Chapter 47: The Retaliation Begins

I never expected Lin Chuyan’s room to be redecorated so quickly and transformed beyond recognition. There were even quite a few valuable treasures displayed in prominent places.

The moment Lin Pianran saw those things, she was delighted.

Without the slightest hesitation, she swept them all into her storage space.

Then she took Princess Huai’an’s corpse out of the space and tossed it beside the bed.

She sprayed some sleeping incense around the room and quickly left.

This would ensure that Lin Chuyan slept soundly tonight, like a dead pig.

She might even have a beautiful dream!

Heh heh heh.

This enormous surprise would be enough to shock everyone and set their hearts pounding in terror.

As for how much of a disturbance the two corpses would cause, that was no longer her concern.

She only wanted to know how Consort De would react upon seeing the two bodies.

Would she be heartbroken? Grief-stricken?

And what about the Lin family?

What would they do?

Try to prove their innocence, or shift the blame?

How would Lin Chuyan react?

Could she escape the royal family’s accountability?

A princess had died in her room. Even if she had a hundred mouths, she would never be able to explain herself.

Now, all that remained was to see what fate awaited her.

In her previous life, Lin Chuyan had stolen Lin Pianran’s identity, married Prince Gong, and become empress.

In this life, Lin Pianran would make sure she was the first to fall into the mire, unable to pull herself free.

Let’s see how she could possibly make a comeback.

She would wait and see.

The Lin family’s good days were still ahead of them.

One by one, she would send every member of the Lin family straight to hell.

Lin Pianran had only just returned to the mourning hall and knelt down when another imposing procession arrived.

At its head was a fat eunuch, followed by more than a dozen Imperial Guards clad in armor.

Seeing their menacing arrival, Lin Pianran knew at once that Consort De had sent them.

This time, refusing to answer their questions would not be so easy.

The old eunuch glanced at the disordered mourning hall without comment. Then he looked at Lin Pianran with undisguised contempt and said loudly, “Sixth Miss, Her Highness Consort De wishes to see you. Come with me at once.”

Lin Pianran rose, brushed the dust from her skirt, and nodded lightly. “Very well. I shall accompany you immediately, Eunuch. Please allow me to say a few words to my maids first.”

She then turned to the two maids and said, “You were supposed to keep vigil for the Old Madam tonight. First, a group of people came and made a complete mess of the mourning hall. Now the eunuch has come to summon me to see Consort De.”

“One of you is to continue keeping vigil. The other must go find Madam and Second Madam, explain the situation clearly, and have them send someone here at once to keep vigil. The mourning hall must also be cleaned up...”

The two maids hurriedly agreed.

Seeing their mistress being taken away, both maids were so anxious that tears streamed down their faces.

Lin Pianran patted them on the shoulders and comforted them. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me. You needn’t be afraid. Just carry out my instructions properly.”

The two maids obediently nodded again.

*****

At Consort De’s palace.

Consort De was like a furious lion, standing on the verge of losing control.

Princess Minghua was also in the hall, patiently comforting her. “Mother, please don’t worry too much. So many people have already been sent out to search. We will surely have news very soon.”

“Elder Sister has a noble status. As a princess, she is treated with deference by everyone. No one would dare harbor thoughts of harming her.”

“Unless someone is reckless enough to wager the lives of their entire clan and dare lay hands on an imperial princess.”

“Generally speaking, such a situation is practically impossible. Mother, please set your mind at ease.”

Consort De lightly patted her chest, looking pained and distressed.

“Since this afternoon, I have felt a terrible pressure in my chest. I’ve had this feeling that something bad was going to happen.”

“Now that your grandmother has just met with trouble, your elder sister should be helping ease Mother’s burden, yet she has vanished without a trace. She’s nearly frightened me to death!”

“Ah, children are their parents’ debts. I truly must owe her something from a past life!”

“Huai’an is clearly the elder sister, yet she has caused me the most worry from childhood until now. If only she were as considerate and trouble-free as you, Mother wouldn’t be suffering like this!”

With that, she let out another heavy sigh.

Princess Minghua stepped forward and took Consort De’s arm, speaking in a soft, gentle voice. “Mother, please don’t trouble yourself. Elder Sister is merely straightforward by nature. She still respects you very much.”

Those words were especially soothing to hear. Consort De lovingly stroked her daughter’s head. “You are the obedient and sensible one. You even know how to speak so sweetly.”

Just then, a palace maid announced from outside, “Your Highness, Sixth Miss Lin has arrived!”

Consort De’s expression darkened at once, and the gentle smile from moments before vanished completely.

She ordered coolly, “Bring her in.”

The moment Lin Pianran entered the hall, she sensed the oppressive atmosphere.

Her expression remained calm as she knelt respectfully and offered her greetings. “Your servant’s daughter, Lin Pianran, pays her respects to Consort De and Princess Minghua.”

Consort De stared at the young woman before her with undisguised loathing, saying nothing.

Lin Pianran could not rise and could only continue kneeling.

The great hall was utterly silent. Even the fall of a needle could be heard.

After quite some time, Princess Minghua realized that her mother intended to make things difficult for Lin Pianran and had no intention of letting her rise. She had no choice but to speak. “Sixth Miss Lin, please get up.”

Lin Pianran straightened, her expression open and composed, and obediently stood to one side.

With a quick glance, she noticed that everything displayed throughout the hall was extraordinary. Each item was carved with intricate, exquisite patterns.

They were truly enticing.

Consort De was also deeply surprised that she could not find the slightest trace of a guilty conscience on Lin Pianran’s face.

Although she had not had much contact with Lin Pianran in the past, the girl had never possessed such an unruffled bearing.

Previously, she had always been timid and submissive, so inconspicuous that no one paid her any attention. She had seemed like someone who feared trouble and dared not cause it.

Now, however, she had changed completely. There was not the slightest sign of nervousness or awkwardness at being in the presence of a noble person.

She appeared respectful and perfectly mannered, yet at the same time seemed to regard everyone with cool indifference, as though she did not take them seriously at all.

Consort De studied Lin Pianran for quite some time before finally speaking in an indifferent tone. “I summoned you here so late because Princess Huai’an still has not been found. I wanted to question you and see whether you might know anything useful.”

Hearing this, Lin Pianran displayed just the right amount of surprise and asked anxiously, “How could that be? It has been so long!”

“Could the princess have gone somewhere to play? Have you searched those places?”

“Might she have gone to the home of a particularly close friend? Have you asked there?”

“Could she have gone somewhere she especially enjoys? Have you sent anyone to look?”

...

Her concern appeared so genuine that no one could detect the slightest hint of falseness.

Consort De let out a sorrowful sigh. “I sent many people out to search. We have practically turned over every place in the camp where she might have gone, yet we found nothing at all.”

“I heard that you saw Princess Huai’an this afternoon. You even spoke with her.”