“I accidentally discovered something and that thing… it’s about the princess!”
Xiao Zixuan’s helpless and panicked look, like a flash of lightning, ignited the faint flame in Yuanxi’s heart, burning her inside out. She swallowed the discomfort in her throat and tightly held Xiao Zixuan’s hand, saying, “What happened? Don’t rush. Tell me slowly…”
At the same time, outside the window amidst the withered branches, a dry leaf suddenly spiraled into the air. It turned out to be a dormant dry-leaf butterfly, finally awakened by the spring breeze, fluttering its wings and circling before finally landing on an exquisitely carved window ledge.
In the bronze mirror on the windowsill, there reflected a face, pale but still beautiful. The princess reached out and touched a wrinkle at the corner of her eye, a look of resentment gradually appearing in her eyes. She turned her dark pupils, fixing them on a certain spot on her forehead. She stared at it for a long time, then suddenly stood up and violently threw the bronze mirror to the ground.
Hearing the “clang” sound from inside the room, the maids outside, thinking that something had happened to the princess, were about to rush in to check. But they heard the princess shouting from inside, “Let Yuma come in, and the rest of you stay outside properly!”
Everyone looked at each other in surprise. Yuma hurriedly carried a breath and ran into the inner room. The door was closed heavily behind her, leaving everyone outside with a look of astonishment mixed with accustomedness.
At this moment, Yuanxi, who had just heard Xiao Zixuan’s story, also showed a surprised expression. She frowned uncertainly and asked, “Are you saying that you found out that many servants in the mansion have disappeared for no reason over the years?”
Xiao Zixuan nodded and said, “I secretly checked the household register and found that many maids only have records of entering the mansion. There’s no mention of when they left or why, and it’s not written whether they were sold off or went back to their hometowns. I even found a few of their sale contracts. It means they weren’t sold or redeemed, but they just disappeared from the mansion like that.”
Yuanxi frowned and said, “It could also be that they ran away on their own. There are so many servants in the mansion, not all of their whereabouts are recorded, and how can you determine that it’s related to the princess?”
But Xiao Zixuan shook her head and said anxiously, “But the key is, during the year of Xinyou, there were the most personnel changes in the mansion. That year, almost all the servants in the princess’s courtyard were replaced. Except for Yuma, all the maids, servants, and stewards were replaced. But they weren’t replaced all at once, they were replaced quietly for various reasons, so it didn’t attract much attention at the time.”
Xinyou years… Yuanxi calculated silently in her heart. That should have been twenty-five years ago. The number seemed familiar, but before she could think further, Xiao Zixuan said anxiously, “Twenty-five years ago was the year when Big Brother was born!”
Yuanxi was shocked by this revelation. Some speculations quickly emerged in her mind, but she felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and dared not take another step forward. She raised her head and met Xiao Zixuan’s equally uncertain eyes. She suddenly woke up and realized that this matter was of great significance. It must not be judged lightly, nor should a word leak out. So she suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and said seriously, “Xuan’er, you must remember, what you discovered is only superficial and cannot represent anything, nor can it prove anything. So besides me, you must not reveal it to anyone, especially your elder brother. Do you understand?”
Xiao Zixuan’s expression changed several times, and finally, she grabbed Yuanxi’s arm and said tremblingly, “Sister-in-law, it’s Yuma who killed Auntie Cai because Auntie Cai knew their secret. You and I are both very clear about it. How could Yuma have such great power? Who is behind her? Is it the prince…”
Yuanxi’s body trembled, and she quickly covered Xiao Zixuan’s mouth, then bent down to hug her tightly, muffling her mournful sobbing. She whispered softly but firmly in Xiao Zixuan’s ear, “Don’t worry, I will help you. But until this matter is clarified, no one can notice it, understand?”
The voice seemed to possess a reassuring power, causing Xiao Zixuan to cry uncontrollably in Yuanxi’s arms as if she had been released from bondage. Before coming, she had imagined countless possibilities. Her mother was just an insignificant aunt, and what she might face could be a truth unbearable to anyone. There was no reason for her sister-in-law to help her, but she still inexplicably wanted to trust her. Perhaps she was just gambling, betting on the justice and persistence hidden behind those gentle and serene eyes.
As the beam of light from the window ledge slowly moved, Yuanxi and Xiao Zixuan discussed for a long time before she sent her out. Walking back into the room, she suddenly felt extremely tired, and she asked Mama Li to come in and add some charcoal to the room. Despite it being early spring, she felt a chill from head to toe.
Opening the dressing table, she absentmindedly ran her hand over the various boxes of cosmetics. Yuanxi’s gaze was somewhat vacant, but her heart was surging with waves. The box of orchid-scented hair oil that had fallen from nowhere was a deliberate trap. She had speculated that someone might want to use her to harm the Empress Dowager, or perhaps use the Empress Dowager to deal with her. But the Empress Dowager couldn’t touch such palace secrets as orchids, so who in the mansion knew about it?
Once, she dared not face the speculation in her heart because the person had no reason to harm her. But just now, the conversation with Xiao Zixuan had brought up many questions, and many seemingly impossible things suddenly had explanations…
Yuanxi closed the dressing table with a heavy thud, unwilling to continue guessing. She bit her lip, trying to calm herself down and organize all the clues in her mind. After all, all questions would have an answer. No matter how difficult the truth was to face, she had to understand it. For the sake of all the innocent souls who had died in the mansion.
At dinner time, Xiao Du finally returned to the mansion. Pushing open the door, he saw Yuanxi sitting in the shadows, completely absorbed in a book in her hands.
He frowned, not sure if it was just his imagination, but after not seeing her for a day, the person in front of him seemed much more haggard. So he walked up behind her, quietly took the book from her hands, and when Yuanxi turned around, he surprised her by saying, “You’re back!”
Xiao Du pulled her up to stand, carefully scrutinizing her, intentionally putting on a concerned face and saying, “Why do you look so worn out?” Then he suddenly smirked, leaned in close to her, and said, “Could it be that you missed me so much?”
Yuanxi rolled her eyes at him with a smile, but she didn’t feel any lighter in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a chill on her wrist. Looking down, she saw a vivid green jade bracelet already adorning her wrist.
The transparent and delicate jade, worn on her fair wrist, seemed to bloom like a charming lotus. Yuanxi looked at it with joy, then raised her head and asked Xiao Du, “Why did you suddenly remember to give me a bracelet?”
Xiao Du held her hand satisfactorily and said, “I saw it in a shop and thought my wife would look good wearing it, so I bought it immediately. Now it seems, it suits you very well.”
Yuanxi rubbed the smooth jade bracelet absentmindedly, smiled gently, and then Xiao Du changed out of his outer robe and said, “Oh, by the way, I met Uncle Zhou just now. He said the mansion is about to start buying this year’s sacrificial items. Counting the days, the ceremony will start soon.”
Yuanxi was startled and asked, “What ceremony?”
Xiao Du smiled and said, “You just entered the mansion and naturally don’t know. Because your mother’s health has always been poor, and also to pray for blessings for the Marquis Mansion, every year after the New Year, your mother invites the monks from the Light Source Temple to perform a ritual in the Buddha Hall. It’s just burning incense and doing some rituals. When the time comes, if we need to use the accounting, Uncle Zhou may come to discuss it with you, so I’ll let you know in advance.”
Yuanxi nodded, keeping this matter in mind. At this moment, she suddenly remembered what Xiao Zixuan had said: “The missing maids in the mansion, the intervals are about a year apart.” And the mansion happened to hold a ritual every year… Could there be a connection between them? She quickly remembered Aunt Wang’s insistence on renovating the Buddha Hall, and at that time, the princess had vehemently opposed it, and there were even rumors of ghosts. What did Aunt Wang find out at that time? Was the princess hiding something?
“Xia’er?” Xiao Du saw her standing still in place, lost in thought, and couldn’t help but call out to her.
Yuanxi snapped out of her thoughts and saw Xiao Du’s concerned look. Suddenly feeling a little frightened in her heart, she hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “Du, do you still remember, when you were a child, you were closest to those servants besides Mother?”