The maid was so frightened by the princess's words that she immediately fell silent.
"What are you standing there for? The Lady is asking you a question!" Lingxiu was extremely anxious. Now, the Master had invited her and Qiuchan to question him, so why was he suddenly telling her to go ask the question herself? Why wasn't she asking it here earlier?
“It’s Zhao Quan!” the maid said. “I don’t recognize the other one.”
The princess's expression darkened, and she said to Lingxiu, "Go out and call Zhao Quan over for questioning. Qiuchan, talk to the other servant, but don't let him come in."
Two maids hurriedly went out to deal with the situation, and the princess took the bowl of medicine in her hands and drank it all in one go!
A moment later, Zhao Quan followed Lingxiu in.
"This servant greets the Princess Consort!" Zhao Quan promptly performed a bow.
"Zhao Quan, what did Master send Lingxiu and Qiuchan to do? Tell me the truth." The princess stared coldly at Zhao Quan.
This gaze terrified Zhao Quan, as if he were being stared at by a venomous snake.
“Your Highness, I really don’t know. I only saw Doctor Lin and that Chief Physician Yang enter the master’s study, and then the master asked me to invite Miss Lingxiu and Miss Qiuchan.”
The princess consort scrutinized Zhao Quan's expression and, seeing that he didn't seem to be lying, had no choice but to believe him.
Zhao Quan glanced at the Fujin's expression and stepped forward cautiously, saying, "This servant does know something. I saw it today when I went to the master's study to fetch something for him. I wonder if this matter is of any benefit to the Fujin?"
The Fujin was caught in a fierce internal struggle, wondering if the Fourth Prince already suspected her of deliberately delaying her treatment. Upon hearing Zhao Quan's question, she quickly asked, "What did you see?"
Seeing that his wife's expression was quite fierce, Zhao Quan carefully said, "This servant couldn't help but see a secret letter on Master's desk. It says, 'The Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince have been taken into custody by the Emperor and are currently on their way to the capital. Fourth Prince is ordered to be on high alert and not to be negligent.'"
The princess suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at Zhao Quan in disbelief.
"Very well, go ahead. Lingxiu, when you get to the master's place, you should know what to say." The Fujin gave Lingxiu a deep look and said.
"This servant understands, please rest assured, Madam," Lingxiu replied, suppressing the fear in her heart.
"Zhao Quan, if you hear any more news like this, report it to me immediately. I will not mistreat you," the princess said to Zhao Quan.
Lingxiu and Qiuchan followed Zhao Quan to the front courtyard. The winter night was extremely cold and desolate, with the cold wind biting like blades.
Yang Yuanzheng has already been sent back by the Fourth Master. Only the Fourth Master remains in the study, and Doctor Lin has also left.
Fourth Master sat in the thick-backed chair in the study, his eyes slightly closed, lost in thought.
After Zhao Quan handed the two men over to Su Peisheng, he had no choice but to leave.
"Are you two both maids who serve the Fujin closely?" the Fourth Prince asked, staring at the two women.
Lingxiu and Qiuchan both nodded, looking at Fourth Master with bewildered expressions.
"Which one is serving the Princess Consort her medicine?" the Fourth Prince asked again.
Lingxiu trembled and whispered, "It was this servant. Qiuchan was only responsible for decocting the medicine."
The Fourth Prince then focused all his attention on Lingxiu, and after a moment he said, "Lingxiu, how did the Fujin's illness get to this point?"
Lingxiu suppressed the immense trembling in her heart and gritted her teeth, saying, "This servant begs Your Highness to punish me. It was our carelessness that caused the Lady to catch a cold again, which aggravated her condition. Please forgive me, Your Highness." With that, she knelt down on the ground with a thud.
Qiu Chan, standing to the side, nervously lowered her head, looking at her toes.
"Qiu Chan, is what she said true?" Fourth Master asked sternly.
Qiu Chan shivered and quickly said, "This servant only serves the princess's meals and clothing, and does not often serve in the inner room."
The Fourth Prince coldly said, "You two, as the personal maids of the Princess Consort, have allowed her to catch a chill time and time again, worsening her condition. What is your punishment?"
Lingxiu kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "It's all my fault, please forgive me, Master."
Qiu Chan immediately knelt down, sobbing and trembling as she said, "This servant is guilty, please forgive me, Master."
The Fourth Prince gave Su Peisheng a wink and said, "Now that the Princess Consort is so ill, killing both of you wouldn't be too much of a deal. Guards, take Qiu Chan away and have her beaten to death!"
Qiu Chan collapsed to the ground, unable to even utter a word of pleading. Su Peisheng summoned two servants dressed in gray robes, each grabbing one arm and dragging Qiu Chan out.
Lingxiu, kneeling on the ground, was completely panicked and at a loss. She was frantically trying to figure out how to escape. She didn't want to die, nor did she want to die for the Fujin. But how could she possibly escape her current predicament?
"Lingxiu, I'll ask you one more time, how exactly did the Fujin's illness become like this? Have you thought it through, or you'll be next." The Fourth Prince was always ruthless and cold-blooded, and at this moment, his face and expression were as still as a statue, making it impossible for Lingxiu to guess what he was thinking.
"This servant, this servant is telling the truth. I don't know what Master wants to ask?" Lingxiu gripped her palm tightly, forcing herself to calm down.
Seeing that Lingxiu remained steadfast despite his threats, Fourth Master was somewhat surprised by this maid. In his eyes, no one was fearless, especially women, who were all too timid to withstand any hardship.
"It seems you're determined to force me to do something I don't want to do, Su Peisheng?" Fourth Master decided to use some more methods to pressure her.
Lingxiu desperately wanted to tell the truth, but she didn't know if she could save her life if she did, so she could only suppress her immense shock and sit there blankly.
"Master, I just saw that Qiu Chan, and she fainted before she could even be flogged a few times," Su Peisheng reported as he entered.
"Continue! What use is such a careless servant?" the Fourth Master roared.
"Yes, when I came out, I only saw that her back was bleeding." Su Peisheng glanced at Lingxiu, who was slumped on the ground.
"Lingxiu, I'll give you one last chance. If you tell the truth, I can promise to spare your life," Fourth Master said.
Lingxiu dared not look up at the Fourth Master, fearing that if she did, she would expose all the secrets in her heart to this enigmatic man.
“Lingxiu, I think you’re a smart person. Why don’t you think about yourself?” Su Peisheng said from the side.
Lingxiu bit her tongue, her mind racing with a fierce internal struggle. She kept asking herself, how could she possibly escape this calamity?
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