The following day, the Fourth Prince indeed sent men to check the various mortuaries in the capital, each carrying a portrait of Huanbi. After several days of searching, they still could not find Huanbi's body.
This frustrated the Fourth Master. Without Huanbi, how could he exonerate Lanqin? He had even made the worst-case scenario plan, having Huanbi confess to the crime. Regardless of whether the truth was revealed, he was convinced that Lanqin had not done it.
Now, Huanbi's whereabouts are unknown, and her fate is uncertain, leaving Fourth Master somewhat at a loss as to where to begin. If he were to start investigating every servant in the manor, the scope would be far too broad.
But this can't go on forever, secretly spending every day with Lanqin in the south courtyard.
Emperor Kangxi also began urging the Fourth Prince to set a departure date. If he could not untie Lanqin's feet and take her out, it would be somewhat improper and unjustifiable.
On this day, the Fourth Prince was sitting in his study reading invitations when Su Peisheng suddenly announced from outside, "Your Highness, Consort Yan has arrived."
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Master was somewhat displeased, but considering that she was pregnant, he said calmly, "Let her in."
Yan Yu was dressed in a red and white cheongsam with cloud and water patterns, her hair styled in a high bun, with a peacock hairpin in the center, and tortoiseshell and pearl flowers on the shelves on both sides. She looked adorned with jewels and looked very wealthy.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness!" Yan Yu had come today on behalf of the Fujin (Prince's wife) to "plead" for Lan Qin, but she couldn't resist dressing herself up in a flamboyant manner, because the Fourth Prince hadn't spent the night at her place in a long time. Actually, she was now pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to serve him, but Yan Yu was just that kind of person, so her attire today was a bit too bright and didn't quite match her current condition.
"Your body is getting heavier and heavier. Why aren't you resting in your room? Why are you here with me?" Fourth Master gestured for her to sit down and said calmly.
"I do nothing but eat and sleep all day, and I'm really bored. Going out for a walk will actually be good for the baby," Yan Yu quickly said.
Fourth Master nodded, then had nothing more to say.
"I've come to see you, sir, but there's another matter I'd like to ask you for a favor," Yan Yu said.
Fourth Master initially intended to ignore her, but seeing that she was talking about something else, he put down the invitation in his hand and waited for Yan Yu to continue.
"My lord, I've thought about this for a long time, and I still feel there's something fishy about the matter of Consort Niu putting safflower in my jujube tea. Huanbi's explanation was also vague. Consort Niu and I have always been like sisters, and now seeing her imprisoned by you for so long, I feel truly sorry for her. Therefore, I dare to plead with you to release Consort Niu. I believe she wouldn't be that kind of person." Yan Yu suppressed her disgust and said the words she had rehearsed countless times beforehand.
Fourth Master was momentarily taken aback. He stared intently at Yan Yu, and after a long while, he asked, "You think Lady Niu is innocent? Do you have any evidence?"
Yan Yu knew that the Fourth Master would ask this question, so she said in an orderly manner: "I heard that Huanbi is a frivolous girl. When she was serving in the South Courtyard, she was somewhat dissatisfied with Niu Gege and said that she drove her out of the inner room. I thought to myself, is Huanbi harboring resentment towards Niu Gege and that's why she revealed this to get revenge?"
These words were naturally taught to her by the Fujin (principal wife), because when Huanbi was being bribed, she had already heard Huanbi's own words reveal her dissatisfaction with Lanqin.
Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince was overjoyed, but he maintained a calm and composed expression and said, "But Huanbi's whereabouts are currently unknown. If I cannot obtain her testimony, how can I untie Niu Shi's feet?"
Yan Yu smiled and said, "As long as the master tells the Fujin that it was all because Huanbi was dissatisfied and poisoned her to frame Niu Gege, it won't be long before all the ladies in the inner quarters know."
Fourth Master hadn't expected that Yan Yu had come today to plead for Lan Qin. He felt a little guilty towards her, as he hadn't visited her in a long time.
"Yu'er, your deduction is exactly what I wanted. Stay for lunch." Fourth Master instructed Su Peisheng, who was standing outside the door.
Meanwhile, Lanqin was having Nianxue comb her hair; she had just gotten up.
Well, it's no wonder our Comrade Lanqin is so lazy. She slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. It's just that the Fourth Master tormented her a bit too much last night.
This morning, Lanqin felt like her back was about to fall off, and she had to have Nianxue massage her for a while before she could get up.
Nianxue looked at Lanqin and said with a smile, "Princess is getting more and more beautiful."
Lanqin glared at Nianxue and said, "You dare to cancel my status as a princess?"
Nianxue feigned grievance and said, "This servant dares not, but when will Master finally untie the princess's feet?"
To say that these two acted like thieves would be unbelievable, wouldn't it?
Lanqin pinched her hair that hung down to her chest and said, "As long as we find Huanbi or her body, we can have an explanation for everything."
Nianxue felt a chill run down her spine when she thought of Huanbi, who was alive and well, possibly already a cold corpse. She said, "That girl Huanbi, she really doesn't take the sunny road, but insists on taking that narrow bridge that leads to certain death."
Lanqin looked at Nianxue in surprise through the ancient mirror and said, "Oh, our Nianxue is quite talented. Everyone in this world has their own thoughts. Perhaps Huanbi never expected to end up like this. It can only be said that the person who used her was too ruthless."
Just then, Xicha came in from outside and said to Lanqin, "Princess, I ran into Ziran when I went to the kitchen. She said a few words to me."
After hearing Xicha's words, Lanqin and Nianxue's expressions lost their previous joy and cheerfulness, clearly shocked by those words.
"How could she be so kind as to plead with the master on behalf of the princess?" Nianxue said, still in disbelief.
"It seems the other party is far more sophisticated than we imagined; we truly underestimated her." Lanqin gradually regained her composure. Needless to say, Lanqin was certain that the Fujin was the one using Huanbi.
However, she still couldn't easily say it in front of the Fourth Prince, because it would be useless and might even make him think that she coveted the position of the Princess Consort.
Even if the Fourth Master doesn't think so, others will.
Moreover, the title of Fujin was bestowed by Emperor Kangxi himself. The Ulanara family had deep roots and flourishing in the Qing Dynasty. How could a fourth-rank official's daughter compare with her in terms of family background?
"Nianxue, quickly comb my hair. It looks like we can go out soon," Lanqin suddenly said with a smile.
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