Chapter 309: A Stroke of Luck

Princess Yongfu curled up on the ground, her eyes bulging, her face contorted in agony.

It felt as if countless fine steel needles were stabbing into her, the pain searing into her very bones. Her entire body convulsed uncontrollably.

Princess Yongfu writhed on the floor.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

Yu Fei was startled out of her wits. She dropped to her knees, wanting to touch Princess Yongfu but not daring to. Forcing herself to stay calm, she tried to take the princess’s pulse. But she couldn’t detect anything unusual. In panic, she shouted toward the outside, “Someone! Call the imperial doctor! Quickly, call a doctor!”

Veins bulged all over Princess Yongfu’s body. The pain was so unbearable she wanted to scream, but not a single sound could escape her throat.

After living in luxury all these years, she had never suffered torment like this.

Usually, even the palace maids were cautious when combing her hair, careful not to tug at her scalp for fear of being punished.

But now, every inch of her body throbbed with pain, as if nails had been driven deep into her bones, and each one was being yanked out with barbed hooks, tearing through flesh.

Her hands clawed frantically at the floor, leaving behind chaotic scratch marks streaked with blood.

She looked at her exposed arm. Her once snow-white skin was now covered with blood-red web-like lines, which cracked open as they rubbed against the ground.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! Please don’t move, don’t move…”

Yu Fei saw the white undergarments of Princess Yongfu soaked red with blood. Her pupils contracted in shock. She couldn’t believe it. Just moments ago, everything had been fine. How had things suddenly gone so wrong?

Princess Yongfu had only visited the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess. Neither of them would possibly poison her or plot against her.

“Your Highness…”

Princess Yongfu’s mind was being devoured by the pain. She couldn’t take it anymore, and on the verge of breaking down completely.

The fear of death seized her, and a desperate will to survive surged in her eyes.

Save me…

Her fingers clutched tightly onto Yu Fei’s arm, grasping with all the strength she had left.

Suddenly, a hoarse rasping sound came from Princess Yongfu’s throat, like the wheezing of a broken bellows. Without warning, her hands shot up and clutched tightly around her own neck. Her chest tightened, air refused to come, and her legs thrashed wildly against the floor.

Save… save me—

Her eyes flew wide open, staring at Yu Fei with a desperate plea for help. Her body convulsed a few more times, and then went still.

“Your Highness! Your Highness—!”

Yu Fei cried out in grief.

With a loud bang, the door was pushed open.

County Princess Lin’an rushed inside. The moment she saw the tragic state of Princess Yongfu, her legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees.

“Mother! Mother!”

County Princess Lin’an crawled to Princess Yongfu’s side. Seeing her mother’s eyes wide open, pupils unfocused, she reached out a trembling hand and felt under her nose. Her fingers shook slightly, and her face turned deathly pale. Choking on her sobs, she cried out: “Mother, wake up… you can’t die. If you die, what will I do?”

A heavy gloom blanketed the Guangyuan Marquis Manor.

Half an hour later, the imperial doctor arrived.

County Princess Lin’an lay over Princess Yongfu’s body, weeping in anguish.

Yu Fei knelt to the side, her eyes swollen red from crying. No one had dared to move Princess Yongfu’s body.

“Doctor! Please, check my mother’s pulse, see what happened to her!”

Hearing the commotion, County Princess Lin’an turned around. The moment she saw the imperial doctor, a spark of hope lit up in her eyes.

The doctor took one look at Princess Yongfu and already knew, her body had long gone cold. But under Lin’an’s expectant gaze, he hesitated, then slowly set down his medicine case and reached out to check Princess Yongfu’s pulse.

She was already cold, her whole body slightly stiff.

“The humble subject is powerless,” the imperial doctor said gravely. “Her Highness suffered from a strange illness. Its onset was sudden, and she died instantly. County Princess, please restrain your grief and make preparations for Her Highness’s funeral as soon as possible. Any further delay, and it may be difficult to properly arrange her remains.”

Leaving those words behind, the doctor picked up his medicine case and quickly left.

County Princess Lin’an was dealt a heavy blow. She seemed unable to accept the truth. Staring at the brutal state of Princess Yongfu’s death, her hands clenched into tight fists. With hatred in her voice, she demanded:

“Yu Fei, who killed my mother?”

Yu Fei’s throat tightened with grief as she recounted everything Princess Yongfu had done that day to County Princess Lin’an. At last, she voiced her own suspicion:

“County Princess, this servant suspects it was the Marquis’s people. They might have acted out of revenge for him, or were still following his orders. There’s no such thing as a ‘strange illness’ like this.”

She was certain that Princess Yongfu had been poisoned!

“The physician probably couldn’t figure it out and just drew a hasty conclusion,” Yu Fei said, voice trembling with sorrow. She began to sob. “What should we do? Her Highness had just learned the whereabouts of the little prince. She wanted to take revenge for you and planned to force the Empress Dowager to exchange Su Wan and Tang Nuan’s lives for the information. But now…”

County Princess Lin’an stared intently at the canopy bed. The dark-colored curtains hung down, concealing the Marquis of Guangyuan lying within.

Compared to the Marquis, County Princess Lin’an shared a deeper bond with Princess Yongfu.

And when measured against herself, even Princess Yongfu had to step aside.

Upon hearing Yu Fei’s words, she immediately cast aside the matter of Princess Yongfu’s death and pressed on urgently, “What did you say? The Empress’s youngest son is really alive? Where is he?”

Yu Fei said, “The second young master of the Gu family is the little prince.”

A glint flickered in County Princess Lin’an’s eyes. Her mother was dead, but had left her such an important piece of information. Heaven itself must be trying to save her!

She wouldn’t just take Su Wan and Tang Nuan’s lives, she would also marry Zhao Wei!

County Princess Lin’an took a deep breath and glanced at Princess Yongfu. A trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes and expression. “Let’s prepare my mother’s funeral first.”

“Yes.” Yu Fei summoned the maidservants to prepare Princess Yongfu’s body for the preliminary burial rites, then went to send someone to the palace to report her death.

“Wait!” County Princess Lin’an stopped her. Feeling that the longer things dragged on, the more uncertain they became, she was eager to enter the palace herself and strike a deal with the Empress Dowager. “I’ll go to the palace to report the mourning myself, and request the Empress Dowager to thoroughly investigate my mother’s death.”

Yu Fei accepted this final reasoning and arranged for an escort to accompany County Princess Lin’an into the palace.

Hidden in the shadows, Qi Fifth had overheard the conversation between mistress and maid. Watching County Princess Lin’an leave, he quietly returned to the Gu residence.

Su Wan and Gu Huaizhi happened to return one after the other and ran into Qi Fifth, who had just come back to the residence.

Qi Fifth reported, “Young Lady, Young Master, Princess Yongfu is dead. County Princess Lin’an has learned that the Empress’s youngest son is in our residence and has already entered the palace to pass on the information.”

“Well done,” Su Wan instructed, “Go ahead of County Princess Lin’an and withdraw the people we had stationed outside the palace. There’s no need to intercept those sent by Princess Yongfu anymore.”

“Why?” Qi Fifth was surprised.

A sly glint flashed in Su Wan’s eyes. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”

Afraid of delaying Su Wan’s plans, Qi Fifth immediately went to carry out the order.

“You,” Gu Huaizhi pinched Su Wan’s nose. “Never get tired of using others to do your dirty work, do you?”

“How could I get tired of it? As long as it works, I could use the same trick for a lifetime.” Su Wan rolled her eyes and quickly walked toward the backyard. “I’m done bantering with you. Time to take care of serious business.”

——

Cian Palace…

The Empress Dowager sat gloomily in her chair, her heart anxious over the search for the young prince, and filled with sorrow over the death of Princess Yongfu.

Princess Lin’an was led in by a palace maid. She dropped to her knees with a thud at the Empress Dowager’s feet and cried out in grief, “Royal Grandmother, I beg you to uphold justice for Lin’an and give my mother a fair reckoning!”

The Empress Dowager let out a sigh. “Child, rise. Speak while seated.”

“Royal Grandmother, my mother’s death, she was silenced because she knew the whereabouts of the young prince.”

County Princess Lin’an had been scheming all the way here, intending to throw mud on Su Wan, yet she never expected she would stumble upon the truth by sheer accident. “Before she died, my mother told me to inform you of the young prince’s whereabouts. You must avenge her, Your Majesty.”