Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 291 - 3: Hair-Raising (Third Update)

Susu feigned disinterest in Yue Baiyou and was currently busy preparing Mid-Autumn Festival gifts for all her relatives and friends.

Not only the Song Family, but also Mrs. Zhao’s family, Yang Liu, Bisi, Ning Cui’s families, and the Qiao Family; Susu didn’t forget the maids and servants in the mansion either.

Most importantly, for Consort Xi and the Little Princess in the palace, this could only be entrusted to the Old Madam.

As for the Prince Ke Mansion, apart from preparing a special festival gift for Hong Sheng to present to Prince Ke, Susu lavishly prepared gifts for the Princess Consort and the named concubines and concubines in the inner courtyard of the mansion.

Of course, the gifts for Fourth Miss were particularly abundant. Everyone knew she was close with Fourth Miss, so giving more was natural and would not raise any suspicions.

With Fourth Miss watching over, Sister Ten and her son could at least live without worry about food and clothing.

Susu also specially prepared some incense products and essential oils extracted from fresh flowers from Hami, which she entrusted the Old Madam to send to Princess Changlong, Grand Princess Consort Gong, and the Old Madam of Duke Zhen Guo.

As for Sister Seven, Susu was at a loss about how to send the gifts. Even if delivered secretly, how would Sister Seven present them?

After some thought, she decided to have someone inquire with Aunt Qin at the Liu Mansion, knowing that Aunt Qin would always provide something for Sister Seven.

She then decided to take advantage of the Liu Family’s good fortune, even joining forces for a safe journey.

A trip to Yangzhou was also necessary, not just for Hongshan Village, but also for Third Master and Third Madam who stayed behind in Yangzhou.

When Susu went to the Northwest, she heard that the Sun Family and the Zhao Family were also bringing two cousins back, so they should have returned home by now.

Susu got along well with the two cousins, so she naturally couldn’t forget about them.

Since she would be going to Yangzhou, she couldn’t forget Sister Zhen Zhu, Sister Amber, and Sister Dong Song either.

Though they married well, human hearts are fickle. It would naturally be okay if nothing happens, but if anything does, Susu hoped her Fourth Rank Madam status might lend her former friends strength, honoring their past friendship.

Besides the distant Capital and Yangzhou, matters in Hami were equally important. In addition to the Liu Mansion, there were other families Hong Sheng was on good terms with, and Susu also intended to send gifts to the Qin Mansion.

While others might not know, she couldn’t pretend ignorance, especially after Third Madam Qin helped her fake her death to erase traces and Third Master Qin’s efforts to support his brothers made Susu very grateful.

Though this was a result of the eighteen noble families in the Capital supporting each other, there’s a difference between giving one’s best effort or not.

Of course, the most important were her brothers. Even though she couldn’t spend Mid-Autumn with them, at the very least, she had to find a way to ensure they celebrated well.

She didn’t mention her brother and Brother Lin, but Susu wasn’t a fool.

No matter how clever Ninth Son was, he was still young, having been tricked by Susu multiple times, gathering much information over the years, leaving him wanting to bang his head against the wall in frustration.

On one hand, having heartfelt conversations and receiving genuine concern from his sister felt wonderful; on the other hand, worrying about slipping up and facing a severe scolding and verbal abuse from his nephew afterward, Ruan Jiu...

The poor child’s heart was distressed!

Susu kept busy preparing festival gifts, then attended the banquet at the Liu Mansion after two days, bustling around while keeping the entire household staff engaged and spending money like water.

At the same time, Yue Baiyou was reassured that Susu hadn’t exposed any signs, allowing her to connect with her contacts discreetly, while feeling a surge of jealousy and eagerly awaiting Susu’s downfall.

No matter how much silver was spent, who knew if she’d live to spend it afterward!

Outwardly, Susu ignored her, but in reality, she had mobilized all the forces she could.

When the Awakening Incense and Confusing Heart appeared, Susu had already sentenced her to death in her heart.

The timing and location of its appearance were all wrong!

Awakening Incense was an offering incense used by the Tartar Royal Family before the gods, exclusive to the royal family, which was only brought to the Central Plains during the previous dynasty when a Tartar Princess was married into the Imperial Family.

Using the Inverted Golden Bell as a conduit, this incense could transform into a poisonous fragrance, accidentally discovered by that princess.

The princess used it to harm many people, leading to the dwindling of the Imperial Family of the previous dynasty and indirectly causing its downfall.

That Tartar princess might have passed this poisonous fragrance back to her homeland or told her descendants about it.

Susu speculated that Aunt Su’s ancestors might have served as an Imperial Fragrance Master in the previous dynasty and thus knew many secret fragrances.

Others who knew about this poisonous fragrance were either Tartar Royal Family members or descendants of that Tartar princess.

Either identity when assigned to Yue Baiyou indicated just one thing for Susu: a spy!

Especially in Hami, a very sensitive strategic location at the border.

No matter whether Susu’s various speculations were true or false, it was beyond her to resolve alone anymore or, rather, the entire Hami would face a great upheaval.

Meanwhile, in the Hami Guard’s camp, Commander Liu watched Hong Sheng, standing before him with a resolute expression, and said helplessly, "I’ve never heard of anyone being accused of espionage over a mere incense, especially an unheard-of type!"

Awakening Spirit and Confusing Heart, forgive his limited education and shallow experience.

Hong Sheng, uninterested in discussing who was a spy or what the unheard-of incense was with Commander Liu, just wanted to rush home to check on his wife and confirm her well-being.

Even though Susu assured him she was alright, the mere thought of such strange and eerie incense poisoning was hair-raising.

If anything happened to Susu, he would tear Yue Baiyou apart, but more importantly, he would never forgive himself.

He regretted agreeing to his comrade’s request to take care of his sister and his later soft-heartedness in taking Yue Baiyou in, which inevitably led to this situation.

Commander Liu, seeing Hong Sheng’s expressions alternating between gritted teeth and sorrow, knew he was worried about his wife.

Based on his understanding of this subordinate, Hong Sheng probably felt even more guilty, truly the epitome of "heroes fall for beauties!"

However, out of empathy and "admiration between heroes," Commander Liu still advised Hong Sheng, "Don’t overthink. Remember, a clear threat is easily avoided, while hidden threats are hard to guard against. Even without Miss Yue, someone else would have appeared." It just so happened that Hong Sheng was unlucky this time!

"I really can’t just launch troops to surround someone’s home based on your wife’s suspicions, especially since their family has documented evidence they migrated from inside the border to Hami fifty to sixty years ago, a typical local power with intermarriages across various local tribes."

Hong Sheng smiled angrily, "Even in the heart of the Capital, officials being spies aren’t rare. Over the 150-plus years of Great Chu’s founding, there have been at least ten First Rank officials executed for colluding with enemies and betraying the country."

Unwilling to argue with Commander Liu, Hong Sheng trusted his wife and would do what he needed to, though still not at ease. He added, "Sir, even you mentioned their family has tribal intermarriages locally. You might as well investigate."