Chapter 60 The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

Shen Tubai, leading a crowd in an aggressive manner, surrounded the Ganquan Palace.

Upon seeing her, Lu Yuanshuang felt a slight pang of guilt, but this was immediately replaced by indignation. "What do you want? This is the Ganquan Palace! We are both imperial concubines of equal rank, how dare you do anything to me?"

"Is there anything I wouldn't dare?" Shen Tubai, gently cradling her already visibly pregnant belly, sat down on a chair brought over by Chunchan.

"Speaking of which, the scores between us should have been settled long ago. That bowl of contraceptive medicine back at the prince's residence—you clearly did it to frame me for illicit affairs, hoping the Crown Prince would beat me to death."

When Shen Tubai spoke of these matters now, it was as if she were recounting the affairs of a stranger, yet Lu Yuanshuang did not believe she would truly let the matter pass so lightly.

Shen Tubai blew lightly on the tea in her hands. "The Prince already issued a punishment for that matter back then. Even though I felt resentment in my heart, I have never targeted you because of it all these years. But you—of all things, you should never, ever have touched my A-ning."

The moment the last syllable fell from Shen Tubai's lips, two burly eunuchs instantly stepped out from behind her and forced Lu Yuanshuang to her knees.

Shen Tubai closed in with a deep, stern voice, "Speak! What do you know about this recent incident?"

"Let go of me, you lowly slaves!" Even with disaster looming, Lu Yuanshuang still refused to believe Shen Tubai would actually do anything to her. "Don't you dare try to frame me; this incident has nothing to do with me."

Shen Tubai said nothing further, merely giving Chunchan a meaningful glance.

An old wet nurse holding a strip of white silk emerged from behind Shen Tubai and slowly approached Lu Yuanshuang.

Panicking, Lu Yuanshuang struggled backward. "You wouldn't dare! I am a concubine personally bestowed by the Empress Dowager, my name is recorded on the royal jade tablets."

"Even if I have committed faults, it should be up to the Empress Dowager to decide my fate. Shen Tubai! You lowly slave, how dare you dispose of me in private?" Lu Yuanshuang raised her eyes in a frenzy.

Shen Tubai shook her head helplessly. "After all these years, you still haven't grown at all. No wonder His Majesty never liked you; if I were His Majesty, I certainly would never let you become the Crown Princess."

Ever since the Empress Dowager ascended to her high position, almost all of her maternal family members had married into the Li lineage, leaving her alone as a concubine. This had long since become a thorn in Lu Yuanshuang's heart.

And right now, Shen Tubai was seizing that very thorn, twisting it back and forth within her chest.

Shen Tubai leaned in close to her. "This is the third year of Wude. There has long since been no Empress Dowager in this world. Sitting upon the high platform is the Sage, the Son of Heaven."

"If you refuse to speak, I will assume today's events were entirely your own doing. I will not allow anyone in this world to harm her."

With those words, Shen Tubai turned and walked away, while the wet nurse's white silk wrapped around Lu Yuanshuang's neck.

"Lowly slave! Let go! You cannot touch me! If you kill me, my aunt will not let you—Shen Tubai, you wouldn't dare, you don't—"

The wet nurse slowly tightened her grip, and Lu Yuanshuang's face turned crimson.

"I'll talk, ugh—I'll talk!" Lu Yuanshuang struggled desperately, buying herself a chance to speak as she finally realized that Shen Tubai was truly going to kill her.

Shen Tubai raised a hand to signal the wet nurse to halt.

Coughing heavily, Lu Yuanshuang wheezed, "Someone did indeed inform me beforehand, asking me to help place a certain item inside the sachet made by the Crown Princess, but back then I only thought it was willow catkin."

"That person said that children of three or four years old would mostly break out in a red rash upon encountering willow catkin, which would not be obvious at first but would develop into asthma over time. I only wanted to use this to cause strife between you and the Crown Princess; I never intended to take the commandery princess's life. After all, she is also the cousin's child."

Shen Tubai remained noncommittal regarding her words. "Who was the person that asked for your help?"

"The person who placed the infant's bodice into the sachet wanted the entire Eastern Palace to perish together. Even if the smallpox did not spread, with you injured in your daughter and both the Crown Princess and myself suspected by the Prince, there is only one person in this world who could hate us to such an extent, isn't there?"

Lu Yuanshuang purposely spoke in riddles, but Shen Tubai insisted on making her spell it out clearly. "I have never offended anyone, nor do I know of anyone in this world who could hate me so deeply."

Believing her, Lu Yuanshuang laughed wildly. "The Crown Princess, the future mother of the country—that position of being above everyone else except one, is something I sought but could not obtain, while others had it and lost it."

"If there is anyone in this world who wishes even more than I do not to see a daughter of the Pei family ascend to the Eastern Palace, it can only be Cui Xiwen." Lu Yuanshuang stated with absolute certainty.

"I don't believe it." Shen Tubai immediately retorted. "Who doesn't know that Cui Xiwen originates from the Cui clan of Qinghe? Before her marriage, she was the epitome of a noble maiden, renowned for her dignity and virtue. How could she ever commit such a heinous act?"

"Besides, she has already fallen into humble registry now; how could she possibly manipulate someone to tamper with a sachet personally embroidered by the Crown Princess?"

Shen Tubai said with bitter resentment, "Lu Yuanshuang, now that disaster is at hand, you still want to drag others down with you. Why didn't I realize before that you are such a coward who refuses to own up to her deeds!"

"Everything I'm saying is true! You've all been deceived by that woman Cui Xiwen!" Lu Yuanshuang became instantly agitated.

"What model of a noble family? That's merely a signboard crafted by the prominent clans to deceive the masses. Cui Xiwen acts with utmost caution; although I left no evidence behind, you need only investigate—there are bound to be former servants who used to serve in the Cui household residing within the Crown Princess's courtyard."

Confirming that no further useful information could be extracted from her lips, Shen Tubai stood up and addressed the doorway, "Did Your Highness hear everything just now?"

Li Tinghan walked out from the doorway with a dark expression.

Lu Yuanshuang's countenance shifted drastically in an instant. "Shen Tubai! You wretch! You set a trap for me!"

She then scrambled on her knees forward to reach Li Tinghan's side. "Cousin, it's not like that, listen to my explanation! I was merely momentarily possessed by a devil, I never meant to harm the commandery princess's life."

"I am so close to her; if anything were to happen to her, I would most likely die as well. Cousin, believe me!" Lu Yuanshuang wept bitterly as she hugged Li Tinghan's legs.

Yet Li Tinghan's gaze remained fixed solely upon Shen Tubai.

Before he could speak, Shen Tubai took the initiative. "His Highness has heard everything said just now. I have no authority to question either Lady Lu or Miss Cui, but I trust that Your Highness will give A-ning an explanation, is that correct?"

Li Tinghan's gaze slowly drifted downward, coming to rest upon her abdomen. "We haven't seen each other in a month, and aside from this, do you have nothing else to say to me?"

"His Highness and I have plenty of days ahead of us; naturally, there will be time to discuss other matters, but the suffering A-ning endured today must be accounted for." Shen Tubai's tone was calm yet utterly unyielding.

Li Tinghan looked at her. "Do you also believe this matter was done by Niang?"

"Does the Prince not believe so?" Shen Tubai's chest heaved as she looked at him in disbelief.

"Niang is merely a woman of humble status now. Even if this matter was truly executed by former servants of the Cui family, why would those servants obey her commands?"

Shen Tubai wrenched her hand free and sneered, "Since the Prince already has the answer in his heart, why bother asking me at all?"