Chapter 89: The Princess Consort Killed the Dowager Lady!

When Xia Jiujiang discovered that Old Madam Xia was dead, her expression collapsed at once. She cast a wary glance around her, her eyes growing steadily colder.

What had lulled Xia Jiujiang into lowering her guard was that Aunt Xiu had brought along Jiang Ruan's butterfly-shaped gold hairpin. Coupled with Aunt Xiu's flattery and pleading, Xia Jiujiang had assumed the Prime Minister's Residence was trying to use the Duke of Jin's household as a backing through her. In truth, Aunt Xiu had deliberately played along to lure her into Orchid and Fragrance Studio.

From the very beginning, there had been something wrong with the way Aunt Xiu led Xia Jiujiang into the Prime Minister's Residence. Why were there so few servants in Orchid and Fragrance Studio? It was because they did not want anyone to encounter Xia Jiujiang there, did not want anyone to know what exactly had happened inside.

The windows in the room were tightly shut, with only the main door as an entrance. It was all done to turn the room into a sealed chamber. And within that sealed chamber, besides the dead Old Madam Xia, there were only Xia Jiujiang and Green Ruo. Then they would be taken for the murderer.

Sandalwood incense burned in the room, its fragrance thick in the enclosed air, meant to mask the strange odor of death.

Xia Jiujiang had fallen into the trap.

Green Ruo said in shock, "What is going on... How did Old Madam die?"

Panic surged through Green Ruo.

Clutching Green Ruo's hand, Xia Jiujiang said anxiously, "It's a trap. Run!"

She tugged Green Ruo toward the door, but outside, a burst of clamorous footsteps rang out. "Surround Orchid and Fragrance Studio!"

The door was kicked open. Xia Jiujiang saw Lin Baixue standing there with aggressive majesty, looking down with cold contempt upon her prey. Beside Lin Baixue stood Xia Yue'er, still as fresh and refined as ever, though the gaze she fixed on Xia Jiujiang burned with monstrous fury.

Xia Jiujiang had just managed to pull Green Ruo into the outer room when Lin Baixue's appearance made it clear to her that what was coming had still come. Her heart sank.

Aunt Xiu burst in from outside, wailing at the top of her lungs. "Old Madam! Old Madam!"

Her cries were deafening, as though she feared no one had heard them.

Aunt Xiu knelt before Lin Baixue, weeping miserably. "First Madam, please, you must seek justice for Old Madam. The Princess killed her!"

Aunt Xiu was actually saying that Xia Jiujiang had killed Old Madam Xia? Well then, what a fine Aunt Xiu indeed. She had dared to scheme against Xia Jiujiang. Since they had schemed, then they must not blame Xia Jiujiang for being ruthless.

Working in tandem with Aunt Xiu, Lin Baixue said with feigned astonishment, "What is going on here... Why would the Princess of the Duke of Jin be in the Xia Residence?"

Lin Baixue's expression of shock was performed perfectly; in harmony with Aunt Xiu, the two of them had truly played everyone present for fools.

Aunt Xiu said, "Old Madam wanted to draw closer to the Princess, so she specially sent this servant to the Duke of Jin's residence to invite the Princess back home. Who would have thought that after entering Orchid and Fragrance Studio, the Princess would get into an argument with Old Madam? This servant heard the quarrel inside growing more and more heated from the doorway and felt something was wrong, so I went to ask First Madam to come over. I never expected Old Madam to..."

There were no servants at all in Orchid and Fragrance Studio. By the time Xia Jiujiang entered the room, Old Madam Xia was already dead. What quarrel could there have been? Now it all depended on Aunt Xiu's one mouth. She could say whatever she liked!

Green Ruo was furious enough to leap in place. "Nonsense! When we entered the room, Old Madam had already been silent. How could we have quarreled with her? Aunt Xiu, this is nothing but false accusation and frame-up!"

Xia Yue'er widened her eyes in feigned disbelief. "What? Elder Sister killed Grandmother? Elder Sister, how could you do something like that? Even if you and Grandmother had some disagreement, she was still our elder. How could you be so cruel as to murder her?"

Xia Jiujiang met the attack with one of her own. She said, "You should watch your words, Younger Sister. Aunt Xiu says I harmed Grandmother, and yet you rush to accuse me so impatiently. To outsiders, it would seem that your elder sister counts for less than the words of an old servant."

Xia Yue'er no longer bothered with her usual pretenses and snapped back at Xia Jiujiang, "Elder Sister, Aunt Xiu has served by Grandmother's side for decades. She would never slander others without reason."

Aunt Xiu said, "This old servant naturally would not dare speak carelessly. When this servant led the Princess into Orchid and Fragrance Studio and into the room, I specially knocked to give Old Madam notice. At that time, Old Madam personally said the words, 'Come in.' Not only did the Princess hear it, but the maid standing at the door also heard it faintly."

Xia Jiujiang said, "Indeed, I heard someone say, 'Come in.' I do not deny that."

Aunt Xiu hurriedly said, "First Madam, you see? The Princess herself admits that she heard Old Madam say, 'Come in.'"

Xia Jiujiang's gaze was sharp. "I admit that someone said 'Come in,' but I never admitted it was Grandmother."

Since Old Madam Xia was already dead when Xia Jiujiang entered the room, the words "Come in" that Aunt Xiu heard when she knocked could absolutely not have been spoken by Old Madam Xia.

"At this point, Elder Sister is still quibbling," Xia Yue'er said, clenching her fists and glaring at Xia Jiujiang angrily. She truly did not understand what was so good about Xia Jiujiang. Why had Prince Qianye taken a liking to this married woman?

Xia Jiujiang glanced at Xia Yue'er a few times. Why did Xia Yue'er's anger today seem so nakedly exposed? In the past, Xia Yue'er had also schemed against her, but she had always done so with a subtle, gentle air, looking so wronged that one could not help but pity her like a little white rabbit. But now she was drawn and tense, as though she meant to shoot Xia Jiujiang dead with one arrow.

Aunt Xiu sneered. "That voice was clearly Old Madam's voice. If the Princess insists on quibbling like this, are you taking everyone here for idiots?"

Xia Jiujiang looked at her coldly. The entire trap had been devised by Aunt Xiu to lure Xia Jiujiang inside, and Aunt Xiu was the witness standing here now. But Xia Jiujiang did not think Aunt Xiu had the ability to plan all this, nor did she have any reason to kill Old Madam Xia just to deal with Xia Jiujiang. The true manipulator was the one before her now, the one who had brought servants to surround Orchid and Fragrance Studio: Lin Baixue.

Aunt Xiu continued, "When the Princess entered the room, Old Madam was still alive. Now Old Madam is dead, and the whole room is a sealed chamber. If not the Princess, then who killed her?"

Lin Baixue looked at Xia Jiujiang and said, "What more is there to say, Princess of the Duke of Jin? I truly never imagined that you could be so ruthless. Old Madam Xia was your own grandmother, and yet you used such methods to kill her. Just how far do you intend to drag the Xia family down before you will be satisfied?"

Xia Jiujiang gave Lin Baixue a cold laugh, then turned to study Aunt Xiu and said, "Aunt Xiu certainly has keen ears. She heard me arguing with Old Madam, and instead of entering Orchid and Fragrance Studio to stop it, she ran off to Willow Fragrance Courtyard to fetch First Madam."

Aunt Xiu answered reasonably, "The Princess is the esteemed Princess of the Duke of Jin. How would this servant dare rush into the room to stop it? I could only ask First Madam to come and judge."

Xia Jiujiang fixed her eyes on Aunt Xiu and said, "Is that so? Such courage not to stop it. Since Aunt Xiu only heard an argument inside, then I am quite curious: after entering Willow Fragrance Courtyard, why did Aunt Xiu not even go see what had become of Old Madam, and instead dared immediately assert that Old Madam had been killed by me? I would never have guessed Aunt Xiu was so capable... unless Aunt Xiu had known from the start that Old Madam was already dead."

Aunt Xiu froze, then burst into loud sobs. "Princess, you have been caught red-handed. How can you still pour filth onto this servant? This old servant knows that you had old grievances with Old Madam Xia, and that the two of you even quarreled openly in the street at the Prime Minister's Residence gate, but you could not have done this to kill Old Madam! If the Princess insists on framing this old servant, then this old servant can only accept her fate."

Aunt Xiu's retreating posture only made Xia Jiujiang's suspicion stand out all the more.