Chapter 345: Ashes Hidden Pearl, Childish Words Break the Game
The candles in the east courtyard burned brightly throughout the night. At daybreak, the nurse crept out, carrying a baby in swaddling clothes. Little Swallow, dozing on Yongqi's shoulder, was startled awake at the noise, her eyes still bloodshot. "Is the baby awake?" She lifted a corner of the swaddling clothes. The newborn's face was wrinkled and red. It yawned delicately with its eyes closed, then smacked its lips twice before falling back into a deep sleep. Little Swallow's tense nerves finally relaxed. Her fingertips gently traced the baby's delicate forehead, a faint smile playing on her lips.
Yongqi tightened his grip around her, resting his chin against her slightly disheveled hair. His voice was hoarse from staying up all night: "The imperial physician said that the young prince is strong and cries loudly, just like you." His eyes swept over his wife's pale face, his heart aching. "You should get some sleep too. I'll keep an eye on the west courtyard."
"I can't sleep well," Xiaoyanzi shook her head, her gaze darting out the window at the charred ruins of the west courtyard, outlined in the morning light. "The fire... and the shadows on the wall, it's like a thorn in my heart." She recalled the ghostly shadow that had passed by in the moonlight last night. The crescent jade pendant at her waist flashed by—the symbol of Emin's mansion. Fragments of past memories surged: Emin and Zhihua's father, Chen Bangzhi, had been fellow Jinshi (Jinshi), and their attempts to curry favor with the powerful had nearly led to their children becoming in-laws. This fire now raged, fearing it was more than a simple backyard feud.
As they spoke, a pair of small hands laboriously pried open the door curtain. Three-year-old Mian Rui, holding the equally wobbly Mian Xin, peered curiously in. The wet nurse followed behind, a look of helplessness on her face: "Little prince, little princess, the princess needs to rest..."
"Mother!" Mian Rui broke free from his nurse's hand and pounced on the bed like a nimble little deer. He tried hard to grab the edge of the bed with his little hands and stood on tiptoe to look inside. Mian Xin also imitated his brother and called out in a baby voice, "Look at my brother! Look at my brother!"
Yongqi leaned over, carrying the twins, one in each hand, to the bed. The two little ones were immediately drawn to the tiny lives within. Mianrui carefully extended his chubby fingers and gently touched the babies' cheeks. Feeling the incredibly softness, they immediately giggled, "So warm! Like little rabbits!" Mianxin also leaned over, imitating her brother's example, stroking them even more gently. Suddenly, she tilted her little face upwards, her black grape-like eyes sparkling as she looked at Xiaoyanzi, declaring with incredible seriousness, "Mom! We have a little brother! I'm the older sister now!"
The child's innocent joy was like a warm current, instantly dispelling the gloom in Xiaoyanzi's heart. Smiling, she pulled Mianxin into her arms and kissed her milky cheeks: "Yes, Xin'er is a big sister now. You must love your little brother." Mianrui immediately puffed out his chest and patted it loudly: "Rui'er is a big brother! Protect your little brother! Protect your mother too!" His face was stern like a little adult, but his eyes couldn't help but drift to the swaddling clothes, full of curiosity.
The warm atmosphere was shattered by a burst of hurried footsteps. Little Dengzi practically trotted in, his face pale. In his hands, he held the remains of a rosewood box, stained with black ash. The copper buckles on the edges had been burnt and deformed. "Your Highness! Princess! The people from Shuntian Prefecture… dug this out from under the collapsed beams of the study! And next to it… next to it, there's this!" With trembling hands, he pulled out a palm-sized piece of indigo cloth from his bosom. The fabric was thick, woven with dark cloud patterns, and the edges were charred and curled. A strong smell of pine oil mixed with the smell of burning fumes hit him.
Xiaoyanzi's pupils suddenly constricted. She recognized this fabric! It was the material for the winter robes worn by the guards at Emin's residence! In a previous life, she had accompanied Emperor Qianlong on his southern tours and seen those guards at Emin's Jiangnan villa wearing the same attire, flaunting their power!
"Ah!" Mian Rui, who was lying on the edge of the bed, suddenly pointed at the cloth and cried out, his face wrinkled. "Stinky! It stinks just like the nanny from the bad aunt in the west courtyard!" He pinched his nose and shrank back in disgust. A child's innocent words, yet like a thunderbolt that split the fog! Xiaoyanzi and Yongqi instantly locked eyes, each seeing a cold glint in the other's eyes—Nanny Li! She had been following Zhihua around all night. If she smelled of pine oil...
"Little Dengzi," Yongqi's voice was so cold it could break ice. "Go and fetch Madam Li! Double the guards at the corner gate of the west courtyard. Don't let a fly out!" He stood up, the hem of his dark formal attire brushing against the edge of the bed, stirring up a gust of cold air. He reached the door, paused, and turned back to look at Xiaoyanzi with a complex expression. "You... take care of yourself and the child." A thousand words were expressed in that one look.
Xiaoyanzi held Mianxin tightly in her arms, and with her other hand, she held the naive newborn in her arms. She looked at Yongqi's resolute back and only said softly, "Hmm."
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The main room in the west courtyard, its doors and windows tightly shut, felt as oppressive as a tomb. Zhihua, wearing a half-worn moon-white satin cheongsam, her hair loose in a bun, lay pale on the chaise longue by the window, her fingertips nervously twisting a silk handkerchief. A few broken porcelain cups lay scattered on the floor, and brown medicinal liquid had spilled, soaking the carpet.
"Waste! A bunch of waste!" She growled in a low voice, her chest heaving violently, completely losing her usual gentleness. "Didn't I tell you to watch the box burn to ashes with your own eyes? How did it get dug out? And that idiot Xiao Cui couldn't even hide her body properly!"
Nanny Li knelt beside the medicine stain, her body shaking like a sieve, her forehead covered in cold sweat: "Old slave... Old slave clearly pushed the box containing the account books into the innermost fire in the study with my own hands... Who knew that the beams would collapse and it wouldn't... wouldn't burn through... As for that girl Xiao Cui, I pushed her down according to your instructions and threw a big rock..." She suddenly remembered something and looked up in horror, "Concubine! That material... I came back in a hurry last night and forgot to change my coat that was stained with pine oil... Could it be..."
"Shut up!" Zhihua grabbed a soft pillow on the couch and threw it hard, her eyes as fierce as a poisoned knife, "Useless thing! Are you scared now? Lord Emin entrusted the things to us for safekeeping, which shows his trust! If it falls into the hands of the prince..." She stopped talking abruptly, and the sound of heavy footsteps and the metallic sound of the guards' sheaths colliding were heard outside the door.
The door clanged open. Yongqi stood tall, his figure blocked by the entrance, his dark formal attire making his face look sullen. His gaze, like a dagger, swept through the mess inside the room, finally settling on Li Ma. Behind him, two sword-wielding guards held their swords, their eyes sharp.
"Prince...Prince?" Zhihua stood up in a panic, her silk handkerchief falling to the ground, tears of panic and grievance instantly filled her face. "Why are you here? I...I am scared and haven't slept all night..." She tried to get closer to Yongqi, but was stopped by the guard who stepped across.
Yongqi didn't even look at her, only staring at Nanny Li, who was shaking on the ground. His voice was low, but it carried a sense of impending dominance: "Nanny Li, the pine oil reeds in the study, the body in the Little Cui Well, and this piece of material used exclusively by the guards of Emin Mansion..." He raised his hand, and Xiao Dengzi immediately presented the indigo rag to Nanny Li. "Explain it clearly to me. If you say a word that is not true," he paused, his eyes passing over Zhihua's face, which had instantly lost all color, "you know the consequences."
"Your Highness, please spare me! Your Highness, please spare me!" Nanny Li's defenses completely collapsed. She banged her forehead against the ground, tears streaming down her face. "It was Concubine Concubine! Concubine Concubine ordered this old servant to do it! She had this old servant bribe Xiao Cui to soak reeds in pine oil, and then throw them in the corner of the study and in the rose bushes at night... Xiao Cui was the one who set the fire! Afterwards... Afterwards, Concubine Concubine was afraid that Xiao Cui wouldn't keep her mouth shut, so she forced this old servant... I tricked Xiao Cui into the back well and pushed her in... That piece of material was something I accidentally touched when I went to the back corner gate to meet the person delivering 'tea' to Emin Mansion last night..." She confessed everything like a bamboo tube pouring beans, her fingers trembling as she pointed at Zhihua, "That box of 'tea' wasn't tea at all! It was the account book of Lord Emin's embezzlement of grain tax silver! Concubine Concubine said that if we burned the account book and then blamed it on the princess for the arson, we could... we could make Your Highness dislike the princess!"
"You are slandering me!" Zhihua screamed and rushed over, scratching Li Ma's face with her carefully manicured nails like a mad woman, "You old and mean slave! You are greedy and murderous, and yet you dare to accuse your master!" Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were crazy. She no longer looked like a talented woman.
Yongqi slammed the rosewood table beside him, causing the teacup to jump. "Enough!" He stared at Zhihua, the last trace of warmth in his eyes vanishing, leaving only icy disappointment and disgust. "Chen Zhihua, you disgust me so much." He turned to the guards, and every word struck like an icicle. "Take Madam Li to the government jail and keep her under strict guard. Concubine Jin is confined to the West Courtyard. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my permission! All servants in the West Courtyard will be taken away immediately by Shuntian Prefecture for separate questioning!"
"Yongqi! You can't do this to me!" Zhihua was dragged back into the house by the guards' arms, screaming in despair, "I am Mian Yi's mother! I gave birth to your eldest son! You can't..." The heavy door slammed shut before her, shutting out her shrill cries and the last ray of sunlight from the west courtyard. She collapsed to the ground, staring at her distorted and miserable reflection in the bronze mirror, her nails digging deep into the cracks between the cold tiles, her resentment entwining her heart like poison ivy—it was over, all over. Hateful! She only regretted not having been a step earlier, so that the bitch and her bastard would perish in the flames together!
---
The warm room in the east courtyard was thick with the aroma of medicine. Little Yanzi had just finished a bowl of soothing soup and watched as her nurse placed the now-well-fed newborn back into the cradle beside her. Mianrui and Mianxin hunched over the cradle, their heads pressed together. Mianrui whispered to his sister in a serious tone, "Brother's asleep. Xin'er, keep your voice down." Mianxin immediately covered her mouth with her hands, revealing only a pair of smiling, curved eyes.
Xiaoyanzi closed her eyes wearily, listening to the children's even breathing. The tension in her heart finally eased a little. Yongqi came in, carrying the cold air from outside with him, a lingering look of weariness and coldness between his brows. He waved his hand, allowing the nurse to take the twins downstairs to rest. He gently sat down beside the bed, his large hand resting on the back of Xiaoyanzi's slightly cool hand.
"Is everything...cleaned up?" Xiaoyanzi asked in a low voice without opening her eyes.
"Yes." Yongqi's voice was low and hoarse. "Madame Li has confessed. Shuntian Prefecture has arrested people. The West Courtyard has been sealed. That box of things... is E Min's lifeline." He paused, his fingertips caressing the delicate skin on the back of her hand with soothing power. "Don't move yet. When the time is right, uproot it and eliminate the trouble forever." He leaned over and placed a cool but extremely precious kiss on her sweaty forehead. "Go to sleep, it's almost dawn. I'm here."
The little swallow rubbed against his palm, like a young animal seeking shelter. Yes, it was almost dawn. The window paper shone a hazy bluish-white. The remaining night dew from the eaves dripped onto the steps with a subtle "tap." The baby in the cradle smacked his lips unconsciously in his sleep.
Yet, amidst this post-disaster tranquility, atop the highest eaves and brackets of Prince Rong's mansion, a shadow, darker than the night itself, lurked like a ghost. Its cold gaze pierced the gradually brightening morning light, locking onto the window lattice in the east courtyard, where warm candlelight streamed through. The crescent-shaped jade pendant at the shadow's waist, reflected a cold and eerie light in the dimming daylight. It flashed and vanished, like the baring fangs of a venomous snake, silently declaring—this war in the name of love is far from over.
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