PFC Chapter 281 Song Yue'e
Chapter 281 Song Yue'e
Xiao Yi said that he had found some clues about that Lady Song.
"The Lady Song that the Princess Consort met lives near the Princess Consort's estate. She comes to the capital regularly every month. We found out that she was coming this month. The Lady Song that the Princess Consort saw in the carriage that day was Lady Song."
What is she doing in the capital?
Xiao Yi said, "She has a small house in the capital. She occasionally comes to stay for a few days. There is only one maidservant and one old woman who does laundry in the house. That's all."
"Did you go inside that small house to investigate?"
"Your Highness, we went inside and found it to be an ordinary courtyard with nothing special about it. We also checked the rooms and found only some furniture besides the beds. We didn't find anything unusual."
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingwan's delicate brows furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Jingchen asked.
“These days I keep thinking about Lady Song and Consort Yu. They look so alike, and they’re even in the capital. It’s unbelievable. Judging by her age, could she be Consort Yu’s mother’s sister?”
"Consort Yu's mother had no sisters. Her mother was brought back from outside by the head of the Yu family. She passed away after giving birth to Consort Yu. The head of the Yu family then took this girl under the care of the matriarch, and she became the legitimate daughter," Xiao Jingchen explained. He had a clear understanding of the identities of these people, so he was able to answer Gu Qingwan's question.
"The matriarch of the Yu family is actually willing to let a child born to a woman brought back from outside take her place as the legitimate daughter?" Gu Qingwan thought that such a matriarch was really too magnanimous.
"I heard that after that woman came to the Yu family, she served by the side of the mistress. Originally, she was there to repay the life-saving grace of the head of the Yu family. Over time, the two got along very well. In addition, the mistress of the Yu family had been pregnant before, but she did not survive and could not have any more children. So she treated Consort Yu as her own daughter."
Gu Qingwan pondered for a moment and said, "Every large family has such things, but I still have a vague feeling that something is amiss. Your Highness, how about we go for a stroll around that mansion tonight?"
Xiao Jingchen raised an eyebrow at Gu Qingwan's suggestion. Visiting someone else's house was as casual as going shopping, but as long as it was something Wanwan liked to do, he was willing to accompany her.
"Let's go take a look around then."
Xiao Yi felt ashamed. When did the prince become like this? But he couldn't say anything. Since his master had given the order, they, as his subordinates, still needed to make thorough preparations.
As evening fell, Song Niangzi's residence was quiet and deserted. Occasionally, a young maid would open the door, pour a basin of water outside, and then go inside muttering something to herself.
Gu Qingwan and Xiao Jingchen led Xiao Yi and Siqi over the wall into the courtyard. They followed Xiao Yi into Song Niangzi's bedroom. Although there were no lights on, the moonlight outside was enough to illuminate the path.
Siqi quickly began inspecting the room, and Gu Qingwan was not idle either; she wandered around and stopped at a wardrobe.
"Master, we haven't found anything. It's just an ordinary family's house. Could it be that you're mistaken?"
Gu Qingwan stared at the wardrobe, while Xiao Jingchen looked at it thoughtfully.
"Siqi, open this wardrobe."
When the wardrobe was opened, there were only two pieces of clothing inside, one red and one green, and nothing else.
"Don't you think it's a little strange?" Gu Qingwan said.
She stepped forward and tapped around the wardrobe, then started feeling around. At the top northwest corner of the wardrobe, she felt a small bump and tried pressing it down.
A secret passage immediately appeared beneath the wardrobe.
"Master, there's a secret passage here!" Siqi whispered. She stood at the entrance of the passage and listened carefully. Finding no sound, she said, "Master, there seems to be no one here."
"Siqi, you and Xiaoyi stay at the door. I'll go down and check with you."
"Master, why don't we both go down? It's too dangerous here," Xiao Yi said with some concern.
"It's alright, you two just keep watch." Xiao Jingchen didn't want to spoil Gu Qingwan's mood, and felt that it was just a secret passage, so she could go and take a look if she wanted to.
Just as they were about to go down, Gu Qingwan grabbed Xiao Jingchen's hand and said, "It was my oversight. Xiao Yi, you and Siqi go and take a look. Remember to be careful and don't alert them. If anything seems amiss, don't be curious. Just come out quickly."
"Don't worry, Master." After saying that, Xiao Yi and Si Qi went inside.
Gu Qingwan and Xiao Jingchen sat at the table waiting for news from the two of them.
"Didn't you want to go? Why aren't you going now?" Xiao Jingchen touched her warm little hand and held it in his palm.
"I'm afraid there might be a trap inside, and I don't want to put you in danger."
Seeing Gu Qingwan's obedient appearance, Xiao Jingchen chuckled softly and said, "If you can rescue me from a place like Xishan, what place can't you go? With the Princess Consort here, I am naturally very safe."
Gu Qingwan knew Xiao Jingchen was teasing her, so she pinched his palm: "Say it again, or I'll beat you up."
Xiao Jingchen looked at her annoyed expression and chuckled softly.
Suddenly, the two of them stopped. Gu Qingwan quickly got up and walked to the wardrobe. She touched the button, and the tunnel door closed. She closed the wardrobe door, and then a warm hand grabbed her waist. She jumped up and hid on the roof beam.
The door was opened from the outside, and a young maidservant came in carrying an oil lamp. She looked around and muttered, "I really don't know why Madam insists on having someone come to check on her room at night. It's empty, what's there to see?"
The little girl stared at the wardrobe for a while, sighed, turned around, closed the door, and left.
Xiao Jingchen and Gu Qingwan exchanged a glance and were about to jump down when they heard the little maid from before speaking in the courtyard.
"Madam, why have you returned at this hour?"
"I have something urgent."
Then came the sound of footsteps coming this way, getting closer and closer.
Are the rooms checked every day?
"Don't worry, Madam. I come to check on time every day. I just checked again just now, and it was the same as usual."
"As usual, go and prepare."
"Yes."
The conversation outside stopped, and a moment later, Lady Song came in. She first went to the dressing table, glanced at herself in the bronze mirror, did some quick dressing, and then hurriedly went to the wardrobe, took down a green dress hanging inside, leaving only a red one.
Then they opened the secret passage and went inside.
Gu Qingwan's heart tightened. Siqi and Xiaoyi were still inside. If they encountered them... Madam Song didn't seem to know martial arts. Siqi and the others should be able to handle her, but it would only alert them.
Xiao Jingchen knew that the people around him were worried about the two people inside. He held her hand and said, "Trust Xiao Yi and Si Qi. They are very smart."
Gu Qingwan nodded. "That's all we can do now. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's go outside and wait."
The two waited outside until late at night, but no one came out. Xiao Jingchen was worried that the cold night would make her catch a cold, so he ordered the guards to stay and meet Xiao Yi and Si Qi, while he forcefully took Gu Qingwan away and returned to the palace.
Gu Qingwan didn't sleep well all night. Although she knew there were guards waiting outside the house, she was still a little worried when the two of them didn't return.
Xiao Jingchen pulled her into his arms on the bed and said in a muffled voice, "Wanwan, I'm getting a little jealous. You care too much about your maid."
"Your Highness," Gu Qingwan said helplessly, "What kind of time is this to say such things? The two of them haven't returned yet, so of course I'm a little worried. Aren't you worried, Your Highness?"
"What are you worried about? Both of them are skilled in martial arts, and there are people outside to help them. If anything happens, someone will definitely come to report it. Even in the most critical situation, they can't possibly be completely without any chance of resistance."
Seeing that Gu Qingwan was still frowning, Xiao Jingchen sighed and said, "If they still haven't returned by dawn, how about we go look for them ourselves, like digging three feet into the ground?"
Gu Qingwan glanced at Xiao Jingchen for a while. This man was always able to remain calm and composed. Perhaps she should be more confident in her subordinates like Xiao Jingchen was.
Thinking of this, she gathered her long hair and snuggled back into his arms, closing her eyes to rest and trying to banish the bad thoughts from her mind, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter how much she tossed and turned.
"Wanwan, if you keep fidgeting like this, I suggest we do something else to distract you."
"Huh? What?" Gu Qingwan was a little confused, not knowing what Xiao Jingchen meant, but the hot, hard thing pressing against her from behind made her understand immediately.
"What are you saying! Go to sleep!"
The next day, just as dawn broke, Baoqin knocked on the door. Gu Qingwan was a light sleeper, and she woke up as soon as Baoqin knocked.
"what happened?"
"Your Highness, Siqi and the others have returned," Baoqin whispered from the doorway.
Gu Qingwan was about to say something when she heard a deep, husky voice behind her: "Tell them to go and get some rest, and come back when it's light."
"Yes."
Xiao Jingchen pulled her into his arms, straightened the blankets, and said, "You don't need to worry now that you're back. If it were something important, she wouldn't be telling you this. She's just telling you so you won't worry. Get some sleep."
Gu Qingwan thought about it and agreed. If there really was any unexpected event, Siqi and Xiaoyi would come directly, and Baoqin would also rush to knock on the door, instead of being so cautious just to tell her.
Once she understood, Gu Qingwan felt relieved. She snuggled into Xiao Jingchen's arms, found a comfortable spot, and fell asleep while inhaling the familiar scent.
Siqi and Xiaoyi arrived together after the two had finished washing up and having breakfast.
"Siqi, what happened inside yesterday? Why are you so late coming back?"
Upon hearing Gu Qingwan's question, Siqi and Xiaoyi's expressions turned somewhat unusual, showing embarrassment and awkwardness.
Seeing that neither of them was speaking, Gu Qingwan felt even more puzzled. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Finally, the two of them finished recounting what had happened, one after the other.
The two of them entered the secret passage at first, and after walking for a while, they found that there was no sound or presence inside, so Xiao Yi carefully lit the tinderbox.
The secret passage was very long, but surprisingly clean, which meant it must be regularly cleaned by someone.
The two of them kept their breathing as low as possible and groped their way forward, one in front of the other. Finally, they saw light and there seemed to be a room ahead. They looked through the crack in the door and saw that there was no one inside.
The two waited a while longer, and once they were sure no one was inside, they went in. They looked around and found that it really was a bedroom, complete with a bed, table, clothes rack, and a screen.
But what was inside made both of them blush.
The screen was painted with vivid and erotic pictures, and there were various bedroom utensils around it, as well as some women's undergarments hanging on the clothes rack. The surrounding decorations were all red, which was really embarrassing to see.