Chapter 176 Heart of Wolf and Lungs of Dog
Lin Mengya stubbornly pursed her lips, refusing to speak a word.
So enraged was Concubine De that she almost smashed the teacup in her hands if Princess Lingnan did not s.n.a.t.c.h the teacup from her in time.
“Please calm down, Your Highness. Princess Yu is after all still young. Just teach her a lesson if she’s made a mistake, lest your health is affected. It was just too bad Hui’er had to suffer.”
Princess Lingnan might sound as if she was trying to console Concubine De, but in fact, she was obviously trying to stir up Concubine De’s emotions.
True enough, Concubine De got angrier.
She pointed a trembling finger at Lin Mengya in turning rage.
“Get down on your knees!”
Concubine De bellowed with rage and the people around broke out in cold sweat in fear for Princess Yu.
Lin Mengya got down on her knees reluctantly but still refused to admit that it was her mistake.
“How did I use to teach you? How are you going to manage the entire Prince Yu’s Mansion if you are so narrow-minded?”
Concubine De seemed to be truly upset with Lin Mengya, so much so that she started rebuking and blaming Lin Mengya in plain sight.
Tears were welling up in Lin Mengya’s eyes.
However, she bit her lips in adamancy, refusing to open her mouth.
On the other hand, a completely drenched Shangguan Hui, whose lips had turned purple from the cold, was sobbing away.
“It’s all my fault, Miss Shangguan, for failing in our family discipline and causing such trouble. Rest a.s.sured that I will engage the best imperial physician to have a look at you.”
As Concubine De gave Shangguan Hui an apologetic look, a sudden sense of doubt arose in her heart.
Ya’er was never an impulsive person. Concubine De felt there was something strange going on between the two of them.
“Many thanks to Your Highness. Hui’er, Hui’er appreciated your kindness and love. Aunt, Aunt, let’s take our leave.”
Shangguan Hui had just been rescued out of the water and her once magnificent dress was now clinging to her body.
Her pinned-up hair was in a mess and there was a look of shock in her eyes. She was curled up into a ball, looking like a totally different person from when she first came.
“Look at what you’ve done! I’m too embarra.s.sed to stay on. I’ll deal with you when we return to the mansion.”
Concubine De seemed to have reached the limit of her patience towards Lin Mengya.
At this moment, the eunuch in charge of ceremony coincidentally arrived with an imperial edict.
“The auspicious hour had arrived, will all the honorable guests be seated?”
The eunuch standing outside as well as those spectators left one by one.
Lin Mengya continued kneeling there stubbornly. She had been utterly shamed today.
As the onlookers left one by one, and Shangguan Hui left, being led by Princess Lingnan, Lin Mengya was the only left in the side palace hall.
“Master, please get up quickly, the floor is so cold.”
Baisu, who was hiding at one corner ran up to her master and helped her up.
She simultaneously stuffed a small piece of paper into Lin Mengya’s hand.
“Miss w.a.n.g’s maidservant secretly pa.s.sed this note to me,” whispered Baisu into Lin Mengya’s ear.
That night, Lin Mengya brought Miss w.a.n.g to take a peek at her mother, who was in a dire state.
At the sight of her mother, the usually brazen and sa.s.sy Miss w.a.n.g had broken down in tears.
When the news of her mother’s demise was first disseminated, her father, w.a.n.g Hanlin immediately thought to marry her off.
If not for her insisting to observe the period of mourning for her mother, she would have fallen in the snare of her father.
Lin Mengya unfolded the piece of paper. As she read the neat handwriting on the note, a smile appeared on her face.
“So this was what happened. I thought the Crown Prince was capable of more profound schemes.”
She tossed the paper onto the candle flame and soon, it burnt into ashes.
Lin Mengya straightened her clothes and said, “Let’s go. It’s time for us to show ourselves.”
In the Chun’en Hall where the banquet was going on, there were many wealthy and n.o.ble guests. The Crown Prince and the Queen was naturally the focus of attention.
Lin Mengya had become a well-known character at the banquet, all thanks to Shangguan Hui’s incident.
Unfortunately, there was something else in the way the people there were looking at her.
“Please forgive me for arriving late, Your Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen.”
The dried-up tears on her face made Lin Mengya look even more pitiful.
Despite the Crown Prince hating Lin Mengya to the bone, a part of him wanted to have this beautiful woman all to himself.
A hesitant look flashed across the Crown Prince’s eyes and vice Princess Dugu happened to catch sight of that look.
How dare the Crown Prince was still having second thoughts about that woman. Lin Mengya was truly her arch enemy.
“It’s alright; it’s just a family banquet. Please take your seat.”
Although Lin Mengya kept going against the Queen, the look the Queen gave Lin Mengya was exactly the same as before.
To the Queen, Lin Mengya was merely a small fry.
The Crown Prince might have lost to Lin Mengya, but it was all because of a moment of negligence.
“Thank you, Your Highness, the Queen.”
Concubine De was apparently still very mad, and Lin Mengya was looking glum while she sat at her seat.
The surrounding people knew better than to probe further.
The atmosphere of the banquet was a little tense and awkward. After Lin Mengya downed two shots of wine, she used the tipsy feeling as an excuse to leave early, helped by some maids.
Lin Mengya and her maidservant kept a low profile as they left so that no one was alarmed.
The moment they stepped out of gates of Chun’en Hall, Lin Mengya snapped out of her pretense of being tidily.
The master and her maidservant headed towards the side chamber to the right of Chun’en Hall.
The side chamber was not especially s.p.a.cious, but it had been kept clean.
Chairs were neatly arranged in a few rows and this was meant to be a temporary resting place for the guests.
“Master, what does Miss w.a.n.g want to meet you for?”
Baisu scanned the chamber cautiously. This was after all still part of the palace.
Moreover, Qinghu and Night would not be able to enter the palace so easily.
Although this meeting with Miss w.a.n.g had been prearranged, she could not help but feel wary.
“I suppose she wanted to discuss with us what she should do when her father confronts Prince Yu. However, seeing how upset she was last night when she saw Madame w.a.n.g, it’s forgivable if she forgot our plan for today.”
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya was unfazed. She believed that Miss w.a.n.g must have received some new information since she was the one who initiated the meeting with Lin Mengya.
As expected, someone carrying a lantern arrived in a while.
The door of the side chamber was pushed opened and a girl dressed in a red dress, carrying a lantern, entered the chamber.
“Sorry for the long wait, Your Highness, Princess Yu.”
The lady resembled Madame w.a.n.g but was much younger.
“No worries. Why did you want to meet me?”
For a moment, Miss w.a.n.g looked awkward and embarra.s.sed, but she eventually let out a sigh.
“I totally did not expect my father to be so shameless and despicable. I would not have stayed on in that house if not because my mother’s life was in danger and her condition unpredictable.”
Before she could finish what she wanted to say, Miss w.a.n.g broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.
Seeing the miserable state of Miss w.a.n.g, Baisu’s heart softened.
“Oh? Is Lord w.a.n.g devising more plans?” asked Lin Mengya, sounding concerned.
In response, Miss w.a.n.g took a few steps towards Lin Mengya as she continued sobbing into her hands and covering her face.
“My father said if you don’t die, I’ll have to marry a lowly slave,” Miss w.a.n.g’s voice turned vicious as she said the last statement.
The wretched girl a moment ago had abruptly turned ferocious.
All of a sudden, she drew out a shining dagger and thrust it at an unsuspecting Lin Mengya.
“Watch out, Master!”
The light reflected from the blade of the dagger pierced Baisu’s eyes. Miss w.a.n.g’s attack was too fast and unexpected.
Even if Baisu reacted with a kick on Miss w.a.n.g, it would not help much.
A patch of red started spreading from Lin Mengya’s hand.
No one would have thought that at this critical moment, Lin Mengya could be so calm as to hold on to Miss w.a.n.g’s dagger with her bare hands.
“Are you alright, Master?”
Baisu’s heart was in her mouth. She was terrified that Lin Mengya was hurt.
“I’m alright. There’s just a cut on my hand.”
Nevertheless, even the pain from a small cut affects the entire body. As Lin Mengya held on to the blade of the dagger, it had cut deeply into her fingers, even to the bones.
Lin Mengya let go of her hand dispa.s.sionately.
Instantly, blood started oozing out of her hand. Even the dagger which fell onto the floor was covered in blood.
“Baisu, will you seal up my acupuncture point?”
Baisu immediately nodded and jabbed her finger at the acupuncture point on Lin Mengya’s arm to seal it.
Her hand, dripping blood, was a hideous sight.
However, the more horrifying thing was her unchanging expression.
It was as if she was the person who was hurt.
“Why would you do that?”
Baisu gave Miss w.a.n.g such a forceful kick that she was unable to get up from the corner of the wall. She lay there, staring at the lady with fear in her eyes.
“I, I, I don’t want to marry that lowly slave! You, Princess Yu, being the daughter of a family of army commanders, would never understand the sufferings I’m going through!”
As Miss w.a.n.g spoke, blood started flowing out from the corner of her mouth.
Her internal organs were probably injured by Baisu’s kick.
However, Lin Mengya did not feel one bit sorry for her.
“Do you not care about your mother’s life and death just because you only think about yourself?”
Lin Mengya closed in on her, wearing a chilling expression. Together with a pair of blood-covered hands, she was like a ghost drawing closer and closer to Miss w.a.n.g.
“My mother… if my mother knows that her death would put away my shame and bring me glory, her death would be worth the while… Isn’t it reasonable for a mother to sacrifice herself for her child?”
She was apparently trying too hard to sound justified, when in fact, she had set her mind to sacrifice her mother’s life.
Lin Mengya felt a bitter disappointment towards Miss w.a.n.g.
There was a saying which went, “A tiger, though cruel, will not devour its cubs.” However, Miss w.a.n.g had shown herself to be a psychopath who, for her own interest, was ready to even sacrifice her own mother.
“Do we bring her back to the mansion for further interrogation, Master?”
How dare she bring harm upon her master! There was no way she would be forgiven.
Baisu was so tempted to kill this abhorrent woman with one blow.
“Kill her.”
A chilling voice sentenced Miss w.a.n.g to her fate.
Miss w.a.n.g, who had curled up at the corner of the wall, opened her eyes wide and cried out, “I’ve something to say! Someone is after your life!”
At the cry, Baisu’s hand stopped halfway through the air.
Lin Mengya shot Miss w.a.n.g a look and hesitated for a moment.
“Out with it! Who is after my life?”
“That person is none other than…” Seeing the chance to live, Miss w.a.n.g was ready to give the secret away when she suddenly she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Baisu did a somersault and returned to Lin Mengya’s side.
“You… what have you…”
Miss w.a.n.g stared at the lady standing in front of her with widened eyes which were filled with resentment and bitterness.
“Why should you, who don’t even spare your mother’s life, be given a chance to live?”