The bloodstain on the mattress had originally covered a large area, but after being soaked and scrubbed in the water for a few times, only a small red spot in the middle remained unwashed.
At first glance, it looked very similar to the stain of virginity.
Tao Yao was shocked and excited.
She was shocked that Caiyu had actually crawled into the prince's bed. How dared she climb into the bed of her pure and noble master!
She was excited because she finally had the chance to get rid of Caiyu!
Caiyu, unaware of her disheveled state and having no time to notice such details or make wild guesses, just coldly drove the person away with a stern face:
"Don't just stand there. Do you want me to kick you back into the water?"
Tao Yao forcefully suppressed her wildly beating heart, quickly responded, then grabbed her clothes and fled in a hurry.
Finally, the surrounding area became quiet and peaceful. After finishing washing, Caiyu carried the mattress and hung it on the rack beside the washing pool. Then she returned to the side hall.
The carved lacquer arhat lamp in the bedroom was burning. Caiyu peeked inside secretly and saw that Song Yinghuai had already gone to bed.
She hesitated for a moment but still walked into the bedroom.
As Song Yinghuai's chief maid, it was her duty to serve beside the couch when the master was sleeping.
She found a soft carpet near the foot of the bed and was about to sit down and rest when she heard Song Yinghuai's cold voice, "Go back to the side hall."
Caiyu quickly stood up. "My lord, don't you need this servant to serve you?"
"Stay away from me."
Caiyu: …
"This servant obeys."
It was even better that she wasn't allowed to stay beside the bed. She'd rather go back to the canopy bed to rest.
Caiyu immediately walked back to the side hall and found a new mattress in the mahogany top - box wardrobe to spread on the bed.
She liked red and was afraid of soiling light - colored mattresses, so she chose a bright red mattress with folded flower patterns. Then, tired and sleepy, she fell asleep.
In the blink of an eye, it was dawn. Caiyu was roughly shaken awake.
Granny Li's ferocious old face loomed large in front of her eyes.
Caiyu quickly sat up from the bed. "Granny Li?"
Granny Li said fiercely, "The old princess wants to see you. Come with me."
Although Caiyu was completely confused, she knew that every time Princess Yao summoned her, it was never good news.
"Granny, please allow me to report this to the prince." Caiyu tried to stall for time, hoping to find Song Yinghuai.
At this moment, Song Yinghuai was much safer and more reliable than Princess Yao.
Unexpectedly, Granny Li seemed to see through her thoughts and sneered, "The prince isn't in the bedroom. Stop wasting your efforts and come with me quickly!"
After saying that, she motioned for the maids and old women she had brought to take action.
When she came, Bailu had specifically reminded her that this maid was strong and quick - witted. So when she came to Lianyin Pavilion, she had brought enough people.
Seven or eight rough - working maids and old women swarmed up and quickly captured Caiyu.
With her arms pinned and forced to bend over, Caiyu angrily looked up at Granny Li. "Granny, what do you mean? This servant belongs to the prince. Even if the old princess wants to see me, there's no need to resort to violence, is there?"
Granny Li let out a disdainful laugh. "Not to mention the old princess wants to see you. Even if she wants to see the prince, the prince has to go in person!"
"Let's go, Miss Caiyu!" She deliberately emphasized the word "Miss" heavily, as if mocking something.
In the Wanxiang Hall.
Princess Yao was sitting upright in the coral armchair. A Guanghan wood seven - screen enclosed couch chair was placed beside her. Her face was full of anger.
Bailu was standing beside her, gently massaging her shoulders to soothe her anger. "Please calm down, old princess. After we clarify things later, just get rid of her. Don't ruin your health over such a small matter."
"A small matter!" Princess Yao angrily slapped the table, making a "bang" sound. "How can this be a small matter! Not to mention that the prince can't break his abstinence now. Even in normal times, if a servant schemes to crawl into the master's bed, she should be beaten to death!"
"If the old princess doesn't like a little servant, just beat her to death." Bailu fanned the flames. "The prince has always been filial and respects you very much. Even if he likes that vixen, he won't ruin the mother - son relationship for a servant!"
Hearing someone praise her son for being filial, Princess Yao's complexion softened a little. "You're still smart and clever."
She glanced at Bailu and remembered that this maid had been carried back covered in blood a few days ago. She couldn't help but feel pity:
"You just wait a little longer. The prince won't make you wait too long. Then, I'll send you to serve beside the prince."
Bailu bit her lip and nodded. "This servant isn't in a hurry."
Tao Yao was kneeling below, with her head almost touching her chest.
Caiyu was escorted in and knelt on the ground, kowtowing. "This servant, Caiyu, pays respects to the old princess."
Princess Yao threw the teacup on the table at Caiyu, hitting her on the head. "Vixen! How did I warn you! You dared to turn a deaf ear and crawl into the prince's bed! You're asking for death!"
The teacup hit Caiyu's forehead. Caiyu felt a sudden blackout in front of her eyes and almost fainted.
A wisp of fresh blood slowly flowed down from her forehead.
Caiyu swayed and tried to extract information from Princess Yao's words.
Everything had been fine these days. Why did they suddenly say that she had crawled into the prince's bed?
Tao Yao was kneeling beside her. It must be yesterday's incident that Tao Yao had reported to the old princess!
But how dared Tao Yao make groundless accusations?
Caiyu took a deep breath, raised her head, and faced Princess Yao directly. "Old princess, since this servant entered Lianyin Pavilion, I've always remembered your rules. I've behaved properly and fulfilled my duties. It's just that this servant has a somewhat impatient and proud personality. Since I have to manage them, some people don't like me on weekdays and gossip about me behind my back. I don't know how these rumors reached your ears..."
"Old princess, things based on unfounded rumors can't be trusted. This servant is wronged!"
Tao Yao turned her face and shouted, "Who's wronging you? Last night, you secretly went to the washing pool to wash your blood - stained mattress... You, you shameless thing!"
Tao Yao was still young. When she mentioned the blood on the bed, her face turned red.
Caiyu suddenly realized that there had been blood on the mattress last night. Presumably, Tao Yao thought it was the stain of virginity. No wonder her expression had been a bit strange when she climbed up.
Princess Yao was furious. "Vixen, is everything Tao Yao said true?!"
…
In the secret room of Lianyin Pavilion.
Zhang Ce, the commander of the Central Army, the leader of the Five Armies Camp, and Zhu Xiao were reporting the recent trends in the court to Song Yinghuai.
Zhang Ce said, "The crown prince will go north to inspect the border of Yanyun next spring. Sheng Jiangli, the commander of the Kaiping Huqi Cavalry, has already led his troops to gather outside Shanhaiguan. Now they're vigorously training their troops to welcome the crown prince's inspection in the best state."
Zhu Xiao spat. "Bah! Training troops to welcome the crown prince's inspection? I think it's false. The real purpose is to test and provoke our Yan Army!"
"My lord, we can't be cowards!" Zhu Xiao rubbed his hands eagerly. "It must be because the princes of Zhou and Qi were strongly protected by our people after they entered the capital. The crown prince was furious and resorted to desperate measures. That's why he transferred the Kaiping Huqi Cavalry to Shanhaiguan! Why don't we fight back!"
Zhang Ce glared at him angrily. "We're all soldiers of Daye. What are you fighting for? If you fight, won't it just confirm the charge of treason in the eyes of the crown prince?"
Zhu Xiao quickly shut his mouth and stared at the two of them with wide eyes like copper bells.
Song Yinghuai twirled the fourth string of sandalwood Buddhist beads, his expression calm. "We won't fight, but we'll also train our troops."
Zhu Xiao:??
Zhang Ce:??
"My lord, do you mean..." Zhang Ce carefully guessed.
Song Yinghuai said, "Order Ma Wei and Fang Kuan to return to the Five Armies Camp quickly and train the troops inside Shanhaiguan.
"Didn't they create the Five - Armies Six - Flower Formation with the Great Master Guangzhi outside the desert? This is a good opportunity to show it to the crown prince and Sheng Jiangli, so that they can feel the might of our Yan Army and weigh for themselves whether their Huqi Cavalry can compete with our Yan Army!"
Zhu Xiao clapped his hands and laughed. "My lord is wise. This is a good idea!"
"After seeing our formation, those Huqi Cavalry might be so scared that their legs go weak and they'll cry for their fathers and mothers!"