Chapter 179

Chapter 179 Even if there were no evidence, or merely circumstantial evidence pointing to her, given Prince Jing's impression of her as ruthless and calculating, Wan Linlang would still not have an easy time of it. More importantly, Fang Yuan'er knew the Wan Linlang of the previous life all too well! This frame-up was entirely modeled after Wan Linlang's own modus operandi! Every aspect had been considered with great thoroughness—clearly meant to destroy Wan Linlang in one fell swoop! Wan Linlang's heart pounded wildly, and beads of sweat had unknowingly formed on her forehead. She had said it herself—Fang Yuan'er had put so much effort into her schemes, she couldn't possibly have done it all just for such a shallow frame-up! Wan Linlang's hands trembled silently. "Quick, go to Concubine An's courtyard and find out what's happening!" "Be discreet—don't leave any trace!" If it were only Concubine An who died, that would be one thing. But if something happened to the Fourth Young Master... Prince Jing would probably have her cut into a thousand pieces! But before Suiyu could take two steps, Wan Linlang called out to stop her: "No, you must not go!" At a time like this, she couldn't inquire, couldn't have any connection whatsoever with Concubine An's courtyard! Suiyu stood in place, looking at her mistress who had suddenly become panic-stricken, at a loss for what to do. She whispered, "Mistress, what's wrong?" Wan Linlang gripped her hand tightly, her fingertips trembling imperceptibly. "Your mistress is standing at the edge of a ten-thousand-foot cliff right now. One misstep and I'll be shattered to pieces." Suiyu could see that her mistress wasn't joking, and her face turned pale with fright. "Mistress, what on earth is going on?" Emotions churned in Wan Linlang's eyes as she quickly organized her thoughts. "Fang Yuan'er's schemes have all been set in motion now. I don't have much chance to turn things around." "Rather than trying to clear myself of suspicion, it's better to make her too busy to pay attention to me..." She needed to find a way to divert everyone's attention in the entire compound to buy herself some time! At this thought, Wan Linlang laughed. "It's only fitting that when the mother fails to accumulate virtue, the son must repay the debt of sin." Wan Linlang straightened her back and said calmly, "Send word over—have them make it worse for the Third Young Master... Once the news is out, immediately eliminate all traces and have no further contact with those people." Though Suiyu didn't dare ask why, she didn't dare hesitate in the slightest either. She immediately acknowledged the order and hurried off to make arrangements. Wan Linlang hated Fang Yuan'er to the bone. At the same time, Fang Yuan'er was also cursing Wan Linlang in Songya Courtyard. "The matter of the He Shou Wu powder must have been framed by that bitch Wan Linlang!" Other than Wan Linlang, Fang Yuan'er couldn't think of anyone else. As for what she had said in Chunshan Courtyard about Xie Run orchestrating the whole thing herself—that was just said in a fit of rage to provoke Xie Run. After returning and thinking it over carefully, she knew it was impossible. But the humiliating words Xie Run had said at the time, Fang Yuan'er had truly taken to heart. Fang Yuan'er grabbed a glass teacup and hurled it to the ground. The sound of glass shattering on the floor finally eased some of the anger in Fang Yuan'er's chest. Fang Yuan'er gritted her teeth. "That useless Qiu Lu—can't keep her composure at all. She gets caught by the tail and can't even say a word in her own defense." Actually, Fang Yuan'er knew Qiu Lu was a bit full of herself. But as Prince Jing's favored concubine, she needed people with a fierce temperament around her to intimidate those below. Qiu Lu might be full of herself, but she did things well and could keep the main kitchen staff in line, saving Fang Yuan'er a lot of trouble. As long as Fang Yuan'er, the mistress, remained steady, there shouldn't be any major problems. Who would have thought that Fang Yuan'er had still underestimated Wan Linlang? Qiuxiang listened quietly from the side and said softly, "You can't really blame her." "The other side came prepared. Once the He Shou Wu powder was found in her room, she couldn't explain it away no matter what." At the mention of the He Shou Wu powder, Fang Yuan'er couldn't help but think of that mandarin duck pouch, and a wave of nausea rose in her stomach. There was a hint of disgust in her eyes. "I promoted her all the way up from a third-class maid. I didn't expect her to be loyal enough to die for me, but I never imagined she'd harbor such thoughts." A mistress's greatest taboo is having someone close who harbors designs on climbing into the master's bed. "Looking at that pouch of hers—the threads were already coming loose, and it had been around for years. She must have had designs on the Prince for a long time... If today's incident hadn't exposed her, sooner or later she would have crawled into the Prince's bed." Fang Yuan'er had already been disgusted enough being transmigrated into the Prince Jing's household as his concubine. How could she possibly watch her own maid betray her and climb into Prince Jing's bed, and then have to grit her teeth and send her to serve the Prince? She would truly go mad! She could endure many things, but betrayal was the one thing she could not tolerate. As she thought about it, Fang Yuan'er couldn't help but complain, "You all treated each other like sisters day in and day out—how is it that not a single one of you noticed anything?" Qiuxiang lowered her head. "It is this servant's fault." Her obedient demeanor made it hard for Fang Yuan'er to say anything more. Besides, Fang Yuan'er knew her words were somewhat unreasonable. If Qiu Lu had feelings for Prince Jing, that meant she was disloyal to her mistress. How could she possibly reveal even a hint of it in front of maids like Qiuxiang who were loyal to Fang Yuan'er? Fang Yuan'er couldn't help but sigh. Qiuxiang had a quiet intelligence, clever and dexterous—indeed, she was useful. But her temperament was too steady and reserved, which made her less adept at managing the servants below her. This was precisely why Fang Yuan'er had promoted Qiu Lu in the first place. Now that Qiu Lu was gone, Fang Yuan'er would have to cultivate more people. Seeing that her mistress's temper had cooled somewhat, Qiuxiang softly offered her suggestion: "Mistress, the matter of the fleeceflower root is actually quite easy to investigate." "Just look at who else could have daily access to the wet nurse's meals, and you can follow the trail to find the culprit. Even if you can't uncover the person behind it, at least you can clear your own name." "As things stand now, it all boils down to Qiu Lu being too ostentatious in the main kitchen. She drew the envy of the maids and matrons there, which is why they all ganged up on her." Qiu Lu had been a conspicuous target—the moment something went wrong, everyone naturally thought of her, and with evidence found in her room, no one would suspect anyone else. As long as Fang Yuan'er could find evidence that someone else had administered the drug, her own guilt would naturally be cleared. Qiuxiang spoke in a gentle, soft voice: "This servant is also at fault in this matter. I actually knew long ago that Qiu Lu was throwing her weight around in the main kitchen every day. It's just that I didn't know how to bring it up with you, mistress—I feared it would seem like I was jealous of my sister." "Now that I think of it, I shouldn't have only looked after myself while forgetting to consider what was best for you, mistress." No matter how important a maidservant's position was, it could never outweigh the mistress's. Qiuxiang's remorse was genuine and heartfelt, and hearing it made Fang Yuan'er feel somewhat uneasy. The stifling anger in her chest had mostly dissipated, and she waved her hand: "Enough!" "Wan Linlang only has these petty little tricks anyway. Does she really think I'm afraid of her?!" A hint of ruthlessness flickered in Fang Yuan'er's eyes as she said slowly: "I'll just see how many more days she can keep up her arrogance..." Hearing this, Qiuxiang frowned slightly, then took a cup of tea from the attendant beside her and handed it to Fang Yuan'er: "Mistress, have some tea." She then dismissed the others. Only when the room was left with just the mistress and her servant did Qiuxiang lower her voice. "As for the one disguised as Ping'an, I've already had someone give him silver and send him far away—he will never appear in the capital again in this lifetime."