Chapter 194: Chapter 193: Identification
Du Yunluo lifted the curtain and entered, only to find chaos inside.
Two palace maids were kneeling on the ground, trembling continuously. Princess Yunhua’s eyes were slightly red, and the scent of alcohol was evident. She pointed at the two palace maids, shouting, "Appease my anger?"
Princess Nanyan raised her hand to press her brow, quickly walked to the table, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to Princess Yunhua. She turned her head and looked at Qing Yan and Lu Chun, saying, "Hurry and leave."
Seeing Princess Nanyan resolve the situation, Qing Yan snapped back to her senses, clambered to her feet, and dragged the dazed Lu Chun up.
Lu Chun reached out to pick up the copper basin, but just as her fingers touched it, a cup of hot tea was directly poured onto her hand, startling her into a scream as she quickly withdrew.
Princess Yunhua threw the tea and casually tossed the cup onto the table, coldly looking at Princess Nanyan, saying, "Nanyan, now you’re part of Prince Rui Mansion, so you have no say here."
Princess Nanyan lightly bit her lip and said nothing. If she spoke again, it would only add fuel to the fire.
Princess Yunhua snorted, walked around to Lu Chun, and regardless of the wet ground, crouched down, grasping Lu Chun’s jaw forcefully with her fingers, smiling, "Now, tell me why you couldn’t hold the basin steady?"
Lu Chun’s face was ashen, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Princess Yunhua’s grip was strong, forcing Lu Chun to meet her gaze. The princess’s emotionless, deep eyes made Lu Chun’s heart race. If this continued, would her jaw be crushed by the princess...
Even if it wasn’t crushed, the princess would likely whip her with a whip...
Lu Chun caught sight of the whip hanging on the rack. If that thing struck her...
Unable to control herself, Lu Chun trembled violently, tears welling up, stammering, "It-it was Zhu Qian."
"What do you mean?" Princess Yunhua pursued.
Lu Chun was so terrified she couldn’t string a sentence together.
Someone called from outside the tent, and Princess Yunhua abruptly released Lu Chun, turning to sit back on the couch.
A eunuch in his forties entered. Seeing the situation inside, he kept a calm face, lowered his head respectfully, and bowed, as if he hadn’t noticed anything "unusual" here.
This was a polished individual; Du Yunluo knew just by observing his demeanor.
"Were you the one watching the stables today? Speak up, where did you sneak off to?" Princess Yunhua, without even looking at the eunuch, asked with her eyes closed.
The eunuch replied respectfully, "Reporting to the Princess, I was indeed watching over the stables today. Originally, there were two other people; the horses were all taken by the lords, leaving only a few, so it was just me. I didn’t dare slack off, it was only..."
"Only what?" Princess Yunhua smirked disdainfully.
"Princess, when nature calls..." The eunuch lowered his voice. Although it was a reasonable excuse, he feared offending the nobility by mentioning it to the princess, so he quickly skipped it, saying, "When I returned, I saw a palace maid passing by the stables in a hurry, acting strangely. I asked her once, she said she dropped an earring and was looking for it. I wanted to help her find it, but she said if she couldn’t find it, it wasn’t a big deal, her master couldn’t be left alone, and she left in a hurry. I didn’t think much of it at the time, until the Princess sent for inquiries, then I remembered this incident."
After listening, Princess Yunhua slowly opened her eyes and asked, "A palace maid? Do you recognize her?"
The eunuch shook his head, "I’m just a stable keeper; I don’t recognize the ladies around the nobles."
Princess Yunhua rubbed her temple, casting a sidelong glance at Princess Nanyan and Du Yunluo.
Princess Nanyan kept her head down, not seeing the princess’s actions.
Seeing this, Du Yunluo took over the conversation, asking, "What about her attire? Her appearance?"
"Well, Miss, with my status, how could I stare at the ladies’ faces? I just remember she wore a pink bijin, and her voice was a bit sharp.... Oh, right, she mentioned losing an earring. So, I dared to take a glance at her ear; she wore a plum blossom, a jade plum blossom."
With those words, Lu Chun and Qing Yan both gasped.
The eunuch couldn’t describe jewelry, but they immediately knew who it was. The white jade plum blossom earrings, those were Zhu Qian’s favorites.
Princess Yunhua looked at the two palace maids and asked, "You know?"
Qing Yan pursed her lips. Lu Chun had been terrified by the princess earlier, and the name Zhu Qian had already slipped out. Now, she simply confessed, "It’s Zhu Qian. Zhu Qian has such a pair."
Princess Yunhua instructed, "Nanyan, take him to identify her."
Nanyan acknowledged, leading the eunuch out.
Princess Yunhua waved her hand, "Yunluo, I drank and feel dizzy, you handle the rest."
Though she said to handle it, if Du Yunluo truly turned a blind eye, Princess Yunhua would certainly be displeased. So she asked Lu Chun, "Did you just mention Zhu Qian?"
Lu Chun bowed deeply, her voice trembling, "Yes."
After that single affirmation, without any response from Du Yunluo, Lu Chun understood Du Yunluo was waiting for her to continue. Steeling herself, she said, "This morning, I met Zhu Qian by the river, she was washing hands in a hurry, I smelled some alcohol on her."
"Your nose works quite well." Du Yunluo said coolly.
Lu Chun shrank her neck and continued, "Zhu Qian was resentful about the County Princess marrying the Princely Heir, saying the County Princess betrayed the Princess’s trust, disregarding the Princess."
As Lu Chun spoke, she watched Princess Yunhua’s expression. Seeing the Princess was unconcerned, she slightly relaxed.
Du Yunluo observed this, knowing Lu Chun’s explanation was skimming the truth. The real reason was as Suiyu said: after Nanyan married, the Princess became difficult to serve, and the attendants were cautious, inevitably blaming Nanyan.
The tent fell silent until Princess Nanyan returned with Zhu Qian, breaking the calm.
Zhu Qian had bright eyes, like a panic-stricken deer. She glanced at Lu Chun, but Lu Chun lowered her head.
The curtain was suddenly lifted, and Mu Lianhui entered, glanced around, and smiled, "Oh, you found the person?"
Zhu Qian stepped forward a few steps, kneeling beside Qing Yan.
Princess Nanyan said, "Princess, the eunuch said the person he saw was Zhu Qian."
Princess Yunhua opened her eyes. Without any sharp objects within reach, she picked up a piece of mung bean cake from the dish and threw it at Zhu Qian’s face.
Zhu Qian didn’t dare to dodge. Fortunately, it was just a pastry, and no matter how hard the princess threw it, it didn’t hurt.
Du Yunluo asked, "Explain yourself, where did you get the alcohol? How did you act?"
Zhu Qian looked bewildered, shaking her head, "I don’t understand what you mean, Miss. I did go to the stables, but it was because I lost an earring and went to find it; I only encountered that eunuch, nothing else; I’m unaware of any other matters."
Mu Lianhui supported her chin, laughing softly, "Without evidence, you wouldn’t admit even if asked, would you?"
Zhu Qian grew even more frantic, her face turning pale, "I truly know nothing."
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