Seeing that Song Zhiyu was unmoved by her words, Lian Siyi was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She steered the conversation back on track, "I heard that Sister Zhiyu really likes to go to Mingyin Mountain to collect herbs. There are indeed a lot of herbs there."
I was there a few days ago, and I even rescued a young master.
She paused, then probed further, "Sister Zhiyu, you went to Mingyin Mountain to gather herbs a few days ago, didn't you? Did you see an injured young master?"
"Yes." Song Zhiyu sat on the stone bench, looking at her with a half-smile.
Song Zhiyu sensed the probing in Lian Siyi's words and couldn't help but think of Zhou Xingzhi and the rumors that the Lian family's daughter was in love with His Highness the Crown Prince. A guess immediately formed in his mind.
"I left in a hurry after rescuing that young master, and I didn't get a good look at his face. I only remember that he had a very fine jade pendant hanging from his waist. I don't know if he is the same person that Miss Lian was talking about."
Listening to Song Zhiyu's description, Lian Siyi was pretty much certain that Song Zhiyu was the Crown Prince's savior.
"You said you didn't see his face clearly? Then what about him? Did he see what you looked like? Did you two say anything?" Lian Siyi didn't notice Song Zhiyu's constantly changing expression and excitedly grabbed her hand to ask for details.
Song Zhiyu withdrew her hand. "No, I was wearing a veil at the time. Besides, he was already quite disoriented when I saved him. Why is Miss Lian so interested in this matter?"
When she saved Zhou Xing, he was indeed unconscious; she wasn't lying.
"I was just interested in how Sister Zhiyu saved people." Lian Siyi awkwardly withdrew her hand. Seeing that her goal had been achieved, she didn't linger any longer and was eager to go to the palace to discuss the next steps with her aunt.
Since Song Zhiyu didn't know that the person she saved was His Highness the Crown Prince, and His Highness the Crown Prince didn't know what his savior looked like, it was as if even God was helping her.
She must seize this opportunity to successfully marry His Highness the Crown Prince.
Song Zhiyu watched Lian Siyi's excited back as she tapped her long fingers lightly on the table, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.
"Miss, you must be careful. Who knows what mischief the young lady is up to again."
Otherwise, why would this Miss Lian seem so mysterious, like she's trying to trick you into revealing information? Lu Bai overheard their conversation. Even she could sense that Lian Siyi's motives were impure, so her mistress must know it too.
Song Zhiyu's words were half true and half false, but Lian Siyi clearly believed them to a large extent. "You can see it too, Lian Siyi is indeed trying to trick me into saying something."
Since she wants to know about Mingyin Mountain, I'll tell her and see what she's up to.
Rather than passively taking a beating, it's better to strike first and expose all of the enemy's schemes to her.
"By the way, has there been any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate?"
Lu Bai lowered her head in disappointment. "Not yet. Shen Rushan is too vigilant. This servant can't find an opportunity at all."
"Keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't discover you. Also, take this token to the manager of Shuiyun Inn and ask him to get rid of that lurking rat and send over two skilled maids while he's at it."
Song Zhiyu keenly sensed that someone was hiding in the shadows watching her. In order not to alert the culprit, she could only pretend not to know and wait for the right opportunity to expose the rat.
"Miss, do you know the manager of Shuiyun Pavilion?" Lu Bai took the token, her fingers tracing the character "Jiang" on it, her face full of curiosity.
Song Zhiyu gazed at the calm lake surface, but her thoughts had already drifted far away. "The owner of Shuiyunjian is an old friend of mine, and also a very important person."
"This servant understands." Lu Bai nodded as if she understood, and without asking any more questions, she quietly walked out of the back gate of the Marquis's mansion with the token in her hand.
*
Guanju Palace.
"Aunt, I've found out everything. Song Zhiyu is the one who saved His Highness the Crown Prince." As soon as Lian Siyi left the Marquis's residence, she went straight to the palace. She was eager to marry His Highness the Crown Prince.
Acting too late could lead to unforeseen changes.
Consort Lian paused in applying her eyebrows, then smiled disdainfully, "So it's the real daughter of the Marquis of Chengen's mansion who just returned from the countryside? I really didn't expect that."
Because Lian Siyi always stood up for Shen Jinshu and denounced Song Zhiyu in front of her, Consort Lian had a rather deep impression of Song Zhiyu.
“Aunt, Song Zhiyu had no idea that the person she saved was His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness the Crown Prince didn’t even know what she looked like. Tell me, isn’t this an opportunity given to me by God?”
Consort Lian stood up, pressed Lian Siyi's shoulder and sat her down in front of the bronze mirror, inserting a gold hairpin inlaid with gems and pearls into her hair. "Not bad, as long as you seize the opportunity, the position of Crown Princess will be yours."
"Then what should I do, Aunt?" Lian Siyi clenched the handkerchief in her hand, asking for Consort Lian's opinion.
Consort Lian parted her blood-red lips slightly, and her seductive voice reached Lian Siyi's ears, "You must remember, from now on you are His Highness the Crown Prince's savior."
As for Song Zhiyu, she's blocking your way, so eliminate her to prevent future troubles.
Consort Lian thought of Song Zhiyu as a powerless, unloved country girl, someone not worth fearing.
Given Lian Siyi's methods, getting rid of her is only a matter of time.
Half an hour later, Lian Siyi walked along the palace road in a daze, her mind filled with the words Consort Lian had said to her.
Only by eliminating Song Zhiyu can her impersonation of the Crown Prince's savior be kept secret, allowing her to ascend to the position of Crown Princess.
Moreover, even if it weren't for the fact that he was the Crown Prince's savior, Song Zhiyu absolutely could not be allowed to live.
The news spread throughout the palace that His Highness the Crown Prince was fond of his savior, and even Emperor Yun attached great importance to him.
If Song Zhiyu were to use the favor of saving the Crown Prince's life to get the Emperor to grant her a marriage, it wouldn't be impossible, given her status as the daughter of a marquis. Not to mention that the Crown Prince might even have feelings for her.
She couldn't accept either possibility.
She would never allow any other woman to enter the Crown Prince's heart.
Lian Siyi's eyes gradually hardened, and she had made up her mind.
My aunt is right; she's willing to use any means necessary to achieve her goal.
How could a country girl, who was not favored by her father and brothers and was disliked by her family, be worthy of competing with her?
Lian Siyi looked up at the direction of the East Palace, her eyes filled with longing.
That was the place she had always dreamed of. She was determined to enter the Eastern Palace and become the person in the Crown Prince's heart.
*
The Lingguo Duke's Mansion, Lingyun Courtyard.
As soon as Song Zhiyu stepped into the courtyard, she felt several strong gazes on her, but she did not sense any malice.
What came into view were two elderly men with white hair and vigorous spirits.
Behind them stood a tall man in a black robe, his muscles bulging and his face covered with a thick beard.
The three of them exuded a strong, oppressive aura, as if they were veterans of many battles, with a bloody and ferocious aura that had crawled out of piles of corpses, but Song Zhiyu was not afraid of them.
It wasn't just because these three people were heroes who fought bravely on the battlefield to protect the Lintian Dynasty, but also because they had kind smiles on their faces that were so incongruous with their terrifying aura, which made her feel genuinely close to them.
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