The case of the poisoned escort was solved on the very second day, with the murderer being shockingly revealed as a concubine of the Pingyao Marquis residence. This concubine had originally been the personal maid of the Pingyao Marquis' wife, who had personally elevated her to become the Marquis' concubine.
It was said the escort was distantly related to this concubine. Her original intention was to have the escort ruin Yu Sangning's virtue, but something went wrong. In her panic, she accidentally bumped into the elderly madam who was alone by the pond.
The reason Yu Sangning appeared just in time was because she had been abducted by this very escort.
"The Pingyao Marquis' wife is truly vicious," Ziyu reported after investigating the whole story, sharing it to amuse Shen Xihe.
In truth, Shen Xihe didn't particularly enjoy hearing about these inner household intrigues, but she didn't stop them. She hoped Ziyu and the others would learn more about how the noble households of the capital were dens of corruption. The more they heard, the more knowledge they would gain.
"What evidence did the Dali Temple find?" Hongyu asked.
"There was gold given by the concubine. This concubine liked to mark her money with secret symbols," Ziyu explained. "She was interrogated overnight and confessed. Then early this morning, she took poison and died in her cell."
Shen Xihe sat nearby, adding the final stitches to her previous handkerchief, completing the embroidery of the Fairy Ribbon pattern.
"That young lady Yu from the other day - how old is she?" Shen Xihe suddenly asked.
"She's the same age as you, my lady, and has already had her coming-of-age ceremony," Ziyu replied.
Shen Xihe was born in winter and wouldn't have her own ceremony until year's end.
"She looks quite young," Shen Xihe remarked. She had thought Yu Sangning was only twelve or thirteen that day. "Yet her thoughts are meticulous, and her methods sharp."
"My lady..." Biyu's eyelids twitched. "Are you suggesting..."
"As a concubine-born daughter who has already come of age, even if her legal mother finds her displeasing, dealing with her through marriage arrangements would be beyond reproach. Why would she need a concubine to intervene?"
Shen Xihe finished her thread, spreading the handkerchief to examine it carefully. "After this incident, the Pingyao Marquis' wife won't escape the charge of instigating a concubine to harm her stepdaughter. Meanwhile, Yu Sangning saved the elderly madam, transforming from a helpless orphan to gaining the old matriarch's favor, while also planting a thorn in the Pingyao Marquis' heart."
"My lady, are you saying... all of this was a scheme set up by Lady Yu herself!" Ziyu couldn't help swallowing hard upon hearing this.
"The escort was poisoned with aconite. Lady Yu carries the scent of aconite on her," Shen Xihe nodded slightly.
Shen Xihe had possessed an acute sense of smell since childhood, something all her personal maids knew.
Ziyu felt a chill run down her spine: "And to think the entire capital is sympathizing with this Lady Yu right now."
"That's one of her objectives too," Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "No matter how many people secretly mock the Pingyao Marquis' wife, the young ladies wouldn't readily accept an outsider concubine-born daughter. After this incident, some are bound to sympathize with her. In the future, it will no longer be difficult for her to befriend the young ladies of the capital."
By befriending well-born young ladies, she could then meet young gentlemen, making plans for her future.
"My lady... Ziyu is scared..." Ziyu looked terrified. Everyone in the capital seemed so frightening - she missed the northwest!
"What are you afraid of?" Biyu poked her forehead again. "You have our lady protecting you."
Shen Xihe also spoke gently to Ziyu: "What is there to fear about them? The most frightening person is sitting right in front of you."
She expected Ziyu to become more afraid, but instead Ziyu reacted differently: "Yes, yes! Our lady is the wisest, able to see through her little tricks at a glance!"
In Ziyu's eyes, everything Shen Xihe did was wise, while others were merely ruthless and vicious.Shen Xihe was amused into speechless laughter. After laughing for a moment, she finally asked Biyu, "Still no news from Yu Xiaodie?"
Just as Biyu was about to shake her head, hurried footsteps approached. Mo Yuan personally handed a paper scroll to Shen Xihe.
Unfolding it, Shen Xihe saw it was a route map and asked Mo Yuan, "When does she plan to act?"
"Tonight." Yu Xiaodie had secretly copied the route map and was restless, wishing to leave Prince Kang's mansion immediately.
"Very well." Shen Xihe handed the scroll to Biyu. "Go fetch the box from my dressing table."
Biyu took the scroll into Shen Xihe's bedchamber and returned with a slender box. Shen Xihe gestured for her to give it to Mo Yuan.
"This contains a fragrance that can confuse the mind. Give it to Yu Xiaodie and cooperate with her fully."
"Acknowledged." Mo Yuan withdrew with the fragrant spices.
That night, Shen Xihe retired early and peacefully, but Prince Kang's mansion was in turmoil.
Earlier that day, the second prince, His Highness Prince Zhao, had presented evidence in the rouge case, provoking the Youning Emperor's fury. Officials of the third rank and above, along with imperial relatives and nobles, were urgently summoned to the palace, causing unease among the inner households.
Xiao Shi, who had been cast out of the Shen residence, had been called a jinx daily. The recent troubles seemed to confirm this. Tonight, she finally uncovered evidence. The Princess Consort of Kang, accompanying the Dowager Princess Consort, refused to believe Yu Xiaodie was responsible and even scolded Xiao Shi.
So Xiao Shi took her maid to confront Yu Xiaodie personally. After only a few words, their maids started fighting outside the courtyard, and soon their personal attendants joined the fray.
Yu Xiaodie stopped Xiao Shi and whispered in her ear, "Yes, I was the one who spread that you're a jinx. Aren't you? Look how much shame you've brought upon the mansion—a noble lady degrading herself, drugging someone, and getting caught. Because you became a concubine, the marriage prospects of the mansion's young ladies have been lowered. Aren't you a jinx? Cast out of the mansion, yet you still dare to live and even return to your maternal home..."
Yu Xiaodie had lit the fragrant spices given by Shen Xihe in her room. Xiao Shi, already furious, grew even more enraged by the scent. As Yu Xiaodie continued to humiliate her while holding her back, Xiao Shi lost control, pulled a gold hairpin from her hair, and stabbed at Yu Xiaodie.
By then, Xiao Shi was completely irrational. Yu Xiaodie wrested the hairpin from her and pushed her away. When Xiao Shi hit her head and regained some clarity, she turned to see Yu Xiaodie with the gold hairpin embedded in her chest.
Trembling in terror, Xiao Shi watched as Yu Xiaodie collapsed, clutching the hairpin. With her other hand, Yu Xiaodie pulled it out, splattering blood across Xiao Shi's face.
The commotion drew servants rushing inside, all witnessing the scene.
Yu Xiaodie's maid immediately shrieked, "Murder!"
Coincidentally, a physician who had just treated the eldest son of Prince Kang's mansion heard the cry and rushed over with the steward who was seeing him out. He examined Yu Xiaodie's pulse and declared her dead.
The mansion descended into chaos. The Princess Consort, claiming she needed the Prince's decision, detained Yu Xiaodie's body.
Soon after, the room where Yu Xiaodie's body was stored mysteriously caught fire. By the time the flames were extinguished, Yu Xiaodie had been burned to a charred corpse.
An investigation revealed clear traces of oil on the charred body—evidence of intentional arson to destroy the corpse.Shen Xihe learned of this matter as soon as she woke up. She handed Moyu a medicine bottle: "Put this medicine into the meal sent by the Prince Kang's residence to the prison."
Last night, the incident had first alerted the patrolling Imperial Guards, and Xiao Shi was immediately taken away.
"Your Highness, wouldn't it be better to let her suffer a living hell in prison?" Biyu asked in a low voice.
Shen Xihe spread her arms, allowing Hongyu to dress her: "Biyu, you must remember—as long as a person lives, variables remain. Only death brings true closure."
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