The way they were talking, someone might have misunderstood what was happening inside.
With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, he looked at her disdainfully and asked, “How long do you plan to keep hugging me like this?”
Taohua stubbornly lifted her chin and shouted, “Until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble!”
Shen Zaiye: “…”
He no longer knew what expression to use when looking at this woman. At first, he thought she was a fool, but then she outsmarted him, revealing her intelligence. And now, how had she transformed from a clever person into a madwoman?
What was even more irritating was that he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. He had to exert some effort to hold back his laughter. It was truly strange – the manor had such strict rules, yet they seemed to not affect this person.
“You’ve been running around and exerting yourself today. Don’t you want the female doctor to come and check your wound?” Shen Zaiye said impatiently. “If you keep hugging me, you might reopen it. Don’t blame me if that happens!”
Until he mentioned it, Taohua hadn’t noticed, but now she felt a pain in her waist.
She quickly let go of him and jumped down, moving to the side to lift her clothes and take a look.
A large, centipede-like scar was visible, now a light red color. However, the middle part, which had likely been stretched during the day’s activities, showed faint traces of blood.
Pouting, Taohua turned her head to look at Shen Zaiye and said, “Considering how miserable this concubine is, why don’t you let me go rest?”
“I never said you couldn’t go. You were the one who wouldn’t let go,” he glanced at her and said, “I’ll prepare for what you suggested. For now, hide yourself well, and don’t let Prince Jing see you again.”
“This concubine understands.” Regaining her composure, Taohua smiled gracefully, curtsied, and withdrew.
In truth, Shen Zaiye wasn’t as fierce as he appeared. Although he sometimes looked intimidating, he hadn’t wanted to hit her and even allowed her to joke around. The person who had smiled insincerely and threatened to kill her at the beginning seemed to have no connection to him now.
Could it be that because she was so beautiful, he had now fallen for her?
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Taohua slapped herself on the back of the head.
Using such girlish thoughts to speculate about a venomous snake would lead to death quicker than hanging. The real reason was probably that the idea she had proposed earlier truly helped the Prince Nan and him, so the master was in a good mood and more tolerant of her.
“Oh, Lady Jiang,” a voice called out ahead. “How did you end up in this side courtyard?”
Taohua was startled. She stopped and looked up to see Liu Shi gracefully gliding towards her on her bound feet. Liu Shi raised her eyes to look at Taohua and said:
“Your makeup is so light, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
It would have been better if you hadn’t recognized me, Taohua thought. After a day of life-and-death situations, who had the energy to deal with her?
“Why is Attendant Liu here as well?” she asked in return, continuing to walk forward.
Liu Xiangju naturally fell into step beside her, smiling as she said, “This concubine was planning to go out and buy some tonics for Sister Gu. I had just reached here when I encountered you.”
“Since you have business to attend to, you should go. I need to return and rest as well,” Taohua smiled faintly and nodded a farewell.
However, Liu Shi acted as if she hadn’t seen it and continued to stick close to her, saying, “It’s rare to have a chance to speak with you alone. Buying tonics is not the most urgent matter now.”
“What do you want to say?” Taohua lowered her eyes and got straight to the point, too tired to beat around the bush with her.
Liu Shi pursed her lips, looked around, and leaned in to whisper, “Others may not know, but this concubine is certain that Sister Gu most likely truly has something in her belly.”
“Oh,” Taohua nodded.
Liu Xiangju had hoped for some reaction, but this indifferent attitude almost made her unable to maintain her smile. “Aren’t you worried, my lady?”
“Worried about what?”
“If the first heir of the Xiang family comes from Gu Shi’s belly, won’t the favor towards your favored concubines fade?”
Glancing at her sideways, Jiang Taohua thought this girl’s brain might not be functioning properly.
“Why would the master’s favor towards us fade if Gu gives birth to a child?” she said. “Even if Gu Shi gains status because of her child, at most she would receive more favor than before. It’s not as if the master would stay in her courtyard all the time.”
Moreover, Shen Zaiye didn’t seem to be very fond of the child in Gu Shi’s belly.
“You can’t say that!” Liu Shi swayed her waist and covered her mouth, whispering, “Who in this courtyard doesn’t want to eventually sit in the position of the wife? Gu Shi is a concubine like you, but once she has a son, she’ll immediately step ahead of you. Aren’t you anxious?”
“Indeed, I’m not anxious,” Taohua smiled faintly and turned her head to look at her. “And why are you so anxious?”
“I…” Liu Shi stiffened, her face finally becoming serious. She frowned and said, “This concubine sees that you seem to have won the master’s heart, so I came to offer some advice for your good. If you’re not worried, then this concubine has nothing more to say. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Farewell,” Taohua turned her head and continued towards Zhengchun Pavilion. Qingtai followed beside her, looking back at Liu Shi several times, unable to resist asking quietly, “What is Attendant Liu trying to do? Isn’t she on good terms with Gu shi?”
“What else could she be doing? She clearly can’t stand to see Gu shi soar to great heights, so she’s hurriedly looking for roadblocks,” Taohua chuckled lightly. “It seems that years of friendship still can’t outweigh wealth and glory. Poor Gu Shi probably only recently realized the true face of her sister.”
Liu Xiangju’s family background wasn’t particularly good, and she was only a concubine-born daughter, with little hope of rising high. She could only rely on others and go with the flow. But the person she chose to rely on was certainly not Gu Shi, so she used the guise of sisterly affection to step on her before completely falling out.
Such women were the most frightening – small-minded with a glib tongue. With just three inches of tongue, they could stir up storms in the back courtyard, leaving no peace for anyone.
Qingtai frowned, her expression quite worried: “There’s not a single easy person to deal with in this back courtyard. Mistress, you…”
Taohua paused slightly and turned to look at her: “Are you worried about me?”
Qingtai was stunned. She lowered her head and thought that perhaps she should be more worried about the other mistresses instead. They were all difficult to handle, but her mistress was probably even more formidable than the others.
“I was overthinking. Let’s just go back first.”
Jiang Taohua’s ambitions didn’t lie in the back courtyard; this was just a temporary resting place for her. As long as there was no snow piling up in front of her door, why should she care about the frost on others’ tiles?
In the snake courtyard, the snake had been killed, and the snake keeper was terrified. He immediately searched for traces in the courtyard and found the Prince Nan’s insignia. By the time Zhan Lu rushed over, it was already too late. To save his own life, the snake keeper quickly sent the news back to the imperial palace.
“This slave is incompetent,” Zhan Lu knelt before Shen Zaiye and said, “We can only temporarily block the news from the palace, but His Majesty will know sooner or later.”
Shen Zaiye pursed his lips, dark light flowing in his eyes. After a while, he said, “Invite the Prince Nan to the villa immediately!”
“Yes!”
Since it couldn’t be concealed, they needed a strategy for dealing with the exposed situation. Shen Zaiye got up, changed his clothes, and went to Zhengchun Pavilion. He pulled out Jiang Taohua, who was having her evening meal and headed straight for the side gate.
“My lord, this concubine hasn’t even put down her bowl,” Taohua said as she was pulled along, holding a bowl with half-eaten rice. “Couldn’t you slow down a bit?”
“No, the first step of your redemption must be taken now,” Shen Zaiye frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Prince Nan has an eccentric and stubborn personality. If you can’t persuade him to listen to me, we won’t be able to carry out our subsequent plans.”
“This concubine understands,” Taohua nodded, took another mouthful of rice, then threw away the bowl and chopsticks before getting into the carriage.
Prince Nan and the Prime Minister officially met only once a month, but in special circumstances like this, the two would meet at a separate villa.
When Shen Zaiye and Taohua entered, the Prince Nan had already arrived and was sitting in a pavilion, fiddling with a teacup. Hearing footsteps, he looked up at them and asked directly:
“The matter couldn’t be concealed?”
“Yes,” Shen Zaiye sat down in front of him with a serious face and said, “If Your Highness admits guilt, given His Majesty’s temperament, he will surely punish you severely.”
This severe punishment would be far more than just a beating or a deduction in monthly allowance. Prince Nan had never been favored, and to avoid seeing him and feeling annoyed, the Emperor might very well send him out of the capital. Once that happened, it would be difficult to return.
Mu Wuxia nodded: “The mistake was made by this prince. If Father Emperor is truly angry, then I can only accept it and seek another way out.”
Shen Zaiye frowned: “This minister hopes Your Highness will firmly deny this matter and say you were there to view the peach blossoms, and that you don’t know why your insignia went missing.”
“You want this prince to lie?” Mu Wuxia pursed his lips. “If we say that, who do you intend to bear the blame?”
“Naturally, it would be Prince Jing,” Shen Zaiye said. “That day, only you and Prince Jing were at Yingxian Mountain. Logically, only you two could have entered the snake forest.”
Prince Jing’s influence among the princes was considered extremely strong; this small mistake wouldn’t cause him much trouble.
Mu Wuxia quietly looked at him for a while, then tilted his head and asked, “Is it necessary to step on others to protect oneself?”
Shen Zaiye pursed his lips: “The weak are prey to the strong, and only the fittest survive. This is the rule in both the court and beyond. If you remain obstinate, your future path will only become more difficult.”
“Prince Jing hasn’t done anything wrong, nor has he treated me badly,” Mu Wuxia said. “If I falsely accuse him for no reason, I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep well at night.”
“Not sleeping well is better than losing your life,” Shen Zaiye frowned. “This minister has temporarily suppressed the news from the palace, but it can’t be delayed for too long. His Majesty will likely learn of the situation tomorrow and fly into a rage. You should prepare early.”
The young prince frowned, looking at Shen Zaiye with unfriendly eyes. It seemed as if all his defenses had risen, ready to resist.
Taohua, watching from the side, saw that the time was right and said, “My lord must be tired from worrying about internal and external affairs. Why don’t you let this concubine chat with the prince?”
Prince Nan was startled and turned his head to see Taohua smiling gently at him.
“Alright,” Shen Zaiye nodded and stood up. “This minister is not feeling well either. I’ll rest in the room next door for a while. When you’re done talking, just have someone inform me.”
“As you command,” Taohua nodded, watching him walk away before turning back to the young prince with a wink. “This concubine has a good plan. Would Your Highness like to hear it?”
(End of Chapter)