Chapter 5
When I woke the next morning, before I could even dress or wash, Jinxin stood beside my bed gesturing excitedly. “My lady, guess what? Concubine Lin miscarried!”
Gritting her teeth, she continued, “That wretched Lin woman is shameless. She swore that the hibiscus pastries sent from our courtyard upset her stomach. When His Lordship returned and heard what happened, he flew into a rage and wanted to come question you. I insisted again and again that I never left Ci’an Courtyard last night. The old madam also testified that I stayed by your side the entire time without taking a single step away. Only then did His Lordship take Qiuyue, the maid who delivered the pastries, away for questioning.”
As I listened, pure satisfaction filled me.
Lin Manrou had cost me my child in my previous life. Now it was her turn. I wondered whether she was suffering as bitterly as I had.
Jinxin looked at me eagerly. “My lady, do you think Qiuyue will expose Young Mistress Xu? If His Lordship learns what she did, will he drive her out of the estate?”
She earnestly imagined the future. “Concubine Lin has lost her child, and Young Mistress Xu will be expelled. Once those two temptresses are gone from His Lordship’s side, perhaps he’ll devote himself to living a good life with you.”
She was so naive.
Zhao Shizhai had taken Qiuyue away not to discover who caused Lin Manrou’s miscarriage, but to stop her from exposing Xu Xiangyao.
He truly loved Xu Xiangyao—so much that even after she killed his child, he was still willing to clean up her mess.
When Jinxin saw me lost in thought, she could not help asking, “My lady, why did Young Mistress Xu insist on having Qiuyue deliver hibiscus pastries to Henglan Courtyard?”
“Because she is greedy,” I said.
All Xu Xiangyao’s schemes against Lin Manrou and me in my previous life had revealed a woman with a devious mind and ravenous desires. Every move she made was meant to capture two or three pieces at once.
She had long hated the child in Lin Manrou’s belly and wanted it gone. Unfortunately, once Xu Xiangyao received the authority tallies, Lin Manrou became extremely wary of her, leaving her no opportunity to act.
On New Year’s Eve, however, the estate’s servants were less vigilant. Lin Manrou would relax her guard too.
So Xu Xiangyao decided to seize that opportunity to dispose of Lin Manrou’s child.
But she did not want to target only the child in Lin Manrou’s womb. She wanted to strike at me as well. She had no intention of surrendering control of the household now that it was in her hands, so Lin Manrou’s miscarriage had to be blamed on me.
If I made a grave mistake, Xu Xiangyao could continue controlling the tallies and managing the household.
When Lin Manrou claimed she was unwell and refused to attend the banquet, I had already asked Nanny Li, my mother-in-law’s attendant, to send a small portion of every dish to Henglan Courtyard.
That left Xu Xiangyao no choice but to tamper with the hibiscus pastries freshly made in the kitchen.
She sent a maid to fetch Jinxin with a false report of trouble in Zhuming Courtyard because she meant to lay the blame on Jinxin.
Everyone in the Marquis of Annan’s household knew that Jinxin was my trusted confidante. If Jinxin were implicated, the guilt would fall squarely on me.
By rights, when Jinxin refused to leave with the maid, Xu Xiangyao should have abandoned her attempt to involve Zhuming Courtyard.
But she was too greedy. Afraid she would never have another opportunity so perfect, she gritted her teeth and used Qiuyue anyway.
“Young Mistress Xu is frighteningly calculating,” Jinxin said with a click of her tongue. “And with His Lordship protecting her like this, is there nothing we can do?”
“Help me dress. We are going to Ci’an Courtyard,” I said.