Chapter 179 - Her Real Target Is Not Xubai’s Wife!

“As I recall, Lady Nuan has miscarried on the Qianqiu Festival before?” After the room was quiet for a while, Noble Consort Cui and Jinguo Grand Princess looked at each other in the eye, saying with one voice, “Now she is panicked. What a poor thing! Fetch some medicine in my warehouse and send it to the Pavilion of Pinglan. Ask her to take care of herself and not leave any lingering health problems at a young age!”

She didn’t mention asking Lady Nuan to testify at all.

The reason was simple. Regardless of Lady Nuan’s timidity, she used to be a princess anyway. Since she left in panic, the conflict between Cui Jianlian and Song Yixiao must be really fierce!

If she was asked to talk about the ins and outs of the matter and it still couldn’t make the two parties bury the hatchet, what to do then?

Noble Consort Cui and Jinguo Grand Princess would like to have the situation under control but Empress Su and Daiguo Grand Princess thought differently!

The Empress, as the mistress of the Intermediate Palace, must preside over the feast. Therefore, she couldn’t leave there. On the contrary, Daiguo Grand Princess’s case was different. The minute that she arrived at the scene, she scolded Noble Consort Cui, “Back then I told you that your niece was ill-fated and short-lived, who was not suitable to serve the Crown Prince! You didn’t listen to me and insisted on making her the side concubine with your power as the birth mother of the Crown Prince. See? She sets aside her life and conspires against Xubai’s wife!”

Jinguo Grand Princess slightly frowned and said, “Daiguo, what are you talking about? We’ve finished investigation. Side Concubine Cui encountered the accident and imputed it onto Xubai’s wife mistakenly, which was a scheme of her trusted maid…”

“Even if a maid is bold enough to do this, is she clever enough to make such a plan?” Daiguo Grand Princess interrupted her and looked at Xiaoman on the ground with disdain, saying, “You are always good-tempered, but this time, Xubai’s wife has suffered wrong! In this case, if you don’t defend for her, everyone will bully her then!”

Song Yixiao puckered her lips, “Thanks for your concern! But my mother-in-law always treats me as her own daughter and protects me all the time!”

Daiguo Grand Princess cast a reproachful glance at her, saying directly, “Lady Nuan told my elder brother that Side Concubine Cui said that she aborted the babies deliberately for the purpose of framing Xubai’s wife!”

All the people present, including Song Yixiao, were startled to hear her!

“What’s wrong with Lady Nuan?” Song Yixiao had expected what happened today, except that Cui Jianlian would sacrifice her unborn babies, so she handled unhurriedly. When she heard that Lady Nuan had heard her and Cui Jianlian quarrel, she was not very worried. As long as Lady Nuan was not too stupid, she shouldn’t meddle with such a grudge!

Unexpectedly, this lady acted in this way!

Song Yixiao was speechless at the moment. “My mother-in-law, the Noble Consort and the Empress Dowager all hope reduce this incidence to nothing at all. Now they will make it as long as they resolve a bit of a difference. However, Lady Nuan’s sudden interference… Is the same as asking for death?!”

Worse still, with her testimony, Cui Jianlian would be dead meat, but Song Yixiao’s plan was upset too!

She had to play by ear then!

“Your Highness, you said just now Jianlian held no grudge against Lady of Yan?” Song Yixiao was speechless at the moment while Noble Consort Cui was almost mad! The latter didn’t care about showing respect for Dowager Consort of Hengshan now, with a stern face, she stared at the Dowager Consort and said, “Then why did Lady Nuan assert that Jianlian framed Lady of Yan even at the cost of her unborn babies?”

Jinguo Grand Princess asked Song Yixiao seriously, “Is what Lady Nuan said true or not?”

Song Yixiao pondered quickly. Noble Consort Cui seemed to suspect Dowager Consort of Hengshan of lying, but she also wanted to offer a chance for the Dowager Consort to hold on to her statement! Unless there was a special reason, Dowager Consort of Hengshan would never contradict herself in terms of her identity and seniority.

And Jinguo Grand Princess’s attitude was rather obvious by asking directly whether what Lady Nuan said was true or not. As long as Song Yixiao denied her testimony, the Grand Princess would suspect or even believed firmly that Lady Nuan was talking nonsense!

“Alas, didn’t the king of Wuhuan teach his daughter?” Song Yixiao sighed in her heart. She felt so-so about Lady Nuan but she wouldn’t sacrifice herself to protect Lady Nuan. Therefore, she pitied Lady Nuan in her mind and decided to say as her mother-in-law wished.

However, before she spoke, another eunuch rushed here and reported, “Her Highness the Empress has sent people to investigate the bedroom of Side Concubine Cui based on Lady Nuan’s statement. Her Highness requests the Dowager Consort, Her Highness the Grand Princess, Her Highness the Noble Consort, Commandery Princess Qingjiang and Lady of Yan to stay in peace and wait here for a while. There should be a conclusion coming from the Eastern Palace soon!”

The Empress’s words seem considerate, but meanwhile, she also told the people present, especially Noble Consort Cui, that she had investigated Cui Jianlian’s bedroom and that Noble Consort Cui should wait here and not do anything else!”

For the moment, Noble Consort Cui’s face turned ghastly pale!

However, Jinguo Grand Princess and her daughter were no better than her. Cui Jianlian was the Noble Consort’s niece and the Crown Prince’s cousin. Moreover, the Crown Prince liked her very much. According to what they did before, after they reached an agreement in secret, they would scapegoat a few people to smooth things over. Regardless of the truth, there would be some wiggle room.

However, as the Empress tried to redress the scales, all the people would learn what happened today. How could a grudge not arise between the Crown Prince and Jian Xubai?

But Dowager Consort of Hengshan was much more astonished than the three of them!

“If it is found out that the Side Concubine has a crush on Guanlun…” Thinking of this, the Dowager Consort would feel terribly frightened. She turned around to look at Song Yixiao only to find that the latter didn’t look delighted with her head lowered, who didn’t seem desperate. An idea suddenly occurred to her. “According to Kou’er and her cousin, at the birthday party of Princess Yushan, Song Yixiao went to Lady Nuan’s Pavilion of Pinglan to change her clothes. Are they on the same boat?”

The Dowager Consort got even more suspicious. “She coaxed me into swindling Noble Consort Cui by guaranteeing for her with my reputation first. Now Lady Nuan steps forward and conspires against Guanlun indirectly. In this way, by virtue of her mother’s cajolery, who else can be the heir but Guanyun?”

Thinking of this, the Dowager Consort felt extremely furious. “I have undergone a lot of ups and downs by far! And now I am schemed by a little girl who is not 15 years old yet! How can I be so stupid?!”

She was so furious that she calmed down instead. She darted a stern look at Song Yixiao and had a resolute idea!

Song Yixiao didn’t know that Dowager Consort of Hengshan had decided to destroy with her together, but she was aware that once Cui Jianlian’s abandoning her babies was disclosed, Lu Guanlun would be dragged down for sure!

After all, it was Cui Jianlian’s honor to conceive twins for the Crown Prince, which was out of reach for a lot of girls. If she didn’t fall for another man, how could she abort her babies only for framing a titled lady? Clearly, she didn’t want to give birth to children for the Crown Prince!

If this was known by the royal family, regardless of Lu Guanlun’s innocence, he wouldn’t come to a good end!

“I must find a way to exculpate Lu Guanlun!” Song Yixiao ruminated and glimpsed Noble Consort Cui’s grim look. Then an idea occurred to her.

After a while, the Empress finally sent words again, which gave a blow to Noble Consort Cui. “An imperial maid found the aborticide in the secret compartment of Side Concubine Cui’s bedroom. Upon the imperial doctor’s examination, it is the same as the aborticide that Side Concubine Cui took!”

“The eunuch who serves Side Concubine Cui confessed that he brought the aborticide into the Eastern Palace for Side Concubine Cui, believing that Side Concubine Cui would use it against the other concubines in the Eastern Palace. He had no idea that Side Concubine Cui would use it on herself!”

Speaking of this, the imperial maid hedged and then looked at Song Yixiao, “The eunuch also said that Side Concubine Cui has bribed someone in the Duke of Yan’s mansion…”

Song Yixiao, who was calm all the time, got startled to hear this. “How is it possible?”

“The one bribed by the Side Concubine was going to put something on Your Highness’s Diyi (formal wear of a titled lady), but luckily, Your Highness is cautious enough not to fall into the trap!” The imperial maid was respectful. “Otherwise, Your Highness cannot justify yourself today then!”

Instantly, Noble Consort Cui stood up with rage and pointed at Song Yixiao, storming, “You’ve known this earlier?”

“It’s your niece’s fault. Now you are questioning Xubai’s wife?” Jinguo Grand Princess also flew into a rage. “Do you really believe that my daughter-in-law is a push-over?”

“Even if Jianlian is sorry for you, the babies are innocent!” Noble Consort Cui didn’t respond to Jinguo Grand Princess. As a noble consort, she burst out crying in public. “We are talking about two grandchildren of His Majesty! They are the Crown Prince’s children! If they can survive, they will call you Auntie. How can you be so merciless! How can you be so merciless?!”

Song Yixiao was not surprised by the Noble Consort’s accusation. It was a scandal that the Side Concubine of the Crown Prince slandered Lady of Yan. If she was also convicted of murdering her babies, Cui Jianlian must be executed. And Noble Consort Cui, who recommended her to be the side concubine of the Crown Prince, and the Cui Family, who raised her up, would come to no good end then.

Under the circumstance, how could Noble Consort Cui not drag Song Yixiao down?

“If I can refute Lady Nuan and prove that Cui Jianlian’s pregnancy was ended by Xiaoman’s plot, it will be the best result! If I cannot or don’t want to do it, Noble Consort Cui can also implicate me into this incidence for defying the royal descendants!”

Of course Song Yixiao knew that Noble Consort Cui didn’t expect this new titled lady to share the burden. What the Noble Consort cared about was Jinguo Grand Princess’s identity in front of the Empress Dowager and Emperor Xianjia!

“Indeed, high-powered people are not easily dealt with!” Song Yixiao thought through Noble Consort Cui’s intention and felt rather speechless. Noble Consort Cui reacted quickly, but it was an errand maid under Empress Su only who reduced her to this predicament!

The saying that Song Yixiao was cautious instantly reversed the situation!

Empress Su didn’t mean to frame Song Yixiao. She only wanted to drive a wedge between Noble Consort Cui and Jinguo Grand Princess!

Noble Consort Cui also understood that, but she still chose to create difficulty for Song Yixiao. It was not that she couldn’t control her emotions but that if she didn’t do so and just let things go on unattended, the Cui Family had to be responsible for the incidence!

Even the Crown Prince would feel guilty for Jinguo Grand Princess and her son due to failed management of his harem!

Now that Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao both intended to seize the power, and Prince of Zhao was agreed to engage in the court affairs, the blow to the Crown Prince’s reputation could be imaginable!

Honestly, as long as Emperor Xianjia didn’t express his resolute favor of the Crown Prince in public, after the court was open, officials would euphemize changing the imperial heir by submitting memorials to question the Crown Prince’s virtue and ability!

Therefore, even if Noble Consort Cui didn’t want to offend Jinguo Grand Princess, she couldn’t let go of Song Yixiao at the moment. “What grudge do you held against Jianlian? How can you vent your anger on the unborn children?”

Song Yixiao gave a grieved and sad look and got prepared to answer her when Daiguo Grand Princess, who stood aside aloofly, suddenly sneered, “Just now you questioned Dowager Consort of Hengshan about her asserting that Lady of Yan holds no grudge against Side Concubine Cui? Since so, even if Lady of Yan discovered her maid’s misconduct, how would she suspect Side Concubine Cui? Now by constantly blaming Lady of Yan, you not only bully a junior but also reason fallaciously!”

“Your Highness, please listen to me!” Song Yixiao was quite grateful to this aunt, but now was not the moment to express gratitude. “If I had known that Side Concubine Cui would cause such a mess by asking me to meet with her, why would I have come?”

Suddenly, her eyes were swimming with tears. “Anyhow, even if I wanted to set against Side Concubine Cui, since I learnt what she plotted to do, I wouldn’t need to drag myself down!”

Most simply, “I could have reported it to my mother-in-law while paying her respects or given a hint to the Crown Princess at the previous two imperial feasts. How could I not care about His Majesty’s grandchildren’s safety?!”

In this way, there would be nothing wrong with Song Yixiao. Moreover, she could revenge herself on Cui Jianlian and meanwhile get the credit for protecting the imperial descendants!

She made a good point. Jinguo Grand Princess glanced at Noble Consort Cui with disdain. “Noble Consort, do you have anything else to say?”

Before Noble Consort Cui replied, Daiguo Grand Princess suddenly clapped her hands and said happily, “I’ve thought of a question when I heard Lady Nuan’s words. Even if Side Concubine Cui and Xubai’s wife used to be on bad terms, but what kind of grudge can make her conspire against Xubai’s wife at the cost of her own babies?”

She stared at Noble Consort Cui complacently. “Hence, her real target is not Xubai’s wife but the Crown Princess!”