Chapter 307: Shadow Tracking, Doubts Abound
Under the corridor of the east courtyard, the hanging sheep-horn lanterns were swaying gently in the wind, casting the shadows of the people on the blue brick ground, sometimes long and sometimes short.
As Xiaoyanzi stepped into the courtyard, she felt a chill on the back of her neck and subconsciously looked back. The night was as thick as ink, and the white lanterns in the west courtyard were like two dead eyes, deeply embedded in the darkness.
"What's wrong?" Yongqi held her hand, and the temperature of his palm was surprisingly hot.
"Nothing." Xiaoyanzi shook her head, but couldn't help glancing into the shadows. "I just feel like... someone is following us."
Little Mosquito was tiptoeing to place a lantern on the stone table. Upon hearing this, his hand trembled, and the lantern banged against the corner of the table, nearly extinguishing the candle. "Dear me, bang, bang! Princess, please don't scare me! It's the middle of the night. Who's coming?"
"Maybe it's a mouse." Little Bug squatted on the ground to tease the tabby cat that followed him. The cat's tail swept across his wrist. "The mice in this palace are very smart. Last time, they stole Xiao Zhuozi's snacks."
Xiao Zhuozi immediately glared at him: "That's because you hid your greed and forgot about it!"
Ziwei stood leaning against the doorframe, moonlight streaming down her plain cheongsam, the embroidered lotus flowers looking frosted. "I think we'd better be careful. Lanxiang's death was so strange, there might be someone watching from the dark."
Falcon placed the medicine box on the table, opened it, took out a small packet of silver needles, and examined them against the light. "The residue of this 'Qianjiyin' medicine is mingled with a strange fragrance from the Western Regions. Ordinary people can't smell it, but a test with the silver needles will reveal it. I've had the charcoal basin in the west courtyard sealed. I'll send it to the Imperial Hospital for inspection tomorrow. Perhaps they can reveal something."
"And this note." Xiaoyanzi spread the crumpled paper on the table. The light from the sheep-horn lantern fell on the handwriting. The sloppy strokes looked familiar. "Erkang, think carefully, where have you seen this handwriting before?"
Falcon stared at the note for a long moment, his brow furrowing ever tighter. "It looks like... it looks like the draft memorial Emin submitted to the Emperor last year. It also had this crooked handwriting. It was said that his right hand was injured, so he wrote it with his left hand."
"Emin!" Yongqi slammed his fist on the table, splashing the water in the teacup and wetting a corner of the paper. "Sure enough, he's behind this!"
Xiaoyanzi suddenly remembered the dark figure she had seen in the corner of the west courtyard, and the hairpin covered in dirt. Her heart skipped a beat. "No, there must be someone inside the mansion who is behind this. When we came out of the west courtyard just now, I thought I saw a figure in the corner, clutching something in his hand. It looked like a silver hairpin."
"Silver hairpin?" Ziwei was stunned. "Isn't Zhihua wearing a silver hairpin inlaid with filigree beads on her head? I saw it when she came to pay her respects to me a few days ago."
Little Dengzi suddenly interrupted, "When I was delivering charcoal to the West Courtyard this evening, I thought I saw Lanxiang wearing a plain silver hairpin in her hair. It was quite simple, not like the regular hairpins given by the mansion."
"So, Lanxiang and Zhihua both have silver hairpins?" Xiaoyanzi rested her chin in her hand, pondering, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade ring Yongqi had given her. "Whose is the one in the black shadow's hand?"
Yongqi walked to the corridor, staring at the west courtyard in silence for a moment, then turned and said, "Little Dengzi, take two people to keep a close eye on Aunt Zhang and that old woman in the west courtyard. Don't let them come into contact with anyone. Little Zhuozi, go investigate Lanxiang's background and see who she associated with before she entered the mansion."
"Yes!" The two responded in unison and left in a hurry.
The little mosquito huddled aside, tugging at the little bug's sleeve and whispering, "There's a traitor hiding in this mansion. Just thinking about it gives me chills. How about we take turns keeping watch tonight?"
The little bug slapped his hand away and puffed out his chest: "With the prince and Master Fu here, what are you afraid of? If there's any movement, I'll be the first to rush over!"
Xiaoyanzi was amused by him, and her tense nerves relaxed a little. "With your mediocre kung fu skills, don't let yourself be sold out and have to help count money." She looked at Yongqi and said, "I don't think that black figure is a servant in the mansion. His footsteps are very light, like he has practiced kung fu."
"Have you practiced Kung Fu?" Falcon's eyes were stern. "Could it be that he is a assassin sent by Emin?"
"It doesn't look like it." Yong Qi shook his head. "If they were assassins, they would have taken action in the west courtyard just now. There's no need to hide. I think it's more like someone from the mansion, taking advantage of the night to spy on what's going on."
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a cat's meow outside the courtyard wall. The tabby cat that was following the little bug jumped onto the top of the wall and bared its teeth at the darkness.
Xiaoyanzi reacted faster than anyone else. She pulled Ziwei behind her and leaped onto the porch pillar. Using the lantern light, she peered outside the wall, "Who's there?"
It was quiet outside the wall, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind. I waited for a long time, but no one came out.
Yongqi immediately sent someone to check outside the wall. The guards came back and reported that there was nothing there, only half a piece of leftover osmanthus cake was picked up on the ground.
"It must have been the cat in the mansion that took it away." Ziwei patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "It scared me."
Little Swallow jumped down from the porch pillar and dusted her hands. She felt something was amiss. "The cat just acted like it saw someone, and that osmanthus cake looked like it was made in the small kitchen in the east courtyard. How could it have gotten outside the wall?"
Falcon suddenly said, "Maybe it's a traitor who's deliberately trying to divert our attention so he can take the opportunity to report it to the outside world."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. The night seemed to grow even darker, and even the light from the goat-horn lanterns had a chilling quality.
Xiaoyanzi walked to the table and picked up the silver hairpin she had found in Lanxiang's room. The hairpin had a small "Lan" character engraved on it. "I'll go ask Zhihua tomorrow to see if she still has her hairpin."
"I'll go with you." Ziwei said immediately, "More people means more care."
Yongqi held Xiaoyanzi's hand, his fingertips gently brushing the back of her hand. "Don't be impulsive. If there's really something wrong with Zhihua, it'll definitely show up. Just pretend to test her, don't alert her."
Xiaoyanzi nodded and tucked the silver hairpin into her bosom. Her fingertips touched the cool metal, and a fire ignited in her heart. No matter who this traitor was, if he dared to stir up trouble in Prince Rong's mansion, she would find him out and let him know how powerful the princess was!
The night deepened, but the lights in the east courtyard remained on all night. The tabby cat in the corridor curled up at Falcon's feet, occasionally perking up its ears to listen vigilantly to the surrounding sounds, as if it also sensed that beneath the tranquility of the palace, there was an unknown undercurrent surging.
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