Xie Zhi nodded gloomily and turned to leave.
This wouldn’t do. She had to find a way to make Pei Du lower his guard against her. Otherwise, how many months—or years—would pass before she ever had a chance to escape?
A few days earlier had been the birthday of Princess Huaying, the Emperor’s second daughter and his most beloved child.
Her birthday celebration was naturally held with unparalleled splendor. Banquets were held one after another, accompanied by music and dancing, and nearly every member of the imperial family and the nobility was invited.
Princess Yuyang was, of course, among the guests.
Even after the palace banquet ended, she was reluctant to leave. It wasn’t until the third day, when Princess Huaying personally sent someone to urge her home, that she finally departed the palace.
As soon as she stepped outside the palace gates, she noticed that Shuangfu’s familiar figure was missing from her carriage.
Suddenly remembering something, she eagerly grabbed a maid and asked,
“Well? Have Shuangfu and that girl Lichun become a loving couple with a blissful marriage by now?”
She deliberately emphasized the last eight words.
The maid nervously glanced at her before answering in a trembling voice,
“Your Ladyship… Shuangfu was driven out of the manor by the heir.”
“What? Why? And what about that wretched Lichun?”
“I-I don’t know the reason. I only know that on the very day Shuangfu was expelled, Miss Lichun was transferred to serve at Yangshan Terrace. No one has seen her around the manor these past few days…”
“How could this happen?!”
Yuyang was furious.
Never mind failing to get rid of Lichun—Shuangfu himself was incredibly strong and highly skilled in martial arts. Though publicly he served as her carriage driver, privately he was Yuyang’s personal enforcer.
Anyone in the capital she disliked would inevitably be taught a lesson by Shuangfu in secret.
He had long been her most trusted subordinate.
So when Shuangfu’s mother had come to her asking for a favor—to arrange a wife for her son—the very first person Yuyang thought of was Lichun, the maid who had become a thorn in her side.
It would kill two birds with one stone.
Why wouldn’t she happily agree?
But now…
What exactly had gone wrong?
Filled with confusion, Yuyang headed straight for Yangshan Terrace the moment she returned to the Pei residence.
“Brother! What’s the meaning of this? Why did you drive Shuangfu away? Give him back to me!”
Pei Du smiled faintly.
“Give him back to you? So he can continue helping you bully others? Don’t think I don’t know everything you’ve had him do.”
“I only had him teach a few people a lesson. Mother doesn’t even care, so why are you making such a fuss?”
As she spoke, Yuyang paced irritably around the room, the jeweled ornaments in her hair swaying wildly with every step.
Then she demanded,
“And what about Lichun? Hand Lichun over to me!”
“Ridiculous.”
Pei Du’s voice turned cold.
“When did she ever become your servant? Do you think no one sees through your little schemes? If there’s a next time, don’t blame me for showing you no mercy.”
With that, he instructed the maids to escort her out.
“From now on, if the County Princess comes here again, she is to announce herself before entering.”
After Yuyang left, Pei Du gave further instructions to the servants in the courtyard.
The maids exchanged surprised glances but obediently acknowledged the order.
It was afternoon.
Since the Beginning of Autumn had passed, the weather had grown cooler with each passing day.
Standing in the courtyard, one could already see many servants dressed in thicker autumn clothing as they swept the grounds and washed laundry.
Pei Du lingered idly at the foot of the steps for a moment before it was time to leave for the Ministry of Justice.
“My lord, your horse is ready,” Changming reported from below the steps.
“Good.”
As Pei Du walked, his gaze casually swept over the courtyard.
“Has everything been peaceful these past few days?”
“Rest assured, my lord. Shuyue received twenty lashes. She wouldn’t dare stir up trouble again.”
“Hm.”
Pei Du withdrew his gaze and continued walking.
“My lord, there’s no need to look anymore. Miss Lichun was taken away early this morning by Fourth Miss.”
Pei Du frowned, his thin lips moving slightly.
“Who asked about her?”
After a pause, he muttered to himself,
“She’s becoming more and more unruly.”
On the western side of the Pei estate stood an exquisite and luxurious residence.
Besides elegant pavilions and ornamental rockeries, the grounds bustled with maids and elderly attendants every few steps, a clear display of its owner’s wealth and status.
Above the gate connecting it to the Pei residence hung a jade plaque inscribed with the words:
Residence of Princess Deng.
The inscription had been personally written by the late Emperor himself.
At this moment, however, unusual noises echoed from within the princess’s residence.
“Let me in! I want to see Mother!”
“County Princess, Her Highness is taking her afternoon nap. Why don’t this old servant keep you company for a while?”
Yuyang shot the speaker an impatient look.
“Nanny Li, I’m not a child anymore. Aren’t you tired of treating me like one?”
Without another word, she shoved aside the maids standing in the corridor and strode directly into the inner chamber.
The maids feared her too much to truly stop her.
As Yuyang rushed inside, Nanny Li hurried after her, calling anxiously,
“Your Ladyship! Please wait! Wait!”
The moment Yuyang entered, she saw her mother sitting on the couch beside the window.
The princess’s hand holding the teacup seemed slightly unsteady, and tea had spilled across the table.
“Mother? Weren’t you supposed to be asleep?”
Yuyang asked in confusion.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a dark figure slip behind the screen behind her mother.
“Mother… who’s back there?”
she asked sharply.
“Who’s there? You’re imagining things.”
The princess rose calmly and reached out to take her daughter’s hand.
“I clearly saw someone.”
Yuyang walked behind the screen.
Seeing only an empty bedchamber, she hesitated.
At that moment, Nanny Li finally caught up.
“Your Highness, please forgive me. The County Princess insisted on coming in. This old servant couldn’t stop her.”
“It’s fine. You may leave.”
The princess spoke without the slightest ripple of emotion.
Yuyang returned and sat beside the couch with a sulky expression.
“Perhaps I was so angry after coming home that my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
“Tongyin, who dared upset you? In this household, who would dare bully you?”
The princess sat beside her while discreetly signaling the servants to remove the two used tea sets from the table.
“It’s that little maid I mentioned before! She’s actually been transferred to Yangshan Terrace. Brother is already so strict. I’ll probably never get another chance to deal with her!”
“The maid again?”
The princess smiled faintly.
“She’s only a servant. I’ve never seen you lose so much sleep over anyone before. Tongyin, tell Mother the truth. Why are you so fixated on her?”
Yuyang froze.
If she admitted the truth about Brother Songqing, her mother would never support her. She would only make things even more complicated.
“W-Well… Jintang told me she saw Lichun behaving promiscuously before entering the Pei residence. And after arriving here, she even offended me.”
“The Song family’s daughter?”
The princess narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“She appears gentle enough, but I don’t think she’s as simple as she looks. Silly child, you’d do well to keep your distance from her in the future. Don’t let her use you.”
“Oh, Mother! We’re talking about that maid!”
The princess rose to her feet.
She lifted the lid of an intricately crafted bronze incense burner adorned with mythical beasts, picked up the small golden fan beside it, and waved it twice over the opening.
The flames inside immediately died down.
“When putting out a fire, you must act quickly. Otherwise, the embers can easily reignite.”
She pointed toward the furnace.
Sure enough, tiny flames began flickering back to life among the ashes.
“Just like this.”
“There’s another saying that applies as well.”
Yuyang blinked.
“What saying?”
“One rat dropping can ruin an entire pot of porridge.”
The princess looked at her meaningfully.
“You said that maid has been assigned to Yangshan Terrace?”
Yuyang nodded.
“That’s right. I even went there myself, but Brother refused to hand her over.”
“Oh?”
The princess smiled faintly.
“Pei Du prides himself on his integrity and incorruptible character. That makes this rather… interesting.”
Her eyes lingered on the rekindled flame inside the incense burner.
“I’d like to see whether this single rat dropping…”
“…can disturb Pei Du’s peace of mind.”