Chapter 327 The Secret of Huaiyin Courtyard
Dusk always falls faster in Prince Rong's mansion than elsewhere. As soon as the candles in the west courtyard were lit, Zhihua stood up, clutching a half-embroidered handkerchief. The red-gold and kingfisher-embroidered hairpin at her temple swayed with her movements, casting a flickering shadow in her eyes.
"Concubine, it's not appropriate to go to Huaiyin Courtyard at this time, right?" Chuntao, the personal maid, trembled slightly in her hands as she held the cloak. Ever since Xiaoyanzi had a miscarriage half a year ago, that deserted courtyard had become a taboo place in the mansion, and few people dared to approach it during the day.
Without turning around, Zhihua poked the half-embroidered crow on the handkerchief with her fingertips. "What's wrong with that? The prince is in the East Courtyard with the twins, who would pay attention to me?" She paused, her voice as cold as ice. "Besides, some things should be exposed to the light of day."
The wooden door of the Huaiyin Courtyard, mottled with insects, creaked as it opened, startling the crows. The shadow of the old locust tree danced in the setting sun, slicing the blue brick floor into fragments. Zhihua walked forward, stepping on the fallen leaves. The sound of her boots crunching over the gravel was particularly harsh in the silence. Chuntao followed behind, feeling a chill on the back of her neck.
"Go, pry open the slabs around the well." Zhihua paused beneath the crooked willow tree in the corner of the courtyard, her tone devoid of emotion. Chuntao's face paled with fear, but she dared not disobey. Trembling, she found a stone and began to pry open the bluestone slab at the well's mouth. The slab was three times heavier than the usual wellheads, and its edges were stained with dark red stains.
The moment the stone slab was moved, a whiff of earthy, musty air washed over her. Zhihua peered over to see a half-rotted wooden box nailed to the wall. Reaching for it, she rubbed her sleeve against the rough masonry, leaving a red scratch without even noticing.
"This is..." Chuntao gasped when she saw what was in the wooden box - inside was half a stained baby swaddling cloth. The lotus embroidered on the corner was the same pattern that the young masters of the East Courtyard often wore. Next to it was a small bag of brown powder, which smelled of bitter almonds.
"Hush." Zhihua tucked the wooden box into her arms. When she turned around, she saw the moonlight climbing onto Chuntao's pale face. She suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Chuntao, what would happen if someone knew that the princess' miscarriage last year was not an accident?"
Chun Tao fell to her knees with a thud, her forehead resting on the cold ground: "I didn't see anything! Concubine, spare me!"
Zhihua squatted down and slowly wiped the mud from under her fingernails with an embroidered handkerchief. "Don't worry, following me will benefit you." She suddenly grabbed Chuntao's hand and stuffed the packet of brown powder into her palm. "Tomorrow, go to the East Courtyard and deliver the newly made tiger-head shoes to the two young masters. Remember... have the nurse give Mianxin some calming soup."
Chuntao's hands were shaking like sieves, and the bag of powder was burning hot in her palms.
Meanwhile, chaos reigned in the East Courtyard. Mianrui had suddenly developed a high fever, his face flushed crimson. Xiaoyanzi, anxiously holding him, spun around the room. Yongqi had just sent for the imperial physician when little Dengzi stumbled in, clutching a crying little bug in his arms.
"Princess! Prince!" Little Dengzi ran so hard he was sweating, his cap tilted to one side. "Just now, in the corner of the west courtyard, I heard Chuntao and Nanny Zhang's fellow townspeople say...that the young master didn't survive last year because the concubine added something to the pregnancy-preserving medicine!"
Mian Rui in Xiaoyanzi's arms suddenly burst into tears. Her whole body froze, and when she turned to look at Yongqi, her eyes instantly turned red: "Yongqi, what did she say?"
Yongqi's face turned pale and he grabbed Xiao Dengzi's arm: "Are you serious?"
Little Bug continued sobbing, "It's absolutely true! That old woman also said that Concubine Fu Jin asked Chun Tao... asked Chun Tao to hide something in the well of Huaiyin Courtyard, saying that if the princess gave birth to another child, then... then..."
"Huaiyin Courtyard!" Xiaoyanzi suddenly remembered something, and abruptly handed Mianrui to the nanny. She grabbed the soft sword hanging on the wall and rushed out, "I'm going to settle the score with her!"
"Yanzi!" Yongqi hurriedly caught up and grabbed her wrist, only to find that her hand was incredibly hot. "Calm down, the imperial physician will be here soon, and the children can't be left unattended!"
Xiaoyanzi struggled twice but couldn't break free, tears streaming down her face. "Calm down? Yongqi, how can I expect you to calm down? That's our child! She wouldn't even let go of an unborn child!" Her voice was trembling, and the knuckles on her grip on the hilt turned white from the force. "I should have realized earlier that my last fall wasn't an accident!"
Yongqi looked at her red eyes, feeling a clenched grip on his heart. He pulled Xiaoyanzi into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. His voice was as heavy as lead: "I'll go." As he turned, the hem of his robe blew up a gust of wind. "Xiao Zhuozi, take twenty guards to Huaiyin Courtyard and dig three feet deep to find the evidence!"
The candle in the west courtyard was still lit. Zhihua was drawing her eyebrows in front of a bronze mirror when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard. She was about to ask who it was when the door was kicked open with a bang. Yongqi was standing at the door with a cold look on his face, and his ink-black python robe was still stained with mud from the Huaiyin Courtyard.
"Chen Zhihua," Yongqi's voice was as cold as the coldest days of winter, his eyes sweeping over the unfinished handkerchief beside her hand. "What else do you have to say about the thing in the well of Huaiyin Courtyard?"
Zhihua's eyebrow pencil clattered onto the dressing table, and the color drained from her face. The wind outside blew dead leaves against the window frame, making a whimpering sound, reminiscent of Xiaoyanzi's suppressed sobs in the delivery room on that snowy night last year.
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