maidservant

Chapter 24 Yunshan Helps Solve Wuer's Case

The hall was quiet, everyone was thinking.

Yunshan suddenly remembered that the maid Wu'er who held the lantern last night had a strange fragrance on her body. She had a stronger sense of smell than others since she was a child, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that the fragrance was wrong.

So he went forward and sniffed the remaining pages carefully, and sure enough, the smell was the same as the one on Wu'er's body yesterday.

Yun Jin had already gathered the maids to guard the courtyard. When she heard Lin Yu's order, she brought Wu'er in and searched Wu'er's underwear.

Sure enough, a colorless powder was found on an embroidered handkerchief. It was something that could not be seen without careful observation.

After Yunshan confirmed that the powder was the same strange fragrance sprinkled on the scriptures, she handed the embroidered handkerchief to Aunt Lai and stepped aside to Lin Yu.

The flickering candlelight reflected Wu'er's pale face. Lin Yu looked at her coldly. Two breaths later, Wu'er slammed her forehead heavily on the ice-cracked floor tiles, "Slave girl, surrender!"

According to her, she was arranged to live in Shaokun Palace with three other maids half a month ago, but someone threatened her mother and brother's lives and forced her to become a spy for others.

While Lin Yu was questioning, Aunt Lai was busy taking notes.

"Yesterday, when many people were watching, a maid with her face covered slipped her this handkerchief and told her to find a chance to sprinkle it on Lin Liangdi's scriptures."

Her voice trembled: "I was forced to do this. Last night, I was at the corner of the corridor, and when the wind picked up, I shook myself on the scriptures. I will die! I will die!"

"It was indeed windy last night. I walked very slowly on purpose, fearing that I would drop the scriptures and be disrespectful." Aunt Zhuang looked at Lin Yu apologetically.

Now that the matter was clear, Lin Yu tapped the She inkstone on the table with his fingertips and asked Aunt Lai what the Crown Princess meant.

Nanny Lai immediately put on a smile, and the new jade bracelet on her wrist jingled against the gilded tray: "Liang Di is very observant, and Miss Yunshan is as clear as a glimpse into the details."

"It's just this girl..." She suddenly grabbed Wu'er's neck.

"He needs to be taken away and kept under good guard. I'll report back to Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess, and she'll make the final decision." Before he could finish his words, Wu'er suddenly broke free and rushed towards the pillar. Yun Jin was quick to block her with her body.

Lin Yu was shocked by this action and did not dare to leave Wu'er in her palace. Aunt Lai tied him up and stuffed him into the night barrel, and then had two servants quietly take him away.

After the people left, Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, twisted his body, and muttered to himself, cursing Wu'er.

Yunshan continued to say a few words:
"Master, although we escaped danger today, it was a sinister move by the other party. Do you remember the danger at Yue Lao Temple that day? The Marquis said that the enemy in the dark could be the remnants of traitors or the old corrupt officials. Master is in the open, and now she is the noble concubine. I am sure that unexpected things will happen in the future."

"As for today's incident, if we fail to apprehend Wu'er, Aunt Zhuang will be taken away and may be tortured. Even if the queen is clear-minded and clears the master's name, there's no guarantee that Aunt Zhuang will turn against the master."

While tidying up Lin Yu's clothes, Yun Jin said, "From my perspective, Aunt Zhuang is someone you can discuss things with. Whoever they are, they're definitely trying to cut off Shao Kun Palace's arm. We'd better find a chance to find out what's going on."

Lin Yu dejectedly fell back on the bed. She had always been sensible and knew the ups and downs of the situation, but at the age of sixteen, she didn't want to think the worst of others.

She likes her hometown with gurgling water, and she likes the flying shuttlecock.

Now two things forced her to abandon her innocent fantasies and she had to hide her nature and be cautious in everything.

-

Here, the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess returned to the East Palace, and Aunt Lai explained the whole story to them. The Crown Prince gave the guard a look, and the man flew away.

After a while, he brought a bloody confession.

Although the Crown Princess, also from an aristocratic family, had seen the methods used, she was still shocked by the efficiency of the Crown Prince's guards. "Your Highness, after just the third round of punishment, the man confessed everything. She didn't know the name of the person she was dealing with, but she knew the veiled maid had a red mole behind her ear and was dressed like an ordinary maid in the Eastern Palace."

"Check this slave. Deal with Wu'er. It's a beautiful day, don't let him make any noise." The prince gave the order coldly.

The Crown Princess summoned Lin Yu, who straightened her clothes. Yun Jin straightened the intricate golden phoenix hairpin in her hair, the pearls dangling from the end just touching her collarbone—a beauty that was bright but not dazzling.

"Please, Lady Liang."

The moment the young eunuch pushed open the gilded door, the scent of ambergris mixed with pine soot and ink hit his face.

Lin Yu bowed solemnly, and Yunshan and Yunjin followed suit, kneeling on the ground, behaving properly and not daring to look up.

The moon pendant on Lin Yu's earlobe was shining, just like the crescent moon hanging on the corner of the wolf-tooth flag on the first night of the month in the northern border.

As she knelt and saluted, the scarlet palace belt swept across the lapis lazuli floor tiles, and the hem of the dress swayed like a blooming crabapple flower.

The prince's eyes swept across the moon-shaped pendant on her earlobe, then followed the two strands of green silk to the frosty skin on the side of her neck, his eyes drawing out a winding river.

"No need to be so polite." Lin Yu's heart trembled when he heard the prince's gentle voice.

"My dear sister, please sit down. This snow-capped green tea is the tea from your hometown." After the Crown Princess finished speaking, the maid brought the blue-glazed teacup and served her tea.

"The matter is clear, and I'm sorry you've been wronged."

The prince suddenly spoke, the mutton-fat jade paperweight he was playing with reflected the candlelight, casting a swaying shadow on his chin, but his eyes did not move away from Lin Yu.

Lin Yu slowly raised her head and accidentally met the prince's gaze. Her cheeks flushed and a glow appeared on her face.

The Crown Princess chuckled, breaking the silence. "Your Highness, upon hearing this, will know that my sister is being targeted. However, we must find out the truth so that we can silence others and clear my sister's name."

"I thank Your Highness and Your Majesty for your kindness. I have never felt wronged." When Lin Yu bowed again, the restrained steps on her waist did not move at all.

The candlelight shone on her face through the twelve shark silk screens, giving the words "no grievance" a soft glow - just like the warm color on the edge of the ice-cracked plum vase.

The prince knocked his knuckles on the Huanghuali wood carving, causing ripples to spread in the mutton-fat jade brush washer.

"I should reward you. I heard you're good at chess, so I'll send the cold and warm jade chess pieces from the West Warm Pavilion to Shaokun Palace. I'll play a game with you in my spare time."

Lin Yu's fingertips trembled slightly when she heard this, and she nodded shyly.

The Crown Princess heard what the Crown Prince meant and said:
"The new Xiaying gauze from the Shanggong Bureau is dyed with cloud and thunder patterns, which is perfect for my sister's icy figure. My sister should take it to have a new dress tailored. It's time to get ready."

Lin Yu returned to her palace and looked at it carefully.

The moment the cloud brocade unfolds its rosy gauze, lotus-colored ripples appear on the flowing rosy gauze.

This is the pajamas fabric that the royal family loves to wear. It has a soft color and is light and fluttering, making the skin appear faintly when worn.

Five days later, the gilded lotus clepsydra pointed to three quarters past three in the afternoon. Yun Jin was just changing the shark silk curtains to one with a pattern of a phoenix and a crane singing in harmony. Nanny Lai happily stepped into Shao Kun Palace, her voice so clear that she sounded ten years younger:

"Congratulations to Consort Liang." She smiled, her eyes wrinkling and revealing her newly gilded teeth. "The Crown Prince arrived at Shaokun Palace at 3:30 PM. The Shangqin Bureau has already sent a quilt with a lotus pattern."

(End of this chapter)