Song Yihuan leaned against the carriage wall. Her clear and innocent deer-like eyes were now filled with coldness.
Bai Zhi had framed her for stealing jewelry. It was obvious that her eldest sister didn't want her to outshine in front of Ji Lingchuan, so she had pinned a false accusation on her.
If she insisted on investigating this matter thoroughly, to dispel Ji Lingchuan's doubts, her eldest sister would have to reluctantly sacrifice Bai Zhi.
Bai Zhi knew many of her eldest sister's secrets. Once her eldest sister learned that Bai Zhi had "betrayed" her, she would surely be extremely flustered. Then Song Yihuan would have a chance to find out what her eldest sister was hiding.
Therefore, on the way to the Duke Jiang's Mansion for the banquet, she discussed a plan with Fuling. After arriving at the Duke Jiang's Mansion, she, her eldest sister, and Ji Lingchuan would go to wish the old lady Jiang a happy birthday, while Fuling had to find a way to leave the Duke Jiang's Mansion and return to the Prince Ning's Mansion as soon as possible to complete the task she had assigned.
This was an extremely risky move, but if it succeeded, it could cut off one of her eldest sister's arms, and her life in the Prince Ning's Mansion would be much easier.
However, she couldn't let her eldest sister notice that all this was her scheme. So, she still needed to plan carefully how to bring up this matter again in front of Ji Lingchuan without leaving a trace.
After a while, the carriage finally arrived at the Prince Ning's Mansion.
When the carriage stopped steadily, Song Yihuan got out of the carriage with Fuling's support. Looking up, she saw Ji Lingchuan standing beside the carriage in front.
The man was facing her, but he didn't look at her. However, the imposing manner around him made it hard to ignore his presence.
Song Yihuan thought she would see the harmonious scene of Ji Lingchuan and her eldest sister outside the Duke Jiang's Mansion again, but unexpectedly, Ji Lingchuan had his hands behind his back and was looking at Song Nanxin getting off the carriage alone with a cold expression.
Before Song Yihuan could come to her senses, Ji Lingchuan looked in her direction.
Her heart skipped a beat. She lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze and walked forward with Fuling.
Just as Song Yihuan was thinking about how to bring up the matter before they left home, she heard Ji Lingchuan say:
"This morning when we were leaving, there was a dispute between the Crown Princess and Miss Song the Fourth because of the stolen jewelry. Although Miss Song the Fourth is the Crown Princess's younger sister, she is also a guest in the Prince Ning's Mansion. This matter concerns the reputation of the Prince Ning's Mansion. It should be thoroughly investigated both emotionally and rationally."
His tone was extremely cold, and his eyebrows seemed to be tinged with frost, making no one dare to show any disobedience.
"Let's move to Shulan Courtyard."
After saying that, he turned around and strode towards the Prince Ning's Mansion, leaving Song Yihuan, Song Nanxin and others behind with changed expressions.
Song Yihuan was surprised that she got the result she wanted without even mentioning it. Her mind raced. She looked at Song Nanxin beside her with a gloomy face, grabbed her sleeve and whispered:
"Sister, what should we do now? It was Nanny Zhao who sent the things there yesterday. The Crown Prince won't find out anything, will he?"
The birthday banquet at the Duke Jiang's Mansion today had really annoyed Song Nanxin. She felt that apart from showing off her skills in the flower poem game, she had hardly accomplished anything today.
She glared fiercely at Song Yihuan and gritted her teeth: "It's all because of your insistence on investigating! Just follow him and wait and see what happens."
In the Yixiang Pavilion of Shulan Courtyard, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Ji Lingchuan sat on the chair with a solemn face. Song Nanxin stood beside him, tightly clutching the handkerchief in her hands. Her knuckles turned white from the force.
Song Yihuan stood in front of Ji Lingchuan on the side. She naturally folded her hands in front of her and lowered her eyes to look at the carpet in the room. Her expression was calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with her, but in fact, she was secretly concerned about the situation on the field.
In front of Ji Lingchuan, there was now a row of servants kneeling, including Bai Zhi, Fuling, and Nanny Zhao. All of them were kneeling here.
Fuxing bowed to Ji Lingchuan and said, "Your Highness, all the registered servants in Shulan Courtyard have arrived."
Ji Lingchuan opened his eyes and looked at the servants kneeling in front of him. His sitting posture seemed quite casual, but the majestic aura on him made everyone in the room tremble with fear.
"I've called you all here today to find out one thing."
Nanny Zhao didn't know what had happened. Hearing Ji Lingchuan's words, she unconsciously trembled.
Ji Lingchuan's sharp eyes glanced at her indifferently and continued:
"Bai Zhi said that things often go missing from the Crown Princess's room. She suspects that it was done by Miss Song the Fourth from your Marquis Mansion. Since something has gone missing from Shulan Courtyard, it's necessary to search. Today, I'll find out the truth here to avoid wronging the innocent and letting the thief go. Otherwise, it may cause a bigger stir and lead to more serious consequences."
Looking up at Song Yihuan, Ji Lingchuan's expression softened a little and said, "Of course, I'll also send someone to search Miss Song the Fourth's courtyard. It's just a routine search. There's no need to be nervous."
Song Yihuan met his gaze, was stunned for a moment, and then unconsciously shifted her gaze and replied, "Yes, Brother-in-law."
Ji Lingchuan looked at Nanny Zhao, and his voice became cold again: "Let's start the search from Nanny Zhao's room."
Nanny Zhao's body trembled slightly. She lowered her body even more and didn't dare to have any doubts about this.
To ease the atmosphere in the room and her inner panic, Song Nanxin smiled at Ji Lingchuan and said, "Your Highness, it's hot now. Let me make you some tea to moisten your throat."
Ji Lingchuan originally wanted to say no, but when his eyes met Song Yihuan's and he noticed that she was secretly massaging her leg, he agreed.
"Okay."
Song Nanxin secretly let out a sigh of relief. She turned around to look for the tea set to make tea for Ji Lingchuan. Seeing Song Yihuan standing there facing Ji Lingchuan, she called out, "Yihuan, come and help me."
Song Yihuan turned around and walked over to help Song Nanxin arrange the tea set and light the fire to make tea.
Song Nanxin was really good at making tea, which showed that she had learned the art of tea ceremony well in the Imperial College. But what surprised Ji Lingchuan was that Song Yihuan's tea-making skills were also very proficient. When assisting Song Nanxin, her movements of making tea were smooth and beautiful.
Ji Lingchuan's gaze stayed on Song Yihuan for a moment and then quietly shifted away.
After a while, the fragrance of tea filled the entire Yixiang Pavilion. Song Nanxin also said, "Your Highness, the tea is ready."
Ji Lingchuan got up and walked to the tea table to sit down. Song Yihuan helped Song Nanxin bring the tea to him. A faint fragrance of apricot blossoms flashed by his nose. Watching her put down the teacup and quickly step back to stand aside, Ji Lingchuan lowered his eyes and said indifferently:
"Miss Song the Fourth is a guest in the Prince Ning's Mansion. It's impolite to let a guest serve the host. Sit down and have tea together."
His words were still said without any emotion, as if Song Yihuan was just a special guest to him. This made Song Nanxin feel very comfortable on the surface. She smiled and said, "Yes, Yihuan. Don't be nervous. Your brother-in-law won't eat you. Sit down too."
Knowing that Ji Lingchuan was the most solemn and polite, Song Yihuan didn't think much and just sat down beside the tea table.
After sitting down, she gently pounded her legs with her fist and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Noticing her small movement, Ji Lingchuan covered the faint warmth hidden in his eyes with the action of drinking tea.
The fragrance of tea was lingering in the room. The atmosphere gradually relaxed, and half of the tea in the pot had been drunk.
At this time, the servants sent by Ji Lingchuan to search came back.
"Your Highness, your subordinate has found something!"