Those words were like a tossed stone into a pool, which raised a thousand ripples in no time. Leng Changxuan darted to Leng Suxin right away when he heard that and clutched her neck. “Why? She is your sister-in-law, and the baby is your nephew! How could you be so cruel?” he asked.
“Stop him, Yuanyang! He dared to start the fight!” Old Madam ordered the servant girl beside her named Yuanyang. She was about 26 or 27 years old and was nimble and tough. She pulled away Leng Changxuan who got agitated with just one arm. Old Madam fixed her eyes at Leng Suxin and squinted, “What did you say? Say it again.”
Qin Yunuan turned to Leng Suxin and saw the sorrowful smile on her face. “It was me. I did put saffron into the cubilose that mother had given her as a present. I don’t like children. They are bothering.”
Bothering…Bothering…
A lady had killed an unborn child for such a reason! At this moment, Leng Suxin became a devil in other people’s eyes. She was so frightening and unapproachable. And Leng Changxuan almost fainted for rage. The one who was most surprised was Concubine Tang, who opened her eyes widely and said after a while, “Suxin, why did you do such a silly thing?”
Even her own mother believed that it was Leng Suxin. Only Qin Yunuan said quietly, “You don’t have evidence, Fourth Miss.”
“I was born a loner and was unreasonable in nature. Do I need any evidence?” As she said this, a servant girl rushed in hurriedly and knelt at Old Madam’s feet. “Died…Someone had died. She’s dead, Old Madam.”
“Why the hurry,” Old Madam reproached her, “Stand up and make it clear.”
The trembling servant girl stood up with the help of the other two maids. “I had come to Fourth Miss’s courtyard to report before, and I returned later because I had left something there. The door was open, and I saw Fourth Miss’s personal maid Chun’er lying on the ground. It was very strange. So I walked into the room, only to find that Chun’er was covered all over with blood, and I could see her guts. She had…had been dead.”
Death was a big thing in the mansion. And the one who died turned out to be the servant girl of Leng Suxin.
“What was going on?” Old Madam asked Leng Suxin seriously.
Leng Suxin was to answer but was stopped by Qin Yunuan. She could not let her make the wrong choice again. However, Leng Suxin tried to get rid of Qin Yunuan and answered straightly, “I killed her.”
All were surprised.
“I’m afraid that Fourth Miss was too excited for being chosen to marry into West Xia. She did not know what she was saying,” Qin Yunuan said coldly, “Leng Shuang, take Fourth Miss to have a rest.”
However, Leng Suxin did not appreciate it at all. With a scornful smile, she continued, “You can go and check whether the wound was small and deep. I stabbed her with a candlestick. She made me upset, so I killed her. That’s who I am. Do you believe me now? The baby of my Second Sister-in-law was killed by me.”
Old Madam would not believe what she said that easily. She always liked Leng Suxin because she looked like her own daughter who had died at six.
“Check it out,” Old Madam ordered coldly to Yuanyang.
Yuanyang cupped her hands and came out. After a short while, she returned and reported with bowing fists, “Old Madam, the wound on the body of Chun’er is exactly the same as Fourth Miss’s description. I did find blood on the candlestick beside.”
Leng Suxin looked down and laughed in a strange way. Old Madam had no other choice. She shook her head and said, “Suxin, I cannot let you stay any longer. You are crazy. Very crazy.”
“Yes, I am crazy.” Leng Suxin held her head high, with tears welling from her eyes. She said in a way that only Qin Yunuan could hear, “I have been insane. I even fall in love with my brother, a man that would never belong to me.”
“You, lunatic devil! Old Madam, I earnestly request to turn this vicious woman to the officials,” Leng Changxuan requested with his hands cupped.
“No,” Qin Yunuan objected, “Domestic shame should not be made public. Besides, Fourth Miss has been chosen by the ambassadors from West Xia. If this thing is made public, some people might think that our family is turbulent or that we intend to set ourselves against West Xia.”
“That makes sense,” Old Madam nodded and then shook her head again, looking at the Leng Suxin disappointedly. “You are too disappointing. Take her down and lock her into the darkroom. No one shall let her out without my permission.”
As Qin Yuwan was still in a coma, Leng Changxuan got back to the courtyard with frustration. Tang refused to leave by the time when Qin Yunuan asked off. She was still kowtowing to Old Madam to beg for leniency for Leng Suxin. After all, that was her daughter. She knew that Old Madam would not be softhearted as long as the people of the family were affected.
Qin Yunuan walked along the winding corridor, followed by Ruan Ruyi and Leng Chang’an who were walking abreast. She could hear their talk clearly.
“Mother was still kowtowing inside. Shall we come back and beg for sister, sweetheart?”
Leng Chang’an answered in a flat tone that could not tell his real feelings, “Old Madam is in a fit of anger. We might do bad things with good intentions if we come to her right now. This time, she is really doomed. I don’t know why she would speak like that.”
Ruan Ruyi heaved a sigh, “I’m worried about mother’s health. Besides, though I had some disagreements with Suxin in usual times, I cannot just stand by and do nothing. It feels terrible.”
Leng Chang’an answered, “If you really want to help her, it would be better for you to come to the darkroom and persuade her during the night. Old Madam likes her so much. As long as she denied, Old Madam would definitely cover for her. Or else…” Leng Chang’an stopped and heaved a long sigh. At this time, he seemed to find Qin Yunuan walking in front of them. So, he shouted, “hold on a minute there, Third Sister-in-law.”
Qin Yunuan looked back and found that Ruan Ruyi had been sent away by Leng Chang’an. As she did not have much contact with Leng Chang’an, Qin Yunuan only greeted him simply and asked in a polite way, “What’s the matter, brother?”
Leng Chang’an raised himself slightly and said with a smile, “I heard that you often came to the imperial palace. As I had some contact with the Grand Prince, I want to ask you if he is alright these days.”
Leng Chang’an’s sister was locked into the darkroom for two deaths, and he still asked about the situation about Sima Ruo so calmly. That made Qin Yunuan guard herself against him. Her answer was not very relevant, “Mostly, I come to the imperial palace for banquets or to pay respects to Queen Mother. I had a few chances to meet the Grand Prince. So, I don’t know much about him.”
“You are kidding,” Leng Chang’an kept smiling, “I heard that it was you who helped the Grand Prince out from Empress Chen’s house arrest. How could you not know him?”
Qin Yunuan smiled slightly, “Since you said you had contact with the Grand Prince, why don’t you enter the imperial palace to ask him in person?”
Leng Chang’an looked embarrassed, but his behavior was still refined, “Don’t joke about me. My official position comes from contributions, how could I get into the palace at will?”
Qin Yunuan smiled, not saying anything. Their conversation did not last long. Leng Chang’an seemed to have many things to ask, but his questions were held back by the speechless smile of Qin Yunuan.
On the way back, Qin Yunuan said to Maner secretly, “Go and check for me. Find out who had touched the liquid medicine for the human-skin mask of Fourth Miss. It makes no sense that her face worsened while Sun Miaoyang was treating her.”
Maner nodded and then asked confusedly, “I don’t understand. Princess Ning was the one who had been instigating incidents and making troubles in Prince Ning’s Mansion. Since she had died on a strange land, who would do that to Fourth Miss? Was it really Infanta Zhaojing? But she is under house arrest by Princess Jing. Besides…”
“Not her,” Qin Yunuan made the judgment quickly, “Though she was bad-tempered, she was just manipulated by someone. What I’m afraid of is that Princess Ning and Infanta Zhaojing are all marionettes, and we could not catch the wire puller no matter how strict our guard is.”
After nightfall, the nightclubs in the Royal City were still ablaze with lights by twos and threes, just like the starlight dotted on the Milky Way. Deep in the palace, along with the roar of the winter wind, the charming breaths and manly gasps could be heard from time to time.
Even the eunuchs waiting outside were teased by these sounds.
When it was finished, these eunuchs were summoned by the people in the palace.
“Du Sheng, send Infanta Zhaojing back to her place.” Behind the curtain, a slender man lifted the cover and got up to put on clothes, leaving behind the beauty wrapping in the quilt.
“Brother Ray, are you asking me to go?” Different from her innocent look in public, Infanta Zhaojing was quite tempting and sexually appealing now. She put her delicate arms around Sima Ray’s shoulders and caressed his back with her thigh. “I want to stay with you. We haven’t met for a long time. Did you not miss me?”
A trace of ruthlessness flashed on Sima Ray’s face, but when he turned back, he had put on a tender look again. He kissed on the forehead of Infanta Zhaojing and then persuaded, “Of course I miss you, my sweetheart. But your mother was so strict with you that I couldn’t take risks. If she finds out, it would be bad for you. Love needs long-term planning.”
“But I had done such a big thing for you,” Infanta Zhaojing twisted her waist, “Haven’t you got the message from Prince Ning’s Mansion that the ugly woman Leng Suxin had given up hope for herself and owned up? Then she will surely die, won’t she?”
“That’s not enough,” Sima Ray said as his cheek leaning close to Infanta Zhaojing’s, “I want more, and more. Jing, my love, would you help me?”
