The three young ladies and Zhao Yirou all looked at Consort Jin. Consort Jin nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Since Ji Wushang had asked them to sit down together, she had nothing to worry about.
After the group sat down together, Consort Jin smiled and said, "I saw that the Fourth Princess Consort had returned to the palace, and I knew that the flowers in this garden were in full bloom, so I invited the Fourth Princess Consort to come and admire them." As she spoke, she looked at the blooming flowers in the courtyard.
Ji Wushang nodded. He knew that the flowers in midsummer were blooming well, which was indeed an excuse. However, he still needed to find out what the real purpose was.
Nan Xianxian poured Ji Wushang a cup of tea. "Fourth Princess Consort, you probably don't know, but the Princess Consort's mother has been resting at Lanruo Garden during her pregnancy. Would the Fourth Princess Consort like to go and see her?"
"Well, why don't we go take a look together? That would be better." So they're using Leng Ruolan as a pretext to shift all the blame onto me? If something happens to me, it won't be them who decides, but Emperor Zhou who will handle it!
What a bunch of fearless bastards!
Consort Jin was overjoyed. "Great! Let's go see Princess Leng together!" This position of princess is definitely hers!
A smile crept onto Zhao Yirou's lips. This morning, she had secretly seen Nan Xuzong leave the manor, and his tall, handsome figure had captivated her! She had to find a way to make Ji Wushang leave Nan Xuzong forever!
When Ji Wushang and his entourage arrived at Lanruo Garden, the maids there immediately split into two groups. One group went out to greet them, while the other hurried inside to inform Leng Ruolan.
Upon hearing this, Leng Ruolan looked somewhat panicked. If they all joined forces against her, how could she possibly survive?
So he thought he should tell them, but before he could even receive them, they had already arrived in the outer room.
Consort Jin wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by! Her venomous eyes were already fixed on Ji Wushang. "We can't see anything from here, let's go in," Consort Jin suggested as she stepped forward.
Ji Wushang nodded, "I used silver needles to help stabilize the fetus before, has it improved now?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Consort Jin immediately replied. "The doctors were astonished and full of praise for the Fourth Princess's medical skills!"
"Those were just things I learned occasionally. Let's go inside!" Ji Wushang sneered inwardly. Was this time they going to use dirty tricks on him?
Princess Leng was anxious. "Quickly, go and invite Prince Jinnan here. Tell him the baby has moved and I miss him!"
The maidservant on the side quickly agreed and then hurried out through the back door.
Ji Wushang and Consort Jin went inside. Ji Wushang stepped forward and said, "Your Highness."
In terms of relationships, Ji Wushang was the Princess Consort of the Zong Prince, and also the Fourth Imperial Consort, making her the Emperor's daughter-in-law, which was much better than Leng Ruolan's title of Princess Consort of Jinnan. Therefore, when he stepped forward, he merely offered a low greeting, as a sign of respect and understanding for her pregnancy.
Consort Jin stepped forward and bowed to Princess Leng, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."
"The Fourth Princess Consort is so thoughtful, please have a seat." Princess Leng was helped up by the nanny and sat on the kang. "Quickly serve tea to the Fourth Princess Consort."
Meanwhile, Consort Jin was still in a curtsy posture, which the Princess Leng did not notice at all. She smiled and started talking to Ji Wushang, "I heard from the maids and nannies that it was the Fourth Princess who saved my life with acupuncture. I am truly grateful to the Fourth Princess!"
“The Prince of Jinnan’s residence is a blessed and fortunate place. Princess Leng is blessed with good fortune and will surely live a long and healthy life.” Ji Wushang smiled. “When the child is a month old, I think the Prince will be even happier.”
"Yes." Hearing Ji Wushang's words, Princess Leng felt a little warmth in her heart. At this moment, her gaze shifted to Consort Jin, who was looking at her with a vicious gaze. The moment their eyes met, Consort Jin quickly turned her head away guiltily.
"Consort Jin, please rise! I'm getting old, and I almost forgot you were here!" Princess Leng smiled and said to Ji Wushang in a half-joking manner.
Ji Wushang sneered inwardly. She was deliberately targeting Consort Jin; did the people present not understand? However, their entanglements and hatred had nothing to do with her. Of course, she would only fuel their hatred!
Back then, the two of them always joined forces and supported each other to deal with Aunt Zhao, which made it difficult for Aunt Zhao to defeat them. But now that Aunt Zhao is gone, only the two of them are left, so naturally they have to compete to see who is better!
Consort Jin bowed again, suppressing the resentment in her heart. She thought it was just a show of force, and she would definitely repay her with a great gift in the future!
Princess Leng sneered inwardly, but her face remained gentle as she pointed to a seat and said, "Consort Jin, please sit there!"
Consort Jin looked displeased; the stool over there was icy cold! It was early summer; at the very least, there should have been a cushion on it! Yet she was being forced to sit there? Besides, it was so far from where they were talking—wasn't this blatant exclusion? And she had come in with Ji Wushang! They had said they came to visit her, and this was how she treated her!
I'm not convinced!
Consort Jin's face twitched slightly, and she gritted her teeth as she replied, "Yes!" She then sat down on the stool a little further away.
Princess Leng smiled at Ji Wushang. Consort Jin wanted to kill her, but she was determined to crush her to death! She wanted to show Ji Wushang her skills, otherwise, Ji Wushang might not take her seriously!
If she wanted to be pragmatic now, she needed to choose a better backer! The child in her womb was the best guarantee, but what if the child wasn't a boy, but a girl... Princess Leng's thoughts drifted away, and she knew she would have to resort to some means at the appropriate time!
Consort Jin looked at Princess Leng and thought about going forward. She had brought some gifts for Leng Ruolan, and she couldn't leave them undelivered!
"Your Highness, I brought you some gifts to help you recover. Someone, quickly bring these gifts to me." Consort Jin said, stepping forward. "These are thousand-year-old ginseng that I had someone bring from Qingzhao. You can make tea with them; they're good for your health." As she spoke, a maid immediately presented a small box.
Princess Leng glanced at it out of the corner of her eye and smiled, "I heard that the Fourth Princess is in poor health. Why not send this ginseng from Qingzhao to the Fourth Princess?" She looked at Ji Wushang, "As for sending it to me, I don't think it's necessary. The Prince dotes on me and has had the servants make a lot of tonic soups and medicines. I'm currently suffering from internal heat, so it's not advisable for me to take ginseng."
Consort Jin's face darkened as she listened. She had only intended to curry favor with her first, to show her kindness in front of everyone and gain some goodwill. When she finally got ruthless and took down Princess Leng, no one would suspect her!
Ji Wushang smiled and said, "This is Consort Jin's good intention for the Princess. How could I, Wushang, bear to take away what someone else loves? That would probably make people think that I am so ill-mannered."
"That's true, hehe!" Princess Leng chuckled twice. "Then thank you for the ginseng, Consort Jin. Someone, bring out the pear blossom gold hairpin from my room. I'll do you a favor today and give it to Consort Jin."
The maidservant immediately brought out a brocade box from the room, opened it, and placed it in front of Princess Leng. Consort Jin's face was full of smiles. "How can this be? How can you give me such a precious pear blossom gold hairpin?"
“We’re sisters, no need to be so polite.” Princess Leng smiled, but her eyes held a hint of ruthlessness, and the corners of her mouth turned up. “Send it to Consort Jin.”
Ji Wushang smiled and said, "The sisterly affection between the Princess and the Consort truly moves me!"
"That's true. After all, my sister and I have served the Prince for a long time, and we've always been very good to each other." Consort Jin smiled and had someone accept the pear blossom gold hairpin. This pear blossom gold hairpin was a fine piece, very beautiful! It was truly rare that this woman would be willing to give it to her!
"That's right, that's right." Princess Leng smiled and turned her head. "Quickly, bring the snacks up."
"Yes." The maidservant immediately brought over the snacks.
"Consort Jin, come sit here with me and try some of the pastries made by the new chef. The Prince is so kind to me that he had someone go to Jiangnan to invite a famous chef to make some nourishing pastries for me." Princess Leng said this intentionally or unintentionally to provoke Consort Jin.
She wanted to tell Consort Jin that the Prince of Jinnan now favored Leng Ruolan! If anyone tried to steal the position of Princess Consort, she would tear them to pieces!
Consort Jin smiled, "The Prince really dotes on his sister!"
"It's probably because of the baby in my belly!" Princess Leng said, stroking her lower abdomen, which was about four months along and slightly protruding. Her face was filled with happiness as she touched it. "I think it's definitely a boy. You don't know, he kicks me really hard at night! So naughty!" Princess Leng said with a smile.
Ji Wushang gave a forced smile. Her provocation of Consort Jin might just drive her to desperate measures! However, she was quite looking forward to it!
Consort Jin's face subtly reflected the dark, calculating expression of a courtier. Just then, a maid brought in some refreshments, and a fierce glint flashed in Consort Jin's eyes.
Princess Leng hadn't noticed this yet; she only knew that she needed to provoke Consort Jin and indirectly suppress Ji Wushang!
“I see everyone says they’re hungry and tired, how about we have some snacks?” Ji Wushang said in a questioning tone, his gaze falling on Consort Jin’s face, which was ashen, her hands clenched into fists under her sleeves.
Ji Wushang smiled slightly. If Consort Jin knew what she was doing, she would have realized that mentioning the desserts gave her an opportunity to deal with Princess Leng. All she had to do was be ruthless and target herself; framing Princess Leng would be just as easy. Ji Wushang smiled, "Come, Princess, Consort, please eat!"
According to Ji Wushang's deduction, Consort Jin must have hidden the medicine under her sleeve, ready to poison one of them at any time. This would serve as a double-edged sword, framing her.
Princess Leng looked at Ji Wushang with a forced smile, "Yes! Hurry up and eat. These are the ingredients that the Prince bestowed upon me. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been willing to take them out!" She said with a smile on her face.
Consort Jin suddenly looked up, a smile spreading across her face. "Okay, thank you for the pastries, Your Highness!" she said, picking up a pastry and putting it in her mouth.
"It's delicious." Consort Jin smiled, her sleeve casually brushing against the pastries.
Ji Wushang's lips curled up; the show was about to begin.
Princess Leng smiled and said to the maid beside her, "Quickly, bring me the century-old Qiong wine, and let the Fourth Princess and the concubines taste it." She was determined to make sure they didn't leave alive! Let them go to see the King of Hell!
Just then, Ji Wushang picked up a pastry, but at that moment, Consort Jin cried out, "Ah, it hurts, it hurts!" She pointed at Princess Leng and said, "You, you actually poisoned me!" Her face turned black as she spoke!
Princess Leng was shocked. "No, what's going on!" She had only provoked them a little; she hadn't ordered anyone to poison them! Besides, this was her own Lanruo Garden. If she had poisoned them, wouldn't she have been asking for trouble?
Ji Wushang was shocked. Consort Jin was no ordinary ruthless person; she was actually willing to use such a severe poison. However, he would help her fulfill her last wish! Whether she died from the poison or not, he would send her to the Western Paradise!
Ji Wushang's face was full of surprise. He immediately stepped forward, "Consort Jin! Someone, come quickly!" He immediately checked her pulse, "It's true, she's been poisoned! Your Highness... you!" He then looked at Princess Leng, whose face had already turned pale!
Just then, a voice came from outside, "What's wrong?"
Princess Leng was shocked! She had forgotten that she had sent someone to invite Prince Jinnan earlier! Now that he had witnessed this scene! She knew she could never clear her name, no matter how hard she tried!
Ji Wushang sneered inwardly. Everyone, no matter what they've done, should bear the ultimate responsibility! Who told her to provoke Consort Jin so badly? However, he would make her suffer!
The Prince of Jinnan had just entered and saw Princess Leng sitting there with a deathly pale face, staring blankly at Ji Wushang and Consort Jin. Consort Jin's face was completely black, while Ji Wushang seemed to be earnestly trying to save her!
"Rui Rui! Rui Rui!" Prince Jin Nan immediately stepped forward, "Quickly, someone come quick!"
Ji Wushang looked at Prince Jinnan and said, "Father, don't worry too much, the concubine will be fine." They couldn't let her die so quickly; they should torture her slowly! Besides, if she died, how could they accuse the Cold Princess of poisoning her? They needed a witness! If they made a definitive claim, the Cold Princess would be hard-pressed to escape punishment! Then, when they had brought down the Cold Princess, the concubine, Jin, would suddenly die, adding another charge against the Cold Princess!
Just think, this Prince Jin's mansion is really lively! At least I won't be too bored living here!
The Prince of Jin was relieved to hear this, knowing Ji Wushang's medical skills; if he said he wouldn't die, he wouldn't die!
The doctor arrived quickly and immediately began treating Consort Jin. Ji Wushang, after having his men help Consort Jin vomit out the poison, rushed to Prince Jinnan and Princess Leng's side.
At this moment, Princess Leng had not recovered from the shock. After listening to the reports from the maids and nannies, Prince Jinnan learned the whole story and interrogated several servants, but they all claimed to know nothing.
The Prince of Jinnan dismissed all the servants, leaving only the Princess Leng and Ji Wushang.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Prince Jinnan asked, looking at the pastries on the table. "Ruolan, I have treated you very well. Are you really taking this for granted? Do you intend to slaughter them all?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Leng immediately tried to kneel down, but Prince Jinnan, mindful of the child in her womb, helped her up and prevented her from doing so. She then burst into tears, saying, "Your Highness, I didn't do such a thing! I really don't know why this happened! You know what happened; I was just thinking of having some snacks with them. How could I have known that something like this would happen!"
Ji Wushang didn't speak, but instead used a silver needle to prick each of the pastries on the table to test them, then looked up and said, "Most of these pastries are poisonous."
Her meaning was clear: since these pastries were for Princess Leng and the two of them, some of them were poisoned and some were not, which fits the reason why Consort Jin was poisoned.
The Prince of Jinnan listened with an icy expression. Fortunately, the Fourth Princess Consort had not been poisoned. If Ji Wushang had been poisoned, Nan Xuzong would probably have torn down the entire Prince of Jinnan's mansion!
He looked coldly at the Princess Consort, "Don't you really need to explain yourself? In this Lanruo Garden, in the entire Prince's Mansion, you are the Princess Consort, and you have the most say!"
"Your Highness, I really didn't do such a thing!" Leng Ruolan cried, tears streaming down her face. "I know this is my place, so I would never dare to poison them! If something happened, how could I take responsibility? Besides, I'm carrying Your Highness's child, so I'm more worried about my own health than their lives!" Leng Ruolan was sobbing uncontrollably.
Ji Wushang looked at them calmly and said, "Father, Princess Consort, I'll take my leave now." She still addressed the Prince of Jinnan as "Father" because she was following Nan Xuzong's instructions and maintaining a respectful distance. With that, Ji Wushang turned and left. He, the Prince of Jinnan, would definitely give Consort Jin a result regarding these matters. As long as Consort Jin lived, she would continue to make a scene; otherwise, how could she get back what she had paid?
Prince Jinnan sighed, "If it wasn't you who did it, could it have been them? Think about it, if it was the Fourth Imperial Concubine, why would she have saved Consort Jin? She saved your life and my life before; these are acts of kindness. How could she possibly poison me?"
"Your Highness, you can know a person's face but not their heart! I... I don't know who it is, but I just didn't do such a thing!" Leng Ruolan said while crying, "If you don't believe me, I... I'd rather die!" As she spoke, she was about to smash her head against the wall!
☆、249 I'll drag you down with me even if I die a horrible death! (Brilliant!)
"Ah, what are you doing!" Prince Jinnan immediately grabbed her. "You're pregnant! How could you be so impulsive!" he said, pulling her back.
At this moment, Leng Ruolan immediately buried her face in Prince Jinnan's body and cried, "Your Highness, please help me! I really didn't have anyone poison me! If it wasn't the Fourth Princess Consort, then, then it's very likely that Jin Ruirui did it herself!" In order to absolve herself of responsibility, Leng Ruolan did not hesitate to make all sorts of assumptions.
However, upon hearing Leng Ruolan's words, the Prince of Jinnan felt a tremor run through his body. If Jin Ruirui really did this herself, how ruthless must she be! But... such a possibility could not be ruled out. After all, the struggles in the inner court were extremely fierce! Back when it was still the Marquis's mansion, he turned a blind eye to their turmoil, not even flinching at the daily deaths. But now, it concerned the lifeline of the royal family and his own succession to the throne, so he had no choice but to take it seriously.
If given a choice, he would still choose Leng Ruolan, solely because she carried an unborn life within her—his last hope. He knew that if he didn't have a hereditary son, his Jinan Prince's Mansion would revert to the imperial court after his death, and all the women would be sent back to the countryside! The Jinan Prince's Mansion would cease to exist!
The Prince of Jinnan's eyes darkened, and he stood up. "You should take good care of yourself during your pregnancy. I believe you. However, we still need to investigate who poisoned you. Let's talk about it after Rui Rui wakes up!" With that, the Prince of Jinnan walked out.
Watching the departing figure of the Prince of Jinnan, Leng Ruolan's eyes welled up with tears again. "I told the truth!" After a long while, Leng Ruolan finally regained her composure and composure. She thought for a moment, and realized that Jin Ruirui had clearly declared her intention to fight! Since Jin Ruirui was now poisoned, she might as well stage a scene that sent her to hell! After all, Jin Ruirui was already half-dead from the poison! Leng Ruolan's eyes flashed with cold light. "Guards!"
After leaving Lanruo Garden, Ji Wushang immediately went to Jin Ruirui's Jinbi Garden. He was determined to make the performance convincing! All the servants witnessed Ji Wushang's actions and praised him highly.
They all had the same thought in their hearts: if the power of the Prince's Mansion could be returned to Ji Wushang's hands, then the Prince's Mansion would surely prosper even more!
Ji Wushang knew that the Prince of Jinnan would definitely follow him, so he lingered for a while longer.
When the Prince of Jinnan entered, he saw Ji Wushang carefully instructing the servants to take good care of Jin Ruirui, which further dispelled his suspicion that she had poisoned Jin Ruirui.
When Ji Wushang saw the Prince of Jinnan enter, he stepped forward and said, "Father, don't worry, the concubine is fine now."