Upon hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, Madam Lin gripped her teacup tighter and looked at the Princess coldly, saying:
"Since the Princess doesn't welcome us here, we won't linger any longer. I'll take my wife to sit in Aunt Lin's courtyard first."
The princess was already in a bad mood because of Madam Lin and Madam Li's sarcastic remarks towards Jiang Yuwei, but now that Jiang Yuwei had retorted so bluntly, she was secretly pleased.
Upon hearing that Madam Lin was going to take Li Shi to see Concubine Lin, her expression hardened, and she said calmly:
"Now, you can't go into Aunt Lin's courtyard."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin's eyes widened, and she frowned, asking:
"What? Now that our family has come to visit, does she still dare to hide from us?"
The princess smiled faintly, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a small sip.
"Now that Aunt Lin has made a mistake and I have placed her under house arrest, you can tell me if you have anything to say to her, and I will arrange for someone to pass on the message to her."
Upon hearing this, Madam Lin frowned. Logically speaking, it wouldn't be unusual for the mistress of the house to punish her concubines by confining them to their quarters.
However, with Prince Jing currently fighting on the border and rumors spreading throughout the capital, if Prince Jing's mansion doesn't know when to align itself with the Lin family for mutual support, then if the prince returns defeated in the future, the emperor and officials will naturally not let him off easily.
Madam Lin never expected that the Princess Consort would choose this time to confine Consort Lin. Could it be that she and the Prince were determined to turn against the Lin family?
Actually, her coming to Prince Jing's residence today was not her own idea. It was Minister Lin who felt that things were not going well lately, and there were rumors that the heir was secretly investigating the Lin family.
It just so happens that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. As usual, Aunt Lin would rush home to stay for a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival, but now there is no news and no one has been sent to the Lin family to deliver a message.
Thus, Minister Lin felt something was amiss, which is why he sent his wife, Madam Lin, with Lady Li to pay a visit. Ostensibly, they came to deliver festival gifts, but in reality, they wanted to find out what Madam Lin was thinking.
Hearing the princess's words, Madam Lin felt uneasy, but Madam Li, sitting beside her, was calmer and asked:
"I wonder what mistake this Aunt Lin made that made the Princess Consort go to such lengths to confine her before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Upon hearing Li's words, the princess frowned and glanced at her. Was Li truly someone who couldn't speak properly, or was she deliberately saying things that were unpleasant to hear?
This Aunt Lin is asking for trouble by making a scene, and now Madam Li is blaming her for confining her to her quarters before the Mid-Autumn Festival?
Thinking this way, the princess didn't give her a kind look either.
"What Li said is truly laughable. Why don't you ask Aunt Lin why she insists on making everyone unhappy before the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Jiang Yuwei, who was standing nearby, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for the princess separately.
"I think the princess is quite magnanimous. If it were someone else, they probably wouldn't have been able to keep a concubine like Aunt Lin for even a day."
Madam Lin turned around and glared at Madam Li, signaling her not to speak carelessly.
Then he turned his head and gave Jiang Yuwei a half-smile.
“Madam Jiang, I don’t want to hear what you’re saying. What terrible mistake has Aunt Lin made that warrants being expelled from the Prince’s Mansion?”
Jiang Yuwei raised her eyes and stared intently at Madam Lin.
"Madam Lin, you are also a mistress of the household. Let me ask you, if your concubine bribed your personal maid to drug you and try to kill you, what would you do?"
"Of course, beat her to death with sticks! Then throw her out of the mansion and announce all her wrongdoings to the world."
Sitting next to Madam Lin, Madam Li spoke up without hesitation after hearing Jiang Yuwei's words.
The reason she hated it so much was because Lin's brother had more than a dozen concubines, and she was afraid that one of them would take advantage of her.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei said those words, she subconsciously put them into her own mind, and those words just slipped out, completely forgetting the warning look in Madam Lin's eyes.
Madam Lin was filled with regret for bringing such a fool to the Prince's residence. She had known all along that Aunt Lin was trying to kill the Princess.
It was she who gave Aunt Lin an idea to win over the family physician to work for her, so that she could kill someone without leaving a trace.
Now that Jiang Yuwei has said these words, could it be that Aunt Lin's affair has been exposed, which is why the Princess has confined her to her quarters?
Before Madam Lin could figure it out, Jiang Yuwei spoke first:
"Madam Li is indeed outspoken; no one could bear such a thing."
Jiang Yuwei sighed.
"That's why the Princess is so magnanimous. Now, Aunt Lin has bribed her maid Qin'er to tamper with the Princess's incense every night, which has made the Princess's health quite poor."
Jiang Yuwei glanced at Madam Lin and Madam Li's expressions, then continued:
"I'll say something outrageous: if I hadn't discovered it in time, the Princess might really have died at the hands of Concubine Lin. Even so, the Princess only punished Concubine Lin by confining her to her quarters."
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei looked at Madam Lin and said coldly:
"She wasn't beaten to death, nor was the scandal publicized. All she was punished with was confinement, and people were ordered to bring her good food and drink to her courtyard every day."
As Jiang Yuwei spoke, she turned back to look at the weakened princess.
"The princess was grateful for her sisterly bond with Consort Lin over the years, and also remembered that the prince still cared for Consort Lin, so she said that Consort Lin's confinement could only be lifted when the prince returned."
Jiang Yuwei paused for a moment and then continued:
"As long as the prince doesn't return to the capital, Consort Lin can't leave the city. Does Madam Lin still think the princess's punishment is too harsh?"
Jiang Yuwei then turned to look at Li Shi.
"Does Madam Li still think that the Princess Consort made a mistake by confining her to her quarters before the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
At this moment, Madam Li's expression was more spectacular than fireworks. She frowned deeply, her eyes revealed shock, and her mouth was half-open, unsure of what to say.
In contrast, Madam Lin's expression was somewhat indifferent, as if she had known all along that Concubine Lin was plotting to harm the Princess.
"There's something fishy about this. I absolutely refuse to believe that my own daughter could do something so outrageous. Aunt Lin and the Princess have always been very close, and the inner quarters of the Prince Jing's residence are known for their harmony."
Madam Lin glanced at the Princess and continued:
“Everyone who talks about the Prince Jing’s mansion will praise the prince for his good management of the household and the princess for her skillful management of the household. How could Aunt Lin, who just wants a peaceful life, do such a thing? There must be some misunderstanding.”
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