It turned out that the matter was quite simple. Huaping was jealous and resentful. Seeing that there was a kind of cinnabar in the prescription, she took a piece of cinnabar from her wrist and secretly threw it into the medicine pot to be decocted together.
Anyway, it was just a slave girl's life. Even if an investigation was carried out, it would be Xiangye, the one who was ordered to serve, who would take the blame.
She didn't expect that Caiyu would be saved by the doctor and stop Song Yinghuai in time.
Even more unexpectedly, Caiyu didn't take the opportunity to get rid of Xiangye when she was down but instead traced back to her...
After Huaping confessed, her whole body trembled violently. Tears streamed down her face and splashed on the ground continuously. Snot ran down, and she reached out to tug at Caiyu's skirt.
"Sister Caiyu, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me..."
"I'll never dare again..."
Caiyu rolled the corner of her quilt towards the inside of the couch and looked at her dirty face with disgust. "Why are you begging me? We are all the prince's slaves. If you've done something wrong, just beg the prince. I'm just as low - born as you. It doesn't matter who harms whom. It just depends on whether the prince is fair or not!"
Song Yinghuai, who was suddenly mentioned, gave Caiyu a strange look.
He always felt that this girl had something else hidden in her words, a resentful emotion.
But what did the emotion of a little slave matter to him?
Song Yinghuai glanced away indifferently, with a calm expression and no extra emotion. He motioned for Han Fen to drag her out.
"An attempted murder has occurred in the mansion. The evil deed is unforgivable. Drag Huaping out and beat her to death with sticks."
Huaping was terrified. She cried out, "My lord! Buddha forbids killing. Please spare this slave's life!"
Song Yinghuai's silent eyes were extremely cold. "Buddha only teaches people not to lose their true nature, but never teaches people to blindly tolerate evil deeds and let others harm them. With mercy in mind, good thoughts and just laws, eradicating evil deeds is also a kind of good deed."
Huaping was dragged out of the tent and pushed down. Outside the tent were all the people from the Yan Prince's Mansion, who were packing their luggage in twos and threes and preparing to return to the mansion.
Suddenly summoned to watch the execution, even Concubine Yao was alarmed.
Hearing that Song Yinghuai had ordered to beat to death in public the slave girl she had sent to the Lianyin Pavilion, Concubine Yao could hardly stand steadily.
This was already the second one to be executed!
For the last one, Song Yinghuai still gave her some face and let her dispose of the slave herself.
For this one, Song Yinghuai didn't even give her any face. He beat the slave to death right in front of her. He was simply merciless!
When Huaping's body was dragged away, the wind blew the maple leaves on the ground, instantly covering the blood she had shed completely, as if nothing had been left.
But the look in Huaping's wide - open eyes when she died miserably was deeply imprinted in everyone's hearts.
This time, not only did everyone have a new understanding of Song Yinghuai, the master, but some people with active minds and rich imaginations thought that Song Yinghuai was furious for a beauty this time. They even looked at Caiyu with new respect.
In late autumn, the wild geese in Yanjing had lined up in a row, flying across the distant sky, leaving their homeland and flying towards the warm southern country.
Inside the Lianyin Pavilion, under Caiyu's command, people were busy moving out all the chrysanthemums that had withered in autumn and the yellowing water lilies in the pond.
In their place were evergreen potted plants such as magnolias, camphor trees, hollies, and Chinese pines.
Liu Huashan ordered people to carry the potted trees and shuttle back and forth in the pavilion. He said with a smile, "The pavilion really needs Miss Caiyu. In previous years, when the chrysanthemums withered and the water lilies died... The prince didn't care, and we rough guys didn't know how to deal with it. As soon as autumn came, the pavilion was desolate and cold."
"Fortunately, Miss Caiyu came this year. The Lianyin Pavilion finally has some vitality this winter. Haha!"
A faint smile appeared on Caiyu's face. The sun shone on her porcelain - white skin. With half an inch of autumn sun and a yard full of red tomatoes, she blushed slightly and said,
"Brother Liu, you just like to tease me..."
Immediately, a burst of hearty laughter erupted in the Lianyin Pavilion.
Xiangye came over. "Sister Caiyu, Nanny Yu sent some ingredients. She said it was what you ordered to buy and sent them for you to take a look."
Since Caiyu saved Xiangye last time, this girl had regarded Caiyu as a sister and became her confidant.
Caiyu's eyes flickered slightly, and her heart skipped a beat. She calculated the days. Her younger brother should have written a letter again.
Nanny Yu led the people from the kitchen in one by one. She said with a smile, "Miss Caiyu is busy. This old woman went to buy the ingredients for the small kitchen according to your list and specially brought them for Miss Caiyu to take a look first to see if they are fresh."
Caiyu said politely, "Nanny Yu thinks too highly of me. This slave can't bear such respect. The things you bought yourself are all excellent. The prince always likes them. As for this slave, there's no need for me to take a look or not."
"Miss Caiyu is too modest. Who doesn't know that Miss Caiyu is the favorite around the prince!" Nanny Yu responded politely.
She told the people from the kitchen to put the ingredients into the small kitchen one by one.
Caiyu ordered, "Xiangye, you go and watch in the small kitchen. I'll take Nanny Yu downstairs to get the reward money."
Xiangye didn't suspect anything and happily followed to the dining hall.
Nanny Yu followed Caiyu into the inner hall. As soon as they entered, Caiyu couldn't wait to ask, "Nanny, where's the letter?"
Nanny Yu put away her smiling face and showed a cold expression. She snorted, "Letter? There's none!"
Caiyu was shocked. She grabbed Nanny Yu's arm, her knuckles digging in tightly. "Nanny, what's wrong with Fan'er!"
Nanny Yu shook off her hand, tightened her lips, and her old eyes sparkled. "He's fine for the time being, but the master said that if you make no progress, it's hard to say whether the young master will be okay or not!"
A cold sweat broke out on Caiyu's back. "We agreed on a year at the beginning. Now only two months have passed... The master should know how difficult it is to deal with the Prince of Yan. How can he treat us like this..."
"A year is too long." Nanny Yu said coldly, recalling the news from that side.
"The master has been blocked and defeated step by step by the Prince of Yan. He's very angry and has no patience to wait for another year." Nanny Yu paused. "I'll give you another three months. If the Prince of Yan doesn't break his abstinence, you'll never see your younger brother again in your life!"
When Nanny Yu left, she left a cold warning. "This time, the master said that there won't be any more letters from the young master. It's a small warning for you. Don't neglect his orders again!"
Caiyu slowly clenched her fists. When she walked out of the inner hall again, she looked a bit lost.
Three months, three months...
Her time was suddenly extremely tight.
How could she successfully complete the task?
Xiangye came over. "The ingredients sent by the kitchen today are really fresh. Sister Caiyu, what dishes shall we make in the small kitchen today?"
Caiyu was silent for a moment and said, "I'll cook today!"
Xiangye was a bit stunned. Usually, she was the one who directed and arranged things in the small kitchen.
But since Caiyu said so -
"Yes, Sister Caiyu." Xiangye was happy to be idle and went about her own business.
When Song Yinghuai came back from the meditation room, he was stunned by the brand - new scenery along the way.
The sparse shadows of the pines and cypresses, the newly - sunny magnolias, were lush and green.
The dry pond in autumn was flowing with water again, clearly reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.
It didn't seem like a desolate late autumn but rather gave a feeling of relaxation and joy.
He stepped into the dining hall and unexpectedly smelled an extremely tempting aroma.
Caiyu was busy with her back to him. Hearing the sound at the door, she turned her head, and her ear - pendants jingled.
"The prince is back. It's time for dinner!"
Today, she was extremely high - spirited. When she turned her head just now, her almond eyes were filled with a glimmer of water, bright as a spring flower and fair as an autumn moon. There was a breathtaking beauty between her eyebrows, and a hint of tenderness at the corner of her lips.
Song Yinghuai was in a daze for a moment. He thought she was like the snowflakes dancing in the cold winter.
Noble yet enchanting.