Hearing that the rumor involved the offspring of the Prince Ning's Mansion, the Princess of Prince Ning's eyes instantly turned sharp.
"What rumor? Tell me."
"Your servant accidentally heard the little maids in the mansion talking about the Crown Princess today. They said that the Crown Princess fell into the water during Princess Xiuling's birthday banquet some time ago. At that time, the Crown Princess was having her monthly period. The servants are all saying that the reason why the Crown Princess has served the Crown Prince for so long but still hasn't conceived is because she hurt her body when she fell into the water."
There was a loud "bang" in the Pine and Crane Hall. It was the Princess of Prince Ning who angrily swept the teapot on the table to the ground.
"Where did this rumor come from?" the Princess of Prince Ning roared. "Have you investigated it clearly?!"
Nanny Hu quickly said, "I heard that it came from the mouth of the maid who died during the caning. Maybe she knew she was going to die, so she revealed this secret. And I don't know who heard it, and then it spread among the servants. Your servant has investigated, but I can't find out the source of the rumor."
The Princess of Prince Ning's face became very ugly. She recalled all the things that had happened in the past two months. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this rumor was not unfounded.
The Crown Princess didn't look very well some time ago. There was always a bit of tiredness between her eyebrows. It was only when she went to the Duke Jiang's Mansion for a banquet that she regained some of her luster. And she clearly remembered that when the Crown Princess first married into the Prince Ning's Mansion, her face was radiant.
Twirling the Buddhist beads in her hand, the Princess of Prince Ning frowned, her face solemn.
After a while, she looked up at Nanny Hu and said, "Early tomorrow morning, you take my waist token and go to the palace. Invite Imperial Physician Zhong here."
Nanny Hu straightened her face and replied, "Yes, Princess."
In the side room of the Yixiang Pavilion in the Shulan Courtyard, a person was lying asleep in a chair. She was wearing the costume of the Qionglan Troupe, but judging from her appearance, she was Baishao, the maid beside Song Nanxin.
There was another figure sitting beside her. That person was wearing a maid's clothing and had her hair coiled up in a maid's bun. In the reflecting bronze mirror, Cui Ying'er's gorgeous face slowly changed into another appearance as she moved her hands. She looked almost exactly the same as Baishao beside her.
After a while, Cui Ying'er's face completely became "Baishao". Then she turned around and began to apply something on Baishao's face with the tools in her hand. In a short while, Baishao's face became "Cui Ying'er".
After doing all this, Cui Ying'er proudly looked at her masterpiece, a curve forming on her lips.
Getting up and walking through the secret passage of the Yixiang Pavilion, Cui Ying'er came to Song Nanxin's bedroom. She lifted the beaded curtain and walked out. Bowing to Song Nanxin who was sitting outside, she said,
"Baishao pays respects to the Crown Princess."
Song Nanxin looked at the person in front of her in surprise, excitement hidden in her eyes. "It's so alike! It's almost exactly the same!"
She got up and walked in front of Cui Ying'er, walking around her a few times. "The disguise technique of Stage Pillar Cui is really superb. Even I, her mistress, can't tell the difference."
"It's a pity that this disguise can only last for six hours. Every six hours, the makeup has to be redone. It's really not easy to stay by the Crown Princess's side smoothly."
Cui Ying'er pretended to sigh in distress.
Song Nanxin fell forward and was smoothly caught in Cui Ying'er's arms. She wrapped her arms around Cui Ying'er's waist and said with a smile, "Six hours is enough! With Stage Pillar Cui's disguise technique, we don't have to worry about the Crown Prince noticing when I serve him anymore!"
"Stage Pillar Cui, you have to help me. Only if I keep being the Crown Princess of Prince Ning can I keep supporting you to be the number one actress in the capital city and let you enjoy all the glory and wealth."
Cui Ying'er gently stroked her face and whispered in her ear, "Naturally. The Crown Princess is my life. I won't let anything happen to you."
The two hugged and walked inside. The swaying beaded curtain covered their tightly embraced figures.
Song Nanxin's face fell into the shadow, hiding the cruelty in her eyes.
I'm afraid no one in the Prince Ning's Mansion can guess now that Bai Zhi's death and the Princess of Prince Ning's act of bestowing maids on the Shulan Courtyard were all part of the calculations of Cui Ying'er and her.
Yes, Bai Zhi was indeed wronged. It was she who asked Nanny Zhao to put that bag of silver pieces there while they were at the Duke Jiang's Mansion for a banquet.
But she didn't expect that Bai Zhi actually had evil intentions and had secretly stolen many of her jewelry!
Seeing that box of jewelry, Song Nanxin was even more determined to get rid of Bai Zhi.
Getting rid of Bai Zhi was, of course, to let Cui Ying'er enter the Prince Ning's Mansion smoothly and stay by her side as her helper.
Song Yihuan didn't look like her after all. It wasn't a long - term solution to let Song Yihuan serve the Crown Prince in the dark. But if Cui Ying'er was by her side, it would be different.
Let Song Yihuan disguise as her. Even if the lamp was lit at night, it was estimated that Ji Lingchuan wouldn't notice.
And she could be the Crown Princess of Prince Ning safely.
When night fell, many servants in the Prince Ning's Mansion saw an actor from the Qionglan Troupe supporting a staggering person leaving through the side door. A short while later, the news that Stage Pillar Cui of the Qionglan Troupe was drunk in the Shulan Courtyard spread under Song Nanxin's design.
The commotion outside had no impact on Song Yihuan. She copied books until late at night again this night.
In just two days, she had already copied three copies of Notes from Yangshan. They were neatly stacked on the table, looking pleasing to the eye.
Putting down the pen in her hand, she got up and twisted her stiff neck and shoulders. She opened the door and planned to go to the yard to stretch her body and then go back to the room to rest.
At this hour, Song Yixuan was already asleep under Chunxing's care. Song Yihuan didn't need Fuling to serve her, so there was only Song Yihuan in the yard.
She stood in the yard, looked up at the starry sky above her head, and let out a soft breath.
Although life was very difficult now, fortunately, she had finally found the trace of Mr. Lingji.
Mr. Lingji once told her that all the sufferings in the world would come to an end one day. As long as she didn't lose hope in her heart, things would turn for the better.
"Meow~~" Suddenly, there was a sound so faint that it was almost inaudible in her ear.
Song Yihuan was stunned for a moment and held her breath to recognize it carefully.
"Meow~" The meowing sound rang out again. This time it was a bit louder, allowing Song Yihuan to hear it clearly.
She looked in the direction where the sound came from, but there was only the shrub gently swaying in the night wind in front of her.
The meowing sound rang out again. Song Yihuan walked over there carefully. She pushed aside the lush shrub leaves and saw a pair of shining eyes in the dark.
"Meow", the cat hiding under the tree let out a loud meow at her.