Chapter 315: Silver Lock as Evidence, Suspicion in the Dark Night
In the west courtyard study, the candlelight flickered in the draft, illuminating Zhihua's tense profile. She slammed the scroll in her hand down on the table, leaving a crease in the brocade cover of "Female Commandments."
"Chun Tao," she said, without turning her head, her voice very low, "How's the thing I asked you to do last time going?"
Chun Tao, the personal maid, stepped out from the shadows, holding a small box wrapped in black cloth, her knees trembling slightly. "Madam, everything... is ready. I found that thing under the back wall of the palace."
Zhihua spun around abruptly, the candlelight dancing eerily in her pupils. She ripped open the black cloth, revealing a silver locket nestled quietly within the box, a crooked "Yan" character engraved on it—the same locket that Xiaoyanzi had worn since she was a child, the one she had seen on Mianxin's swaddling clothes just last month.
"Are you sure no one saw you picking this up?" Zhihua pinched the lock piece with her fingertips, and the cold metal made her knuckles turn white.
"I went there under the cover of darkness and strong wind, even avoiding the night watchmen." Chun Tao lowered her head, her voice as soft as a mosquito's. "But...what if the princess insists that she didn't lose this thing? What should I do?"
"Whether she recognizes it or not is not important." Zhihua suddenly smiled, her smile looking particularly sinister in the candlelight. "What's important is that this thing appeared where it should have appeared." She rewrapped the lock piece and stuffed it into Chuntao's hand. "Go to the East Courtyard now and say... I found this under the rockery in the back garden. There are also a few unfamiliar footprints next to it, like a man's."
Chun Tao shuddered with fear: "Concubine, this...isn't this too risky?"
"Risk?" Zhihua's eyes flashed fiercely. "Compared to being trapped in this West Courtyard forever, this little risk is nothing." She pushed Chuntao out. "Remember, if you want to cry or get scared, just say you're worried about the princess and that's why you dared to come and report."
Chuntao stumbled from the push, clutching the cloth bag like a branding iron, and stumbled away into the night. Zhihua stood by the window, looking at the warm yellow light from the east courtyard, a sneer curling her lips. "Xiaoyanzi, I'll see how you can clear yourself this time."
In the east courtyard, Xiaoyanzi was sprawled on a cushioned couch, teaching Mianxin how to recognize the characters on a wooden sign. Mianxin, wearing a pink bellyband and resting her tiny feet on Xiaoyanzi's skirt, grabbed a wooden sign inscribed with the character "月" (moon) and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Little greedy cat, you can't eat this." Xiaoyanzi smiled and pinched her daughter's cheek, the silver bells on her earrings jingling. "This is the 'yue' in the moon. Does it look like a crescent moon?"
Yongqi sat on the armchair opposite, flipping through a military book, his eyes drifting over to rest on Xiaoyanzi's reddened earlobe. She was wearing a soft, aquamarine silk gown with lotus embroidered on the cuffs. Her jet-black hair was pulled back in a loose bun, a few strands cascading down her neck, gilded in the candlelight.
"Your Highness, Princess," Xiao Dengzi came in with a plate of freshly baked osmanthus cake, followed by Xiao Zhuozi. "The kitchen made it fresh. Would you like to try it?"
The little bug came up to Mian Xin and imitated the chirping of birds to tease her: "Chirp, chirp—Gege, look, the osmanthus flowers on this cake look like little bug wings, don't they?"
The little mosquito was shocked: "My goodness, this sweet-scented osmanthus cake is made to look like a flower. Little bug, don't scare the little princess!"
Mianxin was so amused that she giggled and reached out to grab the little bug's hat. Little Swallow took the opportunity to scratch her palm, making the little girl laugh even more happily.
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard at the gate. Chuntao stumbled in, her hair half loose. When she saw Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, she fell to her knees, crying bitterly: "Prince! Princess! Something happened!"
Xiaoyanzi frowned and put Mianxin down: "What's the rush?"
Chun Tao pulled the black cloth bag out of her bosom, held it in both hands and raised it above her head: "This servant... This servant just went to the back garden to look for the lost kitten, and found this under the rockery! There are also several large footprints next to it, like... like a man's!"
Yongqi's face darkened. Xiao Dengzi stepped forward, took the cloth bag, and presented it to him. When the silver locket with the Chinese character "Yan" (swallow) was revealed, Xiao Yanzi's pupils shrank sharply.
"This is my cleat!" she cried out, instinctively reaching for her collar—it was empty. She clearly remembered wearing it this morning, how could it be...
"Yours?" Yong Qi picked up the locket, rubbing the inscription on it with his fingertips. No emotion could be heard in his voice. "You never take this locket off, so how did it appear in the back garden?"
"I..." Xiaoyanzi was speechless for a moment. She had indeed taken it off today. She was afraid it would get wet when she gave Mianxin a bath in the evening, so she just put it on the dressing table. "I left it in my room and didn't bring it out!"
"But it happened to appear behind the rockery, and there were also man's footprints." Zhihua's voice suddenly came from the doorway. She was wearing a plain cloak, and her face was filled with just the right amount of worry. "Prince, Princess, this matter... I'm afraid it's strange."
Xiaoyanzi turned her head and glared at her: "Did you do this?"
"Sister, why are you suspecting me again?" Zhihua's eyes flushed. She leaned against the doorframe and coughed softly. "I just heard about this too. I was so worried that I came here to check. This lock is a keepsake from you. If someone with ulterior motives picked it up, or... or if you really saw someone last night..."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Xiaoyanzi was so angry that she was shaking all over. She grabbed the soft pillow on the couch and wanted to throw it over, but Yongqi held her down.
Yongqi's eyes flickered between the lockplate and Xiaoyanzi, his brows furrowed in a frown. He knew Xiaoyanzi was skilled in martial arts and would occasionally sneak out for some fresh air at night, but he had never heard of her colluding with anyone. But the lockplate was real, and so were the footprints (Chuntao had already arranged for them to be forged), so he couldn't help but wonder.
"Xiaoyanzi," he said slowly, his voice a little deeper than usual, "Tell me the truth, besides the East Courtyard, where else have you been tonight?"
"I haven't gone anywhere!" Xiaoyanzi shook off his hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "Yongqi, even you don't believe me?"
"It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that this is too suspicious." Yongqi squeezed the lock, the coolness of the metal coming through his fingertips. "The back garden is close to the back wall of the palace. If there really is an outsider..."
"An outsider? I think it's an insider!" Xiaoyanzi suddenly looked at Zhihua, "Besides you, who else knew that I took off the lock plate? Who is so deliberate and scheming to harm me?"
Zhihua took a half step back, twisting her handkerchief in grievance. "How could you say that, sister? I'm loyal to the prince and the palace. How could I do such a thing?"
Little Mosquito was spinning around anxiously: "Goodness me, this must be a misunderstanding! The princess isn't that kind of person!"
Xiao Zhuozi also quickly agreed: "Yes, Your Highness, the Princess has been teaching the little princess to read tonight, we can all testify to this!"
Yongqi fell silent. He looked at Xiaoyanzi's reddened eyes, remembering the hardships they had shared along the way, and his heart gradually shifted towards her. But the lock and the footprints were like a thorn in his heart.
"Come here," he finally said, his voice tired, "check the footprints in the back garden to see if they are from inside the mansion or outside. Then go to the princess's room and see if there is anything unusual."
"Yes!" The guards took the order and left.
Zhihua saw that Yongqi didn't punish her immediately, and a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, but she still said with a humble look, "Your Highness is wise. If you can find out the truth and clear my sister's name, that would be the best."
Xiaoyanzi turned away, not wanting to see that hypocritical face again. The night wind blew in through the open courtyard door, causing the candlelight to sway violently and stretching everyone's shadows, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter, like a puzzle with no clear ending. She knew that this time, Zhihua really wanted her dead.
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