Chapter 54 Qi Yuebin meets Yi Xiu

In the main courtyard, Yi Xiu was holding his five-month-old son and teasing him. His little arms were as white and tender as lotus roots, and his big, dark eyes looked around, which melted Yi Xiu's heart.

"Madam, Consort Qi requests an audience."

"Qi Yuebin? What's she doing here?" Yixiu was a little annoyed that her time with her child had been interrupted. But then she thought about it and wondered why Qi Yuebin, who usually stayed in Qinghezhai, had suddenly come to the main courtyard.

"Take the little prince away and take good care of him."

"yes."

Yixiu handed the child to the wet nurse beside her, and then played with the child for a while longer. Only after the wet nurse took the child out did she ask Jianqiu to invite Qi Yuebin in.

"This concubine greets the Fujin." Qi Yuebin walked in with Jixiang, showing no sign of her pent-up anger, and calmly performed the proper greeting.

"Rise, Jianqiu, serve tea to the concubine." Yixiu carefully observed Qi Yuebin's expression, finding no trace of impropriety.

"Thank you, Madam." Qi Yuebin said, sitting on the other side of the table. He picked up the teacup that Jianqiu had brought him and slowly sipped the tea, not in a hurry to speak.

"Is this concubine here for tea?" Yixiu raised an eyebrow. No wonder she didn't like Qi Yuebin. A concubine always acts like the legitimate wife, who is she trying to impress with her dignified and virtuous demeanor? She must have come here for something, but she can't let go of her airs.

"Please dismiss everyone else, my lady. I have something important to report."

It wasn't that Qi Yuebin was putting on airs; he was simply still somewhat hesitant, which was why he didn't speak immediately. Seeing Yi Xiu's unfriendly attitude, he knew that the other party had misunderstood.

Now that she had become a Fujin (principal wife), Ulanara Yixiu's attitude towards things was much more assertive than before. As a result, Qi Yuebin became more determined in his original plan and no longer hesitated.

Seeing Qi Yuebin's serious expression, and knowing she wasn't one to make a fuss, Yixiu waved her hand, dismissing all the servants except for Jianqiu.

Seeing Qi Yuebin's gaze linger on Jianqiu, Yixiu frowned and explained, "Jianqiu is trustworthy."

Seeing that Yixiu insisted, Qi Yuebin didn't say anything more and nodded to Jixiang beside him. Jixiang understood and took out a ruby ​​bracelet, a pair of hairpins, and a small porcelain medicine bottle from her sleeve.

"What does this mean?" Yixiu looked at the three items on the table, quite puzzled.

“Madam, this hairpin seems to be part of the headdress you bestowed upon the concubine on the first day of paying respects.” Jianqiu, who was standing to the side, thought it looked familiar, after all, that headdress had passed through her hands back then.

“That’s right, this is indeed an ornament bestowed by the Princess Consort.” Qi Yuebin nodded, confirming Jianqiu’s words.

"So what? Is there a problem with the hairpin I bestowed upon you?" Yixiu was inevitably a little unhappy, looking at Qi Yuebin who was halfway through his sentence, her tone slightly dissatisfied.

“Reporting to Your Highness, there is nothing wrong with this hairpin.” Qi Yuebin shook his head, gave Yixiu a deep look, and explained, “The matter begins three days ago…”

"Three days ago, the day I returned from the palace?" Yixiu interrupted, as the timing was far too sensitive. Having personally witnessed the Baohe Tower incident and seen Longkodo's fate, Yixiu still felt lingering fear.

"Yes, it was that day, after the Prince and his wife left the manor, my maid Ruyi came to report that she had inadvertently discovered that a maid in the main courtyard was having an affair with a servant boy serving Physician Xu..."

"And then?" Yi Xiu frowned, but wasn't angry. She just felt that this matter was not simple.

“Then, Ruyi said she overheard the two talking and they revealed some information,” Qi Yuebin said, while observing Yixiu’s expression. “They said that the Fujin was unhappy with my childhood friendship with the Prince. So she secretly drugged me and made me lose my child.”

"Nonsense!" Yi Xiu retorted angrily. Although the words "childhood sweethearts" were jarring, she would never admit to doing something she hadn't done.

Seeing that Yixiu's expression seemed genuine, Qi Yuebin continued, "I didn't believe it at the time either. The Fujin is of noble status, has a son and is favored, why would she want to harm me? I thought that someone must be behind this, trying to stir up conflict between me and the Fujin. So I went along with it and let Ruyi continue the investigation."

Yi Xiu glanced at Qi Yuebin's expression. She didn't believe that Qi Yuebin really trusted her that much. He must not have found any problems to be able to talk to her so calmly.

Fortunately, Qi Yuebin was quite clever; otherwise, wouldn't he have been playing right into the hands of the person behind the scenes? Who exactly is behind this? Their intentions are despicable!

"So, what did you find out?" Yi Xiu asked directly.

"I summoned a doctor from outside the manor, and he confirmed that I am indeed affected by the medication and have difficulty conceiving." As Qi Yuebin said this, she couldn't help but touch her abdomen, her face falling into a somber mood.

"This..." Yi Xiu was somewhat surprised, but even more so, she was grave. Someone in the backyard had actually managed to drug Qi Yuebin right under her nose. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. Yi Xiu pressed, "Who exactly did this?"

Qi Yuebin pointed to the items on the table and explained them one by one: "Indeed, after being diagnosed with infertility, I felt depressed. While searching through the items in the courtyard, I found that this bracelet was a gift from you three years ago when you first entered the manor, and the hairpin was a gift from you on your first day as the primary wife. Both of these items are contaminated with drugs that can kill off children, and there are quite a few of them..."

"I didn't do it. I wasn't this bold when I first entered the manor. The more I do, the more mistakes I make, and this isn't my style." Yi Xiu spoke directly. She knew very well that if Qi Yuebin suspected her, he wouldn't have come here today. "Your maid is the problem!"

Yi Xiu hit the nail on the head; she was certain the items were safe when they were delivered. But when Qi Yuebin discovered them, they were contaminated with drugs, meaning there must be a mole within her ranks.

Qi Yuebin nodded. Actually, when the previous things were brought out, she had some doubts about Yixiu. But seeing that she hadn't made a move against the pregnant Song Gege, Qi Yuebin felt much more at ease about Yixiu.

It has to be said that this was a beautiful misunderstanding. But even though Yinzhen did not stop Yixiu, Qi Yuebin realized something was wrong when Ruyi took out the pair of hairpins.

The female physician who had been sent in through the Qi family's connections had secretly filled the vacancy of a second-class maid. What Ruyi didn't know was that after she learned that some of the objects around her were harmful, all the accessories she wore for her daily adornment had been checked and confirmed to be harmless.

However, a pair of seemingly harmless hairpins, once in her hands, became tainted with a drug that could kill off offspring, becoming a powerful "evidence" used to identify Yixiu.

So even if Qi Yuebin was unwilling to admit it, Ruyi was indeed not of one mind with her and was a spy for the Wuya clan from beginning to end.

Having confirmed Ruyi's identity, it became easy to uncover the true answer by working backward. That's why Qi Yuebin came to find Yixiu; as fellow targets of the Wuya clan, there was no reason for her to suffer this hardship alone.