Chapter 435 - 429_1
Lin Yue wasn’t completely without her guard up, but she felt that it was her first time in the Imperial Palace, and since she didn’t know anyone there and had no conflicts of interest, there shouldn’t be anyone who would go out of their way to target her. As for the inexplicable trouble caused by the Fourth Princess, having listened to Princess Yongle’s explanation, she also believed that the Fourth Princess was really gunning for the Third Princess. After all, the dealings between the Zhang Family and the Fourth Princess were clandestine, and few people were aware of their connection. Apart from the issue with the Third Princess, Lin Yue couldn’t think of any reason why the Fourth Princess would stoop so low as to deal with a mere peasant woman like herself.
"Hold on, sister, are you sure we’re going the right way? I don’t seem to have passed through here before." After walking for a while, Lin Yue sensed something was amiss. The palace maid seemed to be intentionally leading her to less crowded areas, whereas when she came to the Royal Garden with Princess Yongle earlier, she could still remember some parts of the route, and there were occasionally other palace maids they bumped into; this was definitely not the way from Yongle Palace to the Royal Garden.
The Palace Maid’s expression stiffened momentarily upon hearing Lin Yue’s questioning, but she quickly regained her composure. "Mistress Lin, you’re overthinking things. The Royal Garden is vast, and I wanted to quickly escort you back to Yongle Palace, so I took a shortcut."
"I see, but why didn’t you tell me that in advance? And I’m in no hurry, so there’s no need to take a shortcut. I should take the same route back—I saw some scenic spots on the way here that I was thinking of looking at again on my way back. Let’s stick to the route we came from. If you don’t have time, sister, feel free to leave; I can make my own way back." Although the Palace Maid’s response was plausible, Lin Yue still felt something was off and was sure there was a problem. She refused to continue following the maid and turned back to the original path, her mind filled with heightened vigilance, hoping it was just her overthinking.
Seeing Lin Yue turn to leave, the Palace Maid panicked—there wasn’t much distance left to go, and once Lin Yue was taken there, nothing further would involve her. Abandoning the task halfway might incur severe punishment from her master. So, she quickly reached out to stop Lin Yue.
"Mistress Lin, you may have time, but I do not. I still have to do my duty after escorting you back, and we’re almost there. Please, just come with me, otherwise it would have been a waste of my time." There was an air of compulsion in the maid’s words, making it clear she was forcing Lin Yue to comply.
If Lin Yue was merely suspicious before, the Palace Maid’s demeanor now left no doubt that this was a trap. Likely Princess Yongle and the Palace Maid Bilian had been deliberately drawn away by them. She was just a simple peasant woman, with no connections or offenses within the palace. Who would go to such lengths to target her?
Could it be the Fourth Princess taunting the Third Princess again? But that was going too far. The Third Princess had already warned the Fourth Princess, and given the latter’s situation, she should have been wise enough to back down. Why would she repeatedly challenge the Third Princess’s limits? If things turned sour, only the Fourth Princess would suffer. Princess Yongle had even assured her that the Fourth Princess would cause her no further trouble, so what was going on?
Regardless of the details or who wanted to target her, escaping the present predicament was paramount. Seeing the Palace Maid block her path forcefully, Lin Yue’s face also showed surprise. "What are you trying to do, sister? You’re the one who offered to take me to Yongle Palace, not at my request. Acting like this... could it be you are plotting something?"