Chapter 59

 "You..." Bao Ning's hair fell halfway as she looked at the broken hairpin on the ground and then at the submissive Songlan. She didn't know what to say, but her unease grew stronger.

Bao Ning said, "Forget it, you may leave. Wait outside for me, I'll be done soon."

Songlan was Qiu Lingjun's maid, and she had not pleased Bao Ning this time. Bao Ning could at most criticize her a little, but she couldn't risk scolding her over a few spiteful words and a broken hairpin, which could strain their relationship with the Qiu family while they were still staying temporarily there. It was better to be cautious and amicable.

But were all the events today just coincidences?

Bao Ning picked up her clothes and walked behind the screen, lost in thought.

This time, Songlan didn't try to stop her. Standing up from the ground, Songlan still appeared submissive.

Bao Ning recalled the man at the Moon Gate, referred to as "Yuan Ge," wearing Pei Yuan's jade clasp. But Bao Ning was certain that he couldn't be Pei Yuan. Despite the striking resemblance in physique, Pei Yuan was more muscular, and the man's neck inclined slightly forward, unlike Pei Yuan, who always held his back straight.

Moreover, Pei Yuan wouldn't deceive her in such matters. With his proud nature, he couldn't stoop to petty theft or adultery.

What did Songlan mean back then? Was it really just a casual remark, or was there something planned in advance? Was she intentionally guiding her?

Suddenly, Bao Ning remembered the cunning gaze of Qiu Lingjun, recalling the phrase: sowing discord.

Bao Ning didn't want to change her clothes anymore. A little dampness was nothing compared to the terror of having Songlan as her maid. Who knew what ideas were brewing in their minds?

Bao Ning picked up another hairpin prepared on the table and quickly tied up her hair, intending to find an excuse to leave. As she turned her head, she saw a shadow falling behind the screen, and her eyes widened. With a handkerchief in her hand, Songlan was stealthily approaching her, just a step away from pouncing on her!

"What are you doing!"

Bao Ning shouted and dodged away. Startled, Songlan hesitated for a moment. Taking advantage of this moment, Bao Ning immediately knocked the handkerchief out of her hand.

She had seen this trick before, when Feng Yongjia abducted her. It was a handkerchief laced with a drug. Bao Ning's alarm bells rang loudly. Now she was certain that Songlan harbored ill intentions. She no longer needed to be polite. She looked around for a suitable weapon, spotting a square stool nearby. Bao Ning rushed over, grabbed the stool, and swung it towards Songlan's head.

"Ah!" Songlan screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Bao Ning ran outside, but Songlan grabbed her skirt. "Fourth Prince's Consort, what are you doing? I meant no harm."

"You're lying!" Bao Ning pulled her skirt forcefully, broke free, and ran towards the door.

Just a few steps away, the door was pushed open from the outside, and another maid entered, speaking coldly, "Where is the Princess Consort going?"

"Shao Lan! She's been exposed!" Songlan got up, blood streaming down her face, and picked up the handkerchief from the ground. "Don't waste time with her. Knock her out quickly and bring someone here. You stop her and don't let her escape!"

Shao Lan squinted, stepped across the threshold, and tried to close the door behind her. But Bao Ning, fueled by an unknown surge of strength, pushed her aside and leaped outside.

"Don't you think you can just give a toast without drinking the punishment!" Shao Lan grabbed Bao Ning's sleeve, shouting sternly.

Songlan hurried out to find help.

Bao Ning now understood their scheme. These two maids were planning to stage a scandalous scene of catching her in bed with someone else, first drugging her and then bringing a man over. With the grand wedding of Pei Xiao today, there would be no shortage of spectators in the mansion. They could easily find a man to lure over, and her reputation would be ruined.

Bao Ning shouted for help. Shao Lan covered her mouth and threatened with a dagger against her neck, "Keep shouting, and I'll kill you!"

...

Not far away, Pei Yuan sensed something amiss and cursed softly. He was about to jump down but was stopped by Wei Meng.

"There are so many Imperial Guards in the mansion. Are you mad? It wouldn't be good if you went down now," Wei Meng reasoned.

Pei Yuan halted his movements, pondered for a moment, and snapped off a tree branch. Balancing it on his bow, he swiftly shot towards Shao Lan.

Shao Lan was skilled in martial arts, stronger than Bao Ning. It seemed she was about to succeed when suddenly, she heard a whooshing sound behind her. Bao Ning immediately thought of Pei Yuan. Shao Lan also heard it and turned alertly. The branch, with its remaining leaves, flew like a sharp arrow, hitting her right eye!

Blood splattered, and Bao Ning felt a few warm drops on her face. Shao Lan screamed piercingly and collapsed.

"My eye, my eye..." Shao Lan trembled as she reached for the branch, her face covered in blood, crying hysterically. Bao Ning's heart raced, and she took two quick breaths, turning to run away.

"Zhao Cheng, catch her!" Songlan had already arrived with people and, seeing the gruesome scene at the door, gasped in horror. "The Imperial Guards will surely arrive soon. I'll take Shao Lan away. You go catch that woman quickly!"

Pei Yuan snapped another branch, drew his bow taut, and chased after the person. Just as he aimed to shoot, a commotion erupted in the front courtyard.

Someone shouted, "Fire! There's a fire in Consort Sifei's room! Come quickly to put out the fire!"

The man called Zhao Cheng paused. Pei Yuan swiftly let go of his arrow, and the branch shot into his left eye. Zhao Cheng wailed like a slaughtered pig and collapsed to the ground.

Songlan stood stunned on the spot, unsure of what had happened. She saw Shao Lan and Zhao Cheng both blinded by the flying branches, with no one else nearby. Fearful of her own guilt, she trembled violently, but eventually regained her senses, shouting loudly, "Ghost! Ghost, there's a ghost!" and ran away, scrambling.

Wei Meng kept his hand on his long knife at his waist, murmuring softly, "Our guess was correct. Lü Yun indeed took action!"

He squinted towards the distant firelight. Tonight, with the wind blowing, the fire spread rapidly. However, wind alone wouldn't cause such damage. Observing the fire, Wei Meng deduced, "They must have sprinkled oil on the roof, premeditating this. That woman has a vicious heart. Fortunately, she's helped us!"

"Our brothers are ready. I've already distributed a sketch of Gong Sunzhu to them to keep watch. I'll take advantage of the chaos to search Pei Xiao's study. You..." Wei Meng suddenly noticed something wrong. Pei Yuan had been ignoring his words, searching around with his eyes, looking for something.

"What are you looking at?"

"Bao Ning is missing." Pei Yuan's fingers on the bow turned white. "With the mansion in such chaos, she's in danger. I have to find her."

Wei Meng was shocked. "Are you crazy? It's a perfect opportunity. How much money would you wait for such an opportunity? Why aren't you taking advantage of it and going to find a woman?"

"Can you handle this?" Pei Yuan threw down his bow, drew his soft sword from his waist, and turned back to ask.

Wei Meng gasped, about to pull him back, "Young General, have you taken some kind of madness potion? It's too late for this. Missus might have gone back to find her aunt. Don't worry about it."

Pei Yuan felt uneasy. "She doesn't know the way!"

Wei Meng wanted to say something else. Pei Yuan didn't wait, jumped under the tree, didn't go back to the direction of Bao Ning missing, left a word: "Thank you, let's go back to drink."

Wei Meng poked half a brain out, …

The palace servants were bustling about, carrying trays of fruits and dishes. Recognizing Tao Shi as the mother of the Crown Prince's consort, they all knelt in respect. Tao Shi nodded in acknowledgment, exuding grace and decorum.

Qiu Lingjun glanced at her, a disdainful smile playing on her lips.

"I say, are you just here to sow discord, or is there nothing else you do?" Tao Shi leaned on the railing, one hand on her belly. "That wretched girl may be unpleasant to look at, but she is still from my Duke Rongguo's mansion. If things get out of hand, it would be a disgrace to me as well. Lingjun, show some restraint in your actions. Just create some distance between them as husband and wife."

"Aunt, you worry too much. Lingjun is just following your instructions," Qiu Lingjun smiled at her, pretending to casually turn away to look for Songlan's and Shaolan's figures.

Why hasn't Songlan returned yet? Qiu Lingjun frowned slightly.

She had planned this for many days, and at this crucial moment, nothing could go wrong. Otherwise, she would truly end up marrying that foolish Second Prince!

Of the Emperor's five sons, Pei Che was missing, Pei Yang was young, and Pei Xiao had both a main wife and a side consort. That left Pei Yuan. Others might see no future for the Fourth Prince, but Qiu Lingjun didn't think so. She had heard her father speak of Pei Yuan more than once, praising his leadership skills and courage. Besides, she had seen Pei Yuan from afar several times—his handsome appearance, broad shoulders, and masculine demeanor had captivated her long ago.

Most importantly, that improper substitute princess brought in by marriage looked like a delicate flower, beautiful but easily controlled.

Qiu Lingjun had set up a series of interlocking schemes. She was confident they would work. Once Pei Yuan became angry enough to divorce his wife, everything would be easier. With her abilities, how could she not marry him?

Tao Shi and Qiu Lingjun stood facing each other, each harboring their own sinister thoughts, a moment of silence passing between them.

Qiu Lingjun grew impatient. She was about to find an excuse to take her leave from Tao Shi and personally check on Songlan and Shaolan when a young eunuch ran over, flustered and stumbling.

"There's a fire! Consort Sifei's room is on fire, and it's out of control! It's spreading fast. Your Highness, please move to a safe place quickly. Follow me!"

There was an uproar.

Tao Shi was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, crying out, "My Jiaying!"

Her maternal instincts kicked in, and she pushed through the noisy crowd, heading towards the fire. Qiu Lingjun grabbed her, but Tao Shi, in her haste, inadvertently slapped her away.

Qiu Lingjun held her face, releasing Tao Shi with bitterness. "Go ahead, go find your damned daughter. You might as well die together!"

People were rushing to save their lives. At this moment, etiquette and status were forgotten as everyone rushed outside. Tao Shi, with her large belly, was bumped several times and finally lost her balance, falling to the ground. She cried out, her face pale and blood seeping through her skirt.

She was frightened now, reaching out desperately to grab someone, crying, "I'm going into labor, I'm giving birth! Someone help me..."

Qiu Lingjun glanced at her, gritting her teeth, and without caring, she followed the crowd and pushed through.

---

In the backyard, Bao Ning was indeed lost.

She had grown up in the mansion and never ventured into unfamiliar places. The Crown Prince's mansion was enormous, as large as three ducal mansions combined, with intertwining corridors and shaded trees everywhere. Bao Ning soon became disoriented. She found herself in a secluded corner and couldn't find the way to the main courtyard.

There wasn't a soul around, just the chirping of insects, which made Bao Ning shiver.

She tightened her grip on the bag of quicklime powder in her sleeve. She had carried it for safety, fearing danger on her way out but hadn't had a chance to use it. This stuff could cool when it touched water, burning the skin, and could possibly save her life when needed.

Thinking about it, Pei Yuan might be nearby, secretly watching over her. That thought comforted Bao Ning somewhat.

Pushing aside a thicket of trees, she could see a blaze in the distance. That was the direction she needed to go. She walked towards the firelight, sure that she was on the right path.

Bao Ning calmed herself and was about to step over a small bush ahead when she heard a series of strange sounds. There was a suppressed female cry, sounding both pained and ecstatic.

Bao Ning stopped in shock. She swallowed hard and glanced towards the source of the sound—a tall plum tree where two figures were entangled. The woman was pressed against it, her hands gripping something above her head. The man looked older, his hair almost entirely white. In the moonlight, he seemed quite strong, shaking the leaves of the tree.

Bao Ning nervously clutched her skirt. She seemed to have stumbled upon something extraordinary and entirely inappropriate to witness...

The old man was excited, holding the girl's waist tightly. His voice was hoarse and unpleasant. "Green Cloud, my teaching worked well for you, didn't it? Mixing white phosphorus into the candle, when the flame reaches the right spot, the fire will spread. It'll burn that little wench you hate into ashes..."

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