Fear flickered in their eyes at once.
Prince Ling was the War God of Great Yan, and it was said that the interrogation of criminals in his mansion was conducted using the military's methods.
Once you entered, there was little hope of coming back in one piece.
"Miss, Zhen Zhu and I have been with you for so long, and you know our loyalty. It's Chun Tao who has a dubious background and is more easily bribed. Please don't be deceived by her!"
Cai Yun said this loudly with grief.
Murong Jiu looked at them with an indifferent expression,
"The Prince has already investigated. Chun Tao was framed, and the person who framed her is one of you two. I'm giving you one last chance to identify the betrayer. Otherwise, you both will be thrown into the dungeon."
Cai Yun wanted to say more.
Suddenly, Zhen Zhu spoke up loudly,
"It's Cai Yun! Miss! It must be Cai Yun! Before, I saw her sneak something out from her sleeve, and I never thought it would be poison! I couldn't believe it at first, but even the Prince said so, there must be something wrong with Cai Yun!"
Cai Yun's complexion turned pale in an instant; she looked at Zhen Zhu in disbelief, never expecting Zhen Zhu to accuse her!
The two were born into the Marquis Mansion; their parents were servants there. They had grown up together like sisters.
Yet her 'sister' had stabbed her in the back.
Cai Yun couldn't accept it; she clenched her teeth and said, "Miss, I clearly saw Zhen Zhu approach Chun Tao. It's Zhen Zhu who had the poison, how can she slander and frame me like this? I am innocent!"
"No, it's not true! Miss, I often saw Cai Yun sneaking out of the mansion; I don't know who she was meeting. She might have harbored ulterior motives for a long time!"
The two started to accuse each other fiercely.
A trace of mockery crossed Murong Jiu's lips.
In her past life, these two maids were always close sisters. Later, Jun Haoze bestowed them in marriage to two high-ranking guards of the Eastern Palace, and they were freed from servitude, living a life of comfort.
"Enough, someone, take Cai Yun away for a strict interrogation. I, the Princess Consort, would like to find out who wants to harm me."
As her order fell, Steward Lin, who had been waiting outside, came in and directed the guard to esCai Yun who was struggling.
Because Cai Yun resisted and tried to run, the guard unsympathetically drew his sword and slashed her back.
Zhen Zhu remained kneeling on the ground, her face turning pale as she listened to Cai Yun's piercing screams.
"Princess Consort, Cui Hua has been disciplined. Would you like me to bring her over now?"
Steward Lin returned and asked Murong Jiu.
"Let her come."
Murong Jiu, carrying her medicine chest, walked towards the inner room. Chun Tao quickly went up to her and helped her take the chest.
Chun Tao's eyes were still red.
Murong Jiu patted her shoulder, "You must have been frightened."
Chun Tao shook her head, "I am afraid that my foolishness has caused you harm."
When the poison was found on her, it felt as though the sky was collapsing, and what she feared most was that the Miss would be punished by the Prince.
The Miss had such bad luck, being sent to Prince Ling's Mansion as a substitute bride was pitiable enough.
Murong Jiu's nose tingled with emotion; she had really been blinded by her past life, pushing away the loyal Chun Tao, leading to her tragic death.
Now in this world, apart from her master, only Chun Tao truly cared for her.
"Miss, both Zhen Zhu and Cai Yun have problems, why did you keep Zhen Zhu?"
Chun Tao asked worriedly—afraid that the Miss might be deceived by Zhen Zhu again.
"She still has her uses, you needn't worry."
Seeing that Murong Jiu was calm and had plans in mind, Chun Tao breathed a sigh of relief.
Since the Miss married into the Prince Mansion, she seemed like a changed person, but Chun Tao thought it was for the best.
Before long, Bai Aoshuang was brought over by Steward Lin.
Steward Lin admonished her, "Cui Hua, take good care of the Princess Consort. If you still lack discipline in the future, the Prince Mansion will not accommodate you."
Bai Aoshuang responded with her head bowed, presenting an obedient appearance.
After Steward Lin left, Bai Aoshuang glanced at Zhen Zhu, who was still kneeling, and headed into the room. Upon seeing Murong Jiu, she curtsied and asked,
"Princess Consort, this servant excels at hairstyling. I am adept at all the fashionable hairdos in the Capital City. Would you allow this servant to attend to your hairstyling from now on?"
If she remembered correctly, the maid Cai Yun, who had been taken away, was responsible for Murong Jiu's grooming and dressing.
She believed that with her skills, she would surely win Murong Jiu's complete trust and regard her as a confidante.
Such an ugly woman like Murong Jiu must be even more in love with beauty.
To her surprise, Murong Jiu merely glanced at her and said, "No need, sweeping the floor, emptying the chamber pot, and washing clothes are your duties."
Bai Aoshuang's expression froze. She, a maiden as beautiful as a flower, was actually told to empty the chamber pot and wash clothes!
"What, you don't want to do it?"
Biting her lip and enduring the humiliation, Bai Aoshuang said, "You have bought this servant, and you are my benefactor. Whatever task you assign, I will do it."
Murong Jiu waved her hand, "Go out then."
She did not want Bai Aoshuang flitting before her eyes, but she needed to keep a close watch on this woman. She didn't want the tragedy that befell the General of the Northern Command's Residence in her previous life to happen again.
A hero like the General of the Northern Command should not have died in a struggle for power; his battlefield was at the Frontier Pass.
"Chun Tao, I want to sleep for a while," Murong Jiu said.
Perhaps it was the early stages of her pregnancy, she always felt exhausted. She had been on edge in the palace and, after returning, had attended to Yang Shan's medical treatment. Now, she felt she could fall asleep as soon as she lay down.
Chun Tao helped her lie down, but her sleep was anything but peaceful.
In her dreams, everything that had happened in her past life flashed by like a rapid slideshow. She saw herself giving birth to twins with great difficulty, falling into a coma, while Jun Yuyan stood just outside the birthing room, his expression filled with anxiety and concern. After only sparing a glance at the newborns held by the midwife, he strode past the obstacles and into the birthing room.
The scene shifted, and Jun Haoze, holding the twins in his arms, smiled gently at her and said, "You have given birth to children for me. I will surely marry you. Will you come marry me with the children?"
Murong Jiu felt like an outsider, watching her past self smiling happily and nodding in agreement.
Later on, the children were secretly taken away by Jun Haoze, and not long after, she obtained the divorce paper from Jun Yuyan at her insistent request.
She then saw a look of restrained pain flash across Jun Yuyan's eyes, but in her previous life, she had been oblivious to it.
Subsequently, after curing her father the emperor, she and Jun Haoze sought and received permission to marry, and she joyfully married him, becoming the Second Princess Consort.
A few years passed, and she ascended to the position of the Crown Princess Consort.
Then, she saw the tiny corpses of her two children who had died tragically!
"No! Don't want!"
Struggling, Murong Jiu opened her eyes, which were filled with bloodshot threads, and both of her hands reached towards her abdomen.
"Miss, were you having a nightmare? This servant has been calling you, but you wouldn't wake up!"
Chun Tao anxiously wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.
Her back felt cold, and sweat had soaked her entire body.
Murong Jiu gasped for air for quite a while before she gradually recovered from her overwhelming grief.
"I'm fine now, Chun Tao," she reassured.
"It's good that you are fine. Just now, the young master came to have dinner with you, but when he saw you weren't awake, he didn't let this servant wake you up. It was the young master who heard you talking in your sleep and told this servant to check on you quickly."
Murong Jiu lifted her head in surprise.
Jun Yuyan was actually outside?
She remembered what she had seen in her dream, and a trace of strangeness flickered through her heart.