Chapter 203: Scheming
Chapter 203: Scheming
Che Lingzhi still felt uneasy about Aunt Xiang even as she approached.
She wanted to dissuade her, but then Qiu Zhi came over, holding an embroidery pattern. In a soft voice, she asked, "I've heard that Aunt Xiang is very skilled in embroidery. May I ask how to change the stitching here? I've been studying it for a long time, but no matter how I embroider it, it doesn't feel smooth. Please, Aunt Xiang, teach me."
Aunt Xiang glanced warily in Su Su's direction before lowering her head to examine the embroidery pattern in Qiu Zhi's hand.
Unlike Che Nainiang, who relied on her favored status and seemed intent on offending everyone in the mansion, Qiu Zhi approached with a more amicable attitude.
Out of consideration for her decent demeanor, Aunt Xiang didn't outright give her the cold shoulder.
After all, they would still have to interact going forward, and completely tearing apart their relationship wouldn't reflect well on either of them.
Moreover, it was just a matter of providing some guidance on embroidery.
Aunt Xiang thought to herself, "This should be fine, right?" With these thoughts in mind, Aunt Xiang lowered her head and, using Qiu Zhi's question as a starting point, carefully explained the stitching process. From time to time, she would even lift her head to glance in Su Su's direction.
Su Su felt a bit uncomfortable being pulled close by Che Lingzhi.
Fortunately, Che Lingzhi didn't insist and soon released her, leaving Su Su in her original spot. Che Lingzhi then pointed at the pond and said, "Look, that fish is especially long, isn't it?"
"And that one there—its tail has two colors."
...
Che Lingzhi began talking about the fish in the pond.
Su Su also quite liked watching these fish, so from time to time, she would respond.
From a distance, the two children seemed to be getting along quite well.
In the palace, Princess Qi brought the chicken soup from earlier that morning to the Empress Dowager's palace and had the court physician inspect it thoroughly.
Since there were no medicine residues, the diagnosis had to rely on the elderly physician's experience through smelling it.
The elderly physician sniffed for a long time before providing a probable prescription.
Among the ingredients in the prescription, there was one herb that caused Princess Qi and the Empress Dowager to fall silent after hearing its name.
That herb was red sage, which promoted blood flow and removed blood stasis, as well as relieved pain and regulated menstruation.
Because red sage could hinder conception, it was no stranger to either the Empress Dowager or Princess Qi.
It was precisely because of their familiarity with it that when they heard that red sage was included in the chicken soup delivered by Che Nainiang that morning, Princess Qi's feelings became complicated.
The Empress Dowager's expression turned even uglier as she said, "What is this? Relying on her favored status, she directly included her name when poisoning? How bold!"
Regarding Che Nainiang's blatant poisoning, Princess Qi held a different perspective.
After some thought, she said, "According to Che Nainiang, she regularly drinks this soup as well. It's a prescription sought by her family from an elderly physician and specifically prepared for her."
After these words, the Empress Dowager fell silent once more.
"So, what kind of family is this?" she thought to herself. "After marrying into the princely mansion, instead of thinking about helping their daughter conceive early and establish her position, they're trying to cut off her ability to bear children? I really can't understand this move," the Empress Dowager mused.
For a concubine in a princely mansion, having some standing could come from either the prince's favor or bearing his children.
Intelligent people knew that the prince's favor was fleeting, and only by bearing his children could one's position be truly secure.
Especially when the prince was obsessed with having a daughter, if a concubine could give birth to a girl for the princely mansion, then her status would naturally rise, and she would have considerable standing within the mansion going forward.
But...
"Directly opting for sterilization? What kind of move is this?" Princess Qi had already suspected something amiss when Su Su mentioned that the chicken soup didn't smell quite right.
Now, upon hearing the court physician's diagnosis, she merely had her suspicions confirmed.
Che Lingzhi felt that she had spent enough time getting close to Su Su. Occasionally, she would touch Su Su's hat tassel or gently nudge her shoulder, putting on an act of closeness and intimacy.
After observing Aunt Xiang for a while, Che Lingzhi finally settled down and patiently discussed embroidery with Qiu Zhi.
Che Lingzhi laid the groundwork for a long time, occasionally turning her head to sneak a glance at Aunt Xiang's reaction.
After several glances, when she didn't find the other party looking her way, Che Lingzhi thought that Aunt Xiang must have trusted her and decided not to look anymore.
That was good.
Thinking about her plan, Che Lingzhi's eyes narrowed cunningly as she moved closer to Su Su with a smile.
Su Su found her smile adorable, but she suddenly felt a chill down her spine as a surge of malicious intent, like a cold wind, washed over her.
Before Su Su could react, she saw Che Lingzhi beaming at her, and at the same time, her words reached Su Su's ears: "Among the ladies in my father-in-law's manor, if there has to be one, it must be me. It can't be anyone else!"
As she said this, Che Lingzhi tilted her body towards the pond, and at the same time, pulled Su Su in with her.
Su Su, caught off guard, was pulled into the water.
On the other side, Qiu Zhi happened to look up at that moment and saw the scene unfold. She instinctively screamed, "Ah! Su Su pushed Che Lingzhi into the pond!"
Upon hearing this voice, Aunt Xiang immediately looked towards the pond and rushed over.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough.
By the time she arrived, both Su Su and Che Lingzhi had fallen into the water.
Su Su struggled desperately, but Che Lingzhi was stronger and kept pulling her down, pushing her further into the water.
Aunt Xiang rushed over, furious, and shouted, "Che Lingzhi! If you dare to push Su Su into the water again, I'll..."
Che Lingzhi pretended to be innocent, letting out an 'ah ah' cry as she also began to struggle.
Aunt Xiang was quick, and with a loud shout, she jumped into the pond.
She quickly pulled Su Su out.
As for Che Lingzhi, she didn't bother with her.
Qiu Zhi hesitated for a moment before jumping into the water to pull Che Lingzhi out.
In fact, the pond wasn't very deep, but it was still quite deep for children.
Su Su couldn't swim, and with the traumatic memory of the river, coupled with Che Lingzhi pushing her down, she ended up swallowing quite a bit of water. Now, her head felt dizzy and fuzzy.
When Aunt Xiang pulled her out, Su Su subconsciously grabbed onto her sleeve, her voice weak and trembling, "Brother... save me..."
Second Watch
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
