maidservant

Since that day, Yunshan had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and she became even more cautious towards Si Cheng.

That night, Yunshan finished her business and hurried to Lin Yu's palace. She looked solemn and walked hurriedly, quickly closing the door as soon as she entered.

After confirming that there was no one around, he walked to Lin Yu, lowered his voice, and told her all the news of the day. Of course, she cautiously omitted the matter of Concubine Bian Liang's contraception.

"My Lady," Yunshan frowned slightly, worry in her eyes.

"Even when Concubine Yang was weak and alone, she was adept at using others as her pawns. She's incredibly cunning, far more so than Concubine Li of the past. I've noticed she's become increasingly bold lately, so we have to be on guard."

After hearing this, Lin Yu nodded slightly, his expression becoming serious: "Hearing what you said, this Yang Fei really needs to be more cautious."

Yun Jin added, "Today she sent someone to Liuhua Palace to deliver a gift, saying it was a return gift for our queen to congratulate her father and brother on their promotions. Why would a return gift need to be delivered separately? I really don't know what she is up to." As she spoke, she unconsciously pinched her collar with her fingers.

Yun Shan quickly responded, "Your Majesty, we now have two princes in the palace, especially the Second Prince. We must not allow any mistakes to happen. Anything Concubine Yang sends must be carefully inspected and must not be taken lightly."

"Yun Jin has checked everything. I always keep everything she sends to the palace separately and don't dare to be careless."

"But there is one thing I wanted to tell you after you got into trouble." Lin Yu was still frightened when he recalled what happened in the afternoon. He frowned unconsciously, and there was a hint of fear in his tone.

"In the afternoon, the Second Prince suddenly developed a slight cough and wheezing, which made me extremely anxious. I quickly summoned the imperial physician, who, after a careful examination, said there was nothing serious, and that he had probably accidentally inhaled something that had blocked his lungs. Fortunately, after acupuncture, he recovered."

When Yunshan heard this, her expression instantly became solemn and alert. She quickly rushed to the prince's side hall.

She gently pushed open the door and saw the Second Prince sleeping soundly, with saliva still hanging from the corner of his mouth and his little face rosy, without a trace of illness. She breathed a sigh of relief, and her heart slowly settled down.

Lin Yu looked at Yunshan's reaction and became nervous as well. He felt that this matter might not be that simple. "Call the Second Prince's personal maid and wet nurse."

As soon as the wet nurse entered the side room, she knew it must be because of the Second Prince's cough today, so she knelt down with a plop, and said anxiously in a tearful voice:

"Your Highness, please understand! I have been following the Second Prince since I was in Fengyi Palace. I treat the young master like my own sweetheart. I hold him in my hands for fear of dropping him, and hold him in my mouth for fear of him melting. I will never do anything that would be detrimental to the young master's health!"

This wet nurse was a loyal and honest person. She had been carefully selected by the Queen and had already been briefed on all the details with Lin Yu. At this moment, her face was filled with anxiety, her eyes were red, beads of sweat were sliding down her cheeks, and her hands were clenched tightly together, shaking constantly.

Seeing this, another maid who was in charge of making the bed and washing the bed curtains also knelt down and eagerly expressed her loyalty:

"Your Highness, I am truly loyal to the Second Prince and have absolutely no ulterior motives!"

But when she knelt, the movement was so large that it instantly brought with it a faint floral fragrance, which Yunshan, with her keen sense of smell, caught immediately.

Yunshan's eyes instantly sharpened, like a sharp sword, staring at the maid. She asked sternly, "At this time of year, only peonies and crabapples are in full bloom in Liuhua Palace. Where does this lilac scent of yours come from?" Her tone left no room for doubt, as if she could see through the maid's thoughts. Upon hearing this, a trace of panic flashed across the maid's face. She quickly sniffed her clothes a few times and frantically explained:

"Sister Yunshan, I really don't know! I really can't figure out what this floral scent is. I don't know how I got infected." Her voice trembled, her eyes wandered, and her hands unconsciously tugged at the corners of her clothes.

Lin Yu looked at the maid and thought she was always honest, so he said gently, "Get up and tell me your itinerary for the day in detail. Don't miss a single detail."

The maid hurriedly stood up, gathered herself together, and began to narrate everything in detail:

"Today, the sun was shining brightly at noon. As usual, I changed the young master's bedding and carried it to the courtyard to dry. The wet nurse was watching the young master, so I went to the small kitchen and cooked a clay pot of rice porridge. Then I returned to the side hall, changed the wet nurse, and served the young master some porridge."

"."

"From dawn until light, this is what I do. I will not hide anything."

As she spoke, she recalled carefully, fearing that she had missed any key details.

Lin Yu, Yun Shan and others listened quietly, feeling puzzled.

Lin Yu frowned slightly and asked, "So, you haven't even set foot out of Liuhua Palace today?"

The maid was respectful and quickly replied:
"Your Majesty, I have never left the house. I know that the young master is frail, so I avoid going out on weekdays if possible. Even if I leave the palace, I will always change into a set of clean clothes when I return before I dare to take care of the young master again. This was a strict order issued by the late queen, and I have always kept it in mind and never dared to disobey it."

Yunshan seemed to have grasped the key clue, a glint flashed in her eyes, and she asked:
"Did you come into contact with anyone today? After noon, Concubine Yang came to our palace. Did she talk to you?"

The maid recalled for a moment and said quickly:
"Sis, now that I've mentioned that, I remember that although Concubine Yang never met me directly, the maidservant beside her did chat with me. She kept saying things like, 'You must be extra attentive when serving the young master, and it's best to air the bedding every day.'"

"She even reached out and touched a corner of the mattress, praising the softness of the material."

"When I saw that she had touched the mattress, I felt uneasy, so I immediately took it away and asked someone to clean it. I also hurriedly took out a clean one and hung it aside. Now the young master is using the one that she has not touched." After the maid finished speaking, she breathed slightly, as if waiting for everyone's response.

Lin Yu nodded slightly, "You are a thoughtful girl, don't be nervous. I asked a few more questions because I was too worried about the second prince." After that, Lin Yu waved her hand gently, signaling them to leave.

"Yunshan, you seemed to have something else in your words just now. What did you want to say?"

Yun Shan lowered her voice and said, "Your Majesty, today I've observed that Concubine Yang is quite knowledgeable about pharmacology. Considering the scent of lilac on the maid, I suspect she deliberately smeared the maid with clove powder to overpower the scent, intending to bring this asthma-inducing powder to the Second Prince."

"There's probably something behind this. Concubine Yang is always thoughtful. If she really does this, it probably means she's planning to stop hiding it and confront the Empress head-on." (End of this chapter)