Chapter 467 - Proper Palace Intrigue (6) (2/2)

“My Lady… Just what is His Majesty doing?” Right now, no one in this palace was allowed to leave. All the necessities were delivered to them.

“Putting me under house arrest, duh.” Shi Sheng tossed the pastry in her hand into the pond.

“House arrest?” Tao Qin gasped. “Why would His Majesty place you under house arrest?”

Shi Sheng pondered for a bit before slowly speaking, “Probably got something wrong with his head.”

[……] ‘Is anyone normal to you? Even Feng Ci’s an idiot…’

Tao Qin, “…” ‘Why is Her Ladyship not worried at all?’

“My Lady…” Tao Qin walked closer to Shi Sheng and lowered her voice to speak. But before she could do so, her gaze swept to the pond. And the upturned bodies of the fish that had been vying for food just moments prior.

Her expression changed greatly as she swiftly knocked over the plate of pastries in Shi Sheng’s hands. “My Lady, it’s poisoned!”

Shi Sheng calmly dusted off the pastry crumbs that had fallen onto her.

“How could it be poisoned? Who would dare… My Lady?”

“Who else apart from Yuwen Xun?” Shi Sheng spoke indifferently. “Wanna guess how many methods he’s gonna try to use to assassinate me?”

He didn’t dare to openly execute her; she was the Gui Fei and the Di daughter of the Zhuang Clan after all.

It was true that she had committed high treason that night, but were there any witnesses? Plus, after Yuwen Xun had done something that shady, how would he dare to use this matter as an excuse?

Hence, he could only resort to covert methods like this.

“My Lady…” ‘Just what is up with Her Ladyship and His Majesty? Why am I completely unaware?’

“You afraid?” Shi Sheng adjusted her posture to a more comfortable one as she cast a side glance at the pale Tao Qin. “If so, you can leave the palace.”

Tao Qin suddenly knelt. “My Lady, I have been following you ever since I was young. This life of mine belongs to you. Tao Qin is definitely not afraid.”

“You’re my father’s spy?” The only people around Zhuang Qiong held allegiances to either Yuwen Xun or Zhuang-fu.

She had no one she could trust.

Shi Sheng had gotten rid of some of Zhuang-fu’s people the other time, but then Yuwen Xun’s spies managed to sneak in.

Tao Qin lowered her head. “No. It is true that Lord Zhuang did ask me, but I didn’t agree.”

“Get up, then.”

Tao Qin lifted her head slightly and carefully observed Shi Sheng.

The latter’s expression was very neutral. Tao Qin couldn’t tell if she was happy or angry or what.

Tao Qin cautiously got up and respectfully stood to one side.

“My Lady, what should we do now? Should we inform Lord Zhuang?”

Shi Sheng’s gaze fell to the pond and the bevy of fish corpses floating on its surface. “Would he be unaware with all those eyes he has in the palace?”

After hearing that Shi Sheng had been placed under house arrest, Zhuang-fu put pressure on Yuwen Xun at court. Having no sufficient excuse, Yuwen Xun could only order his people to withdraw.

Yuwen Xun had been rather secretive about attempting to poison Shi Sheng. Adding to the fact that she didn’t exactly go around declaring this, Zhuang-fu was still in the dark for now.

But he had also sent people to ask her what was going on and why Yuwen Xun had put her under house arrest.

Tao Qin held a brush in her hands, a paper on the desk in front of her, not knowing what to write.

‘Her Ladyship told me to write anything… How should I reply?’

Even after deliberating for a long time, Tao Qin still didn’t manage to form a single word.

‘I don’t even know what happened, okay? Just why did Her Ladyship have to sour her relationship with His Majesty? Even those other ladies are confused…’

“Just write: Yuwen Xun’s jealous that I’m smarter than him.”

Tao Qin’s hand shook, causing the ink to smear all over the paper. ‘My Lady, are you sure??? You’re not kidding me?’