No incense was burned in Shousong Hall today, but there was still a faint scent of sandalwood. Fresh fruits were placed inside this morning, so a light fruity aroma permeated the room.

"It was shortly after the princess of Qi returned to the capital."

Madam Yang remembers it quite clearly. At that time, she had not yet handed over all the management of the Duke's mansion to Li Shiyue, and it was common knowledge at that time.

Li Shiyue raised her eyes: "It also happened during that period. My elder sister investigated these matters very clearly, but the things were burned, so there was no evidence and she could not point out to the Emperor that Consort Fu was plotting to harm the young prince."

"Because of this, the elder sister was holding a grudge, which made His Highness even angrier. Moreover, this matter also involves a person, Liu Zhaoxun of Chonghua Palace."

"She was threatened by Consort Fu with her newborn child and poisoned her elder sister's tonic. She was caught red-handed by His Highness's men and has been executed."

There's something Li Shiyue didn't mention: Xu Lingyu didn't drink a single bowl of the medicinal soup that Liu Zhaoxun had given her; she just threw it away when it got cold.

It turned out that the flower had suddenly withered. When the imperial physician came and examined the young prince, he discovered the secret of the flower and immediately realized why it had been watered with medicinal soup every day.

Following the clues, they uncovered Liu Zhaoxun.

Previously in Chonghua Palace, Consort Du disrespected Consort Xu, and it was Liu Zhaoxun who confronted Consort Du, but she still went astray.

The last act of courtesy Xu Lingyu showed her was to leave her with a complete body and send her out of the palace.

Consort Zuo, on the other hand, had a child to keep her company without any apparent concern. Even so, apart from seeing Xu Lingyu to pay her respects on time, she was never seen by anyone else, let alone seen hanging around in front of the Crown Prince.

Xu Lingyu did not handle the matter personally, after all, she had to consider her child's reputation, so His Highness the Crown Prince was the most suitable candidate, and catching him red-handed would be more convincing to the public.

Li Shiyue snapped out of her thoughts and realized how quiet the room was. She looked at Madam Xu beside her and said, "My elder sister specifically instructed us, especially Father and my cousin, to be extremely careful when we are out doing things."

"The Marquis of Changping's residence, Consort Fu, these two siblings really are family."

Yang's eyes were filled with resentment, and she couldn't help but clench her teeth, afraid that she would rush to the Changping Marquis's residence.

Don't let yourself get hurt before you can stand up for your daughter and grandson.

After leaving Shousong Hall, Li Shiyue and Xu Yunci strolled leisurely toward Tongxin Hall.

We had lunch at Shousong Hall. The sun was at its warmest then, and it felt wonderfully comfortable on my skin. I really wanted to roll over and lie down in the shade of the trees.

"When I came back today, I saw that there were more people on the street than during the New Year. They all came in from the city gate, carrying large and small packages."

Li Shiyue spoke casually, recalling that along the way from the palace gate to her residence, she had seen many strong men dressed in coarse cloth, most of them carrying shoulder poles and walking in all directions.

"What's the big deal? Recently, most of the blacksmith shops that have come to report to the Jingzhao Prefecture are blacksmith shops. The people checking at the city gate are mostly young and strong men. Some officials even joked that they might be blacksmiths from the south, but there are just too many of them."

After Xu Yunci finished speaking, the smile on his lips suddenly froze, and he even stopped in his tracks.

Li Shiyue was puzzled and turned to look at him: "What's wrong? Why did you stop standing there all of a sudden?"

Seeing the seriousness in his eyes and the fact that he had stopped joking earlier, Li Shiyue felt uneasy and walked to his side: "Is there something you need to take care of, or have you forgotten something?"

“I have a suspicion. I’m going to the Jingzhao Prefecture. I need to see His Highness.”

Xu Yunci took her hand. He thought of a place, a place that ordinary people would never think of.

What he needs now is verification; he must go and see the Crown Prince. In some places, with the Crown Prince's protection, his Jingzhao Prefecture will be more effective.

Li Shiyue didn't think much of it. She returned to Tongxintang and looked at the account books for a while. When she looked up, it was already quite late.

Rubbing her aching wrists, Chunling came over with a cup of tea: "The young master hasn't returned yet. He sent someone to tell you to rest and not wait for him. He probably won't be back until very late."

Li Shiyue took the teacup, took a big gulp, and the fatigue in her throat and upper body dissipated somewhat.

"Didn't I tell you that you don't need to serve me for now, but to go and embroider your own wedding dress first?"

She couldn't help but smile. The room was lit with candles, so it didn't feel dim.

Chunling lowered her head shyly: "Miss, what if my embroidery skills aren't good enough? Besides, there's no rush. Fourth Master and Ninth Miss's engagement isn't over yet."

"Now we're just waiting for the people from the Duke of Chengen's mansion to come and present the betrothal gifts in a couple of days, and then it'll be your and Changshun's turn. Why aren't you in a hurry? You only get married once, and I don't want you to have any regrets."

Li Shiyue smiled, a mischievous grin on her face, and pulled her to sit beside her.

“How could your embroidery skills be lacking? I remember when my mother had just passed away, the Meng family controlled the mansion, and my winter clothes were all from last year. The cotton inside was packed tightly. That winter was exceptionally cold; it could have frozen a person to death.”

“You took the embroidery needle, pricked your finger, and spent a whole day and night embroidering to add cotton to my old jacket. You were so clumsy, you almost fell into the icy lake while looking for cotton. If it weren’t for the nanny by my grandmother’s side looking for you, I’m afraid neither of us would be where we are today.”

“Without your protection, after Grandmother passed away, I was left alone in the Earl’s mansion with no hope. In the winter, Meng Shi made things difficult for us, not letting anyone wash our clothes. No matter what you said, you wouldn’t let me do it. You just carried the clothes and basins to fetch water yourself.”

"He's not very old, but the calluses on his hands are quite thick. He even got into a fight with three or five old women over a few bites of food, and despite being covered in injuries, he still ran back with the pastries."

"Embroidering your wedding dress is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me. Even if you are my maid, I don't want you to have any regrets. With your daughter around, who would dare to say a bad word about you?"

"I also want you to take a break. You've had a long and hard life with me since you were little, but you've suffered a lot. You're just a teenager, and I've treated you like an old woman every day. I feel sorry for you even though you don't."

Chunling lowered her head, stood up and knelt down: "Even if I get married, I will still stay with you, Miss. I only recognize you. Since you saved me and took me back, I don't ask for anything else. I will remember you even if you give me a full meal."

"It's not hardship to stay with you, Miss. It's something I do willingly. Without you, Miss, I wouldn't be where I am today, let alone be able to get married."

Li Shiyue helped her up and couldn't help but laugh and tease her, "You won't have any more hard times in the future. Changshun made a special promise to his cousin so that you would be alright."