Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan knew that Jiang Wan had other plans, so he gestured for A Si to get up.
"If you fail to handle this matter properly, you need not return to report."
A-Si suddenly looked up and saw Pei Xuan's cold and stern expression, which did not seem to be fake, and her heart trembled.
"Your Highness, rest assured, I will follow Madam Jiang's orders."
After the poisoning incident, even though Pei Tang was reluctant, he did not force Jiang Wan to stay and watched her get into the carriage with A Si.
Pei Xi was about to return to the palace when, as soon as he turned around, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.
"Third brother, was your encounter with Lady Jiang here today a coincidence or was it pre-arranged?"
Pei Xuan's slightly cool voice came from behind.
Pei Xi's smile froze for a moment, then he waved his hand and said, "Of course it's just a coincidence. My brother and I aren't familiar with Lady Jiang."
Pei Xuan had only suspected it at first, but seeing his guilty look, he became more certain.
When Jiang Wan left the Eastern Palace, she mentioned having an appointment with someone, which should be Pei Xi.
But what could these two be discussing in secret?
Pei Xuan narrowed his eyes.
On the carriage heading to the General's Mansion, Jiang Wan was resting with her eyes closed.
Ah Si, who was standing to the side, kept stealing glances at her, looking restless.
"Don't be nervous, I know you didn't put the poison in there," Jiang Wan said.
Ah Si had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her say something else.
"However, if it had been me who drank the soup instead of Pei Tang, you wouldn't have stopped me, would you?"
Jiang Wan's eyelashes fluttered slightly, her eyes seemingly frozen in frost.
“Ah Si, you knew perfectly well that this soup came from an unknown source, yet you placed it in front of me. Your intentions are obvious.”
"If the soup is fine, nothing will happen. If it is, someone else will have poisoned it. At most, you will be held responsible for oversight, but you will be able to eliminate a potential threat to the Crown Prince, which is exactly what you want."
Ah Si was astonished that she had seen through his entire plan.
"I have no grudge against the lady, but Your Highness has great ambitions, and I cannot stand by and watch him be seduced by beauty."
Over the years, countless women have tried to get close to Pei Xuan with their beauty, but Pei Xuan has always remained unmoved.
The arrangement made in the prison a few days ago surprised and puzzled Ah Si.
Is it worth exposing their long-standing influence within the Ministry of Justice just to grant one person a few days of comfort?
Jiang Wan glanced at him and said indifferently, "I don't care what you think. Once you enter the General's Mansion, you must obey my orders and not ruin my plans."
Ah Si also sized her up.
The woman before me had snow-white skin and cherry lips, and her beauty was unparalleled. With just that face, she certainly had the power to bewitch people.
Not to mention she has a brilliant mind and is very clever and cunning.
No wonder she was able to bewitch His Highness.
If such a person were to remain by Your Highness's side indefinitely, what would become of the situation?
The eldest prince, Pei Feng, once had a promising career, but it was a woman who ruined his future. He cannot bear to see Pei Xuan repeat the same mistake.
Ah Si clenched his fists.
This trip to the General's mansion presents a good opportunity to get closer to Lady Jiang. If I could also...
Seeing that he remained silent, Jiang Wan suddenly chuckled, her tone tinged with disdain.
"I thought Pei Xuan was very authoritative, but it turns out he can't even control his own people."
"It seems I overestimated him."
Ah Si gritted his teeth.
"You don't need to provoke me. I will obey His Highness's orders. Just tell me what to do!"
As for getting rid of Jiang Wan, she's a woman who can't even kill a chicken; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.
A smile flickered in Jiang Wan's eyes as she pulled back the carriage curtain and gave Biluo a few instructions.
In the courtyard, all the servants were summoned.
Biluo stood at the door and said to everyone, "Today is the Moon Worship Festival. The lady has specially given us a reward. Everyone will receive one. I will receive my reward in turn."
She handed the food box containing red bean soup to Meixiang: "Pour it out. Madam wasn't feeling well tonight and didn't touch dinner. She's already gone to bed."
Meixiang nodded.
Biluo added, "After receiving the reward, there will be wine to drink. Tonight, only two servants will be left to guard the door, so everyone can relax."
Everyone laughed and lined up to go forward, with Meixiang at the very front.
After the rewards were distributed and the servants dispersed, Ah Si finally appeared from behind the pillars.
"Well, did you see the maid who brought the red bean soup?"
Ah Si shook his head.
Biluo asked, "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
If there were a traitor within Xingzhi Courtyard, Meixiang would be her first suspect.
Ah Si curled his lip in disdain.
Their bodyguards are professionally trained; while they may not have photographic memories, they certainly wouldn't fail to recognize a maid.
Biluo entered and informed Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan was not surprised: "Today's poisoning was very easy to carry out. If the other party calculated it correctly and was lucky, they could successfully poison me. Even if something went wrong, there are many servants in the general's mansion, and it would be difficult for me to find the person behind it."
“They failed, and they will definitely try again. Why don’t we just wait and see?” Biluo asked.
"You can only be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. The other party is determined to kill you. If you are careless one day, you will be doomed."
Jiang Wan's eyes were like water, reflecting the moonlight outside the window, which added to her coldness.
"Instead of waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump, it's better to take the initiative."
She said calmly, "Take Ah Si to find Shen Ci. He knows what to do."
"Also, have Steward Zhao come to see me tomorrow."
The next day.
When Butler Zhao arrived, Jiang Wan was having breakfast.
As she stirred the congee in her bowl, she asked, "There are no fewer than several hundred maids in the General's mansion. How many do you recognize?"
Steward Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Seventy percent of them can be called by name. Does Madam need more people?" He lowered his voice, "There are trusted servants among the maids in each courtyard. Madam, please give your orders."
"Seventy percent."
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