Tao Hua lowered her eyes, suddenly clutching her stomach with a slightly embarrassed expression. “This is quite inconvenient… I may need to leave for a moment. Would you mind waiting, sir?”
Seeing her expression, Xu Yangui understood – nature calls. However, before she stood up to leave, he looked at her with deep affection and said, “Please consider my words carefully. I hope you’ll give me an answer when you return.”
“Certainly,” Tao Hua nodded, raising her teacup. “Let’s clink cups as a pledge. Even if we can’t be together in the future, I’ll always remember your sincere feelings.”
“Good,” Xu Yangui momentarily paused when he met her alluring eyes, quickly lowering his head to drink his tea in one gulp, trying to compose himself.
What a formidable woman, was she born with such charm?
Putting down her teacup, Tao Hua smiled and turned to leave with Qing Tai. They went downstairs, found the tavern’s backyard, and quietly slipped away.
As soon as she left, someone came to the Fragrant Pavilion asking the innkeeper, “Is there a man and a woman dining here?”
The innkeeper nodded, pointing upstairs, “They’re in the Sky One room. Are you looking for them, sir?”
The person thought for a moment, waved his hand, and waited at the stairs for someone to come.
At about 2:30 PM, a carriage stopped at the entrance of the Guantong Money House. As the clerk was greeting customers, he saw an elegantly dressed lady enter.
“Has anyone from the Xiang residence been here?” the veiled lady asked.
The clerk was stunned, shaking his head blankly, “I don’t recognize people from the Xiang residence…”
Frowning slightly, the lady asked again, “Then has a woman dressed similarly to me come here to leave something?”
“Yes, yes,” remembering Tao Hua’s instructions, the clerk quickly led her to the storage room, opened the cabinet, and took out half of a mandarin duck jade pendant. “It’s this.”
With a flash in her eyes, the lady took the item and left. The clerk called out “Hey” twice but didn’t stop her, watching as the group of people escorted the lady away.
They must be acquaintances, he thought. The person who left it said it was fine to take it away, so he didn’t need to worry. However, as soon as he saw this lady’s eyes, he suddenly couldn’t remember what the person who came to store the item looked like.
Frowning and shaking his head, the clerk went back to his work.
Jiang Tao Hua quickly returned to the Xiang residence. Just as she slipped in through the side door, she saw Shen Zai Ye leading Mei Zhaoxue, Gu Huairou, and others toward the main gate.
Mei Zhaoxue seemed to be saying something, but they were too far away to hear clearly.
“Where are they going?” Qing Tai, pulled aside by Tao Hua to hide, stretched her neck to look and couldn’t help asking.
Tao Hua patted her chest, not looking outside or answering her question, muttering, “Fortunately, truly fortunate.”
“Fortunate about what?” Qing Tai asked in confusion, looking down at her.
Rolling her eyes skyward, Tao Hua said, “Have you forgotten we’re fishing?”
She had indeed forgotten, or rather, she never understood in the first place. Rubbing her head, Qing Tai’s face scrunched up, “Who did we catch?”
“Whoever wants to harm your mistress will take the bait,” Tao Hua smoothed her clothes and stood up straight, smiling slightly. “Now we can go back and rest. When they return, there will be quite a show to watch.”
Qing Tai sighed, “It seems I don’t need to think too hard about it. I’ll just wait for the result.”
What was the bait, what was the hook, and who was the fish to be caught – she couldn’t analyze it in detail. It was better to just follow her mistress.
Tao Hua’s “fortunately” referred to her foresight in leaving a safeguard, and also the fortunate appearance of the unlucky Xu Yangui. With both sides not wanting her to fare well, they deserved to be played by her, resulting in mutual destruction. In any case, she would profit without loss in this round. The life and death of others were not her concern.
Qin Jieyuv took the mandarin duck jade pendant and confidently went up to the Fragrant Pavilion. With this evidence in hand, she could condemn Jiang Tao Hua. Then she would be like a fish on her chopping board, to be dealt with as she pleased.
However, the innkeeper of the Fragrant Pavilion dared to stop her.
“Is there something unsightly upstairs?” Qin Jieyu sneered. “All who come are customers. I want to go up for a meal, why are you stopping me?”
The news had already been sent back to the residence. She needed to go in and catch the person first, lest they escape.
The innkeeper looked very troubled, hemming and hawing until the doorman gave a signal. Only then did he step aside to let Qin Jieyu go up.
Glaring at the innkeeper, Qin Jieyu lifted her skirt and pushed open the door of the Sky One room.
Xu Yangui was lying on the table, seeming to be asleep. Qin Jieyu was startled and quickly looked around, even searching the inner room.
Where was Jiang Tao Hua?
She glared at the person behind her, who whispered, “This servant has been guarding the stairs and hasn’t seen anyone come down.”
“She must still be here. Go check next door!”
“Yes.”
After the servants left, Qin Jieyu frowned at Xu Yangui on the table, unable to resist walking over to check if he was breathing.
At that moment, Mei Zhaoxue led Shen Zai Ye and others upstairs, whispering, “The information is accurate. I don’t know who in the courtyard would be so bold. To avoid misunderstanding, you should see for yourself, my lord.”
As she finished speaking, the group climbed the last step and turned to see the scene in the Sky One room.
Qin Jieyu hadn’t reacted yet, her finger still on Xu Yangui’s nose. Shen Zai Ye raised an eyebrow. From his angle, Qin Jieyu and Xu Yangui appeared very close, and they were the only two in the room.
Mei Zhaoxue was stunned, opening and closing her mouth, swallowing her shock. Pretending to know nothing, she frowned and said, “To think it would be Lady Qin.”
Shen Zai Ye’s face darkened as he stepped into the room, frowning at Qin Jieyu. After a while, he asked, “Have I not treated you well?”
Qin Jieyu looked bewildered, taking a moment to realize the lord had misunderstood. She hurriedly explained, “It’s not what you think, my lord. I came here to catch someone.”
“Catch who?”
“Catch…” Just as she was about to say Jiang Tao Hua’s name, she saw Lady Mei’s furrowed brow. Qin Jieyu pursed her lips and changed her words, “Naturally, to catch an adulterer. I heard someone in the Xiang residence was having an affair, so I came to investigate.”
“How interesting,” Shen Zai Ye sneered. “You came to catch an adulterer, yet there’s only you and a man in this room.”
“My lord! When I arrived, there was only him there. This has nothing to do with me!” Qin Jieyu panicked, quickly going to hold Shen Zai Ye’s hand. “This man was unconscious here, and the other person was gone. I was just trying to see if he was alive or dead, so…”
Gu Huairou glanced at the man on the table and said with pursed lips, “Lady Qin’s words lack credibility. Let’s not embarrass ourselves out here. We should take them back for questioning. You might not care about face, but the lord does.”
Under normal circumstances, Qin Jieyu would have argued with her, but given the current unfavorable situation and the lord’s misunderstanding, she was focused solely on explaining herself, with no attention to spare for other matters.
Seeing Lady Mei’s expression, she knew she couldn’t mention Jiang Tao Hua’s name. After all, they hadn’t caught her red-handed, and the evidence was insufficient. Making baseless accusations might lead to that little minx turning the tables on her. But if she didn’t mention her, what if the lord truly misunderstood and thought she was the one having an affair?
Everyone headed back to the residence. The innkeeper didn’t recognize who they were and happily pocketed the silver Tao Hua had given him after seeing them off.
On the way back, Qin Jieyu wanted to find a chance to ask Mei Zhaoxue how to handle the situation, but for some reason, the lord decided to ride with Lady Mei. Left with no choice, she had to stay with Gu Huairou.
Back at the Xiang residence, the gates of Linwu Courtyard were wide open. All the concubines and attendants in the courtyard had gathered, while the servants were all kept outside.
Qin Jieyu knelt before Shen Zai Ye, with the unconscious Xu Yangui lying beside her.
Shen Zai Ye had no idea what had happened. He had vaguely suspected Tao Hua might be in trouble, but when he went to check, it turned out to be Qin Jieyu.
“I saw it with my own eyes. What else do you have to say?” he asked.
Qin Jieyu frowned and looked up. “I have many things to say. Today’s incident… I was framed!”
“Oh?” Shen Zai Ye’s gaze deepened. “Who framed you, and how? Do tell.”
Taking a deep breath, Qin Jieyu clenched her hands and said, “I… accidentally learned that a certain lady in the residence had been secretly meeting with a retainer quite often. They even had midnight rendezvous and exchanged love tokens. Not wanting to shame you, my lord, and lacking evidence, I kept quiet. Until today, when I received news that the lady had left the residence to meet the retainer privately. Upon hearing this, I immediately went to catch them in the act, thinking that if someone else went, given that person’s cunning nature, they would surely slip away. I didn’t expect to fall into a trap…”
“Lady Qin, it would be better if you spoke more clearly,” Gu Huairou smiled. “Which lady was involved with a retainer, having midnight meetings, exchanging love tokens, and going out for private meetings?”
Looking up at Jiang Tao Hua, Qin Jieyu said coldly, “The one I’m talking about knows who she is.”
“Lady Qin, please don’t glare at me when you say that. I can pretend nothing happened,” Tao Hua smiled, with obvious displeasure in her eyes. “But do you see what I mean? If there’s one thing you’re good at, it’s slandering others. You’ve stirred up the whole residence with these baseless rumors. Out of respect for your seniority, I didn’t make an issue of it, but that doesn’t mean I’m easy to bully. I can’t keep tolerating these waves of mudslinging!”
When it was time to be assertive, she had to be. Her words were both angry and righteous, making Qin Jieyu feel a bit guilty. “Who… who’s throwing mud at you?”
“Do I need to spell it out?” Tao Hua knelt beside her, pouting as she looked at Shen Zai Ye. “My lord, I also ask for justice today. I’ve been so wronged!”
Looking at her for a moment, Shen Zai Ye’s eyes deepened. “What grievances do you have?”
“Everything should be based on evidence, yet Lady Qin starts by accusing me of having an affair with a retainer. Isn’t that unfair?” Tao Hua exclaimed.
(End of Chapter)