Shi Lan put down her book and looked at her with her body tilted to the side. "You said someone went to the side courtyard near Mother?"

Sweet Leaf lowered her head slightly, "Perhaps it was sent by Madam to deliver a message."

Shi Lan frowned slightly and shook her head, saying, "Impossible. Mother would rather she just live and die in the side courtyard forever and never come out. Why would she send someone to deliver a message to her!"

Sweetie looked up at her puzzled expression and pondered, "Actually, I saw this person once half a month ago. It was dark then, and I didn't see him clearly. I only saw his back."

Shi Lan sat up straight immediately and said seriously, "You mean that person went there more than once?"

Sweet Leaf nodded.

"Who is that person?" Shi Lan's small face was cold and stern, her fair and delicate face so cold that it could almost freeze.

Sweet Leaf hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "It's Aunt Liu."

Shi Lan's hand trembled; no matter how hard she tried, she never imagined that the person would be her.

Cuizhi's expression also changed. She had personally witnessed how diligently Liu Mama managed everything for Shi Mama. How could she believe that such a person would betray Madam?

Shi Lan leaned back, letting her back rest on the soft cushions. It had been exactly half a month since she was injured. At that time, Rong Che had also injured Shi Yi in an attempt to avenge her. Liu Mama must have gone there to deliver medicine to Shi Yi.

Shi Lan lowered her head slightly, her fair face hidden in the shadows cast by the curtains. "Are you sure?"

Shi Lan's voice was somewhat ethereal, like a fallen leaf gently brushing past one's ear.

Sweetie looked up at Shi Lan, and from her angle, all she could see was Shi Lan's tense jaw. "Yes."

Shi Lan sighed softly, "I understand. You can go now. We can't let our guard down in the side courtyard. I'll send someone else to keep an eye on Aunt Liu."

Sweet Leaf responded and turned to leave.

Cuizhi closed the door tightly, turned back, and whispered, "Miss, has Liu Mama really betrayed Madam?"

Shi Lan closed her eyes slightly and said, "I had suspected before that someone was colluding with Shi Yi, and now it seems that I was right."

Cuizhi frowned, looking puzzled. "Of everyone in this mansion, besides Steward Liu, the most proud one is Liu Mama. I don't understand why she would do this?"

Shi Lan rubbed her temples and said in a low voice, "I also want to know why she did this. Tomorrow, I'll send someone to secretly follow Liu Mama and see what she's up to."

Cuizhi responded and tidied up the soft mattress that Shi Lan had kicked aside, then helped Shi Lan lie down.

Shi Lan closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep for a long time, but she suddenly woke up. She raised her hand and wiped her forehead, which was covered with cold sweat. Shi Lan could no longer fall asleep. She wanted to get up but was worried about disturbing Cui Zhi, so she simply lay in bed and started thinking about Liu Mama's matter.

Shi Lan had been puzzled for a while now. Ning Zhan rarely visited the Shi residence, so how could it be such a coincidence that Shi Yi, who was always out of the hospital, happened to come to the garden right when Shi Rong was away? Now it seemed that this was not a coincidence at all, but a premeditated act. Ning Zhan came from a family of military generals and had practiced martial arts diligently since childhood. He must have some knowledge of various martial arts schools. Shi Yi knew a few moves, and they were different from the styles here. Ning Zhan must have never met such a unique girl before. After talking with her, it was understandable that he was attracted to her and developed feelings for her.

There was one thing Shi Lan didn't understand: since Shi Yi had gone to such lengths to seduce him and had gone through so many twists and turns to finally marry him as his legal wife, why did she run away on the eve of her wedding and go to the hostile Yueyi Kingdom?

Shi Lan once again affirmed that Shi Yi had lost her mind. She shook her head and then remembered that the Shi family was going to host a banquet for the guests who came to congratulate Shi Rong in the next two days. The whole Shi family was busy. Her most important task now was to properly handle Liu Mama's matter and prevent Shi Yi from taking the opportunity to cause trouble and ruin her elder brother's good thing.

As dawn broke, rustling sounds came from the cubicle. After a soft knocking on the door, Shi Lan heard Cui Zhi instructing the maid to boil water for her to wash up later.

Shi Lan lifted the curtain and looked into the hazy room, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Hearing the noise, Cuizhi hurried in. Seeing the young woman's droopy eyes, she felt sorry for her and said, "Miss, why don't you sleep a little longer? It's still early."

Shi Lan shifted lazily and asked, "Is there any news from Aunt Liu's side?"

Cuizhi shook her head and said, "It's still early. Madam hasn't assigned any tasks yet. Liu Mama is busy serving Madam and can't leave for the time being."

Shi Lan nodded and said, "Send someone who can walk quickly to follow her closely. I need to know her every move."

Cuizhi responded and went out to instruct people to do the job.

Shi Lan closed her eyes slightly, a wave of sleepiness washed over her, and she drifted off to sleep again.

When she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky. Sweetie was waiting by the curtains, fastening the tassels. When she saw her open her eyes, she quickly pulled up the curtains and said with a smile, "Miss, you're awake."

Shi Lan nodded and got out of bed.

After hanging up the curtains, Tianguo noticed that Shilan looked tired, so she brought over the tea that she had brewed earlier.

Shi Lan took a sip; it was sweet and sour with a hint of mint. "What kind of tea is this?"

Sweet Fruit smiled and said, "It's mint lemon honey tea."

Shi Lan nodded, took another sip, and the cool sensation spread from her mouth to her heart, dispelling the gloom that had been weighing on her mind.

Shi Lan gave Tian Guo an appreciative look and casually said, "Your skills are a waste of my talent. If you were in the inner palace, you would be the head of the imperial kitchen."

Upon hearing this, Sweet Fruit's expression changed, and she hurriedly knelt down, saying, "This servant feels relaxed and at ease here with Miss, and I have no interest in the inner palace. Please, Miss, do not send this servant away."

Shi Lan was taken aback, not expecting such a strong reaction from her casual remark.

Shi Lan quickly helped her up, saying, "What are you doing? Get up. I was just saying it casually, why did you take it seriously? The inner palace isn't so easy to enter. Besides, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be willing to let you go. Even if Rong Qing came to ask for you, I would have to think about whether to let you go."

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