Jiang Wan opened her eyes slightly.
"Your Highness, are you sure you didn't mishear?"
Pei Xi shook his head: "At that time, Gu Shi and my mother were talking inside the palace. I was standing at the door. I heard this one sentence clearly, and there is no mistake."
Jiang Wan frowned.
It involves the elder's wife and is also related to the cause of her mother's death.
She took a deep breath, and a bold guess began to leap into her mind.
Seeing her blank expression, Pei Xi said, "Don't worry, Gu will be coming to the palace again in a few days. Just tell me what you need me to do."
"Let me think about it." Jiang Wan came back to her senses and said seriously, "This matter is very important to me, so I will trouble Your Highness."
Her seriousness made Pei Xi feel embarrassed, so he changed the subject.
“My mother hasn’t mentioned the Xu family again recently, so it seems the engagement is probably off. She was determined to marry into the Xu family back then. What method did you use to change her mind?”
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "It's a secret."
Pei Xi pouted.
"Your Highness is only hiding for now. The Imperial Concubine will arrange another marriage for you sooner or later. If you don't want to be controlled in your marriage, you'd better plan ahead," Jiang Wan reminded her.
Pei Xi was well aware of this.
He scratched his head in frustration and casually pushed open the window.
If he could make his own decisions about marriage, he could choose the person he loves without all these troubles.
The streets and alleys were bustling with people, and many young ladies were out together, laughing and joking in front of the lively stalls, their smiles as bright as flowers.
Pei Xi rested his chin on his hand, feeling utterly bored. The women downstairs were all undeniably beautiful, but he always felt something was missing.
His gaze couldn't help but shift and land on Jiang Wan, who was drinking tea with her head down.
Jiang Wan's attire was no different from that of an unmarried young woman.
She was already young, only half a year older than me, so we were the same age, roughly the same age.
If Jiang Wan were not yet married...
No, what is he thinking?
Pei Xi suddenly snapped out of his daze, his cup trembled, and half of the tea spilled.
Jiang Wan looked up in confusion, about to speak, when a cheerful female voice suddenly came from downstairs.
"Sister Jiang!"
Pei Tang recognized the two through the window and happily waved her hand, skipping and hopping as she ran up, holding up the hem of her skirt.
Pei Xuan, dressed in a frost-colored narrow-sleeved robe and wearing a purple jade crown, followed her slowly into the room.
“Crown Prince, brother.” Pei Xi immediately stood up.
Pei Tang looked him over carefully: "Third Brother, what are you talking about with Sister Jiang? Why is your face so red?"
"Really?" Pei Xi rubbed her face. "Maybe the stove is too hot."
Pei Tang had only asked casually, and nodded without much concern.
"Sister Jiang, you look so beautiful today."
She hugged Jiang Wan's waist affectionately and whispered.
"It was your idea for Mother to give me the nine-section whip, wasn't it? I knew it! Mother wouldn't understand these ingenious weapons; only you understand me best!"
Jiang Wan smiled at her and said, "Nothing can be hidden from the princess."
Pei Tang was very happy: "The book you gave me also contains many exquisite whip techniques. Once I've mastered them, I'll demonstrate them for you."
"It's just that my mother has been making me practice calligraphy lately. If it weren't for my brother intervening today, I wouldn't even be able to leave the palace."
She spoke to the guard beside her.
"Now that we're out here, we should have a good time. Ah Si, go and buy a serving of all the street food."
Jiang Wan looked at the guard.
Sure enough, it was Ah Si, the bodyguard who had taken care of him in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Ah Si turned and left, his movements slightly stiff.
Seeing her curiosity, Pei Tang whispered, "I don't know what mistake she made, but her brother punished her, and she was only able to get out of bed a few days ago."
Jiang Wan was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but glance at Pei Xuan.
Could Ah Si's punishment be related to what happened in prison?
She could tell that Ah Si was very loyal.
It was precisely because of his loyalty that he couldn't understand Pei Xuan's actions of going to great lengths to set up a prison and install secret guards to protect a woman.
He vented his frustration on himself, so he deliberately let the assassin in.
Jiang Wan took a sip of tea.
If it has nothing to do with her, then there's no need to say anything more.
If it really was because of the Ministry of Justice prison incident, she felt that Pei Xuan had done the right thing.
For secret guards, loyalty to orders is paramount.
If she were Pei Xuan, she would also punish A Si.
After a while, Ah Si, accompanied by two servants, laid out all sorts of snacks on the table.
Ah Si placed a bowl of warm red bean soup in front of Jiang Wan. As soon as the lid was lifted, a sweet aroma filled the air.
Pei Tang, who has a sweet tooth, was the first to scoop up a spoonful.
Ah Si seemed to want to stop him, but hesitated and looked conflicted.
Jiang Wan noticed his strange expression and pressed down on Pei Tang's hand: "Princess, please wait."
Pei Xuan also noticed A Si's unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong with the soup?"
A-Si said, "This soup was brought by a maid from the General's Mansion. The maid said that since autumn, Madam Jiang has been drinking a bowl of red bean soup every night to warm her stomach. Seeing that Madam Jiang was with His Highness, she asked me to bring it up with her."
Jiang Wan asked, "What's her name?"
“She said her name was Caidie, and she was Madam Jiang’s personal maid,” A-Si said.
Jiang Wan glanced at the steaming soup.
She has indeed been enjoying red bean soup lately, a fact known only to those who serve her closely at Gyoshiin.
The red bean soup was made by a cook in the small kitchen, and it tastes exactly the same as the bowl in front of me.
Cai Die knew that she was at Wangyue Tower today and it was indeed possible that she could bring her soup.
The problem is that she won't let someone else handle the food she eats.
If it were a butterfly, it would be handed to her personally.
Pei Xuan said, "Bring me the silver needles."
The silver needle was inserted into the soup, and the tip instantly turned black.
Pei Tang was shocked and threw down the spoon: "It's poisoned!"
Pei Xi stood up abruptly, picked up the red bean soup, and was about to pour it away when Jiang Wan stopped him.
Ah Si was terrified and immediately knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, this subordinate did not know..."
"Where is that maid?" Pei Xuan interrupted coldly.
She said she had other matters to attend to at home, and left after giving the soup to her subordinates.
Ah Si explained.
“She was wearing a waist tag, which I checked and confirmed was genuine. She must be from the Chengping General’s Mansion.”
Jiang Wan picked up the red bean soup and put it back into the food box.
Someone is trying to poison her.
The question now is whether it was someone from the General's Mansion who did it, or whether it was a story orchestrated by Ah Si himself.
After all, no one can testify whether this maid actually existed.
Ah Si seemed to have thought of this as well. He glanced at Jiang Wan silently and gritted his teeth.
Seeing his reaction, Pei Xuan's face turned cold: "It seems the punishment last time was too lenient and didn't teach you a lesson."
Ah Si lowered his head: "This subordinate accepts the punishment."
Jiang Wan said, "Punishment is secondary; what's important now is to find out the truth."
She glanced at Ah Si, who was kneeling on the ground, silent.
"Your Highness, could you lend me Ah Si for a few days?"
If she guessed correctly, she could use this opportunity to find out who was behind it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com