Although Tinglan Courtyard didn't belong to Shulan Courtyard, there was a small path leading directly to the rear of Shulan Courtyard and right to the side room of Yixiang Pavilion. This was exactly the path Song Yihuan was walking on at the moment.
However, every time she walked on this path, it was in the dead of night, and every time she came to Yixiang Pavilion, it was to serve the prince in bed. Could it be that her elder sister wanted her to serve Ji Lingchuan in broad daylight?
This thought made Song Yihuan's heart skip a beat. She quietly clenched the sleeve of her robe and bit her lower lip.
Before passing through the secret door of Shulan Courtyard, seeing Yixiang Pavilion right in front of her, Song Yihuan stopped. She tentatively asked, "Miss Baishao, why did you bring me here? Usually, I enter through the main gate of Shulan Courtyard."
"Baishao" turned around, put her finger to her lips, and whispered, "Fourth Miss Song, you must be more careful from now on. The prince is in Shulan Courtyard at the moment. You don't want the prince to discover your whereabouts, do you?"
Song Yihuan was shocked.
This maid named Baishao knew so much, which meant she had completely submitted to her elder sister and become her loyal servant.
Calming herself down, Song Yihuan pretended to be puzzled and said, "What do you mean, Miss Baishao? I don't understand."
"Baishao" laughed and gently stroked Song Yihuan's face with her finger. "Fourth Miss Song, why are you pretending to be stupid with me? Do you think that without Baizhi, you don't have to do things for the princess anymore? I advise Fourth Miss Song to be obedient. It will be good for the princess, for you, and for Fifth Young Master Song."
When that finger brushed across her face, Song Yihuan got goosebumps all over. Hearing the maid's words, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her limbs turning cold.
Baishao had just mentioned Baizhi. Could it be that her elder sister knew that Baizhi was killed by her scheme?
No, her elder sister should not know. That day, both she and Fuling were ostensibly in the Duke Jiang's Mansion. And the secret path that Fuling took from the Duke Jiang's Mansion to the Prince Ning's Mansion was known only to her. No one should be able to guess that it was Fuling's doing.
Baishao was bluffing her.
Song Yihuan quickly realized this.
Having come this far, she had no way back. She wanted to see what her elder sister was up to this time and what kind of a powerful character this Baishao was.
A look of fear appeared on Song Yihuan's face. She took a step back and whispered, "But after all, I don't look exactly like my elder sister. If I pretend to be her and see the prince in broad daylight, I will surely be recognized, won't I?"
Baishao saw the fear on her face and softened her voice. "Don't be afraid, Fourth Miss Song. I didn't bring you here for serving the prince in bed. The princess has her own plans. As long as Fourth Miss Song is obedient, the princess will always remember your kindness."
A look of hesitation appeared on Song Yihuan's face. She nodded reluctantly and followed Baishao into the side room.
As soon as she entered the room, Song Yihuan saw Song Nanxin sitting inside, looking extremely anxious.
"Sister..." Song Yihuan was about to say something when Song Nanxin stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.
"Yihuan, you're finally here. Quick, sit down."
Pushed down on the chair by Song Nanxin, Song Yihuan looked completely confused. "What do you mean, sister?"
"Yihuan, listen. The princess has invited a royal physician to examine my pulse. You know that if the royal physician detects that I can't conceive, then the matter of you serving the prince for me some time ago will be exposed. Do you think the princess will spare you and Xuan'er then?"
So this was the reason why her elder sister had sent Baishao to bring her here.
Her elder sister wanted to use her body to deceive the royal physician and fool Ji Lingchuan and the Princess of Prince Ning.
No one knew better than her the consequences if the matter was exposed. Once Xuan'er found out about this, he would surely suffer a recurrence of his heart disease. And the Princess of Prince Ning would never let go of a "seductress" like her who had brought disgrace to the Prince Ning's Mansion and Ji Lingchuan.
Especially after the Princess of Prince Ning had specifically warned her.
But Song Yihuan wasn't particularly angry because she had already guessed that this day would come.
The reason why the Princess of Prince Ning had invited the royal physician to the mansion was probably because she had heard the rumor that her elder sister had fallen into the water.
And her elder sister's reaction completely confirmed her suspicion -
There must be a deeper secret behind her elder sister's inability to conceive, a secret that was enough to pull her elder sister down from the position of the Princess of the Prince Ning, and even implicate the Marquis Ding'an's Mansion.
The birthday banquet at the Duke Jiang's Mansion had made Song Yihuan fully understand that to her elder sister, she was just a tool for bearing children. Her elder sister would never give her any respect or preferential treatment.
But her elder sister had forgotten that, in fact, the one who was most afraid of being discovered was not her, but her elder sister.
She could use this to her advantage and manipulate her elder sister to get what she wanted, such as - freedom.
Having thought this through, Song Yihuan showed no sign of it on her face. She held Song Nanxin's hand and said, "I understand, sister. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. But in broad daylight, if I just pretend to be you and let the royal physician examine my pulse, won't I be found out?"
Seeing that Song Yihuan had agreed and seemed to be concerned about her, Song Nanxin finally felt relieved.
"Don't worry. I have my own way to deal with it."
After saying that, Song Nanxin winked at the person waiting quietly on the side. The next moment, a shadow fell over Song Yihuan. Her chin was pinched, and when she looked up, she saw Baishao's ordinary-looking face.
A sense of unease welled up in Song Yihuan's heart. She asked, "What do you want to do to me?"
Baishao squinted and smiled. "Don't be nervous, Fourth Miss Song. I won't hurt you, let alone disfigure your beautiful face. Just be patient and wait."
After saying that, she picked up several small porcelain bottles and started to fiddle with Song Yihuan's face.
A cool liquid landed on her face and was then spread out by Baishao's finger. The finger wiped back and forth on her face. Song Yihuan didn't know what was being applied, but she felt as if she was wearing a mask.
After about the time it took to burn an incense stick, Baishao finally stopped and looked at her in amazement.
Song Yihuan's heart skipped a beat. She turned around and looked at the copper mirror behind her -
The reflection in the mirror was no longer her. Her eyes, her nose, her face had all turned into her elder sister's in such a short time!
"It's so realistic. It's as if you were carved from the same mold," Baishao exclaimed from behind.
"Princess, look. Doesn't Fourth Miss Song look like your twin sister?"