Yugeng received news of the developments at Prince Qi’s residence early on.
“So Prince Qi had planned to act last night?”
Leng Ying nodded in confirmation.
When the Princess Consort was first confined, Yugeng and Jiang Si anticipated that Prince Qi would eventually move against her. Protecting someone the enemy wanted to be eliminated was a way to strike back at the enemy. Yugeng decisively sent people to secretly monitor Prince Qi’s residence, with Leng Ying in charge.
“Keep watching, especially during the daytime,” Yugeng instructed. He then informed Jiang Si of the matter: “Our people whispered a reminder in Miss Yuan’s ear while she was half-asleep. Thinking it was a nightmare, she ran to stay with the Princess Consort for the night, foiling Prince Qi’s plan… I expect he’ll act during the day next time…”
Jiang Si sighed, “In the end, the child is the most pitiful.”
Yugeng gave a cold laugh, “There’s nothing to be done about that. Who told her to have such parents? If the Princess Consort hadn’t harmed you, how would she have ended up like this?”
Would he soften his heart and spare Fourth Brother because of a little girl? Of course not.
If he lost, it would be his wife and daughter who suffered.
Though Jiang Si felt sorry for Miss Yuan, her sympathy didn’t overflow. She smiled and said, “With our interference, perhaps Miss Yuan won’t have to lose her mother.”
Yugeng shook his head, “We’re bringing down her father. Even if we save her mother, when she grows older and understands the difference between a Prince’s eldest legitimate daughter and an ordinary girl, she’ll likely hate us anyway. In any case, we’ll do what needs to be done. As for the fate of those who relied on Fourth Brother to survive, that’s for him to worry about.”
At this, Yugeng glanced out the window.
In the beautiful sunlight, Da Gou was playing with their delicate baby girl.
The struggle was always cruel. If he lost, how much better off would Ahuan be?
For this reason, he absolutely could not lose!
At Prince Qi’s residence, everything seemed normal, with little discussion about First Miss Yuan running to the Princess Consort’s quarters in the night.
After all, it was just a young girl being willful once.
Prince Qi, having considered the situation, decided there was no time like the present and set the time for his next move for that very day.
Miss Yuan had spent the night with Lady Li after dreaming about her mother. He decided to use his daughter’s dream to his advantage. When Lady Li “passed away from illness,” it could be attributed to a premonition, explaining why Miss Yuan had gone to spend her mother’s last night with her.
This way, no one would be surprised by Lady Li’s sudden departure.
The sunlight grew brighter as noon approached.
The same plain-faced maid delivered food to the most secluded courtyard of the Prince’s residence.
When the old woman discovered the small porcelain bottle and a pair of gold rings at the bottom layer, she was no longer as surprised or nervous as she had been the first time. She skillfully pocketed one gold ring and gave the other to the maid, Little Hong.
As for the two hundred taels in silver notes received last night, Little Hong naturally had no part in that.
Giving her one gold ring was more than fair, considering she would be doing the heavy lifting when the time came.
Little Hong clutched the gold ring, her face pale. “Madam Wang, I—”
The old woman struck Little Hong’s hand and scolded in a low voice, “Put away that unsightly look. Just remember to help when the time comes.”
Little Hong nodded frantically, wanting to cry but not daring to.
Last night, because the First Miss’s maid had stayed over, she had vacated her room and slept with Madam Wang.
During the night, Madam Wang had hinted at their task, frightening her so much she couldn’t sleep well.
They were to poison the Princess Consort? It was too terrifying—
The old woman glanced at Little Hong, feeling a mix of envy and annoyance.
The youth was truly advantageous. Despite barely sleeping last night, this young thing showed no signs of fatigue, not even dark circles under her eyes.
“Madam Wang, what do we do?” Little Hong asked softly.
“It’s simple. Just put that in that mad woman’s food.”
At this point, the old woman could no longer bring herself to say “Princess Consort.”
The title made her feel guilty and would affect her ability to “do the job.”
“It’s time to eat.”
The old woman and Little Hong went in together, setting the dishes before the Princess Consort.
After spending a night with her daughter, the Princess Consort’s expression was calmer than it had been in a long time. She picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Today’s meal was simpler compared to usual, with only braised yellow croaker, crab roe lion’s head meatballs, and stir-fried bok choy.
The Princess Consort liked fish but found the meatballs too oily, so she naturally reached for a piece of fish.
The old woman’s heart leaped as she watched the Princess Consort eat the fish. Suddenly, the Princess Consort frowned, took out a handkerchief, and spat out the fish. After that, she only ate the bok choy.
Seeing that the Princess Consort had already eaten half the rice in her bowl, the old woman grew anxious. “You’re not eating the fish?”
The Princess Consort glanced at the old woman and calmly said, “The fish tastes a bit off today.”
But her palm, gripping the chopsticks, was drenched in sweat.
The fish didn’t taste right. It wasn’t just fishiness, but a mix of other strange flavors.
She had spit it out simply because it tasted odd, but the old woman’s reaction was enough to confirm that something was wrong with the food.
This shameless old woman, who hadn’t used respectful terms to address her in a long time, had just called her “you” with a hint of caution. This kind of carefulness was something she had seen often when managing the household – it usually meant the person wanted or expected something.
She was just eating a meal. What could the old woman be expecting?
The Princess Consort lowered her gaze to the glistening white rice in her bowl, feeling as if she had fallen into an icy pit.
That man found her a nuisance and had finally decided to act.
He had promised that as long as she stayed quietly in this courtyard, he would let her watch Miss Yuan grow up.
But how long had it been, and now he wanted to poison her?
How cruel that man was. She was Miss Yuan’s birth mother, his wife of over ten years!
The old woman urged again, “Princess Consort, yellow croaker isn’t easy to come by. The kitchen knows you like it and sent it specially. Please have a few bites.”
The Princess Consort’s body tensed, but her face remained impassive. “I don’t have much appetite today. If you like it, you can take it away and share it.”
She then lowered her head and continued eating rice silently.
Seeing that their plan was failing, the old woman finally showed her true colors, her face twisting into a snarl. “Since the Princess Consort doesn’t like fish, why don’t you try this?”
The old woman held a white porcelain bottle, approaching the Princess Consort.
She had received two bottles of the drug. One had been poured into the braised yellow croaker, while she kept the other on her person, just in case.
“How dare you!” The Princess Consort slammed her chopsticks on the table and stood up to flee.
“Little Hong, help quickly!”
The old woman and Little Hong surrounded the Princess Consort, blocking her escape.
Having already revealed her intentions, the stout old woman acted without hesitation. She grabbed the Princess Consort’s shoulder with one hand while trying to force the contents of the porcelain bottle into her mouth with the other.
Little Hong tightly held the Princess Consort from behind, preventing her from moving.
The Princess Consort struggled desperately.
The old woman sneered, “What use is it to scream? Your death isn’t our idea.”