Chapter 309: Thunderous Fury, Undercurrents
The petals of the crabapple trees in Prince Rong's mansion were swirled by the autumn wind, swirling across the bluestone slabs. In the main hall of the east courtyard, the atmosphere was as heavy as a block of water-soaked lead.
Xiaoyanzi slammed the silver hairpin engraved with the Chinese character "Lan" (Lan) down on the table, making a dull thud. Her azure cheongsam, embroidered with crabapples, was stretched tight, the pearl buttons at her collar trembling slightly with her rapid breathing. "In my opinion, we should just throw Chen Zhihua into Huaiyin Courtyard! We'll prevent her from causing trouble again!"
Yongqi stood by the window, caressing the half of the jade pendant engraved with the Chinese character "鄂" (E), his fingertips rubbing the rough surface until it shone. The morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting a mixture of light and dark on his angular face. "She is Mian Yi's mother. I'm afraid the punishment is too harsh and will hurt the child."
"Hurt the child?" Xiaoyanzi stood up suddenly, her skirt sweeping across the foot of the stool, stirring up a gust of wind. "When she used Mian Yi as a cover to collude with E Min's people to poison her, why didn't she think of hurting the child?"
Ziwei quickly grabbed her hand, her plain sleeves stained with the pink of the crabapple petals. "Xiaoyanzi, don't be hasty. Yongqi is right, Mianyi is innocent. How about... completely securing the West Courtyard and cutting off Zhihua's contact with the outside world?"
Falcon stood aside, his expression serene against his cyan robes. He lifted the silver hairpin and examined it carefully against the light. "The chip on this hairpin matches the silver flake Liu Hong found in the corner of the west courtyard a few days ago. Eunuch E's men must have come to retrieve the hairpin last night, but Liu Hong saw them and hurriedly threw it away."
"Liu Hong? Why didn't she say anything?" Xiaoyanzi was stunned.
"She's afraid you might get angry and hurt yourself, so she told me not to tell you for now." Falcon placed the silver hairpin back on the table. "But she's already followed the trail to the vicinity of the E Mansion. I think there'll be news soon."
As he was speaking, Xiao Dengzi came in through the curtains, his face pale. "Prince, Princess, Aunt Zhang from the West Courtyard... has confessed."
"What did you confess?" Yongqi turned around, his eyes as sharp as a knife.
"Mrs. Zhang said," Xiao Dengzi swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling, "it was the concubine who gave her fifty taels of silver and asked her to put a 'trap' in Lanxiang's rice... She also said that after the deed was done, she would say that Lanxiang herself was depressed and stole the concubine's silver and ran away..."
"This vicious woman!" Xiaoyanzi was so angry that she was shaking all over. She grabbed the teacup on the table and wanted to throw it to the ground, but Yongqi held her down.
Yongqi's hands were warm and strong, tightly wrapping around her fists. "Don't get your hands dirty." He turned to Xiao Dengzi and said, "Lock up Aunt Zhang and keep a close eye on her. Then tell Zhihua that from now on, if she dares to set foot outside the West Courtyard, don't blame me for not caring about Mian Yi's feelings."
"Yes!" Little Dengzi responded and left.
Ziwei sighed softly and picked up the teapot on the table to refill Xiaoyanzi's tea. "I've always felt that Zhihua was no ordinary person, but I never thought she could be so cruel."
"It was all instigated by that old fox E Min!" Xiaoyanzi took a sip of tea, her anger subsiding a little. "He just wanted to use Zhihua to cause chaos in the palace so he could take the opportunity to badmouth Yongqi in front of the Emperor!"
Yongqi walked over to her and tucked the loose hair behind her ear. He said gently, "I know. So, we must not mess around." He looked at Fu Erkang, "Erkang, immediately check which officials E Min has been interacting with recently, especially those who are at odds with the Fu family."
"Don't worry, I'll go right away." Fu Erkang bowed and turned to leave, but was stopped by Yongqi again.
"Tell Liu Hong to be careful and not to confront anyone head-on."
"clear."
After Fu Erkang left, the main hall fell silent, the only sound being the rustling of the crabapple leaves in the wind. Xiaoyanzi leaned against Yongqi's chest, breathing in his faint pine scent. Her anger gradually faded, leaving only exhaustion. "Yongqi, did we make a mistake? If I hadn't agreed to let Zhihua into the mansion..."
"It's none of your business." Yong Qi interrupted her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Even if Zhihua hadn't been there, Emin would have found another excuse. He's always hated me, the annoying Prince Rong."
Ziwei sat aside, her fingertips unconsciously scratching the table: "I always feel that this matter is not that simple. No matter how brave E Min is, he would not dare to poison people in Prince Rong's mansion, unless..."
"Unless there's someone backing them up," Xiaoyanzi continued, her eyes glaring. "Could it be..."
"Don't speculate." Yongqi held her hand. "The Emperor knows what's going on. Once we gather all the evidence and present it to him, we'll see what he has to say."
At this time, Xiao Chongzi ran in with a food box in his arms, his face stained with flour. "Your Highness, Princess, the kitchen has just steamed some rose cakes. Would Princess Ziwei like to try some?"
Little Mosquito followed behind, holding a rattle in his hand. He must have just teased Mian Rui: "Guaiguai longdidong, I just heard Xiao Dengzi say that the woman in the west yard confessed? I didn't expect it..."
"Stop talking." Xiao Zhuozi patted him and said to Yongqi and Xiao Yanzi, "Prince, Princess, it's very windy outside. Should we ask the guards to reinforce the crabapple trellis under the corridor?"
Yongqi glanced at the swaying flower stand outside the window and nodded, "Alright. By the way, let them send a few more people to surround the west courtyard more tightly."
"yes!"
Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Wenzi retreated. Xiao Chongzi opened the food box, and a sweet fragrance filled the air. Ziwei picked up a piece of rose cake, put it to the tip of her nose and sniffed it: "It smells so good. The chef in the palace is really good."
Xiaoyanzi, however, had no appetite. She looked at the falling crabapple petals outside the window, her eyes gradually becoming firm. "Yongqi, we can't wait. A man like Emin won't give up unless he's taught a lesson."
Yongqi knew her temper. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it. He smiled, picked up a piece of rose cake and offered it to her: "Eat something first. You'll have the strength to fight him."
Xiaoyanzi opened her mouth and took a bite of the rose cake. The sweetness melted on her tongue, and the haze in her heart also dissipated a little. She looked at Yongqi's gentle eyebrows and suddenly felt that no matter how many storms there were ahead, as long as he, Ziwei, and these people who treated her sincerely were by her side, she would not be afraid of anything.
The autumn wind blew up more crabapple petals, which fell on the stone steps of the east courtyard, like a layer of pink snow. Meanwhile, in a corner of the west courtyard, a young eunuch stealthily threw a ball of paper over the wall. The ball arced through the air and landed beneath an old locust tree outside the palace—where a dark figure was already waiting.
A bigger storm is quietly brewing.
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