A Good Country Wife
Chapter 437 - 431_1

Chapter 437: 431_1

"Princess, the Third Princess has arrived."

"I am aware. You may leave. Since Princess Yongle is a distinguished guest, I will go to the palace gate to welcome her myself." When the Fourth Princess heard that Princess Yongle was visiting, she wasn’t surprised. On the day Lin Yue entered the palace, she had gone looking for trouble. It was normal for the Third Princess to suspect her, but what of mere suspicion? Without evidence, at most she could vent her frustration on her and do nothing more. After all, even if the Emperor and Empress Dowager no longer favored her, she was still a princess, and they could not be too overt in their treatment of her. So what if she had to endure some covert friction? She would bide her time, for one day, she would claim her retribution.

"Anhui pays her respects to Third Sister. I had no idea Third Sister would take the pleasure of visiting me today. Please come in quickly. It has been too long since I’ve had a good chat with my sister, and today we must catch up properly." The Fourth Princess said with a beaming smile, looking every bit the affectionate sister to the Third Princess, her facade flawless, showing no trace of the arrogance she displayed towards Lin Yue that day.

"Anhui, you need not bother with such formalities. All this talk of sisters – even though we are father’s daughters, we are not that close. There’s no need for superficial acts. I am here today for only one reason, hoping you can answer me truthfully. Otherwise, should I discover you’ve dared to deceive me, do not blame me for being unkind!"

Princess Yongle watched the Fourth Princess with a cold gaze. What she despised most was this two-faced charade of the Fourth Princess. When the late Emperor was alive, she had been reprimanded and punished more than once because of the Fourth Princess’s pretenses. Her visit today was certainly not for the sake of closeness. She spoke directly, seeing no need to spare the Fourth Princess’s feelings or thoughts anymore.

The Fourth Princess almost couldn’t maintain her smile upon hearing Princess Yongle’s blunt words, a flash of icy chill passing through her eyes. But she quickly recovered, as these years taught her the art of forbearance more than anything.

"With such a formidable presence, what exactly is the matter, Third Sister? As long as it is within my knowledge, I will withhold nothing and spare no detail. How could I dare deceive you, Third Sister? Please, feel free to ask," Anhui said sincerely, her expression calm and straightforward without a trace of resentment towards Princess Yongle nor any hint of guilt or discomfort.

If only Princess Yongle had not suffered at the hands of the Fourth Princess before, knowing well this half-sister’s talent for acting, she might have believed the Fourth Princess’s words.

"Fourth Princess, why are you pretending ignorance about why I came to find you? Others may not know your true colors, but I do. Acting will get you nowhere with me. I ask you plain and simple, where did you take Yueyue?"

"Third Sister, what Yueyue? I don’t know her at all. How could I possibly know her whereabouts? Perhaps you have misunderstood something?" The Fourth Princess looked at the Third Princess, her face full of confusion and bewilderment, as if she truly didn’t recognize Lin Yue.

"Fourth Princess, it’s pointless for you to act this way. You found Lin Yue trouble when she came to the palace that day. How can you now claim not to know her? You think we princesses are so easily deceived? Now, disclose the whereabouts of Madam Lin, and I might still plead for mercy on your behalf to the Princess and spare you."

"Lady Lin? When have I ever troubled her? Oh, I remember now, you must be talking about the farm woman who came to the palace with Steward Wang that day! It turns out that the ’Yueyue’ Third Sister mentioned is her. I did indeed caution her a few times, but that was only because I thought Third Sister was too naive and might be deceived by that cunning farm woman. To say I have any grudge against her is really an overstatement."

"Really? I can’t help but feel there’s more to it than that."

"Third Sister, you’re thinking too much. A farm woman, with such a lowly status, I don’t even know her, let alone have any grudges against her. To say I would trouble her afterwards is ridiculous. I remember you even came to warn me on behalf of that farm woman, so why would I go back and cause her trouble! What, is the farm woman missing? If she truly can’t be found, maybe she left the palace herself. After all, she’s a country farm woman who doesn’t know the rules."

Princess Yongle scoffed coldly at the Fourth Princess’s account, "Pretending, are we? Yueyue was entering the palace for the first time and didn’t know anybody here. The only one she had a quarrel with was you. She is a distinguished guest I invited to the palace, and I will not tolerate the slightest harm to come to her. Whatever the reason, if you dare hurt her in any way, I will make sure you understand how difficult life in the palace can be for a fallen princess."

This threat from Princess Yongle did not faze the Fourth Princess, who feigned panic, "Third Sister, you really misunderstand. I would never dare to such a thing. The disappearance of the farm woman truly has nothing to do with me. Third Sister, you are wronging me." The Fourth Princess spoke, wiping the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, feigning tears that weren’t there.

"Still playing the part? I know you think you can act with impunity in front of me. But if you care so little about yourself, what about your brother, the Wang? Don’t think just because he’s outside the palace he’s beyond my reach. If I’m not pleased one day, it’s just a matter of speaking to deal with him. Your brother has always been unrestrained, and the Emperor has always been wary of him. If I mention something to the Emperor, do you think your brother will have any good days ahead?"

Although Princess Yongle was not as skilled at acting and scheming as the Fourth Princess, she knew exactly what was most vital to her and struck right at the heart. Indeed, the Fourth Princess, who had been calm, couldn’t fully contain herself upon hearing the threat against her brother, and her expression shifted.

"Third Sister, this is my life at stake. Truly, I didn’t do it. Why won’t you believe me? My brother might have made mistakes in the past, but that’s all history. Now he’s living his days quietly, not daring to have any other aspirations. I implore you, Third Sister, to be merciful and not lay a hand on my brother. It’s true that Lady Lin’s disappearance has nothing to do with me, but I will definitely do my utmost to help Third Sister find her."

The Fourth Princess pledged earnestly. At this point, she could not admit to any involvement with the farm woman’s situation. She could only hint at her intentions subtly. She had not expected the Third Princess to care so much about that farm woman, to the point of threatening her brother for her sake. For now, she had to let the farm woman go and wait for a future opportunity to act. A request from the Zhang Family was not as important as her brother’s safety.

Hearing the Fourth Princess’s acquiescence, Princess Yongle did not linger, "Thank you then, Fourth Princess. I shall return to my palace to wait. I believe Yueyue will return safely. Otherwise, those who dare to harm her will not be spared by me."