Binding Spring Love

Several days passed without any progress in spreading rumors about Huanyanzhai in the capital. Just as Song Wan was preparing to take matters into her own hands to find the Tan family, she suddenly received an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager requesting to see Lin Jiayue.

Only then did she realize that her aunt's few words that day had been taken to heart by the Empress.

"Have someone go to the embroidery room and fetch a new set of clothes. You two will come with me to the Embroidery Pavilion."

"Miss, if Consort Lin were to enter the palace, wouldn't she cause some terrible trouble that would implicate you? What about the Marquis? Is he going to the palace? If Consort Lin..."

Hengwu kept muttering to herself. She wasn't afraid of entering the palace or seeing the Empress, but she was really afraid of being with Consort Lin. What if Consort Lin went crazy in front of the Empress? Who knew what kind of trouble she might cause?

"Miss, I'm afraid she's had another episode of madness."

Upon hearing this, Song Wan sighed silently: "I have no choice but to obey the Empress's decree. I am the wife of a noble family member, how can I allow a concubine to enter the palace alone?"

Hengzhi was quick-witted and decisive. Upon hearing this, she immediately ordered the second-class maid in the room to go to the embroidery room.

When Song Wan took the clothes to Xiuyan Pavilion, she only saw Lin Jiayue sitting in the corridor, deep in thought.

She had just lost her child and her body hadn't fully recovered. It was autumn, and although it wasn't particularly cold, a weak person like her couldn't withstand it. Not to mention the unknown hardships she would face upon entering the palace. Song Wan couldn't bear it and looked at Qianbi, saying, "Why don't you give Aunt Lin a coat?"

Upon hearing her voice, Lin Jiayue slowly raised her head: "What brings you here?"

"The Empress has decreed that you are summoned to the palace; I will go with you."

Hengzhi and Hengwu helped Lin Jiayue into the house, and the two of them helped her change into new clothes.

"Go and bring some food, and prepare some hot soup."

"I can't eat."

Song Wan said calmly, "Let's eat something, we don't know if we'll be able to eat it again in the future."

Lin Jiayue then came to her senses: "What does the Empress want with me?"

Song Wan frowned and said, "Lead powder is poisonous, are you aware of that?"

"What is lead powder?"

"..."

Song Wan opened her eyes slightly, as if she had never expected her to ask such a question.

"The watercolor powder used in Huanyanzhai is made with lead powder from workshops in Yanshan, didn't you know?"

What is lead powder?

Song Wan was stunned by the question.

She prided herself on her intelligence, but for some reason, every time she faced Lin Jiayue, she felt a sense of bewilderment and dizziness, as if she were lost and disoriented. After a long pause, Song Wan said, "You don't even know what it is, yet you sell it to others in your own shop?"

Lin Jiayue's eyes were empty: "It's just a private label product. The profit margin is high, and the efficiency is great. I don't need to know what's inside."

Completely baffled by what this person was spouting, Song Wan could only tell her that the face powder was poisonous, and that someone in the palace had probably discovered it.

Only then did Lin Jiayue begin to panic.

She had no reverence for imperial power, but that was before, before Jiang Jing, Aunt Zhou, and her unborn child died.

Now, she knows pain, and she knows fear.

Song Wan saw that the person in front of her had started to stare blankly into space again. It wasn't until Hengzhi and Hengwu finished dressing her and combing her hair that Lin Jiayue finally spoke softly, "I couldn't sleep a few days ago, so I asked Qianbi to get some calming medicine, but the physician didn't give it to me."

That ambiguous remark made Song Wan clench her handkerchief tightly.

After pondering for a long time, she said, "The physician of the prefecture must examine the pulse, write down the symptoms and prescription on red paper, and then send it to the pharmacy where the resident doctor will record the pulse record. Only in this way can the medicine be obtained."

"Is that so..."

Lin Jiayue's eyes reddened as she murmured to herself.

Seeing that Hengzhi and Hengwu had tidied her up, she followed behind Song Wan, lifting the excessively wide hem of her skirt.

When there were only two people in the carriage, Lin Jiayue suddenly spoke up: "Has someone been poisoned by lead powder?"

"Lead powder can damage the skin, and prolonged use can be life-threatening."

Her Huanyanzhai had only been in business for a short time and was not yet at the point where it could harm people's lives. Seeing the guilt in her eyes, Song Wan stopped talking.

If it were an ordinary person, she could figure out three or four parts of their thoughts just by looking at them, but she could never see through Lin Jiayue no matter what.

Silence fell over the carriage. As they neared the palace, Lin Jiayue asked again, "Am I doomed to die on this journey?"

"I don't know."

"Is there any way I can survive?"

Song Wan lowered her eyes, quickly making plans in her mind.

If there is any real trouble, Consort Jiang will surely blame it all on Lin Jiayue today, which is not the outcome she wants.

"Those in power are suspicious, those below..."

"I don't understand. Speak human language."

Song Wan pursed her lips, paused for a moment, and said, "Those in positions of power are suspicious. The more you try to deny it, the more suspicious you become. On the contrary, if you take all the blame upon yourself, you might be able to get away with it."

"You're not kidding me?"

After saying that, Lin Jiayue laughed again: "You wouldn't lie to me, you wouldn't even bother to lie to me, you must think I'm stupid to have ended up like this."

Her eyes were red, and tears were about to fall, but Song Wan saw a glimmer of clarity in them.

If the original Lin Jiayue was like a pearl covered in dust... blinded by greed, the current Lin Jiayue seems to have become a bit smarter.

Turning her head slightly and lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, Song Wan looked out the window and said, "When things go well, people desperately take credit; when things go wrong, they desperately try to shift the blame. That's human nature. The masters in the palace are all incredibly shrewd. The more you go against their wishes, the less likely they are to please you or let you have your way."

Whether the lead powder actually reached the hands of the empresses in the palace remains unknown. As for Lin Jiayue, who is she? Neither the empress nor the other concubines would take her seriously. Their focus is on Jiang Man, and summoning her today is merely a formality.

However, the consequences of going through this formality are hard to say.

If the plan works, I might be able to save my life.

Song Wansong released her hand and lowered the carriage curtain.

As soon as the two entered the palace, they were taken to the Empress's palace. As soon as they entered the hall, Song Wan found that there were more than a dozen concubines sitting inside. Not only were Consort Jiang and her aunt present, but even Consort Rong, who had not been seen for a long time, was there.

She frowned and led Lin Jiayue inside.

After paying her respects to everyone, Song Wan stood aside, while Lin Jiayue stood alone in front of them.

"So you're from the Lin family? Did you make the face powder at Huanyanzhai?"

"Do you know how many people this stuff has harmed? What were you thinking, sending such a poisonous substance into the palace in such large quantities? Do you know what the punishment is for poisoning the ladies of the palace?"

Lin Jiayue, her eyes red, gave Jiang Man a mournful look. Jiang Man was so angry at her gaze that she grabbed the incense table and almost broke her nails.

"Your Majesty, it was I who made it, I made it all by myself."

With a thud, Lin Jiayue knelt down: "It's all my fault."

"It is my fault that I am in love with you, Marquis. It is all my fault. I only admire you and wanted to help the Marquis's mansion earn some money..."

Before the palace ladies could ask any more questions, Lin Jiayue took all the blame without mentioning Jiang Man at all.

Not only that, she kept talking about her deep affection for Jiang Xingjian. She recounted how the two fell in love at first sight and the vows they made to each other, making it seem as if she would never waver in her devotion.

She had been seriously ill lately, and now she was shamelessly and wantonly talking about her love affair with Jiang Xingjian. Her frenzied appearance made all the ladies frown and narrow their eyes.

Song Wan was quite surprised by what Lin Jiayue said and did, seemingly not expecting that Lin Jiayue wasn't as foolish as she thought.