Chapter 493 - 493 490 Murderous Intent_1

Chapter 493: Chapter 490: Murderous Intent_1 Chapter 493: Chapter 490: Murderous Intent_1 As soon as the second lady, Mrs. Liu, stepped into the courtyard, she heard from the maid that Bai Jinzhi had collapsed onto the bed and fallen asleep as soon as she returned, without even taking off her clothes.

Mrs. Liu lifted the Xiangfei bamboo curtain with her delicate hand, walked past the screen and the light green cotton curtains, and entered the inner room. She saw Lu Ninghuan and the seventh girl, Bai Jinse, were both there.

Bai Jinse hurriedly bowed to Mrs. Liu, “Second Aunt!”

“What happened to Jinzhi? Is she ill?” Mrs. Liu asked worriedly, looking at Bai Jinzhi, who was lying on the bed and unconscious in deep sleep.

Lu Ninghuan heard the voice, put away the pulse pillow, got up and bowed, “Second Lady, the fourth girl is just too tired and fell asleep. It’s nothing serious!”

Tomorrow was the day Lu Ninghuan would enter the palace to give acupuncture treatment to the Emperor. So today, she was resting at the Bai Mansion.

A moment ago, Bai Jinse had heard that Bai Jinzhi had collapsed onto the bed unconscious as soon as she returned to the mansion. Frightened, she immediately called Lu Ninghuan over and had someone else call for Doctor Hong, who had just come back to the Bai family.

“Miss Lu, you should go rest! I will take care of Jinzhi,” Mrs. Liu said, looking at Lu Ninghuan, “You have to enter the palace early in the morning. Better rest early!”

Lu Ninghuan nodded, bowed, and left.

Bai Jinse did not stay to disturb Bai Jinzhi’s rest. She said she would inform Doctor Hong so he wouldn’t make a trip in vain.

Mrs. Liu sat by the bed and covered Bai Jinzhi with a thin quilt; she also had a handkerchief brought over to wipe Bai Jinzhi’s face and dirty hands, making her sleep more comfortably.

After traveling day and night, Bai Jinzhi was utterly exhausted. She faintly felt someone wiping her face, but she was too tired to open her eyes.

Mrs. Liu put down the plain-colored hexagonal silk gauze curtains hung on a copper hook, stood up, and walked out. Unease filled her heart, “What on earth happened to exhaust her like this?”

“I heard that the fourth girl went straight to the Crown Prince’s residence as soon as she arrived in Dadu. She probably completed her tasks and finally relaxed; otherwise, she wouldn’t have fallen asleep without first greeting you!” Qingshu, supporting Mrs. Liu’s hand, whispered.

“Ah!” Mrs. Liu said cheerfully, “It doesn’t matter whether she greets me or not. I’m just worried that something urgent happened in Shuoyang! But indeed, she must have finished her tasks.”

Mrs. Liu stepped out of the courtyard door and ordered Qingshu, who followed her, “Go tell the kitchen to stew pigeon soup over a low fire. When the fourth girl wakes up, she’ll have pigeon soup with noodles!”

“Yes!” Qingshu responded and turned towards the kitchen.

Near noon the next day, Bai Jinzhi woke up with her whole body aching. After a day and night on horseback, she felt like she was falling apart.

“Fourth Sister! You’re awake!” Bai Jinse, kneeling at the bedside, laughed as she looked at Bai Jinzhi, who was grimacing in pain, “Aunt Lu said that you must have ridden a fast horse for a day and a night. You’ll definitely feel sore all over when you wake up! Aunt Lu had someone prepare a medicinal bath for you. Soak in it, it’ll feel better.”

“What does Fourth Sister want to eat? I’ll have the small kitchen prepare it.” Bai Jinse asked.

Bai Jinzhi pondered for a moment and smacked her lips, “Sunflower seeds!”

Bai Jinzhi was helped up by two maids. Separated by a screen, Bai Jinse sat outside telling her about the recent happenings in Dadu City while Bai Jinzhi soaked in the medicinal bath, feeling much relieved.

“Although the Princess of Nandu, Liu Ruofu, is unwilling to marry King Liang, her reputation is already ruined; she can only pinch her nose and accept it!” Seventh girl Bai Jinse said to Bai Jinzhi about the bustling events in Dadu as she shelled sunflower seeds, “And there’s the fourth girl of the Minister of Revenue’s family. The other day she attended a flower banquet and somehow fell into the lake from a painting boat. Though her own brother saved her, everyone present saw it; she was so ashamed that she went back home crying.”

Bai Jinzhi remembered that on the day of the poetry contest at Yanque Tower, this fourth girl from the Ministry of Revenue had called Lu Yuanpeng a lapdog.

Ha… what goes around comes around.

Bai Jinse shelled a plateful of sunflower seeds and brought them to Bai Jinzhi, “Aunt Lu should be returning soon. I’ll go meet her at the gate.”

Bai Jinzhi looked at the shelled sunflower seeds Bai Jinse brought her, and her heart was filled with warmth.

·

Bai Jinse stood at the gate of Princess of Zhen’s Mansion. Seeing a carriage carved with the Bai family crest slowly approaching, she knew it was Lu Ninghuan returning.

She stepped forward to greet Lu Ninghuan as the carriage stopped steadily, just as she always did.

Although Bai Jinse was young, she knew that the more respectfully she, the seventh girl of the Bai Mansion, treated Lu Ninghuan, the more people would believe that the Eldest Princess truly valued Lu Ninghuan, considering her as a stand-in for Aunt Bai Suqiu.

Therefore, she couldn’t afford to be careless in these subtle details.

She raised her hand to help Lu Ninghuan off the carriage but noticed Lu Ninghuan’s hand was slick with sweat. Bai Jinse looked up at Lu Ninghuan’s calm face, only to see that she was not wearing the plain silk clothes she had when she left, “Aunt?”

Lu Ninghuan’s hand trembled continuously. She tightly grasped Bai Jinse’s small hand and asked casually, “Is the fourth girl awake?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Bai Jinse noticed the guard by the carriage. She showed an innocent and naive smile, “She’s awake! As soon as she woke up, she complained about being sore all over. That’s what happens when you ride a horse for such a long time!”

Lu Ninghuan nodded and turned to salute the guard by the carriage, “Thank you, brother of the imperial guard, for escorting me back to the mansion!”

Bai Jinse, hearing this, looked towards the guard.

The guard bowed deeply, “Now that Miss Lu has been delivered, I shall take my leave!”

Watching the guard mount his horse and leave, Lu Ninghuan forced herself to grip Bai Jinse’s hand firmly as she entered the Bai Mansion. Just after turning past the screen wall, she almost stumbled.

“Aunt!” Bai Jinse’s voice was extremely low. She hurried to support Lu Ninghuan, pursing her lips and walking silently towards the inner courtyard.

Lu Ninghuan’s heart pounded heavily, like rolling thunder. Today, after she entered the palace and performed acupuncture on the Emperor, she spilled tea and was escorted by a palace maid to change clothes. She accidentally encountered the Empress secretly meeting General Fu. The Empress wanted General Fu to support King Xin’s return to Dadu to usurp the throne; General Fu had not yet agreed.

But such a secret being caught, how could the Empress allow witnesses to live?

The maid was split apart by the guard’s sword. Lu Ninghuan, trembling uncontrollably in the room, forced herself to remain calm and change clothes.

She knew there was no way to escape. She pretended to know nothing and loudly asked that maid to bring her scented sachet from her old clothes.

Lu Ninghuan’s voice surprised the guard and the Empress. She heard the door open, turned her back to the screen while tying her clothes, and said, “Bring me my scented sachet!”

The Empress, without a word, picked up Lu Ninghuan’s sachet and handed it over around the screen.

When Lu Ninghuan turned around, she saw a delicate hand holding the sachet. She looked up and saw the Empress, took the sachet calmly, bowed, and greeted respectfully.