Chapter 244: Suspecting Consort Rong
Chapter 244: Chapter 244: Suspecting Consort Rong
Shen Ningning went to him and took his arm with her small hands, patting the dust from his clothes.
"What can I do? In the entire Imperial Palace, you’re the only one I can rely on, Brother!"
"So whenever anything happens, you’re the only one I can think to ask for help."
At these words, Mo Lingwei’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed, and he sat down on the edge of her bed, looking rather pleased.
He snorted. "You’re not so foolish. With that feint, Xie Yuanjiu was well and truly trapped. There was no escape."
Shen Ningning had indeed gone to Consort Li’s palace earlier.
But, of course, it was an act put on entirely for Xie Yuanjiu’s benefit.
The letter Shen Ningning had sent Mo Lingwei wasn’t to request an Imperial Physician at all. It was to tell him that she planned to expose Xie Yuanjiu and that she needed his help.
Originally, Shen Ningning had been wondering how to make Xie Yuanjiu pay.
She never expected the perfect opportunity to appear so quickly.
She had deliberately pushed the door open while Ye Shangyi was speaking, just to send Xie Yuanjiu’s mind reeling with suspicion.
Xie Yuanjiu had a composed personality; she wouldn’t have recklessly followed her unless she was terrified.
That was why Shen Ningning had Mo Lingwei wait in advance at Consort Li’s palace.
Once the little one confirmed Xie Yuanjiu was following, she immediately met Mo Lingwei in a hidden spot.
Mo Lingwei then carried her along another palace path, rushing back to the Waterside Pavilion and Flower Shed.
Sure enough, they had barely settled in when Commander Lu arrived with his men.
Everything had gone according to Shen Ningning’s plan.
The little one poured him a cup of hot tea and sat beside him, saying in a soft, sweet voice, "If Xie Yuanjiu didn’t have malicious intentions, she wouldn’t have followed me out so late at night."
After the incident with Qi Xiuwei, Shen Ningning was especially wary of Xie Yuanjiu.
She could even guess that if Xie Yuanjiu had actually caught her, given her ruthlessness, she would have undoubtedly struck first to gain the upper hand.
Mo Lingwei sipped his hot tea and reached out to rub Shen Ningning’s earlobe a couple of times.
He must have moved too quickly earlier; the cold wind had turned the little one’s ears red.
If Commander Lu or the elder aunt had inspected her then, they would have discovered the flaw in her story.
Luckily, they hadn’t.
Otherwise, Mo Lingwei would have had to kill a few people tonight to silence them.
Warmed by the tea’s steam, his voice took on a lazy, wanton drawl. "If you ask me, you’re making things too complicated. Just tell me who you don’t like, and I’ll kill them for you. It’s that simple."
Shen Ningning’s curly lashes drooped slightly. "You can’t just kill someone like that. They’re Godfather’s family."
Mo Lingwei put down his teacup and narrowed his eyes.
After a brief silence, he spoke. "So you only plan on teaching her this one lesson?"
"From what I know of Father Emperor, he’ll likely go easy on Xie Yuanjiu for Chancellor Xie’s sake, giving her nothing more than a light punishment as a warning."
"She’ll most likely return to the Xie Mansion, and after today, I’m sure she’ll hold a grudge against you."
As he said this, a thick killing intent ignited in Mo Lingwei’s eyes.
He tilted his head slightly, his thin-lidded eyes curving into a faint, cold smile. "Or, we could just let her die in her cell tonight. A permanent solution. What do you think?"
Shen Ningning still shook her small head decisively.
"We can’t touch Godfather’s family. Besides, now I know what kind of person she is, so I’ll be on my guard."
"If she dares to bother me again, then I’ll... tell Godfather!"
Mo Lingwei had thought she was about to say something truly bold.
Hearing her response, he simply raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Why are you so brave one moment and so timid the next?"
Shen Ningning pouted, unconvinced. She twisted her little body away and drank her hot tea with her back to him.
Mo Lingwei fell into thought.
’She’s especially lenient with the people from the Xie family.’
Today’s plan had been entirely of Shen Ningning’s own design. If she had been just a little more ruthless, she could have made Xie Yuanjiu’s crime seem much worse.
She could have easily had Xie Yuanjiu put to death.
But the little one had held back, ensuring only that she was punished and lost her position as a female official.
"Fine," Mo Lingwei said, turning her small body to face him. "Have it your way."
"But I didn’t help you for free. From now on, keep your distance from the Ninth Prince. Can you do that?"
Shen Ningning cupped the teacup in her small hands, looked up, and blinked her long lashes.
"I didn’t want to get close to them anyway, especially Consort Rong."
"Consort Rong?" Mo Lingwei had no particular impression of the famously aloof concubine. "What about her?"
Shen Ningning furrowed her cute little brows. "I suspect Consort Rong wants to harm me."
Mo Lingwei raised his eyebrows. "Her? You two have no history of grievances. What would be her motive?"
Shen Ningning shook her head. "I don’t know either, but it was her idea for me to go find Consort Li."
The moment Consort Rong deliberately suggested that Consort Li might know something about the red mole, Shen Ningning knew something was wrong.
Because Consort Rong was lying.
Shen Ningning had indeed seen the mother-and-daughter painting in Xie Suzhi’s study.
And it was true that the baby in the painting had a red mole on its hand.
"But," Shen Ningning said to Mo Lingwei, "it was what Consort Rong told me that made me realize she was lying, and that the painting is most likely fake, too."
"Think about it, Brother. Godfather cares so much about his wife and daughter. He’s been searching for his daughter for years, and Sister Wanchun even said that Godfather takes out that painting every few days to remember them."
"If the baby in the painting really had that red mole, Godfather would have noticed long ago. He would have used it as a clue while searching everywhere for his daughter."
"But have you ever heard anything about the Chancellor’s lost daughter having a red mole on her hand?"
Prompted by her, Mo Lingwei thought back carefully before shaking his head. "No, I haven’t."
"Right after Chancellor Xie’s daughter was lost, he came to Father Emperor and asked him to issue an imperial decree for the search. He described her features, but never mentioned a red mole."
In other words, Chancellor Xie had no idea his daughter had a red mole on her hand.
If the painting were real, it would have been impossible for him not to have noticed.
Shen Ningning’s tone was certain. "So, not only did Consort Rong lie, she also revealed a fact to me."
"What fact?" Mo Lingwei asked, watching the little one with relaxed amusement.
’Her serious, thoughtful expression is adorable,’ he thought.
Her plump little body was so delicate and pretty, yet she possessed such a sharp, clever mind.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle Shen Ningning’s hair.
With her hair now thoroughly tousled by Mo Lingwei, the little one said with a serious face, "The fact is that the painting is a fake."
"Or rather, the red mole on that painting was added later!"
Mo Lingwei’s brows suddenly knitted together. "But you said you saw the painting in the Chancellor’s study. A study is the head of the household’s private sanctuary. No one can enter easily without permission."
Shen Ningning nodded, her voice growing more tense as she spoke. "I suspect there’s a spy in the Xie Mansion!"
The spy had to be one of Consort Rong’s people.
The little one was absolutely certain. "It was Consort Rong’s idea for me to find Consort Li. She probably wanted me to get caught."
"But then again, we have no history of grievances. Why would she target me?"
Mo Lingwei’s slender hand, which was resting on the little one’s head, stilled.
A deep, bone-chilling cold entered his eyes.
"Unless there’s value in framing you. She’s either targeting you, or—"
Mo Lingwei paused briefly, his voice low. "She’s targeting the Xie family."