Also…
“From now on, anyone who works at Cuiweige and makes no mistakes for a full month will have their monthly wages doubled.”
The servants had been feeling glum, but at these words, their eyes lit up one by one: “Young Mistress, rest assured, we’ll work hard!”
Tang Rui nodded with satisfaction, then suddenly changed the subject: “So now, can anyone tell me—while I was at the palace, who went into my room? Or who was acting suspiciously?”
The servants’ fervent hearts were instantly doused like a bucket of cold water had been thrown on them.
Right!
How could there be a poisonous snake in the prince’s mansion?
The young lady was settling scores after the fact!
One of the servants lowered his head, his eyes filled with terror and lingering fear.
The other servants also tried hard to recall.
“After you left, I cleaned your room and found nothing. At the time, I even made a point of noting the time—it was around the third ke of the chen hour (roughly 7:45 AM)!”
“At the second ke of the si hour (roughly 9:30 AM), that’s when the servants collect hot water. I had just gotten my hot water and went to the young lady’s room too—nothing out of the ordinary.”
“I also went at noon to take the young lady’s changed clothes for washing—nothing suspicious.”
“The young lady returned around the third ke of the wu hour (roughly 12:45 PM), so between noon and the third ke of the wu hour, someone else went into the young lady’s room.”
“Ah! I remember now.”
The maidservant Chuntao suddenly stared at Xiao Liangzi: “It was you! I had just finished cleaning the young lady’s boudoir and was tidying the flower beds when I saw you open the window and peek inside, all sneaky-like. After that, no one else went in—that snake must have been put there by you!”
Xiao Liangzi’s heart had already been racing with panic. At Chuntao’s outburst, his legs went weak and he thudded to his knees.
There was no time to make excuses—his reaction was as good as a confession.
“Young Mistress, spare me! Young Mistress, spare me! It was Caiying, the kitchen helper, who made me do it! She gave me ten taels of silver—here it is, see!” Xiao Liangzi trembled violently, kowtowing to Tang Rui repeatedly, and pulled ten taels of silver from his bosom.
“Guards! Take this treacherous dog of a servant to the Princess Consort! And you two—go to the kitchen and tie up that little wretch Caiying!”
Nanny Rong barked the order, and immediately two servants stepped forward, pinned Xiao Liangzi down, and dragged him out.
Two more servants went to the kitchen to find Caiying.
“Alright, alright, everyone disperse. As long as you work hard, I won’t treat you badly!”
Tang Rui waved her hand. The servants silently wiped their sweat, gaining a whole new understanding of their young mistress, and silently warned themselves.
Never think that just because the young lady is young, she’s easy to fool.
The young lady is sharp as a whip!
To put it in one phrase: innocent face, brilliant mind!
Nanny Rong also gave Tang Rui a thumbs up: “The young lady is impressive!”
“It’s nothing!” If she didn’t have memories from her past life, she wouldn’t be this sharp.
Though in her previous life, aside from the three years of college entrance exam hell, she hadn’t suffered much—she was a modest little rich girl.
After growing up, she dealt with her deadbeat father’s family, reclaimed the family fortune, then went traveling and got killed by a stray bullet.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in her mother’s womb.
A tiny little bundle, eyes not even open yet, and easily tired.
After being born, she often wanted to show her mature side.
But…
Whether it was because she was too young, or just a child’s nature, sometimes she simply couldn’t control her temperament and thoughts.
When wronged or hurt, tears came unbidden.
In the end, she gave up trying.
Whatever—she was a real child, so she should just be innocent and carefree.
If she acted too mature, people would only think she was a freak.
Before long, the servant sent to find Caiying came rushing back: “Young Mistress, bad news! By the time we got there, Caiying had already hanged herself.”
Tang Rui: “…”
Nanny Rong’s face darkened: “Dead? She tried to murder the young lady, and death is supposed to be the end of it? Tear her corpse into pieces and throw it to the dogs in the mass grave!”
“Yes, yes, we’ll go right away.” The two servants broke out in cold sweat but dared not say a word.
In the end, it was all Caiying’s fault.
The little young lady was so adorable—how could anyone throw a poisonous snake into her room? That was clearly an attempt on the young lady’s life.
The prince couldn’t perform in that regard, and the Princess Consort had prayed and longed for a child—finally, she got this precious treasure.
Wanting the young lady’s life was practically wanting the Princess Consort’s life!
Nanny Rong looked at the dazed Tang Rui, and her fierce expression vanished in an instant, replaced by nothing but tender affection and remorse: “Little young lady, did that scare you?”
“Oh, right!” Tang Rui snapped her fingers, as if a whole new world had opened up: “Poisonous snakes and venomous bugs are hard to find in the mansion, but there should be plenty at the mass grave, right?”
Nanny Rong: “??”
Tang Rui grinned: “Nanny, tonight, round up two brave servants and come with me to the mass grave to play!”
Nanny Rong: “!!” What did you just say? Dare you say that again?
…
Night…
A little pitch-black bundle skulked along, leading three equally pitch-black, skulking figures as they crept quietly out of Cuiweige.
Just over ten meters out, a patrol of guards passed by.
The little bundle rolled on the spot, tumbling into the bushes, blending seamlessly into the darkness.
The other three shadows stood frozen in place, at a loss for what to do. After a moment, they gritted their teeth and, following the little dumpling’s example, rolled into the bushes.
Once the night patrol guards had left, one, two, three, four heads popped out from the grass.
Nanny Rong pulled down her mask, looking at the masked little dumpling beside her with an expression of utter speechlessness: “Princess, we don’t need to wear night clothes!”
This is your own home—why are you turning yourself into a thief?
Tang Rui whispered, “It’s for the atmosphere. On TV, don’t all those flower thieves and petty burglars change into night clothes?”
Nanny Rong: “…” But you’re not a flower thief or a petty burglar!
She looked at the other two black-clad figures with a pleading gaze.
They were servants from Tang Rui’s courtyard, Nanny Rong’s trusted confidants.
They were said to be brothers—the elder called Da Ge, and the younger called Er Ge.
Da Ge was the quickest-witted. Catching Nanny Rong’s look, he hurriedly said, “Princess, wearing these clothes makes us look even more suspicious. If we get caught, what if those guards don’t give us a chance to explain and just kill us as assassins?”
“Not possible!” Tang Rui declared with conviction. “Villains always talk too much. They won’t kill us right away. But if Father and Mother discover I’ve snuck out, my escape plan is ten times over doomed!”
Da Ge was left speechless.
Er Ge let out a sigh and kept signaling his brother and Nanny Rong with his eyes: “The Princess is right. Let’s just go with it!”
After all, they had already notified the Prince, and the Prince had sent Mingyue to follow in the shadows. No matter how much the Princess caused a ruckus, her life wouldn’t be in danger.
Nanny Rong sighed. “Fine!”
“Let’s go!” Tang Rui rolled on the spot and tumbled into another patch of bushes.
Nanny Rong and the two brothers had no choice but to roll after her.
Mingyue, hidden in the shadows: “…”
After a moment of deliberation, she silently pulled out her little notebook, took out her charcoal stick, and jotted it down.
Finally, she added expressionlessly: [The Princess seems even more professional than the flower thieves of the martial world. It’s hard for this subordinate not to suspect what her former profession might have been.]