Chapter 1058 The Hidden Maid

“My Lady, Great Elder Princess said that only some elder Madams remaining in contact with her had asked about you. But Ruiping Great Elder Princess and Prince Yue also mentioned you, which surprised her a little. She couldn’t tell which one of the old Madams asked it on purpose.” An old maid of the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion reported.

“Prince Yue went there in person?” Shao Wanru was taken aback and put down the maple leaf in her hand. The painting in her hand was about to be finished, and she was putting the finishing touches on it.

“Prince Yue visited our mansion often in the past, so my master said it was nothing.” The old maid answered cleverly. Before she came, Rui’an Great Elder Princess had repeatedly told her to report as clearly as possible so as not to mislead Princess Chen.

“Did Ruiping Great Elder Princess also drop by frequently in the past?” Shao Wanru smiled lightly and asked after thinking for a while.

“She seldom came because she is not close to my master. They are on friendly terms with each other merely on the surface. She came to my master’s mansion and chatted with her this time. From time to time, she would ask about you. Also, she mentioned that Infanta Yuan’an was in a bad mood and wanted you to soothe her, saying that you were all young people, so it would be more convenient for you two to talk things through!” The old maid said.

“How is Infanta Yuan’an’s face?” Shao Wanru asked.

“Infanta Yuan’an seems to be recovering soon, but she appears upset. Ruiping Great Elder Princess didn’t tell my master the details about it.”

“I see. If anyone inquires about me, tell my grandma to send someone to tell me,” Shao Wanru nodded and said.

The old maid of the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion answered and left.

Qu Le brought a basin of clear water to Shao Wanru. After washing her hands, Shao Wanru walked to the window, looking outside at the sky. It was sunny. Now was a good time to enjoy the scenery.

“Come on, let’s take a short walk in the garden.” Shao Wanru walked out.

Qu Le and Yujie hurriedly followed her.

The Prince Chen’s Mansion occupied a large area. Its garden was exquisitely built. There were waterside pavilions, flowing rivers, and gaily painted pleasure-boats on the water’s surface. Everything here exuded the elegant and gorgeous atmosphere of the royal family.

It was reasonable to call this place Southern Palace. Without that small side door, the Prince Chen’s Mansion appeared to be a natural part of the Palace.

Standing before a flight of steps, Shao Wanru stopped and looked out leisurely.

It had been a long time since she married into the Prince Chen’s Mansion, but she hadn’t gotten rid of some knots in her heart. For example, it seemed she had never been to this place, but this spot was clear in her memory.

There were flowers in full bloom before her. Through them, she could see the eave corner of a tall tower. Under the two rows of tall trees were exquisite small pavilions. However, with a chill in her heart, she couldn’t take the next step, no matter how hard she tried.

These giant trees helped to create a noble atmosphere belonging only to the royal family around those high imperial buildings and gorgeous steps. All of this looked excessively royal and bloody. Unconsciously, she breathed heavily and felt it difficult even to take one step forward, as if she had gotten stuck in the mire.

“My Lady, what’s wrong with you?” Noticing Shao Wanru’s strange look, Yujie hurriedly reached out to hold her and asked.

Shao Wanru’s delicate small face had an unhealthy pallor, and her lips were equally pale.

“My Lady…” Qu Le also noticed Shao Wanru’s unusual act and said anxiously.

Shao Wanru closed her eyes tight and took a deep breath to overcome the waves of nausea in her heart. Finally, she calmed down and shook her head. “I’m fine!”

She stood still on the spot. In the end, she turned around and walked to the pavilion on the side. She wanted to stay away from this spot as far as possible.

“My Lady, are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you need an imperial physician?” Yujie helped her into the pavilion and asked with concern, “I can feel your pulse first!”

“No, I suddenly felt a bit under the weather. I’m okay now.” Shao Wanru shook her head and refused.

“My Lady, shall I invite Mingqiu Nun to have a look at your condition?” Yujie blinked and suggested again. Shao Wanru seemed to be in a bad situation, so she couldn’t help worrying about her.

“There is no need to bother Mingqiu Nun and disturb her meditation. We have agreed to invite her over in a few days,” Shao Wanru said.

The last time she invited Mingqiu Nun here, Mingqiu Nun agreed to come back in a few days. But it was not the right time for Mingqiu Nun to enter the mansion because they might put her in danger.

The Prince Chen’s Mansion was in a troubled time, so Shao Wanru was unwilling to get Mingqiu Nun involved.

“My Lady, is it because of the messages sent from the Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion?” Qu Le thought for a moment and felt it was possible. Princess Chen had been fine, but after talking with the maid of Rui’an Great Elder Princess and walking around outside, she unexpectedly felt unwell.

“It’s not because of these words.” Shao Wanru shook her head again.

“My Lady, do you think the people scheming against you are from the Prince Zhou’s Mansion or the Prince Yue’s Mansion?” Yujie asked candidly. She had wanted to ask about it before. However, she didn’t dare to ask when she saw Shao Wanru’s dreadful look.

Those who plotted against Prince Chen must have done it to benefit Prince Zhou or Prince Yue. Prince Xin was too young and vivacious to organize such a secretive plan.

“I think they might work for the Prince Cheng’s Mansion. I heard that the brocade box has rust on it, so it was made many years ago. At that time, Prince Yue and Prince Zhou were still young, and only Prince Cheng was an adult at that time!” Qu Le retorted with different ideas.

She thought that Prince Cheng was the most likely mastermind of this plot.

“But only Ruiping Great Elder Princess and Prince Yue acted a little strangely. Infanta Yuan’an will be Princess Zhou, and Prince Yue came to inquire about it in person. None of them looks innocent.” Yujie retorted, still feeling that Prince Zhou and Prince Yue were suspicious. “Since the brocade box is locked, it might not be directly relevant to Prince Zhou and Prince Yue. But the Empress and Consort of Virtue must have gone through that past period!”

“But…” Qu Le was unconvinced and wanted to argue, but Shao Wanru waved her hand to stop her.

“How dare you disgrace the Empress and Consort of Virtue?” Shao Wanru reproached, her face set and hard.

“I…” Yujie and Qu Le looked at each other and saw the fear in each other’s eyes. They knelt with a plop and said, “We made a slip of the tongue. Please punish us, Your Highness!”

“We’re in the Prince Chen’s Mansion. His Highness said we can rest assured to talk here, but many people, many words. If someone spreads fatal rumors against us, do you think you can stay alive?” Shao Wanru asked with a hint of anger on her face.

Thinking of this terrible consequence, the two maids trembled with fear and hurriedly promised, “My Lady, I dare not!”

“I will never do it again!”

“You must remember that the Southern Palace is also part of the Palace. It’s okay if the people in the imperial Palace don’t know anything about it, but if they want to know, it is easy for them to find out what we’ve said.” Shao Wanru warned them.

What the two maids said also made her vigilant. In the past, she didn’t restrain them too much. If they talked freely like this in the Palace, they would get themselves killed.

“My Lady, we understood!” The two of them said in unison. At this time, they were really in panic. They were so excited that they forgot that they were talking outdoors. The thought of this sent chills up their backs.

How could they discuss the Empress and Consort of Virtue casually? What was more, they were talking about such a treacherous topic.

“If you can’t make it, I won’t dare to keep you around me. I might as well let you out and be free. After leaving the mansion, you’d better go far away from the capital city. I really neglected you in the past so that you dared to say such things outside!” Shao Wanru said angrily.

“My Lady, we know we were wrong. We won’t do it again!” Hearing that Shao Wanru might drive them away, the two maids were so panicked that they even cried. They hurriedly kowtowed to Shao Wanru three times and pleaded.

“Be cautious with your words and deeds. Otherwise, you may not live long in the Palace!” Seeing the two maids sincerely apologizing, Shao Wanru sighed and said, looking slightly relieved. “Get up! Remember to be more careful outside in the future. If you are in the Imperial Palace, you should be careful even in the room.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” The two servant girls wiped away their tears and stood up, knowing their master criticized them for their sake. They couldn’t help but feel cold in their hearts. Upon arriving at the Prince Chen’s Mansion, nothing serious happened, so they became much less vigilant. In the past, they would never say such words outside.

Even if they were in the room, they would lower their voices and speak cautiously.

“My Lady, what is that maid doing?” When Qu Le wiped her tears, a figure suddenly flashed by. She looked up and saw a servant girl hiding behind a clump of trees in the distance, acting sneakily.

“Let’s go and have a look!” Shao Wanru also turned to see the servant girl.

Yujie trotted over quickly and soon came back with a trembling servant girl.

“Gre-greetings, Your Highness!” The 12 or 13-year-old servant girl seemed to be in a great panic and couldn’t even speak clearly before Shao Wanru.

“What are you doing here?” Shao Wanru looked the little servant girl up and down and asked gently.

“I… I’m tending flowers and plants in the garden. When I saw Your Highness coming over… I was… afraid, so I hid. I didn’t do it intentionally,” the little maid reported in a trembling voice. She looked terrified.

“What did you hide?” Yujie took a step forward, reached out to point at the little servant girl’s wrist, and asked. The little servant girl clenched her hand that was half hidden in her sleeve. In a panic, her sleeve was slightly rolled up, so no one could notice it without a close examination.

“I… I’m fine.” The servant girl subconsciously hid her hand behind her.

“Get the thing in her hands,” Shao Wanru ordered steadily.

Yujie took two steps forward and grabbed the hand of the little servant girl who struggled and tried to throw away Yujie’s hands. However, she was rather weak before Yujie, who was born with great strength.

Yujie pulled out her wrist in her sleeve. Then, a very thin gold bracelet on her wrist was exposed. Yujie had accidentally flattened part of it. The bracelet was made of gold, which was definitely not something the little servant girl could afford.

At first glance, the gold bracelet was evidently too large for the servant girl, and Yujie pulled it away from her arm with great ease.

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