Chapter 316: Night Exploration, Flaws Emerge
The night at Prince Rong's mansion was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. Moonlight filtered through the branches of the crabapple tree, casting mottled shadows on the bluestone slabs. The candles in the east courtyard burned brightly throughout the night, illuminating Xiaoyanzi's tense profile.
"I don't believe it!" She stood up suddenly, the jade pendant on her waist hitting the corner of the table with a crisp sound. "I clearly put the lock at the bottom of the dressing table. No one can touch it except me and my personal maid! And there are no men's footprints. This must be a drama directed and acted by Zhihua!"
Yongqi sat across from her, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the silver locket, the Chinese character "Yan" on the lock gleaming from his touch. "I know you're feeling wronged," he said in a low, weary voice, "but this is a serious matter. If word gets out that the princess is having a late-night meeting with a stranger..."
"Bah!" Xiaoyanzi spat on the ground, her eyes wide. "Who's having an affair with a stranger? Yongqi, you believe that nonsense?" She rushed over to Yongqi and snatched the silver locket away, gripping it tightly in her hand until her knuckles turned white from the force. "I've worn this locket since I was a child. It's more important than my life. How could I just throw it in the back garden? Someone must have stolen it while I wasn't paying attention and deliberately left those footprints!"
Little Dengzi rubbed his hands anxiously, "Your Highness, the Princess is right! Our East Courtyard's defenses have always been tight. How could a stranger break in and leave footprints? There must be something fishy going on!"
Xiao Zhuozi also agreed: "Yes, Your Highness, I just went to check it out. The footprints look strange, as if... as if they were deliberately stepped on. The depth is almost the same."
The little mosquito was shocked: "Wow, if this can't be investigated clearly, the princess's reputation will be..." Before he could finish his words, the little bug nudged him with his elbow, and he quickly swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Xiaoyanzi took a deep breath, her eyes as sharp as an eagle: "Yongqi, trust me this time. Give me an hour, I will go to the back garden and take a look, I will definitely find the flaw!" She turned around and was about to walk out, the light red silk dress on her body drawing a neat arc in the candlelight.
"Wait!" Yongqi grabbed her wrist, her skin radiating warmth in the cool night. "It's dangerous at night. I'll go with you." He stood up, his eyes sweeping over the people present. "Xiao Dengzi, take your men and guard the front and back doors. Don't let anyone approach the back garden. Xiao Zhuozi, go get two lanterns."
"yes!"
In the west courtyard's wing, Zhihua stood by the window, playing with a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads. Chuntao returned from outside and whispered, "Concubine, the lights are still on in the east courtyard. The patrolling guards said the prince and princess seemed to be heading to the back garden."
Zhihua's fingers tightened around the Buddhist beads, the sharp edges of the beads rubbing against her palms. "Go to the back garden?" She sneered. "It seems Fang Ci really won't give up." She turned, a fierce look in her eyes. "Chuntao, go back to the rockery and dispose of the 'evidence' we've planted. Don't leave any traces behind."
"But Concubine," Chuntao hesitated, "If we go there now, what if we get discovered..."
"What are you afraid of?" Zhihua interrupted her, her tone full of unquestionable majesty, "The more it is at this time, the more we can't let anything go wrong. Go quickly!"
Chuntao didn't dare say anything more, hurriedly put on her coat, and disappeared into the night. Zhihua looked out the window again. The light in the east courtyard was like a stubborn star, shining brightly in her eyes.
Beneath the rockery in the back garden, the fog thickened. Little Swallow, lantern in hand, crouched down to examine the so-called "man's footprints." The lantern's halo flickered on her face, illuminating her focused expression.
"Yongqi, look," she pointed at one of the footprints, "the edge of this footprint is too regular. It doesn't look like it was made in a hurry. It looks more like..."
"It looks like someone took a shoe mold and pressed it in there deliberately," Yongqi said, his face darkening. He also squatted down and measured the size of the footprint with his fingers. "This size is much larger than the shoes of the guards in the mansion. It doesn't look like it belongs to someone from our mansion."
Xiaoyanzi's eyes lit up, as if she had realized something. "I know! This is a frame-up! Zhihua deliberately left unfamiliar footprints, wanting people to think it was a man from outside who came in!" She stood up and looked around in the light of the lantern. "Since she was able to get my lock plate, she must have been in my room, or bribed someone close to me."
"The people in your room are all old people who came from Shufangzhai. They should be reliable." Yongqi frowned. "Could it be..."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be someone from my room," Xiaoyanzi shook her head, her gaze fixed on the cracks in the rockery. "There are so many servants in this mansion, there are bound to be some who forget their loyalty when they see profit." She suddenly took a few steps forward and stopped in front of a dense clump of bushes. "Yongqi, look, this grass has traces of being trampled on."
Yongqi walked over and parted the branches, only to see a few faint footprints on the mud, as if left by a woman's embroidered shoes. "This is..."
"The size and style of this footprint seem like..." Before Xiaoyanzi finished her words, she heard a slight noise coming from not far away.
"Who?" Yongqi shouted in a low voice, protecting Xiaoyanzi behind him.
A scream came from the other side of the bushes, and a dark figure stumbled out. It was Chuntao, who had gone to destroy the evidence. She was still clutching a piece of muddy cloth. Seeing Yongqi and Xiaoyanzi, she was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a plop.
"Chun Tao?" Xiao Yanzi recognized her and her eyes instantly turned cold. "What are you doing here?"
Chuntao was trembling all over, unable to utter a word, and just kept kowtowing.
Yongqi Unicorn looked at the cloth in her hand, then at the destroyed footprints. How could he not understand? He asked sharply, "Did Zhihua ask you to come? To destroy the evidence?"
Chuntao was so frightened that she started to cry, saying incoherently: "It was...it was the concubine...she asked me...asked me to wipe off the footprints here..."
The truth was revealed. Xiaoyanzi felt a surge of anger rising to her head. She turned and walked towards the west courtyard, her steps as fast as a gust of wind. Yongqi looked at her back with a complicated look, a mixture of guilt towards Xiaoyanzi and disappointment and anger towards Zhihua. He ordered the guards behind him: "Take Chuntao away and keep her under strict supervision."
The lights in the west courtyard were still on. Zhihua was sitting by the window, sipping tea. She looked calm, but her fingers were trembling slightly. Hearing the gate suddenly open, she looked up and saw Xiaoyanzi, a furious woman, and Yongqi, a livid man. The teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a clang, shattering into pieces.
"What else do you have to say?" Xiaoyanzi stood in front of her with a cold voice.
Zhihua's face turned pale and she opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
Yongqi looked at her, his eyes filled with disappointment. "Zhihua, I didn't expect you to go this far. To frame Xiaoyanzi, you actually came up with such a sinister trick!" He paused, his tone firm, "From today on, you are confined to the West Courtyard. Without my order, you are not allowed to step out of the courtyard!"
Zhihua slumped in her chair, watching Yongqi walk away with Xiaoyanzi in his arms, her eyes filled with resentment and despair. The moonlight shone through the tattered window paper, casting mottled shadows on the ground like a fragmented painting.
The candlelight in the east courtyard was still bright. Xiaoyanzi sat at the table, stroking the silver locket she had lost and found. Yongqi sat beside her and said softly, "I'm sorry, Xiaoyanzi, I shouldn't have doubted you."
Xiaoyanzi shook her head and put the silver locket back on her neck, pressing it against her chest, feeling the cool warmth. "I know you didn't mean it," she looked at Yongqi, her eyes softening. "Zhihua's tricks are indeed too cunning."
"I won't let you suffer this kind of injustice again." Yongqi held her hand, his eyes firm. "I will discipline her well and never let her cause trouble again."
Xiaoyanzi smiled and leaned on his shoulder. The moonlight outside the window gradually brightened, dispelling the fog in the palace and the haze that enveloped their hearts. But she knew that this was only a temporary calm. Zhihua's jealousy was like poison ivy, growing and spreading as long as it had nutrients. This battle was far from over.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
