Chapter 436: Chapter 430_1 Chapter 436: Chapter 430_1 “What trouble could I possibly be in, Bilian? How come you’re here? Didn’t I ask you to accompany Yueyue in the Royal Garden? Now that you are here, where is Yueyue?” Princess Yongle felt alarmed as she saw Bilian running over in a fluster, and she grew even more concerned as she thought of Cining Palace.
“This servant heard that you angered the Empress Dowager and were punished. I was frightened and hurried over immediately. Thank goodness you are alright.” Bilian was teary-eyed and somewhat agitated. Although she was just a Palace Maid, she had grown up with Princess Yongle since childhood and shared a special bond. So, upon hearing that something had happened to the Princess, Bilian paid no mind to Lin Yue. Even though she had found Lin Yue to be agreeable in the past few days, she immediately dismissed her from thought when it came to the Princess’s affairs. Now that the Princess was inquiring, Bilian didn’t know how to explain, hesitating and realizing she might have acted impulsively. Even if she needed to come to the Princess, she should have ensured Lin Yue was looked after first. With the situation being as it was, Mistress Lin must be worried too.
“I’m asking you about Yueyue. You didn’t just run off and leave her alone in the Royal Garden, did you?” Princess Yongle spoke with displeasure. Knowing her maid well, she could guess that Bilian had likely done just that.
Normally, a Princess’s Palace Maids were disciplined, and as Princess Gulun, Princess Yongle had even more attendants. However, Princess Yongle preferred not to have many maids around and usually had only one or two close attendants. The others were sent outside the palace and instructed not to enter without cause. This time, she had taken only Bilian with her to the Royal Garden, not expecting such an incident to occur.
“This servant was so preoccupied with the Princess that I forgot to inform Mistress Lin. At this moment, she must still be in the Royal Garden,” Bilian answered with uncertainty.
“Bilian, what am I to do with you? Can’t you change your impulsive ways? It is Yueyue’s first time in the palace, and she is unfamiliar with it, which is why I specifically left you to accompany her. Now, you just ran off without a word. Who knows what Yueyue must be thinking?”
“This servant truly hadn’t expected that maid to dare deceive me with news of the Princess being in trouble. It threw me into confusion. Princess, I realize my mistake, please punish me,” Bilian said. Now that she saw her mistress safe and sound, she felt relieved. Knowing she had erred, she was ready to accept her punishment. As long as the Princess was unharmed, everything else was secondary. She had been surprised at the time— the Empress Dowager always cherished their Princess, and even in great anger, would never resort to physical punishment. Now it was clear that someone had spread a rumor and fooled her.
Seeing Bilian looking so pitiful, Princess Yongle also softened, knowing Bilian was worried for her. After all, it wasn’t Bilian’s fault. If something had happened to her, it was expected for Bilian to lose composure. The main blame lay with the maid who had lied about the message, clearly acting on someone else’s orders. Otherwise, why would she do such a thing?
“That damned servant, first she deceives me into coming here to the Empress Dowager, then she fools you as well. I wonder who’s behind it, this is a matter grave enough to cost heads.”
“Yes, it is very strange indeed. It’s unlikely to be a joke; deceiving a Princess is a serious offence, especially involving the Empress Dowager. No one would dare to gamble their life with such a joke. What could have been that maid’s purpose?” Bilian had never encountered such deceit before, which is why she fell for it so easily.
After considering the origin and progression of events, and recalling Lin Yue’s difficulties with the fourth Princess upon entering the palace, Princess Yongle quickly understood, and hurriedly took Bilian with her to the Royal Garden. “This is terrible. It’s not me they’re after, but Yueyue. That’s why they purposely lured us away. Yueyue must be in trouble by now; we need to hurry over there.”
By the time Princess Yongle returned to the Royal Garden, there was no sign of Lin Yue. After questioning the palace maid on duty at the garden, she learned that Lin Yue had been taken away by another palace maid, but no further information could be gleaned. “Damn it, if I find out who did this, I will show no mercy!”
“Princess, don’t panic just yet. Perhaps Madam Lin has already returned to Yongle Palace. Why don’t we go back and ask? Maybe she’s already there by now.” Bilian tried to reassure the Princess with a glimmer of hope, secretly wishing that nothing had happened to Madam Lin. Otherwise, she would feel terribly guilty.
Princess Yongle nodded at Bilian’s suggestion, “Let’s go, we’ll head back to the palace to check.”
“Has Madam Lin returned?” Princess Yongle immediately inquired about Lin Yue upon returning to Yongle Palace, only to be disappointed yet unsurprised by the response.
“Replying to the Princess, this servant has not seen Madam Lin return. Wasn’t she accompanying Your Highness to the Royal Garden? This servant has been standing by the palace doors the entire time and hasn’t seen Madam Lin come back.”
“I understand, you may leave now.”
“Princess, what should we do now? Who could have taken Madam Lin away? It’s all this servant’s fault. If this servant had made better arrangements, this would not have happened. It is this servant who has harmed Madam Lin.” After hearing that Lin Yue had not returned to Yongle Palace, Bilian’s face fell, and she spoke with deep self-reproach, her expression full of regret.
“Enough, self-blame is useless at this point. The priority is to find her. Yueyue has just entered the Palace for the first time and harbors no grudges against anyone, nor does she have any conflicts of interest with others in the Palace. The only incident was the Fourth Princess causing trouble for Yueyue for no reason that day. Now, it seems this matter is likely related to the Fourth Princess.” Princess Yongle, though less scheming, was nonetheless clever. After some thought, she began to understand a few things.
“But hasn’t Your Highness already warned the Fourth Princess? Madam Lin is your guest. How dare she still commit such an act without fearing your blame?” As Princess Yongle’s personal maid, Bilian lacked respect for the Fourth Princess. Instead, she felt disdain and scorn. The Fourth Princess had often bullied them before the late Emperor passed and before the Emperor ascended the throne. Now that circumstances had changed, they did not need to be polite to the Fourth Princess. Bilian harbored resentment and spoke with contempt when mentioning her.
“How should I know? It now appears that the Fourth Princess’s issue with Yueyue that day wasn’t solely because of me. There must be other reasons. Sooner or later, I will find out. Right now, the urgent task is to rescue Yueyue. Regardless of why the Fourth Princess did it, Yueyue was invited to the Palace by me, and I must take responsibility for her safety. Have the people of Yongle Palace search privately within the Imperial Palace. I’m now going to the Fourth Princess to demand her return. Even if the Fourth Princess denies it, we might discover some clues.”