"My Lady, it's time to wake up."
In the early morning, a clear voice drifted in with the breeze that swept into the bedroom, piercing Nan Shiying's ears. She reached out and tucked the corner of the quilt further in, then lazily opened her sleepy eyes. Looking up from below, she only saw the upturned nostrils of Lü Wan. She blinked for a moment, then smiled, "Lü Wan, your nostrils are quite large."
Her voice still carried a hint of hoarseness from just waking up, which caused Lü Wan's mind to pause for a second.
This lazy, unrestrained voice…
"My Lady?" Lü Wan suddenly lowered her head, her knees slightly bent as she looked at the person lying on the bed. A look of surprise and joy flashed in her eyes.
Nan Shiying hummed and glanced at her again, unable to resist teasing, "I never expected my Lü Wan to have the potential to be a villain!"
"My Lady~"
Lü Wan playfully chided her.
They had certainly given that imposter Nan Shiying a hard time. But who told her to have the audacity to scheme against their Lady? If they didn't torment her, who would they torment! If they hadn't been worried about overdoing it and tarnishing their Lady's reputation, they would have thrown her into the woodshed long ago.
Hmph, they were going to be wicked servants who bullied their mistress, even if just once!
Nan Shiying smiled, feeling completely relaxed both physically and mentally after returning to the manor. However, after nearly a month of travel, she found herself missing the food in the capital. She rolled over, burying her head into the pillow again, and then lazily instructed, "I got back too late yesterday, I'll sleep a little longer. Go ask Bai Zhi to find Jia Huan, I want to eat the pork knuckle from Dongbo Tower."
Let alone pork knuckle, even if she wanted the moon from the sky right now, Lü Wan would move heaven and earth to get it for her. She nodded eagerly and said happily, "Then My Lady, please rest. Your servant will go find Bai Zhi now."
Saying this, she quietly and slowly retreated.
Bai Zhi, who had kept watch last night, had slept soundly the entire night and was now full of energy, needing no rest at all. Seeing Lü Wan emerge, she glanced towards the room and pouted, saying sarcastically, "Oh, why isn't that person up yet today!"
Lü Wan tapped Bai Zhi's forehead and smiled, "My Lady is back."
"I know, My Lady… What, My Lady is back? Is it really My Lady? Are you sure it's not that fake…"
Lü Wan covered Bai Zhi's mouth with her hand and glared at her fiercely, laughing and scolding, "You brainless thing, saying whatever comes to your mind…" Then she added, "It's My Lady, My Lady says she wants to eat the pork knuckle from Dongbo Tower."
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi had no more doubts. She immediately beamed and ran towards the back door with silver in hand.
Lü Wan smiled and shook her head.
Jia Huan looked at Bai Zhi, who reappeared after half a month, and recalled the master's sudden instructions from last night. He scratched his head in confusion.
So for the past half month, had the Prince and My Lady been quarreling? And now they had made up?
Everyone in the manor was speculating about when the Prince would divorce the Princess. Jia Huan couldn't help but scoff whenever he heard it. Divorce his wife? You people probably haven't even figured out who the real mistress of this manor is.
Jia Huan took the silver and readily agreed.
…
In the Linglong Pavilion, Qin Yurou sat before the bronze mirror, looking at herself. A maid inserted a hairpin into her bun, and the hanging jade tassels swayed gently with her head turns.
She turned her head and gazed in the direction of the Xinyuan Pavilion.
It was already past the hour of Chen.
The servants in Xinyuan Pavilion should have discovered Nan Shiying, who was dead in her room… That person impersonating Nan Shiying, she had disfigured her face, pierced her left eye, and the bloody mess should have made the servants hesitant to look closely.
Dying in the Princess's main bedroom in Xinyuan Pavilion, it would naturally be assumed to be her!
Qin Yurou pondered, but somehow a bad premonition arose in her heart. It was the same feeling she had when the imperial physician was treating her and said her right hand would never recover.
"Did anything happen in the Prince's manor today?" Qin Yurou suddenly inquired.
The maids exchanged glances and replied, "Reporting to My Lady, we haven't heard of anything happening."
Qin Yurou frowned. Could it be that the medicinal powder, a mixture of Muyu flower and tea fragrance, was too potent, and Lü Wan and the other head maids hadn't woken up yet?
If not, why would Xinyuan Pavilion be so quiet?
Qin Yurou was somewhat restless. Killing the maid who killed the real Nan Shiying did not bring her the satisfaction of revenge; instead, it left her with a sense of emptiness. The hatred had not been vented but felt like poison, drilling into her heart.
She suddenly had an impulse to rush into Xinyuan Pavilion and drag 'Nan Shiying's' corpse out herself.
Qin Yurou abruptly stood up and took a step outside, then quickly retracted her foot.
No, she couldn't go.
If she went, wouldn't that be tantamount to confessing without being asked?
If that were the case, why would she have gone to such lengths to administer the poison indirectly? She could have directly rushed into Xinyuan Pavilion and stabbed her to death, wouldn't that have been more satisfying?
Thinking this, Qin Yurou adjusted the hem of her skirt and sat back down.
The hours of Shi, Wu, Shen, and Wei passed. It wasn't until Shen that the entire Prince's manor remained quiet, without any changes.
Why was this happening?
Why hadn't news of Nan Shiying's death spread from Xinyuan Pavilion?
What exactly had happened?
Qin Yurou paced restlessly, her thoughts racing, unable to find peace. She suddenly stood up and, disregarding everything, rushed towards Xinyuan Pavilion, the attending maids chasing after her in a hurry.
"Princess Consort, this concubine has an important matter to report, Princess Consort…"
As Qin Yurou broke into Xinyuan Pavilion, she shouted loudly, as if her reckless rush into Xinyuan Pavilion was due to some earth-shattering event that absolutely must be reported to Nan Shiying.
"Side Consort, Side Consort, you cannot enter, you…"
The maids guarding the door didn't try to stop her with any force. Qin Yurou easily barged in with her entourage. Hearing the commotion from outside, Nan Shiying smiled and put down her chopsticks. She adjusted the hem of her skirt, pushed the door open, and walked out, standing by the door facing Qin Yurou, a brilliant smile on her face. "Sister, it's truly been a long time."