Below the bamboo building, Xuan Li's subordinates hid Princess He Yi's corpse and cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground. In the bamboo building, Xuan Li and Xuan Lang sat at a table. Their expressions were no longer as relaxed as before.
"I just want to know how she found out about this place." Xuan Li stared at Xuan Lang.
Although this place was deep in the palace, not everyone could see the twists and turns and secrets. If she had taken another path, she would definitely have met the guards at the door. However, Princess He Yi was able to enter without any obstruction, so she definitely did not meet any guards. This could only mean that the path she took was the path of one of them. Princess He Yi was clearly not one of them. There was probably a traitor among them.
This place was very secretive. Normally, Xuan Li and Xuan Lang would meet here when they had something to discuss. Today, when they met Princess He Yi, both of them wanted to kill her at almost the same time. Although this place looked like an abandoned concubine's backyard, if other people in the palace found out that the two of them had appeared here, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
Xuan Lang was shocked. "Eighth Brother, are you suspecting me?" He did not seem to know how to explain. "I swear I did not. Why would I tell her about this?"
"I did not say it was you." Xuan Li waved his hand. "However, does anyone else know about this place?"
Xuan Lang shook his head. "Other than the few guards that Eighth Brother gave me, no one else knows about this place. I also find it strange that He Yi suddenly found this place. If it was by accident, it would be too much of a coincidence. " Xuan Lang paused and a hint of regret flashed across his face. "I should have asked her how she came here."
Unfortunately, he had lost control of his emotions and killed Princess He Yi in a moment of impulse. At this moment, he felt some regret and lingering fear. However, there was no turning back. Since she was already dead, it was too late to say anything.
"There is something fishy about this matter." Xuan Li narrowed his eyes. "He Yi's sudden disappearance will definitely arouse suspicion in the palace. There is only one way to prevent people from suspecting me."
"What way?" Xuan Lang was stunned.
"Divert the trouble." Xuan Li smiled. "Princess He Yi was killed, but we can't let her be killed by us. Whoever in the palace has enmity with her, let them kill her. If she can use this to get rid of the thorn in her side, she will die a worthy death. "
Xuan Lang's eyes lit up. Indeed, it was not safe for Princess He Yi to hide in the palace. It would not be easy to sneak the corpse out of the palace. Now that things had come to this, they could only find a scapegoat. However, this scapegoat was not easy to find. It would be best if he could kill two birds with one stone. Not only could he get rid of this hot potato, but he could also get rid of a major threat. As Xuan Lang thought about it, a cold figure suddenly appeared in his mind.
"I know." He became excited. "Eighth Brother, I have a good candidate."
"Oh?" Xuan Li's eyes flashed. "Tell me about it."
"I guarantee that this method will make Eighth Brother more satisfied than finding a scapegoat. We can use He Yi to fulfill one of Eighth Brother's wishes."
Xuan Lang chuckled, grabbed a piece of paper in front of him, and began to write.
…
Tian Zhu returned to the Princess Palace and put down the flower basket in her hands. Sure enough, she picked a basket full of flower petals. Then, she poured all the petals into a wooden basin and began to wash them bit by bit.
"You're still in the mood to do this at a time like this." Lu Zhu grabbed the wooden basin, pulled her sleeve, and led her into the room. "Miss is still waiting for your reply."
Tian Zhu shrugged. As a subordinate, she had to fulfill her master's instructions. Besides leading the way, finding the flower petals was also the same. She could not attend to one thing and lose sight of the other. Regardless of whether it was a big or a small matter, it was something that her master had instructed her to do.
In the room, Jiang Ruan was sorting the flower petals she had picked earlier. Empress Dowager Yi De had been in a good mood recently and had instructed her to learn how to mix a few bottles of spices. In her previous life, when she was in the palace, she had learned a little thanks to Xuan Li, so it was not difficult. Now, it was convenient for her to act.
"Miss, I have led the way." Tian Zhu said, "This subordinate saw Princess He Yi enter the garden with my own eyes. After waiting for two hours, she did not come out. This subordinate did as Miss instructed and went to Jing Zhu Yuan to pick some flower petals."
Previously, Jiang Ruan had instructed Lu Zhu to inquire about Princess He Yi's movements in Shu Fang Palace. Once she knew that Princess He Yi had left Shu Fang Palace early today, she immediately asked Tian Zhu to dress up as a palace maid and carry a flower basket to personally 'meet' Princess He Yi. Then, she had Tian Zhu be 'tailed' and calmly pointed the way to Princess He Yi.
She did not explain to the servants why she was doing this. Lu Zhu and the others did not understand the reason behind it, but they vaguely felt that it was an extremely important matter. Only Tian Zhu, who was a martial arts practitioner, knew that Jiang Ruan had called her to the Taoist house and given her a map. As she walked, she discovered the ingenuity of this map.
The garden that Jiang Ruan had asked her to lead Princess He Yi to was clearly a very secretive place. The path that Jiang Ruan had taken her was the one that avoided all the imperial guards. This kind of garden looked open and aboveboard, but in fact, it was very difficult to enter. There were many forks in the road, and the forks in the road also diverged. It was very difficult to truly find the destination. If one took a wrong path, they would encounter an imperial guard who would inform them and alert the owner. If an important person was lucky enough to get the news and enter, there was only a garden inside and there was no other information that could be used against them.
This was actually a very daring secret room. It was so daring that it was so blatantly exposed in front of everyone. The secret room was in this garden with a large crowd. Apart from the owner, basically no one could enter.
Moreover, Jiang Ruan obviously knew the location of this garden long ago. She even knew the path that was the easiest to take. She had led Princess He Yi to this place, so one could imagine the dangers of this place. If it were one of her own, Jiang Ruan would not have used this method. In other words, Jiang Ruan's tactic of killing with a borrowed knife was extremely brilliant.
Tian Zhu did not understand how Jiang Ruan knew about this secret room and the passage. She felt that this new master of hers had many secrets. She thought that perhaps even the people of the Brocade Guards who were in charge of secret places in the palace did not know the complete path to this place.
Lu Zhu could not help but ask, "Miss, why did you wait for two hours? Tian Zhu jiejie returned before the two hours were up? "
"Two hours is enough." Jiang Ruan's gaze still fell on the petals in front of her. After being washed, the petals appeared even more vibrant. She said, "Killing people only takes the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. The rest of the time is just used to clean up."
"Killing people?" Lu Zhu was shocked. She immediately covered her mouth and secretly hated herself for losing control. She asked in a low voice, "Princess He Yi... was killed?"
Jiang Ruan glanced at her and said, "With her temperament, if she has not come out until now, she must have lost her life." She had known this from the beginning. Those who entered that place, unless they were her own people, had never been able to escape unscathed.
Lu Zhu looked at Jiang Ruan and then looked at Tian Zhu. She suddenly realized, "Miss did this on purpose. Miss already knew that Princess He Yi would die if she went in, so you let Tian Zhu jiejie lead the way?"
"Yes." Jiang Ruan put each kind of petals into a small wooden box and turned to look at Lu Zhu. "I had already calculated this."
Lu Zhu could not clearly describe what she was feeling in her heart, but for a moment, she felt that her own Young Lady was really very scary. Jiang Ruan received her faint and fearful gaze, but she only smiled indifferently. Instead, this made Lu Zhu feel somewhat guilty. She thought about how Princess He Yi came to find trouble with Jiang Ruan every three to five days. Sometimes, she could not wait to kill Jiang Ruan. It was better to make a move first to avoid more trouble in the future. Lu Zhu's attitude was excellent. She quickly retracted her unnatural expression and said to Jiang Ruan, "But how did Miss know that Princess would die if she went to that place? What kind of place is that? "
What kind of place? Jiang Ruan was slightly stunned. Her thoughts drifted far away.
Xuan Li was a person who considered himself elegant and interesting. Even if he wanted to discuss some conspiracies, he would definitely look for an elegant place with beautiful scenery. For example, that garden was something that Xuan Li was very proud of.
Because it was both daring and exquisite, it was difficult for ordinary people to find it. In her previous life, Xuan Li had also taken her there a few times. Thinking about it this way, Xuan Li was willing to put in effort in dealing with a chess piece. He did not put on airs, and he was considerate and gentle. Moreover, he showed her his own secret place. It was difficult for her not to trust him.
That place was Xuan Li's secret place. Xuan Li often met Xuan Lang there. Xuan Li had taken her there several times, but they had always been on their own side. Perhaps he thought that she was a woman and her memory was not necessarily outstanding, so he did not pay too much attention to her. However, he did not know that she had grown up on the farm. Because she had to identify which mountain roads had medicinal herbs that could be sold for money, she was very familiar with the directions. Even if she had only walked it once, it was enough to remember it by heart, let alone several times.
Since her rebirth in this life, those memories of the blood feud had become even clearer. She had carefully recorded almost everything that could be used, including this secret room in the palace where Xuan Li was.
She had already drawn a map, thinking that one day it would be useful, but she did not expect that day to come so soon. She knew that after Princess He Yi found out about Xiao Shao's marriage, she would definitely think of some way. Her Highness would not be able to do anything, and only Jing Zhuyuan would have an opportunity. If she let India pretend to go to Jing Zhuyuan and bring Princess He Yi to the secret room, once Xuan Li found out, he would definitely have the intention to kill her.
Even if Xuan Li did not have the intention to kill her, what kind of person was Princess He Yi? She was domineering and looked down on everyone. Perhaps she was still a little afraid of Xuan Li, but she would definitely speak ill of Xuan Lang. Xuan Lang had suffered in silence for so many years. Seeing that his great undertaking was about to succeed, he would definitely feel arrogant. Moreover, Princess He Yi's existence would forever remind Xuan Lang of his past humiliation. Under such provocation, Xuan Lang would definitely add fuel to the fire.
Even if Princess He Yi did not want to die, it would be very difficult.
This matter seemed simple, but in fact, there were dangers everywhere. The slightest carelessness would cause the whole game to be lost. From Xuan Li's arrogance to Princess He Yi's anger, and then to Xuan Lang's gloominess, every step had to take into account the changes in people's hearts. If she had not lived in the palace for so many years in her previous life and had an accurate grasp of these people's thoughts, how would she have dared to set up this trap?
Princess He Yi did not die in Xuan Li's hands, nor did she die in Xuan Lang's hands. She died in the hearts of people. The hearts of people were strange, and good and evil could be determined by a single thought. For example, Princess He Yi probably would not have thought that her final path to death would actually be guided by an unknown palace maid. And that palace maid had been carefully arranged by her family. Jiang Ruan looked down indifferently.
Jiang Ruan looked down indifferently. She had already experienced the methods of Princess He Yi and Empress Shu many years ago. In this lifetime, she had not improved at all. Even if she closed her eyes, she would still know what they were planning.
However, if it had been something else, then it would have been fine. But since it was related to Jiang Xin Zhi, even if Empress Shu's entire family was buried with him, it would be too light a punishment, let alone a mere Princess He Yi.
Outside, Lu Zhu glanced at Tian Zhu and asked, "Do you want to tell this matter to Xiao Wangye?"
Xiao Shao was very concerned about Jiang Ruan's matter. Now that Jiang Ruan had personally dealt with Princess He Yi, she did not know if there would be any trouble in the future. If Xiao Shao was by her side to watch over her, it would be much more convenient.
Tian Zhu shook her head, "Miss has instructed me not to say anything."
"Then you won't say anything?" Lu Zhu asked curiously. Although Tian Zhu respectfully addressed Jiang Ruan as Miss, in reality, she was Xiao Shao's subordinate. Everything had to be reported to Xiao Shao. Her words at this moment were beyond Lu Zhu's expectations.
"Miss is my master, I only listen to her instructions." Tian Zhu's expression did not change. As early as when Jiang Ruan had taken the risk to protect Xiao Shao, she had already regarded Jiang Ruan as her own master and no longer had any other thoughts.
Lu Zhu rolled her eyes and was sincerely happy for Jiang Ruan. In any case, it was a good thing that Tian Zhu had been subdued by Jiang Ruan and was only loyal to her.
Tian Zhu looked away, but there were some thoughts in her mind. More importantly, as a subordinate, in addition to protecting her master, she also had to have enough trust in her master. It was impossible for Xiao Shao to take care of everything. Moreover, the expedition was imminent. Sooner or later, Jiang Ruan would have to face these knives and swords alone. Jinying Wang fu did not need a weak mistress. She also had to be strong enough to stand by Xiao Shao's side.
This matter might not necessarily be a test. It all depended on what Jiang Ruan did.
…
In a faraway village a thousand miles away from the capital, there was a farmhouse with three entrances. The innermost room was unbearably dirty, as if no one had entered it for a long time.
A thin woman carrying a basket of things hurriedly walked through the courtyard. When she passed by the last room, she kicked open the door.
The room was filled with a damp and rotten smell. The woman lit a lamp and a curled up figure appeared. When the person saw the light, he seemed to be very afraid. He hurriedly covered his face with both hands and lowered his head, for fear that the light would refract in front of his eyes.
"What are you hiding for?" The woman said unhappily, "Damn it, it's time to eat."
As she finished speaking, she heavily placed the things in the basket on the table and put the basket away. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and scolded, "This old woman is busy every day, but I still have to take care of a cripple like you. What's the point of taking care of a broken person like you? The silver is not bad. Originally, the di daughter of the Jiang family still had three taels of silver in my courtyard. Although you have five taels of silver, you can't lift your hands or carry your shoulders, and you can't do embroidery or pick grass for me. In this way, this old woman has suffered a loss!"
When she heard the words "di daughter of the Jiang family," the person on the ground seemed to tremble. She suddenly raised her head, revealing a dirty face. Her body was like a stick of bones and seemed to only have a thin layer of skin and flesh left. Her entire body emitted a foul stench and filth. It was unknown how long it had been since she had last bathed. Only a pair of eyes could still vaguely make out her original elegance. It was Xia Yan.
If someone were to pass by and say that this person was Xia Yan, there would definitely be people who would not believe it. This was because this woman was unbearably dirty and looked like a beggar. There was not the slightest difference between her and the most talented woman in the capital, the gentle and virtuous wife of the minister.
Unfortunately, Xia Yan continued to struggle in front of the woman, her mouth mumbling something indistinctly.
"Humph," a trace of jealousy flashed across the woman's face. She looked at Xia Yan in amusement and said sarcastically, "But now, she's in the limelight and has even been bestowed the title of Junzhu. Back then, she lived a life worse than pigs and dogs in my family. Who would have thought that she would have such a bright future now."
That woman was none other than the youngest daughter of the Zhang Lan family, Chen Fang. Ever since Imperial Censor Wang had come to the rural residence to redress Jiang Ruan's grievances, Chen Zhao had been thrown into prison and had not been released to this day. In order to allow Chen Zhao to move around in prison, Zhang Lan had sold all of her family's property and land. Her gambling addict husband had also been beaten to death because he owed someone money. Not long after, Zhang Lan had contracted a stroke and was paralyzed at home. Chen Fang, a young girl, had no choice but to marry a widower in the east of the village. The widower often beat and scolded her at every turn, and under such circumstances, she had gradually become a fierce shrew.
Time flew by in a flash, as if everything had been reversed. Perhaps Xia Yan herself had not expected that the servant who had once made things difficult for Jiang Ruan would now make things difficult for herself. She also had not expected that her current life would be worse than Jiang Ruan's.
Thirty years to the east, thirty years to the west. Xia Yan blankly collapsed on the spot. She had been sent to this rural residence by Chen Zhao in the name of recuperating. She had thought that she had escaped with her life, but she had not expected that this was the beginning of hell. In the beginning, she had tried to threaten Chen Fang to treat her better, but this rural residence was very remote. How could she fight against Chen Fang alone? In front of such a vulgar shrew, Xia Yan could not use all of her scheming methods. She was adept at fighting and surviving in the inner courtyard, but she was no match for the stupid woman in front of her. Chen Fang had snatched her jewellery, forced her to work, fed her the worst food, and lived in the worst house. All of the tricks that she had used against Jiang Ruan had been used on her, and they were even worse.
Xia Yan was in a daze, but Chen Fang looked at her impatiently. She thought that this woman was very hateful, but the official had said that she could not be allowed to die for the time being. However, looking at the official's appearance, this woman would also die in the future. It was just a matter of time.
Without waiting for Xia Yan to say anything, Chen Fang turned around and left the room, slamming the door shut. The room was once again plunged into darkness. Xia Yan's lifeless eyes were wide open, and suddenly, a teardrop slowly flowed out from the corner of her eye.
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