“Consort Liu, you cannot go inside.” Yuan Qing remained standing at the doorway, blocking the way with steadfast loyalty.
Blocked yet again, Liu Yan became visibly irritated.
“You dog of a servant! I am the person the Crown Prince loves most. Are you tired of living, daring to block me?” Liu Yan asked, looking down at Yuan Qing with a haughty air.
Yuan Qing hurried to lower his head, performing a bow with both hands. “This servant would not dare.”
“You wouldn’t dare, yet you have blocked me multiple times,” Liu Yan scoffed mockingly.
“I have come to see Younger Sister Shen. I heard she had a high fever last night, and that it was serious enough for the Crown Prince to come to Lanxin Pavilion himself to care for her.”
“I am here to see her and check if she is much better,” Liu Yan said.
She was dressed in a dark red gown with wide sleeves and wore golden hairpins, making her look bright and beautiful.
Visiting Shen Zhi was merely a pretext; seeing the Crown Prince was her true objective.
Ever since Pei Lian returned from outside, he had gone straight to Lanxin Pavilion. Previously, the Crown Prince had always gone to her Lanyue Pavilion to see her.
How much time had passed, and yet the Crown Prince had already abandoned her for this lowly woman?
Inside, Shen Zhi heard Liu Yan’s voice and looked toward Pei Lian. “Your Highness, Consort Liu has come to find you.”
“She is here to visit you,” Pei Lian said, earnestly correcting her statement. “Yan’er has always been like this; she treats others very well.”
Shen Zhi: …
Is this filter really that strong?
Pei Lian then shouted to Yuan Qing outside the door: “Let Yan’er in.”
Hearing Pei Lian’s voice, Liu Yan’s eyes widened, and an expression of triumph appeared on her face.
She placed a hand on the door, glanced at Yuan Qing to the side, and cursed: “Dog of a servant, if you dare to block me again next time, I will make you pay.”
With that, Liu Yan pushed the door open forcefully. Upon seeing Pei Lian standing by the bedside, she immediately bowed to him.
“This consort greets Your Highness,” she said, her peach-blossom eyes gazing at him with affection.
She ignored Shen Zhi entirely, who was lying in bed.
Watching this, Shen Zhi silently picked up her storybook and continued reading.
“Yan’er, why have you come?” Pei Lian stepped forward to assist her up, asking with a faint smile.
“I heard Younger Sister Shen had a high fever last night, and it was quite severe. I wanted to come and check on her today,” Liu Yan explained, looking at Pei Lian.
“I brought some bird’s nest. You can have your nanny boil it later, Younger Sister Shen, to properly nourish your body.”
Listening to Liu Yan’s words, Pei Lian couldn’t understand why Shen Zhi would claim she was the one who tried to kill her.
Yan’er was simply this kind-hearted.
Shen Zhi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this; the surface-level act was truly flawless.
“This concubine thanks Consort Liu; I appreciate your concern.”
At this moment, Lianxin walked to the bedside holding a box. With both hands holding it, she looked at Shen Zhi with a cold gaze and said, “Consort Shen, please accept this bird’s nest.”
Seeing her posture, it was clear she wanted Shen Zhi to get out of bed to take it.
Shen Zhi glanced at Pei Lian and found him holding Liu Yan’s hand, talking to her.
He hadn’t even looked her way once. Helpless, Shen Zhi unfolded the quilt, climbed out of bed, and reached out to take the box from Lianxin’s hands.
The other woman deliberately let her hand slip, causing the entire box to fall to the floor.
Clang—
The box dropped, and the bird’s nest inside rolled out onto the floor.
Lianxin immediately knelt, shouting loudly: “Consort Shen! This is the blood bird’s nest that Consort Liu carefully selected. Thinking you had just recovered from a serious illness and needed to nourish your body, she brought it. If you look down on it, you could have just said so.”
“You didn’t have to trample on Consort Liu’s sincerity like this.”
Shen Zhi listened to her words and looked at the box overturned on the floor, remaining silent.
She hadn’t even touched the box—this was a blatant frame-up!
Liu Yan heard the commotion and looked toward the two of them; Pei Lian looked over as well.
Seeing the blood bird’s nest on the floor, she immediately began to act.
“Younger Sister Shen, do you not like it?”
“This is the blood bird’s nest I have always cherished and could never bear to eat myself. I thought you would like it, which is why I brought it for you.”
By the end, Liu Yan’s voice choked with emotion. Lowering her head, she muttered, “If I had known, I should have brought that ginseng with me when I came. Then Younger Sister Shen wouldn’t have been offended.”
Shen Zhi heard her words and lowered her gaze, not offering a single word of defense.
Pei Lian looked at her, his brows knitted tightly together.
“Shen Zhi, what is the meaning of this?” Pei Lian demanded.
Once he spoke, Shen Zhi dropped to her knees on the ground and said to the two of them: “This concubine had no ill intent.”
“It is my fault for failing to catch the bird’s nest gifted to me by Consort Liu. It is this concubine’s error; I ask that Your Highness punish me.”
Having said that, Shen Zhi kowtowed to them both, showing no intention of arguing.
Pei Lian watched her, at a loss for what to say.
He had thought she would defend herself, and he could have taken the opportunity to let her off the hook.
Instead, Shen Zhi had confessed and accepted her punishment directly.
“Your Highness, look at her,” Liu Yan said, taking the opportunity to act coquettishly. “Younger Sister Shen looks down on the gift I brought.”
“Younger Sister Shen, why are you so dissatisfied with me? Is it because of the fall into the water at the flower-viewing banquet yesterday?”
“It was my poor planning. I never imagined that the animal would fall from the pavilion and scratch people everywhere.”
Saying this, Liu Yan began to wipe away crocodile tears from her eyes, appearing extremely sorrowful.
“It is only right that you resent me.”
Shen Zhi: …
Another accusation was pinned on her.
She was truly helpless.
“This concubine would not dare,” Shen Zhi remained on the ground, her voice loud enough to reach them both clearly.
“Falling into the lotus pond was my misfortune. How could I dare to blame Consort Liu?”
Watching Shen Zhi, Pei Lian frowned slightly. In his previous life, her personality didn’t seem to be like this.
In his memories, Shen Zhi would have argued and fought for herself.
What had happened in this life?
If Shen Zhi knew what he was thinking, she would tell him: It is because I am tired. I don’t want to spend half the day arguing over trivial matters just to not be trusted anyway.
In the end, I would be punished regardless, so it is better to just admit it.
Pei Lian could not remain silent any longer. He looked at Shen Zhi kneeling on the ground and slowly said, “Considering your health has only just recovered, you should rest well in Lanxin Pavilion for this period.”
This was a disguised form of house arrest, but since she had only just recovered, this did not really count as a punishment.
After hearing this, Liu Yan glared fiercely at Shen Zhi.
She had brought out such precious bird’s nest, and this was the result.
This woman still held some weight in the Crown Prince’s heart.
She must be eliminated.