Gu Huairou frowned. “Haven’t you considered, Sister? With another member of the Qin family here, if these two sisters support each other, Qin Jieyu will surely rise again. Given your history with her, what good could come of that for you?”
Taohua shrugged, chuckling lightly. “If Qin truly regains favor through her sister’s help, that’s her ability. Rather than worrying, why don’t you focus more on pleasing the Lord?”
At the mention of Shen Zaiye, Gu Huairou grew even more dejected. “It’s useless to try anything with the Lord. I can’t fathom his thoughts at all.”
Taohua nodded in agreement. Indeed, how many people in this household could truly understand Shen Zaiye’s mind? Even she found him increasingly incomprehensible. She had once thought Shen Zaiye showed her some tenderness, perhaps even harboring a bit of affection. However, that sudden blow made her realize his ruthlessness; she had merely managed to avoid it temporarily.
Since survival in this inner court was imperative, she had no choice but to take things one step at a time.
In Linghan Courtyard, Qin Jieyu stood beside Mei Zhaoxue, her eyes red from crying. “They claim to be my birth parents, the ones who love me most. Yet look at them! As soon as I’m in trouble, instead of helping me, they’re busy securing their future! I’m not dead, so why send Huaiyu here?”
Mei Zhaoxue gazed at her calmly. “Women from noble families carry the glory of their clan. When you can’t bear that burden, they naturally find someone else to do so. What’s so hard to understand? You should be glad it’s your sister; it might not be entirely disadvantageous for you.”
“What kind of sister is she?” Qin Jieyu gritted her teeth. “She always opposed me in the household before. Now that she’s coming to the Lord’s mansion, she’s surely here to mock me. I’d rather take a divorce letter and leave than stay here to be ridiculed by her!”
“Jieyu,” Mei Zhaoxue pursed her lips. “When will you learn to control that temper of yours?”
Qin Jieyu glared. “How can you call this impatience? Steward Xu is relentlessly pursuing me, and now the Lord is welcoming Qin Huaiyu. With wolves in front and tigers behind, what am I supposed to do?”
“Solutions come with time,” Mei Zhaoxue replied. “Regarding Steward Xu, it seems the Lord won’t seriously reopen the case. Just find a way to silence her.”
“How? She’s moved into Zhengchun Pavilion now. That little hussy Jiang Taohua is protecting her!”
Smiling slightly, Mei Zhaoxue said, “Even if Zhengchun Pavilion were made of copper walls and iron ramparts, it’s still within the Lord’s mansion. They eat the Lord’s rice and drink the Lord’s water. Are you really out of options?”
Qin Jieyu froze, then suddenly understood Mei Zhaoxue’s expression. She immediately gathered her skirts and ran out!
Mei Zhaoxue quietly watched her leave for a moment, then sighed and instructed a nearby maid, “Announce that from now on, Lady Qin is not to enter Linghan Courtyard freely, and she need not handle any tasks here anymore.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As night fell, Taohua lay in bed, unable to shake an ominous feeling. Sure enough, at the first watch, a faint cry of pain came from outside, followed by someone climbing through the window.
“My lady, you’re so cruel,” Xu Yangui whispered. “I’ve gifted you treasures and helped eliminate your rival. Why did you plant so many iron nails in the wall?”
Rising to face him, Jiang Taohua neither smiled nor frowned. She spoke coolly, “Mr. Xu, I’ll say this one last time: if you keep coming to Zhengchun Pavilion at night, ruining my reputation, you may face severe consequences.”
Xu Yangui forced a laugh. “Why so harsh, my lady? I truly like you, so…”
“You merely want to drive me out of the mansion. Don’t sully the word ‘like,'” Taohua said with a cold smile. She lit a lamp and held it up to his face. “We have no grudge, Mr. Xu. Why are you so intent on opposing me?”
Realizing he’d been seen through, Xu Yangui’s expression changed. He frowned at her. “Haven’t you noticed that you might be interfering with someone else’s grand plans?”
“I can’t ruin Shen Zaiye’s plans. I might even help him. When the time comes, I might be the one discarded,” Jiang Taohua said seriously. “Your concerns are truly unnecessary, and you’re underestimating the Lord.”
“You’re the one underestimating yourself,” Xu Yangui shook his head. “The Lord is very fond of you. He treats you differently from others.”
“Then why don’t we make a bet, sir?” Taohua pulled out paper and brush and began writing. “If the Lord chooses to protect me when faced with a conflict involving me, I’ll willingly give my life to you. If he abandons me to achieve his goals, then you’ll owe me a life!”
Xu Yangui was shocked. He hadn’t expected Jiang Taohua to propose such a wager. Looking at the paper she held out, he hesitated.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t this what you’re worried about? I’ve solved it for you,” Taohua said, eyeing him. “If the Lord ruins his plans because of me, as you fear, you can come to kill me directly. I won’t resist. Conversely, if you’ve wronged me and the Lord, you’ll owe me your life. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
“You want to kill me?” Xu Yangui asked.
“Killing you wouldn’t benefit me,” Taohua replied. “Don’t worry, even if I win, I won’t take your life.”
Realizing this was a good deal, Xu Yangui nodded. He took the brush, signed his name, and affixed his seal. Taohua nodded and put the document away. “You may leave now.”
Though he seemed to have accomplished his goal, Xu Yangui felt something was off. As he stepped onto the windowsill, he couldn’t help but turn back and ask, “Have I offended you?”
“What do you think?” Taohua’s lips twitched. “I despise people who disturb my sleep.”
Disturbing someone’s rest was an unforgivable offense!
Shrinking his neck, Xu Yangui said, “Now that we’ve reached an agreement, you won’t set traps for me anymore, right?”
“I won’t,” Taohua replied, “unless you deserve it.”
Xu Yangui was left speechless.
What could he possibly do to deserve punishment? With Shen Zaiye covering for him, he had nothing to fear! With this thought, Xu Yangui confidently swished his robes and vanished into the night.
“My lady,” Qingtai entered as soon as he left. “I sensed something amiss. It seems someone else has been in the courtyard.”
Yawning, Taohua said, “Yes, he just left.”
“Not him,” Qingtai frowned. “Someone from the inner court, near the well.”
Taohua paused, then wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, revealing only her almond-shaped eyes, which flashed with anger. “The fire burns on, rekindled by the spring wind! Qingtai, this time, let’s finish them off!”
Qingtai laughed. “Can you bring yourself to do it?”
“I don’t need to act personally. Those who deserve death will die eventually,” Taohua pouted. She reached out a hand from her cocoon and grabbed a paper from beside her pillow, handing it to Qingtai. “Spread this around freely. Make sure people from the official residences and noble houses all know about it.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Qin Jieyu sat waiting in a filthy, smelly room. She hadn’t slept well for days, making her particularly irritable. As soon as her servant returned, she grabbed them and demanded, “Well?”
The servant replied nervously, “It’s done. That well won’t be clean for half a month. Whoever drinks from it will suffer.”
“Good!” Qin Jieyu pressed some silver into their hand and threatened, “Don’t tell anyone!”
“I understand, my lady…”
Poisoning had always been the simplest and most direct method of killing. No matter how clever Jiang Taohua was, she couldn’t avoid drinking water, could she? Even if she didn’t drink, Steward Xu certainly would. As long as one of them fell victim, Qin Jieyu could sleep soundly again!
Excitedly waiting for dawn, her ears attuned to every sound outside, Qin Jieyu was full of anticipation. However, the next day brought no news of anyone’s death. Instead, it seemed the Lord’s mansion was caught up in some other major event.
Today was supposed to be Qin Huaiyu’s wedding day. Shen Zaiye had taken leave, waiting for the evening ceremony. However, early in the morning, guards from Prince Yu’s mansion unexpectedly arrived.
“Lord Shen!” the lead guard announced. “A pair of mandarin duck jade pendants has been stolen from Prince Yu’s residence. According to our intelligence, the thief is hiding in your mansion. We request your cooperation in this matter.”
Those mandarin duck pendants belonged to Prince Yu? Shen Zaiye was alarmed, but his face remained pleasant as he replied, “Of course. What does the thief look like? I’m willing to help Prince Yu apprehend them.”
The guard bowed and handed him a paper. Shen Zaiye opened it to find a portrait of Xu Yangui!
Below the portrait was written: “I have acquired a pair of mandarin duck jade pendants and am willing to sell them at a low price. Interested parties can find me, Xu Yangui, at the outer courtyard of the Lord’s mansion.”
Beneath this message was a sketch of the jade pendants.
His mouth twitched as Shen Zaiye closed his eyes, gripping the paper. “This man is indeed from my household. However, if he truly committed theft, I absolutely won’t keep him here. Please, follow me.”
“Thank you, Lord Shen!” The guards followed him to the outer courtyard.
At the door, Shen Zaiye took a deep breath, then kicked it open. He ordered his men to drag out the still-sleeping Xu Yangui.
“This is the thief. Take him away,” Shen Zaiye said with a forced smile. “From now on, he has no connection to my household.”
The guards acknowledged his words and immediately bound Xu Yangui tightly.
“What? What’s going on?” Xu Yangui’s eyes widened in shock.
“Where are the mandarin duck pendants?” Shen Zaiye asked, narrowing his eyes.
“In the room…” Realizing something was wrong, Xu Yangui clicked his tongue. He made faces at Shen Zaiye, mouthing silently, “No way! I’ve been caught? Save me!”
Crossing his arms and smirking coldly, Shen Zaiye replied, “I told you last time, if you make another mistake, you’ll face whatever charges are appropriate. Bear the consequences yourself!”
Seeing that this fool clearly hadn’t listened and had provoked Jiang Taohua again, Shen Zaiye thought it served him right to be taught a lesson. He had been busy lately with official transfers and had no time to deal with him. Letting him suffer in prison for a while would do him good.
“My Lord!” Seeing Shen Zaiye turn to leave, Xu Yangui hurriedly called out, “The other half is still with someone else. Are you not going to do anything about that? If you don’t, I’ll say she was my accomplice!”
(End of Chapter)