The Eldest Daughter is Delicate and Pretty, How Can She Be a Malicious Supporting Character - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: A Scheme

There was a special palace in the courtyard for changing clothes. Since it was already late, crystal lanterns were hung under the eaves, making it not feel dark at all.
When they saw someone coming, the maid on duty greeted them with a smile, “Is this miss here to change clothes?”

Pei Lingyi saw the maid’s enthusiastic appearance and glanced at Luoxu beside her. Luoxu nodded slightly, indicating that this was the maid who had been bribed.
The maid saw that Pei Lingyi’s face was flushed, and her eyes were hazy. She knew what was going on and quickly stepped forward, pushing Luoxu aside.

“The Miss must have drunk too much wine. Let me help her change clothes.”
She glanced at Luoxu, who was pushed aside, and ordered, “Can’t you see that your miss is drunk? Go get some sobering soup quickly.”

If it were usual, Luoxu would have argued with her. But now, knowing that this was the other party’s plan, she would play along.
“I’ll go get some sobering soup right away.”

The maid thought she was clever and smiled to herself when she saw Luoxu leave obediently. She thought, “You’re smart to avoid trouble and spare yourself some pain.”

With a proud expression, she reached out to lead the ‘drunken’ woman into the palace.
However, she didn’t notice the brief flash of clarity in Pei Lingyi’s eyes as she lowered her gaze.
Once inside, four or five masked maids surrounded them.

The maid who had been supporting Pei Lingyi whispered, “Hurry up! We can’t afford to waste any time. If we fail, none of us will have a good ending.”
The other maids looked at each other hesitantly, not daring to take action. After all, Pei Lingyi was the noble daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion. If anything happened to her, they would all be in trouble.

“What are you doing? Hurry up! You can’t back out now that you’ve taken the money. It’s too late to regret!” the maid threatened, her hands already undoing Pei Lingyi’s clothes.

Pei Lingyi was pretending to be drunk, not really losing consciousness. She saw the maid’s fierce expression and the actions of her hands. This wasn’t just about changing clothes.
“What are you doing… uh.”

She struggled with her hands, but before she could cry out loud, one of the maids covered her with a handkerchief containing a sedative, causing her to lose consciousness.

The leading maid looked at her with appreciation and whispered, “Well done. Don’t worry, after the task is completed, besides the gold you’ve already received, your families will be rewarded with good land. Miss Li also promised that this matter won’t implicate you.”

After she finished speaking, almost all the maids gathered around. Since they had already taken the money, they had to see it through. They were all in this together now.

The maids removed all of Pei Lingyi’s clothes, leaving only her moon-white undergarment with embroidered lotus flowers. They exposed her jade-like neck and shoulders, and a large area of fair and delicate skin.

The maids couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized by Pei Lingyi’s beauty. They thought that the daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion was indeed a celestial being, like a fairy under the moonlight. No man could possibly resist such beauty.

“Alright, alright, stop staring. We’ve already done the deed. Why are you still lingering here, waiting to get caught? Hurry up and gather your belongings.”

When the lead maid spoke up, the others quickly exited the inner room. She was the last to leave, taking a moment to survey the area for any oversights. She glanced at the woman sleeping on the couch before locking the door behind her.

She was bold enough to take this risk, knowing the power behind the National Duke Li’s mansion would be involved. If things went as planned, Pei Lingyi’s reputation would be ruined, and that was all that mattered.

However, as the person in charge of the changing palace, she wouldn’t be able to escape blame. The Prime Minister’s mansion would surely come after her.

But if she denied any involvement, no one could prove it was her. Li Miaozhu had promised to help her fake her own death and escape, and she would receive a hundred taels of gold to live a peaceful life elsewhere.

She looked at the brightly lit palace, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.
She muttered, “Don’t blame me, Miss Pei. I’ve been stuck in this courtyard for years. I don’t want to spend my best years confined to this small garden.”

Their job was to knock Pei Lingyi unconscious in the changing palace. How her reputation was ruined was up to Li Miaozhu.

But what they didn’t expect was that the supposedly unconscious woman was now wide awake, calmly getting dressed.

Doctor Gu’s pill was indeed effective. Pei Lingyi had pretended to be unconscious to make it easier for them to act.

The room was filled with the scent of incense. Pei Lingyi pushed aside the incense burner, revealing a strong, sweet fragrance. It was likely an aphrodisiac incense that would take effect with just one whiff.

Pei Lingyi smiled coldly and covered the incense burner.
She began to straighten her clothes.

She sat in front of the dressing table, and since this was a changing palace, it was equipped with cosmetics for noble ladies.

She had taken the pill, so she wouldn’t be affected by the incense. But to make it believable, she needed to appear as though she had been.

Looking at her reflection, she applied rouge to her cheeks and a light layer of lip gloss. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of seduction, and her gaze was soft and weak, making her look pitiful and desirable.

After finishing her makeup, she deliberately disheveled her hair, transforming herself from a gentle, elegant beauty to a seductive and alluring vixen.

With her preparations complete, she approached the window.

As expected, the window wasn’t sealed, likely to allow easy access for the person who was supposed to ruin her reputation. Or perhaps they never thought Pei Lingyi would wake up and escape through the window.

Since the person hadn’t arrived yet, she agilely climbed over the window without making much noise.
There were no guards around the palace, likely to give the man an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

She carefully observed her surroundings as she moved, knowing that this place was not far from the Hua Shang Yue Ling, where the imperial family members rested.
Her goal was to get there.

Unfortunately, she had barely taken a few steps when she bumped into the people Li Miaozhu had hired.
“Remember, when the time comes, the young lady will bring people to catch you in the act, and everyone will be watching. You must stick to your story and deny any involvement with the young lady. Say it was all your own doing, that you were driven by your own desires.”

Pei Lingyi hid behind a bamboo forest, watching carefully. The person speaking was Li Miaozhu’s head maid, Lian Xiang. The person next to her was dressed in coarse clothing, had a dark complexion, and a greedy look in his eyes. He was the Li family’s carriage driver.

“Lian Xiang, don’t worry. I’ve already been kicked out of the mansion by the miss, and I have no connection to the National Duke Li’s mansion anymore. As for tonight, I just had too much to drink and saw the lights on in the changing palace. I couldn’t help myself.”

Pei Lingyi watched the conversation from the darkness, sneering to herself.
Li Miaozhu might have used this method to harm many noble daughters, but unfortunately, it wouldn’t work on her, Pei Lingyi.

Not only would it not work, but she would also use it to her advantage and get close to the Crown Prince, who was on her mind.