That evening, the Fourth Prince personally ordered several trusted servants to search for Huanbi. The head nanny reported that Huanbi was originally a government slave, and after being sent away by the Princess Consort, she should have no one in the capital to rely on. Her family members had also long been registered as slaves for committing crimes, and none of them knew where they were, so how could they be found? Therefore, searching for Huanbi at this moment was truly like looking for a needle in a haystack, as there was absolutely no clue as to her whereabouts.
Ever since Fourth Master started sneaking off to the South Courtyard every few days, Lanqin jokingly asked, "Are we having an affair?"
The Fourth Prince, with his arm around Lanqin, leaned back on the couch, a book in his hand, and said, "You are my princess, how can you say you're having an affair?"
Lanqin nestled in the Fourth Prince's neck and said sweetly, "Why does Your Highness always follow me here under the cover of night?"
Fourth Master was speechless after being cornered by her, and could only say, "Huanbi has not been found. It seems that this woman has vanished from the face of the earth."
Lanqin's eyes flashed; she finally understood. Her expectation of clinging to that obsessive resentment and arguing with herself was exactly what those who wanted her dead wanted. Besides, Lin Mengyao had transmigrated here to enjoy the leisurely life in the Fourth Prince's inner quarters, not to be cannon fodder. Since a fight was necessary, then she would start fighting properly.
"Master, there's no need to search anymore. Perhaps you could go to the mortuary to see if her body is there!" Lanqin said, a chill running through her heart.
Fourth Master immediately sat up, looked at Lanqin and said, "You think she was silenced?"
Lanqin nodded and said, "She was just a government slave, with no one to rely on. Since she was used as a pawn this time, and is no longer of any use, only the dead can keep the secret. If you really find Huanbi's body, it will prove that she was indeed bought and used. It's a pity that she was just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. Why did she have to do such a thing and lose her life!"
Fourth Master felt that since reconciling with Lanqin, this little woman was indeed different from before. She used to be naive and straightforward, but now she was intelligent and decisive.
"Why are you staring at me, Master? Is there anything dirty on my face?" Lanqin asked, noticing that the Fourth Master was staring at her.
"My little princess seems different from before. I'm looking to see what's different," the Fourth Prince said with amusement, then put his arm around Lanqin's back again and pulled her into his embrace.
"My lord, no matter how Lanqin changes, she will always be the Lanqin who loves you." Lanqin said with her eyes closed. She could only say to the Fourth Prince in her heart: Living in your inner quarters, the old Lanqin is probably not used to it. Since you cannot protect me with all your might, then I can only rely on myself to protect myself.
At the same time, Yan Yu smashed a vase to the ground, and the maids all fell silent, not daring to utter a sound. Recently, as her pregnancy progressed, Yan Yu's temper had also worsened; she would throw tantrums at the slightest dissatisfaction.
At that moment, someone told her that Fourth Master had started going to the South Courtyard again, and she was so angry that she trembled. As soon as she returned to the room, she smashed everything she could.
“Even if you smash everything in the house, you still can’t bring him here,” the Fujin’s unusually calm and composed voice rang out from outside.
"Elder sister, are we just going to watch that vixen make a comeback? We finally managed to keep her under control in the South Courtyard, and now all our efforts are in vain?" Yan Yu, who was almost seven months pregnant, calmed down when she saw the Fujin arrive.
“If it’s the master who wants her to get up, no matter how angry you get, you can’t stop him.” The princess glanced at her and carefully moved her feet to avoid stepping on the broken pieces of porcelain on the ground.
Yan Yu immediately waved for the maids to clean up the mess on the ground, walked to the Fujin's side, personally led her to sit down, and then sat down below the Fujin herself.
“Elder sister, we must not let Niu Shi recover! Yu’er went through so much trouble. That day at Li Shi’s place, she personally put safflower into that cup of tea, risking miscarriage, to lure these two people into our trap. How can we let her get away so quickly? Yu’er is not willing to accept this!” Yan Yu said.
It turned out that the safflower in the tea that Li drank in her courtyard that day was added by Yan Yu herself.
"That matter must never be mentioned again, not even here. Do you understand? I don't want to hear it again," the Princess Consort said, giving Yan Yu a deep look.
"Yu'er knows, I just couldn't help it. Eldest sister, if we don't get rid of Niu Shi, she will become a major threat." Yan Yu was afraid that the Fujin would ignore the matter, so she insisted on getting the Fujin to express her opinion.
The princess knew perfectly well what was going on, and gave Li Mama a wink.
"Ninth Princess, do you know that Fourth Master has already begun investigating Huanbi?" Granny Li said knowingly.
"Why would Master suddenly want to investigate that girl again? Could it be that he has some suspicions about what happened that day? What should we do then, elder sister? If Fourth Master finds Huanbi and tortures her to extract a confession, who knows if that girl might reveal us?" Yan Yu said, her expression changing upon hearing this.
“Therefore, we absolutely cannot let the master find Huanbi.” A glint flashed in the Fujin’s eyes, but she quickly returned to normal, making it seem as if what she had just seen was just an illusion.
"Elder sister, didn't you send that girl away? Where is she now?" Yan Yu asked suspiciously.
"They've probably already arrived in the underworld," Granny Li said grimly.
"Resolved? That's for the best. Only the dead can't speak," Yan Yu said with relief.
“Yan Yu, you’re right. Niu Shi must be eliminated. Otherwise, once she gains a foothold and gives birth to a son or daughter of the master, she will probably be even more troublesome than Li Shi,” the Fujin said.
"Then, elder sister, what should we do now?" Yan Yu asked.
"Elder sister has come up with a plan, but it requires younger sister's cooperation. What do you think, younger sister?" The Fujin asked, flicking her fingernails.
“As long as the Niu family can be eliminated, I am willing to serve you, my elder sister,” Yan Yu said.
"I want my sister to go and speak to the Fourth Prince herself, asking him to release Lady Niu's feet and to say that what happened that day was probably not her doing," the Fujin said, enunciating each word clearly.
What?
Yan Yu looked at the Fujin in disbelief, unable to believe that those words had come from her mouth.
"Why should I be the one to speak? And why should we beg Fourth Master to release Lady Niu? Wouldn't that be exactly what she wants?" Yan Yu asked.
“Only if you plead with her can we prove that Huanbi is not related to us, understand? Since she is already gone, we can do our best to make it look good, which will eliminate most of the suspicion,” the Fujin explained.
After hearing this, Yan Yu thought about what the Fujin had said and couldn't help but smile and say, "Sister, that's a really good plan. Huanbi is no longer alive, so there's no one left to entangle us. Anyway, the Fourth Prince will release her sooner or later, so we might as well be the good guys."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
