"Why are all the sisters here?" Yehe said instinctively.
But no one greeted her at this moment, and the Fourth Master sat on the edge of Lanqin's bed with a cold face.
Seeing that no one spoke, Yeheshi had no choice but to walk up to the Fourth Prince and bow. Before she could even see him, Yeheshi caught a glimpse of a few jade beads scattered on the edge of the bed out of the corner of her eye, and her heart skipped a beat, her heart suddenly pounding wildly.
"Sister Yehe, do you recognize this bracelet?" Lanqin asked herself, slightly worried when she saw that Fourth Master was silent.
"This, this bracelet, don't you like it, sister?" Yehe asked, feigning surprise as she looked at the damaged jade bracelet.
"No, sister, could you explain to us why this bead is hollow and contains musk?" Lanqin saw Yehe's calm expression and secretly admired her: Another actress, Yehe seems to have changed.
The Fourth Prince stared at Yehe with a complicated expression. A certain part of his body had longed for her body, but the current situation pointed to her.
"What you're saying, sister, I don't quite understand. What's this hollow thing, and what's this musk?" Yehe's mind went blank for a moment, but she still managed to maintain a composed demeanor.
"Sister Yehe seems strange. This bracelet was clearly a gift from you to the concubine, but now musk has been found inside, and it was hidden extremely well. The concubine is asking you for an explanation. If you don't explain, are you trying to harm the concubine's child?" Seeing Yehe feign ignorance, Lady Nian couldn't help but speak up. She had long loathed Yehe, who had inexplicably gained the Fourth Prince's favor and was already subtly surpassing her own. Now that she was involved, Lady Nian wished the Fourth Prince would immediately turn against her.
With tears in her eyes, Yehe knelt down and said to the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, I don't know what happened. When I gave this bracelet to the concubine, I didn't know that it contained musk."
Looking at Yehe's sincere face and her naturally melancholic expression, even Lanqin began to doubt whether Yehe truly didn't know the hidden secrets.
"Where did you get this bracelet?" Fourth Master's heart stirred; he still harbored some feelings for her.
"This bracelet was given to me by the Fujin (principal wife). The secondary Fujin said it was beautiful, so I said I would give it to her. At the time, I was afraid that if I told the truth, the secondary Fujin wouldn't accept it, so I said it was given to me by my mother," Yehe said after thinking for a while.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master felt that there was some truth to it. Lanqin looked at Yehe Shi, who was faintly shedding tears, and a trace of doubt arose in her heart.
"That means you didn't know there was something hidden inside this beaded bracelet," said Madam Song.
"Yes, Your Highness, I have always held the Consort in the highest esteem. How could I possibly have such ulterior motives to harm her? I truly know nothing about it," Yehe Shi defended herself. Compared to herself, the Consort was naturally secondary; after all, she no longer needed her to act as a go-between.
Fourth Master's hands clenched unconsciously, and he said angrily to Su Peisheng, "Go and invite the Princess Consort!"
Everyone gasped, thinking: Finally, they're going to ask the Princess Consort!
"Get up first. As long as you didn't know beforehand, it's not your fault," Fourth Master said.
Lanqin's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself: Fourth Master still has feelings for Yehe Shi. He no longer doubts whether Yehe Shi and the Fujin are in cahoots. He has already believed seven-tenths of her based on just a few words.
When Lady Nian, Lady Song, and Lady Geng heard the Fourth Master say this, they all felt that the Fourth Master probably believed what Lady Yehe had said.
"I heard that my younger sister often goes to pay her respects to the Fujin today. It seems that your relationship with the Fujin is quite special," said Madam Nian, unwilling to give up.
“Sister, you are mistaken. I am merely paying my respects to the Princess Consort,” said Yehe.
Meanwhile, Peach Blossom whispered in Yehe's ear that she would go and inform the Fujin (principal wife), and Yehe agreed. At this moment, she was already standing in the main courtyard.
"What did you say? Fourth Master sent Yehe to the South Courtyard?" The Fujin asked in surprise as she sat in the long bench with its yellow rosewood backrest and jade back.
“Yes, it was Su Peisheng who came specifically to find us. I noticed that Su Peisheng seemed very anxious, but he wouldn’t say what it was about, so I guessed it couldn’t be anything good,” Peach Blossom said.
The Princess Consort and Lingxiu exchanged a glance, neither of them able to guess what was going on at this moment.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Eunuch Su requests an audience, saying that His Majesty requests your presence at the concubine's residence," Qiu Chan relayed from outside the door.
The princess was taken aback, and Lingxiu quickly asked, "Why don't we let Eunuch Su in to ask him questions?"
Peach Blossom immediately said, "No, if he sees me, he will know that I came to inform the Princess Consort of the Princess's whereabouts."
Upon hearing this, the Fujin nodded and said, "You should go and hide in the left side room over there for a while."
Tao Hua immediately curtsied and went to the left side room. Only then did the Princess Consort allow Qiu Chan to bring Su Peisheng in for questioning.
"This servant greets the Princess Consort!" Su Peisheng bowed. He hadn't been to the main courtyard for a long time. If the Fourth Prince had any messages, he would send his servants to deliver them.
"Eunuch Su, it's been a long time since you've visited me. Lingxiu, please have a seat and some tea!" The Fujin said, staring at Su Peisheng.
"This servant wouldn't dare. This servant can simply stand and reply to the Lady." Su Peisheng felt a cold sweat break out on his back. Judging from the Lady's tone, it seemed as if she was blaming him, or perhaps trying to win him over?
"Hehe, Eunuch Su, you're too kind. You've been serving Fourth Master for twenty years now. We're both old men, there's no need for such formalities," the Fujin said with a smile, but her tone carried an air of authority that Su Peisheng couldn't refuse.
"This servant cannot linger any longer. Please allow me to see the master immediately, Your Highness. I will return to pay my respects to Your Highness once all is well." Su Peisheng saw that His Highness was trying to talk to him.
"I wonder what business Your Highness has that requires you to visit the concubine?" Seeing Su Peisheng's directness, the concubine simply asked directly as well.
"This servant doesn't know. The master never tells servants about his affairs. The Fujin will find out when she gets there." Su Peisheng silently thought to himself that he hoped Lanqin would be able to outdo the Fujin in the future, since he had offended the Fujin completely this time.
"Alright, I must change my clothes and comb my hair. You wait here." The princess stood up and took Lingxiu's hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant is waiting here," Su Peisheng said awkwardly, bowing his head. The Fujin ignored him and simply led Lingxiu towards her bedroom, supported by her arm.
After the Fujin and Lingxiu entered the bedroom, the Fujin cursed angrily, "He's just a castrated bastard who has no offspring, yet he dares to act high and mighty in front of me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
