Chapter 40: I Have a Good Idea

With words like these, one might think they were up to something inside if they didn’t know better.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he looked at her with disdain, saying, “How long do you plan to hold onto me like this?”

Tao Hua stiffened her neck and shouted, “Until the seas run dry and the rocks crumble—forever!”

Shen Zaiye: “…”

He no longer knew what expression to use when looking at this woman. At first, he thought she was a fool, but after being outsmarted by her, he realized she was quite clever. Yet now, how had she gone from being a clever person to turning into a madwoman?

What’s even more infuriating is that he couldn’t even muster the anger; he had to put some effort into holding back from laughing. It’s truly bizarre—with such strict rules in this estate, how could they fail to intimidate this person?

“After all the running and exertion today, won’t you have the healer examine your wound?” Shen Zaiye said irritably. “Hug for another moment and tear the wound open, don’t blame it on me!”

He wouldn’t have mentioned it if it weren’t noticeable, but as soon as he said it, Taohua could feel it—it really did seem to be hurting on her waist!

Quickly letting go and jumping down, she hid to the side and lifted her clothes to take a look.

There was a large, thick centipede scar that had already turned a light red. But the middle part may have been strained today, with faint traces of blood visible.

Pouting her lips, Peach Blossom turned her head to look at Shen Zaida and said, “Given how miserable I am, will you let me go and rest?”

“I never said you couldn’t go; you’re the one clinging and refusing to let go.” Glancing at her, Shen Zaida said, “What you mentioned, I’ll prepare. First, hide yourself well and don’t let Prince Jing bump into you again.”

“I understand,” she replied, regaining her composure with a faint, graceful smile. With a bow, she then withdrew from the room.

Actually, Shen Zaizhe wasn’t as fierce as he appeared. Although sometimes he looked quite intimidating, he never truly intended to hit her and even allowed her to be glib. The one who had smiled insincerely and seemed intent on killing her in the beginning seemed to have no connection to him at all.

Could it be because she was too beautiful, and now he had fallen for her?

No sooner had this thought crossed her mind than Peach Blossom slapped herself on the back of the head.

To use such a girlish mindset to guess at the intentions of a venomous snake would be a quicker death than hanging. The real reason must be that the idea she had just offered truly benefited the Southern Prince and was helpful to him, so the master was in a good mood and willing to tolerate her a little.

“Oh, Madam Jiang.”

A shout came from ahead: “What brings you to this side courtyard?”

Peach Blossom froze, halting her steps and looking up. She saw Lady Liu swaying her slender waist, gliding lightly to her front, lifting her eyes to gaze at her as she said:

“Your makeup is so plain and simple; this humble one almost failed to recognize you.”

It would be better if you didn’t recognize me, Peach Blossom thought to herself. After risking life and death all morning, who has the leisure to deal with her now?

“Why is Lady Liu also here?” Turning the question back on her, Peach Blossom continued walking forward.

Lady Liu Xiangjun very naturally walked alongside her, smiling and saying, “I intended to go out to buy supplements for Sister Gu. I had just arrived here when I happened to meet you.”

“If you have matters to attend to, please go ahead. I should return to rest as well.” Peach Blossom offered a light smile, nodding in farewell to her.

However, Lady Liu acted as if she didn’t notice and continued clinging to her, saying, “It’s rare to have the chance to speak with you alone. Buying supplements isn’t the most urgent matter right now.”

“What do you want to say?” Lowering her gaze, Jiang Taohua cut straight to the point, too tired to beat around the bush.

Lady Liu pursed her lips, glanced around, and whispered softly to her, “Others might not know, but I’m quite certain: Lady Gu most likely has something in her belly.”

“I see,” Taohua nodded.

Lady Liu Xiangjun had hoped to get some reaction out of her, but this indifferent attitude nearly made the smile slip from her face: “Aren’t you worried, ma’am?”

“Worried about what?”

“If the first child in the Prime Minister’s household comes from Lady Gu’s womb, wouldn’t those of you who are currently favored lose some of that favor?”

Shooting her a sidelong glance, Jiang Taohua thought this girl’s mind might not be quite sharp enough.

“Madam Gu has given birth, why should the master then distance his favor from us?” she remarked. “Even if Madam Gu should be esteemed because of her child, it would at most be like before, with a little more favor shown to her, but it wouldn’t keep the master in her courtyard for long.”

Moreover, Shen Zaiju didn’t seem particularly fond of the child in Madam Gu’s belly.

“You can’t say it like that!” Madam Liu swayed her hips, covering her mouth and whispering softly, “Who in this courtyard doesn’t aspire to eventually claim the position of mistress? Madam Gu is in the same position as you ladies, and once she has a child, she will immediately rise above you. Aren’t you worried at all?”

“That’s right, I’m not worried.” Taohua gave a faint smile, turning her head to look at her. “What are you so anxious about?”

“I…” Liu Shi stiffened, her expression turning serious at last as she frowned and said, “This humble concubine saw that the lady seemed quite favored by the master, so for your own good, I came to offer a few words of advice. If you’re not in a hurry, then this humble concubine has nothing more to say. I shall take my leave.”

“Take care.”

Taohua turned and continued heading back to Zhengchun Pavilion. Qingtai followed beside her, glancing back at Liu Shi several times before finally whispering, “What on earth is she trying to do? Wasn’t she rather close to Lady Gu?”

“What else could it be? She clearly couldn’t bear to see Lady Gu soar to great heights and hurriedly came looking for someone to block her path.” Taohua chuckled lightly. “Decades of friendship still couldn’t withstand wealth and glory. Poor Lady Gu probably only realized recently what her dear friend’s true face was like.”

Liu Xiangjun’s family background wasn’t particularly good, and as a concubine-born daughter, she had little hope of climbing high in status. Thus, she could only rely on others to rise with their fortunes. However, the person she chose to attach herself to was certainly not the Gu family. So, using the pretext of sisterly affection, she stepped on others before tearing face.

Such women are the most terrifying: narrow-minded, quick-tongued, with just a nimble tongue they can stir up storms in the inner courtyard, leaving no peace for anyone.

Moss frowned, her expression rather concerned: “Not a single lamp in this courtyard is easy to handle… Mistress, you…”

Peach Blossom paused slightly and turned to look at her: “Are you worried about me?”

Qing Tai was taken aback for a moment, then bowed her head in thought. Perhaps she should be more concerned about others’ masters instead—they were all troublesome, and her own master was surely more difficult than most.

“This servant was overthinking things. Let us head back for now.”

Jiang Taohua’s ambitions did not lie in the backyard; this was merely a temporary resting place. As long as there was no snow piled up at her own doorstep, why should she bother about the frost on someone else’s roof tiles?

The snakes in the Snake Yard were slaughtered, and the snake keeper was scared half to death. Immediately, he searched the yard for traces and found the insignia of the Southern Prince. When Zhanlu arrived, it was already too late—to save his own life, the snake keeper had swiftly sent the news back to the palace.

“Your servant is incompetent,” Zhanlu knelt before Shen Zaiye and said, “We can only temporarily block the news from the palace, but His Majesty will find out sooner or later.”

Shen Zaiye pursed his lips, his eyes dark with swirling thoughts. After a long moment, he finally spoke: “Summon the Southern Prince to the villa, immediately!”

“Yes!”

Since it couldn’t be concealed any longer, then there were ways to deal with what couldn’t be hidden. Shen Zaiye rose, changed his clothes, and headed straight to the Spring Contention Pavilion. He grabbed Jiang Taohua, who was having dinner, and walked directly toward the side door.

“My lord, I haven’t even put my bowl down yet,” Peach Blossom protested as he pulled her along, still holding her bowl with half a serving of rice inside. “Couldn’t you just wait a moment?”

“No, the first step in making up for your mistake has to be taken right now,” Shen Zaijie frowned slightly and said in a low voice, “Prince Nan has a peculiar temperament and is extremely stubborn. If you can’t persuade him to listen to me, we won’t be able to accomplish anything that follows.”

“I understand,” Peach Blossom nodded, quickly took another bite of rice, then threw down her bowl and chopsticks before getting onto the carriage.

On the surface, Prince Nan and the Prime Minister met only once a month, but in special circumstances like this, the two would meet at a separate villa.

When Shen Zaizhe and Taohua entered, the Prince of the South had already arrived, seated in the pavilion, idly rubbing his teacup with his fingers. Hearing their footsteps, he looked up at them and asked bluntly:

“The matter couldn’t be kept secret?”

“Indeed.” Shen Zaizhe sat down before him, his expression serious. “If you admit guilt, given His Majesty’s temper, he will surely punish you severely.”

This punishment would be far more than just a beating or docking pay. The Prince of the South had never been favored by the emperor. To keep him out of sight and out of mind, the emperor would likely directly banish him from the capital. Once that happened, returning would become exceedingly difficult.

Mu Wuxia nodded: “The mistake was made by this prince. If my father is truly angry, then there’s nothing to do but bear it and find another way out.”

Shen Zaiju frowned: “I hope Your Highness firmly denies this matter, claiming you went to see the peach blossoms and that the plaque inexplicably disappeared.”

“You want this prince to lie?” Mu Wuxia pursed his lips. “If I say that, whom do you intend to place the blame on?”

“Of course, on Prince Jing,” Shen Zaiju said. “That day, only you and Prince Jing were at Yingxian Mountain. Logically speaking, only the two of you could enter the Snake Forest.”

Prince Jing’s influence among the imperial sons is considered exceptionally powerful, and such a minor mistake would not harm him significantly.

Mu Wuxia quietly observed him for a moment, tilting her head before asking, “Does preserving oneself always require stepping on others?”

Shen Zaiji pursed his lips and replied, “The strong devour the weak, and the superior prevail over the inferior—such is the rule within the imperial court and the government. If Your Highness continues to persist in this misguided path, the road ahead will only grow more treacherous.”

“Elder Brother Prince Jing has made no mistakes and has not treated me poorly,” Mu Wuxia said. “To falsely accuse him without cause—I fear I would lose sleep at night.”

“It’s better to lose sleep than to lose your life.” Shen Zaizhe frowned. “I have temporarily suppressed some of the palace news, but we can’t delay for too long. The Emperor will probably find out the situation tomorrow and fly into a rage. You should prepare early.”

The young prince frowned, his gaze toward Shen Zaizhe not very friendly. Every hair on his body seemed to stand on end, as if ready to rebel.

Peach Blossom watched from the side and, seeing that the timing was about right, said, “My lord, you’ve been attending to matters inside and outside, surely you must be tired. How about letting your humble concubine have a chat with the prince?”

Prince Nan was taken aback and glanced over, only to see Peach Blossom giving him a gentle smile.

“Very well.” Shen Zaiye nodded and stood up. “This humble official is also feeling a bit unwell. I’ll rest for a while in the neighboring room. Once you’ve finished talking, just have someone notify me.”

“Understood.” Peach Blossom nodded, watching him walk away before turning back to the little prince and winking. “This humble concubine has a good plan. Would Your Highness like to hear it?”