her unbearable heartache. She had followed Hua Nishang since childhood, serving her as mistress for ten years. She had been deeply devoted to Hua Nishang, always thinking only of her. Watching Hua Nishang rise to her current position, she had been genuinely happy for her. But now, well, so be it. Although Hua Nishang was ruthless, she had treated her sincerely. Let her do one last thing for her, to fulfill the bond of more than ten years of affection.
Having figured this out, Shui Han felt utterly hopeless, her eyes lifeless, and calmly said to Liu Hanruo:
“Your Highness, there’s no need to say anything more. I confess that everything was my idea. I couldn’t stand Consort Liu’s abuse of her pregnancy and the mistreatment of Consort Hua. So I had this wicked thought that if the child was gone, Consort Hua would no longer have to suffer. So I made up my mind and secretly bought musk and mixed it into Consort Liu’s perfume. I’m willing to pay with my life for the child. I just beg Your Highness to spare Consort Hua. She really knew nothing about it.”
Liu Hanruo quietly looked at Shui Han, sighed, and spoke softly to Hua Nishang:
"Life is but a short few decades. It is truly rare to find such a loyal maid. Be careful in the future, for such a loyal servant will not always be found."
People often have this mistaken perception that all bad things are caused by others, thus ignoring the essence and failing to reflect on their own mistakes. Hua Nishang is this kind of person. She blames all the mistakes on Liu Hanruo. Her tightly clenched hands reveal her anger and resentment. She secretly vows to avenge this grudge!
The matter finally came to an end. Liu Hanruo reported back to the 'Carefree King': those who should be killed were killed, those who should be punished were punished, and those who should be dismissed were dismissed. Everything slowly returned to peace, and the Dragon Boat Festival feast was about to begin.
---Aside---
Sigh, it's all the same old cliché: asking for all sorts of sugar daddies/sugar babies.
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