The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 153 : Framed

Her pace wasn't hurried at all, as if this wasn't something worth being vigilant about but was actually just an ordinary meeting between friends.

As they approached, the two maids beside Princess He Yi uniformly lowered their heads and called out, "Greetings to Hong'an Junzhu."

Jiang Ruan glanced mildly at Princess He Yi. Since coming closer, it became clear that Princess He Yi had her head buried within her arms and her face wasn't visible; at the same time, she could detect a strong fragrance wafting from her body.

It was commonplace for noble ladies within the palace to use scented creams, but typically, the more luxurious the cream, the less discernible the scent, because it was considered more elegant. The current Princess He Yi more resembled a lady from a brothel.

Lu Zhu looked doubtfully at Princess He Yi — then, as if thinking of something, she suddenly lowered her head for fear of the two palace maids discovering her shock. How was it possible for Princess He Yi to use such a strong fragrance? She usually wouldn't be able to think of anything, but Jiang Ruan's words from yesterday gave her a revelation. A scent as strong as this wasn't like a perfume, but more like it was being used to cover something up.

What was it covering up? It must be covering up the smell of blood, the smell of rot!

Lu Zhu's heart skipped a beat. The dead Princess He Yi was sitting here yet at the same time someone had sent an invitation to Jiang Ruan in her name. The goal was obviously to set a trap for Jiang Ruan!

"Miss," Lu Zhu suddenly called out.

When Jiang Ruan turned and glanced at her, the calmness in her eyes surprised Lu Zhu. For some reason, this one look wiped away all her agitation. She slowly calmed down, thinking that her Miss had always been strategizing and more than likely had already expected this turn of events, so she might as well wait and see.

Bai Zhi also didn't know what was going on, only feeling that with her invitation Princess He Yi was acting strangely today. However, she'd always had a calm temperament, so she only kept her eyes on Jiang Ruan without making any extraneous moves.

The two palace maids didn't move an inch. Jiang Ruan, smiling, raised an eyebrow. "Princess He Yi is asleep?"

One of Princess He Yi's personal maidservants nodded. "Yes, we servants dare not disturb Princess."

"Then how about I wake her up?" Jiang Ruan asked rhetorically with an insincere smile. Her inexplicable words seemed to shock the two palace maids who hadn't expected her to be so casual about it, but this also saved them quite a bit of trouble. However, Jiang Ruan's tone also made them feel uncomfortable, as if someone was spying on them. The two looked at each other then lowered their heads.

Jiang Ruan slowly stretched out her hand and pressed it against Princess He Yi's shoulder. As she expected, it was rock-solid. A trace of a smile appeared at the corner of her lips, then she suddenly pulled Princess He Yi backwards.

Princess He Yi fell from the stone stool with a thump, rolled, and finally lay on her back on the ground. Now, a delicate dagger with bright blood stains was revealed to have been stabbed into her abdomen- covering up the original crime. And Princess He Yi, with her eyes wide open and lips ash-pale, had obviously been dead for quite some time.

Lu Zhu was prepared and only flinched, while Bai Zhi cried out in fright. Princess He Yi happened to be facing Jiang Ruan, and seemed to have suffered great pain and shock just before her death. With her pair of wide eyes full of resentment and fear, she looked like an evil ghost out for revenge.

"Junzhu!" the two palace maids called out in unison. Their expressions changed, and one pointed at Jiang Ruan. "You actually murdered our Princess!"