The servants attending Su Qingyue trembled and knelt on the ground upon seeing the Second Prince. The corpses of two nannies lay nearby.
The Second Prince recognized the two nannies; they were servants in Su Qingyue's courtyard, responsible for cleaning. Su Qingyue had once mentioned they were diligent workers and deserved a raise.
"Speak, what happened?" the Second Prince's eyes were bloodshot.
Su Qingyue's personal maid, gathering her courage, recounted everything that had transpired. Even now, she wasn't entirely sure if what had happened was real or not.
People arranged by the Empress Mother? This meant the Empress Mother knew Qingyue was pregnant even earlier than he did? Everything the Empress Mother had told him was just to keep him in check? Keeping him in the palace was to give these two wicked servants enough time to harm him and Qingyue's child? Qingyue and the child were fortunate to survive, and these two wicked servants, having failed their mission, committed suicide?
Empress Mother, you are truly heartless.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Su Qingyue's maid asked worriedly.
"Did your mistress say where she went?" the Second Prince inquired.
The Su family was a prominent clan in Jiangnan. Qingyue couldn't possibly return to her maiden home. Moreover, if the Empress Mother was making a move, Qingyue would certainly not return home, to avoid bringing disaster upon her family.
"Why didn't you follow her?" the Second Prince asked.
"The Princess Consort feared there might still be others plotting against her. More people meant a larger target. In haste, she changed into a maid's attire and left," the maid replied.
The capital was so vast, Qingyue, where would you go?
"The people in the manor—" the Second Prince stopped himself. It was uncertain if the Empress Mother had people in this manor. If he sent people from the manor to search for Qingyue, it would be fine if his own people found her, but if the Empress Mother's people found her, then...
"All of you, stay in your rooms and do not go anywhere. These two wicked servants dared to harm their mistress; death will not let them off easily." the Second Prince commanded.
Someone in the shadows immediately responded.
The Second Prince ordered them to search for Su Qingyue.
These individuals were elite guards absolutely loyal to the Second Prince. Though not numerous, they were at least devoted and would not harm Qingyue or the child. Furthermore, they had a systematic approach to searching, and finding her discreetly was better than a public search.
The Second Prince summoned the steward. "Keep all the household staff under strict control. I do not want to hear of any information leaking out. The Princess Consort is feeling unwell and requires rest and will not receive visitors. If even a whisper of this leaks out, your fate will be the same as that of these two."
As he spoke, the gatekeeper reported that someone had arrived from the palace.
Coldness filled the Second Prince's eyes. Was the Empress Mother so eager to know if the child was gone? That was his flesh and blood, the Empress Mother's own grandchild!
"Your servant greets Your Highness," the person who arrived was the female official who had spoken to Empress Lu after the Second Prince left the palace, saying, 'The mother-son bond is broken and difficult to mend.' As she paid her respects, she naturally saw the two nannies lying on the ground.
She recognized them as people the Empress had assigned to the Second Prince Consort's courtyard.
Now, with black blood flowing from their mouths, the female official knew they had committed suicide by poison.
Did the Second Prince Consort discover they were the Empress's people? Even so, she shouldn't have driven them to death. The Empress Mother assigning people here was merely to gain more insight into the Second Prince's manor; there was no ill intent. Was this the Second Prince Consort showing defiance to the Empress Mother?
"Your Highness, what is happening here?" the female official asked, her expression unreadable. "Why are these people lying here? Slacking off right in front of their mistress, their discipline is truly appalling!"