Chapter 100: Scented Sachet
“Xue Ping’an, the only one who can make you hurt is me.”
Xue Sui woke up suddenly from a nightmare in the middle of the night, covered in cold sweat that had already soaked her bedding.
She had forgotten most of the details of the dream, only the words Li Zhao had spoken before leaving echoed repeatedly in her mind like a revolving lantern.
What he said, he truly did.
After that day, the Prince Duan’s Mansion was peaceful, and everything was well.
No one suspected that she was involved in that fire, including Li Huan.
As for the news of Yuan Qingzhu entering the palace, Li Zhao, as soon as he learned of it, found a way to let her know, and warned her to be on guard.
Don’t let others make her hurt.
Yet she bit her lip so hard it still hurt.
This led Jinshu, Xiao Zhao, and Ru Yi to ask her one after another what was going on…
If she said it was due to internal heat, the wound didn’t look like it.
If she said she bit herself, she was afraid they would think she had gone mad.
If she found other excuses, the three of them wouldn’t believe her.
Helpless, she had to admit that Li Zhao was responsible.
Well, now the three of them had gone mad.
They said this was their young lady’s first kiss, how could it be given to the Crown Prince like this?
But upon closer thought, if not the Crown Prince, it seemed even more annoying to give it to Prince Duan.
The Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace had not yet taken a wife or concubines, nor had he any other women, while in Prince Duan’s Mansion’s inner quarters, the women were constantly jealous of each other…
Thinking about it this way, after a few days, the three of them looked at Xue Sui with strange eyes…
“Damn it! You bastard—”
Xue Sui cursed.
It was hard not to learn to curse in a place like the Old Mausoleum Swamp, but she wasn’t allowed to do so in front of her Master, and Xue Sui usually spoke with caution. However, on this windy, moonlit night, after tossing and turning, unable to sleep, the thought of Li Zhao could only elicit curses.
Jinshu, who had always been a light sleeper, heard the noise and quickly lit a lamp to come in.
“Young Lady, are you having a nightmare?”
“Yes, I had a nightmare.”
“What did you dream about?”
“I dreamed a little ghost was sitting on my bed!”
“Ah!” Jinshu saw her tired expression and quickly clasped her hands together.
“Heaven and Earth are clear, righteousness shines, ghosts and demons, retreat quickly, do not disturb my young lady…”
As she spoke, she gently waved a handkerchief by the bedside, like a sorceress or mage wielding a peach wood sword to ward off evil, muttering to herself.
Xue Sui couldn’t help but smile.
She rubbed her temples, glanced at the Spirit Feather on the windowsill, and as if thinking of something, said to Jinshu, “I am restless and have no sleepiness at all. Go and fetch a Calming sachet.”
Jinshu smiled and agreed, quickly fetching the sachet and gently tucking it under her pillow, “Young Lady, sleep soundly. Perhaps tomorrow there will be more excitement to see in the mansion.”
Xue Sui softly hummed in response.
“Thank you, Aunt. You should rest early too.”
The night in Tan Qiu Courtyard was quiet to the point of being oppressive.
Except for two scouts who had just changed shifts, they were struggling to keep their heavy eyelids open with small wooden sticks, as if the whole world had fallen asleep.
The lights in the Sixth Miss Xue’s room were lit.
A moment later, they were extinguished.
“It’s hard.”
“Tiring!”
“Sleepy.”
“Who says it isn’t! My back is about to break.”
“Our lives on duty are truly not for humans.”
“I just hope we get more reward money at the end of the year.”
“Brother, speaking of which, isn’t life hard for everyone? Take the Crown Prince, for example. He looks majestic every day, but it’s not easy for him. Did you see that his mouth was so sore it was bleeding…”
“If the Crown Prince isn’t having it easy, who is?”
“Prince Duan! Prince Duan has it easy! When I’m unhappy one day, I’ll burn his place down again!”
“You sleep for a while, I’ll keep watch.”
“…Thank you, thank you…”
Silence reigned all around, with only the occasional chirping of insects from afar adding to the tranquility of the night.
Xue Sui tossed and turned again, inhaling the rich medicinal scent from the sachet, but her mind was as clear as day.
She had always woken up easily in the middle of the night as a child, plagued by nightmares.
During her years in the Old Mausoleum Swamp, she had finally managed to recover somewhat, but she hadn’t expected that Li Zhao’s bite would reawaken her old nightmares.
Just endure it a little longer!
As long as her great revenge was achieved, she could finally escape all of this.
Li Huan, Li Zhao, Li Yushu, let them all go to hell!
In the silent night, Xue Sui’s thoughts ran wild like a runaway horse, galloping freely.
After much aimless thinking, she didn’t know when she finally fell asleep…
She regained consciousness again, startled awake by Xiao Zhao’s angry shout.
“How dare you! Without the Princess Consort’s permission, you dare to trespass into Ru Ren Xue’s Tan Qiu Courtyard. Is there no order in this mansion?”
Xue Sui sat up in bed and listened.
At that moment, Ru Yi rushed in, pushing the door open.
Seeing that Xue Sui was already awake, she was slightly startled and quickly went to help her change.
“You’re awake, Young Lady. Why didn’t you call for this maid?”
Xue Sui asked, “What’s all the commotion outside?”
Ru Yi snorted, her face gloomy and very displeased.
“It’s still Concubine Liu from Ting He Residence, who went to complain to Consort Yuan, saying that the Young Lady is harboring evil objects and intends to bewitch the Prince… Consort Yuan brought many people, saying she wanted to question the Young Lady…”
A concubine from Ting He Residence?
Went to complain to Consort Yuan?
Interesting.
That Ting He Residence, that was Consort Zhang’s residence.
Xue Sui looked at her calmly.
“What time is it? Has the Princess Consort left the mansion?”
Ru Yi replied, “To answer the Young Lady, it is already Chen Shi. The Princess Consort left as soon as it was dawn.” She paused, then lowered her voice, “Xiao Zhao said she would beat them out. Young Lady, hurry and see, don’t let them really start fighting.”
Xue Sui was taken aback.
She almost burst out laughing.
This Xiao Zhao’s hands might be itching again.
She said, “Where is Jinshu? Absolutely no fighting. Be polite to people.”
Ru Yi said indignantly, “Aunt Jinshu is outside holding Xiao Zhao back. Hmph, if you ask me, a beating would be good, who told them to be rude first.”
“She is a consort. Even if she was rude first, we cannot lose our manners.”
Xue Sui said, with a slight smile, “We must reason with them.”
Ru Yi pouted and said no more.
—
Today, Xue Yuechen was attending the celebration for the third day of birth of the child of her childhood friend, Miss Zhou San.
Xue Yuechen left early in the morning with carefully prepared gifts to offer her congratulations.
The Prince’s departure for court was even earlier.
Consort Yuan’s arrival at this time was clearly planned.
Higher rank, crushing people.
She dared not trouble Xue Yuechen, because no matter how powerful her maternal family was, Xue Yuechen’s family background was not inferior. Moreover, she was only a consort, and Li Huan greatly valued hierarchy and etiquette.
However, regarding Xue Sui, a Ru Ren, she didn’t need to consider much…
Her aunt, the Imperial Consort, said that one should not dirty one’s own hands when acting.
Therefore, she found someone to secretly instigate Concubine Liu, the concubine from Consort Zhang’s residence, to spread rumors everywhere in the mansion, gossiping.
Consort Zhang was the type to immediately want to “resolve the matter peacefully,” so naturally, she was unwilling to confront Xue Liu. In this way, Liu naturally sought out Yuan Qingzhu to handle it.
Therefore, Yuan Qingzhu made a detour, and upon seeing Xue Sui emerge, despite her displeasure, she had to maintain a superficial politeness.
“Ru Ren Xue only wakes up at this hour, truly blessed.”
Xue Sui had not yet washed, and her entire person appeared languid, and due to a sleepless night, her expression was listless.
“May I ask why Consort Yuan has come to Tan Qiu Courtyard with such a large entourage?”
Consort Yuan stood in the courtyard with a stern expression, her tone questioning.
“Ru Ren Xue, someone has reported that your courtyard is harboring unspeakable filth. This matter concerns the reputation of the Prince’s Mansion, you must give everyone an explanation…”
Xue Sui feigned surprise and looked at her intently.
Yuan Qingzhu had long, slender eyes, a high nose bridge, thin lips that were slightly sharp, and very pale skin, the kind that looked like it needed ten pounds of powder. It was completely different from Xue Yuechen’s natural fairness.
In terms of looks alone, Xue Yuechen far surpassed Yuan Qingzhu.
She really didn’t know where she got the confidence to think she could compete with the Princess Consort Duan?
Xue Sui’s lips curved slightly, smiling subtly.
“Consort Yuan jokes. As a mere Ru Ren, what unspeakable things could I possibly have? I wonder which noble person has slandered me like this?”
Yuan Qingzhu’s gaze shifted to Liu.
Liu immediately stepped out from behind her.
She wore a pomegranate-colored dress and a vibrant peony flower in her hair, making her look very striking, like a butterfly flitting through flowers, with a touch of commonness.
“A maid in the mansion saw with her own eyes that Ru Ren Xue sent something evil into Mu Yue Residence, to harm the Prince and the Princess Consort…”
This tactic was taught by Consort Yuan.
There was no need to tie the Xue sisters together.
By praising the elder Xue, and then dealing with the younger Xue, the elder Xue would lose her capable assistant and would no longer be a threat.
Xue Sui looked at Liu indifferently, not arguing with her, but instead looked at Yuan Qingzhu, “Has Consort Yuan inquired thoroughly? Do you also believe I have committed such a shameful act?”
Of course, she had inquired thoroughly, which was why Consort Yuan had come.
But she didn’t want to get her own hands dirty, so she put on a stern face and questioned Liu sharply.
“Ru Ren Xue is the Princess Consort’s sister, and you are not allowed to slander her. Especially such evil things, one must not be hasty. Think carefully before you speak, and do not wrongly accuse good people!”
Liu quickly said, “Consort Yuan, I saw it clearly. The maids in Tan Qiu Courtyard act suspiciously and do everything to avoid people. If they have nothing to hide, why would they be like this?”
Yuan Qingzhu nodded, “Ru Ren Xue, since that is the case, I fear I must apologize to you…”
Having said that, she glanced to the side and ordered the maids and old women who had accompanied her.
“You all go in and search!”
Xiao Zhao shouted loudly, “How dare you!”
Seeing this, Xue Sui gently pressed Xiao Zhao’s hand, squeezing it slightly to signal her to calm down, and said indifferently, “Consort Yuan’s words are not without reason. If you don’t search, I will have no way to defend myself even if I had a hundred mouths. Then let them search, so that my innocence can be cleared.”
Xiao Zhao said anxiously, “Young Lady!”
Xue Sui smiled slightly, “Jinshu, open the main gate and let Consort Yuan’s people search!”
Jinshu exchanged a look with Xue Sui, “Yes.”
The sachet was placed under Xue Sui’s pillow and was found without much effort. The things Xue Sui usually wrote were generally destroyed afterward.
There was nothing unspeakable in the entire Tan Qiu Courtyard at this moment.
Soon, those sachets were found and neatly laid out in front of Yuan Qingzhu.
Liu’s eyes lit up, “Consort Yuan, it must be this evil thing!”
A slender and clever-looking maid, seeing that they had found “evidence,” also quickly stepped forward to claim credit.
“It’s this kind of sachet. I heard clearly that day, Ru Ren Xue personally said that she could help the Princess Consort achieve her wish. The Princess Consort believed her words and always placed the sachet under her pillow when the Prince came. It’s strange, ever since the Princess Consort had the sachet, the Prince always stayed the night when he came…”
Xue Sui looked over.
The maid looked very familiar; she was from Mu Yue Residence.
Consort Yuan was somewhat cunning.
But these tactics were really not enough to deal with.
If she didn’t want people to know about the sachets, she had many ways to hide them from everyone, including that third-class maid from Mu Yue Residence. What she let them see was what she didn’t want to hide, or what she deliberately let them see.
She refused the path to heaven.
She insisted on coming to the gate of hell.
Xue Sui sighed.
“If I say these sachets are harmless, Consort Yuan probably won’t believe me, will you?”
Yuan Qingzhu initially thought the sachets contained something sinister and terrifying, but upon opening them, she found only powder. Although there was a medicinal smell, she couldn’t discern what it was.
She dared not get too close to smell it, but she stated with certainty, “What could be good that makes the Prince infatuated and stay the night without leaving?”
Prince Duan continuously staying at Mu Yue Residence was indeed a strange occurrence.
Everyone speculated that the sachets must contain unspeakable secrets.
Every time Prince Duan visited Mu Yue Residence, the servants would be dismissed.
Except for Xue Yuechen’s two trusted maids, no one else could know the private matters between Li Huan and Xue Yuechen’s room, let alone know that Li Huan stayed because he slept too soundly…
This was also a loophole Xue Sui left for them.
If they didn’t scheme and try to harm her, they wouldn’t need it.
But they still came.
Xue Sui looked at Yuan Qingzhu and smiled softly, “Consort Yuan, how do you plan to deal with me? Will you beat me while the Princess Consort is not in the mansion, or will you be more decisive and have me beaten to death, or sold off?”
Yuan Qingzhu’s expression changed.
She hadn’t expected Xue Sui to show no fear.
Beating her to death or selling her off, of course, would be better…
But she didn’t have that much courage.
Li Huan wanted to project an image of fairness and strictness when he was outside, and he had even reformed the penal laws. How could he allow private torture in his own inner quarters?
Yuan Qingzhu said, “Don’t worry, I won’t beat you, nor will I sell you off. I will definitely wait for the Prince and the Princess Consort to return before making a fair judgment.”
Xue Sui bowed slightly, “In that case, I thank Consort Yuan for her understanding.”
Yuan Qingzhu looked at her coldly, smiling with a chilling gaze.
“But Ru Ren Xue, the rules of this mansion are strict, and everyone must abide by them. Since the Princess Consort is not here, I will naturally act in her stead…”
Saying this, she shouted sternly.
“Guards, escort Ru Ren Xue outside the door and make her kneel for two hours to reflect on her mistakes…”
There was shade from the large trees within Tan Qiu Courtyard.
In another half an hour, the sun’s rays would no longer be direct.
However, the garden outside the Tan Qiu Courtyard was exposed to the sun all day.
Yuan Qingzhu’s meticulous planning was intended to make Xue Sui suffer.
At the same time, she was convinced that there was something fishy about the sachets, so even if Xue Yuechen and Li Huan returned and found out, she would still be in the right!
Li Zhao: How nice, Xue Ping’an dreamed of me again.
Readers: We’ll twist your head off, she was having a nightmare…
