When Lin Yuqiao rushed into Mengmeng's room, she saw that he was still asleep, his face was red and swollen and shiny, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Mengmeng, Mengmeng."

Lin Yuqiao wiped away her tears and called out urgently, but he didn't react and kept his eyes closed. This made her even more frightened and at a loss.

Granny Jiang and the others also lost their composure, panicking and not knowing what to do.

Although the Imperial Medical Academy had staff on duty every night, it still took some effort to walk from the Imperial Medical Bureau to Yanqing Palace, and everyone felt like the days were dragging on forever.

"mother……"

Feeling the tears dripping onto her face, Mengmeng seemed to be waking up, murmuring softly.

Hearing her son's voice, Lin Yuqiao felt her heart breaking. She didn't know what illness he had, and she was filled with hope one moment and guessed all sorts of worst possible outcomes the next.

But slowly, before the imperial physician arrived, as Mengmeng gradually woke up, the rash on her face disappeared on its own.

Lin Yuqiao sat on the edge of the bed, holding her son, wiping away tears as she held his slightly warm little hand. As the wet nurse beside her exclaimed in surprise, she also noticed that Mengmeng's rash had almost completely subsided, and his eyes were becoming brighter and brighter.

When the imperial physician arrived, there wasn't a trace left.

Upon hearing that the Third Prince was unwell, all three imperial physicians on duty from the Imperial Hospital came along, including Physician Chen, who was particularly skilled in pediatrics.

Physician Chen and his entourage had heard about the symptoms on the way, but upon arrival, they found that the symptoms had disappeared on their own. After taking the pulse, he pondered for a while, then said to the other physicians waiting nearby, "You may also try taking the pulse."

The Emperor has few children, only three princes, and the Imperial Concubine enjoys exclusive favor in the harem. Therefore, Imperial Physician Chen dares not be careless about the Third Prince's condition. He is afraid that if he fails to diagnose anything and something goes wrong with the Third Prince, he and his entire family will be in serious trouble.

Given that Physician Chen was a master of pediatrics and usually quite arrogant in the Imperial Hospital, the other two physicians were also unsure of themselves and felt quite anxious upon seeing his reaction.

After taking each other's pulses, the two men exchanged glances and went outside together, both of them surprised.

"What exactly happened?"

Seeing the three imperial physicians hesitating and exchanging glances, Lin Yuqiao was extremely anxious. She resented the underdeveloped medical technology of this era. If it were modern times, blood tests and various examinations could be performed to find the cause of the illness.

"Your Majesty, the Third Prince's symptoms resemble a rash caused by contact with something, but rashes caused by pollen or plants usually don't heal so quickly."

After the three imperial physicians finally met together to reach a conclusion, Physician Chen explained the situation to Lin Yuqiao.

"So, how is the Third Prince doing now?"

Physician Chen said, "The Third Prince is in good health, but his mind is slightly unstable due to this rash. We will prescribe a remedy for him later, which he should take for seven days."

After seeing the imperial physician off, Lin Yuqiao returned to the bedside and looked into Mengmeng's innocent and clear eyes, tears falling again.

"Mengmeng, are you feeling unwell?"

Lin Yuqiao also climbed onto the bed, hugged her son in her arms, gently stroked his back, and kept kissing his forehead.

Mengmeng shook her head, feeling a little ashamed that her mother was treating her like a child when she was all grown up. But seeing her mother's tears, she was deeply moved and didn't push her away.

"Mother, I'm all better now, so please don't cry anymore."

Mengmeng doesn't yet understand what happened to her at night; she only knows that she felt very uncomfortable then, but now she doesn't feel anything anymore.

“Baby, Mommy isn’t crying…”

Lin Yuqiao felt even more heartbroken because her son was so well-behaved, and she choked up as she spoke.

She said she didn't cry, but she clearly did.

Accustomed to her mother's constant saying one thing and meaning another, Mengmeng raised her little hand to wipe away her tears. Her eyes were as black as stars, and when she touched her mother's burning tears, she felt sad too.

"Mengmeng is so important to Mommy, but you weren't feeling well last night and it scared Mommy. Mengmeng is so great, she wasn't even scared herself."

Sensing that Mengmeng was about to cry, Lin Yuqiao quickly took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and was afraid that her emotions would frighten her son. Patting her son's back, Lin Yuqiao whispered praise in his ear.

"Yes, I'm not afraid. Now that I'm better, Mother, you don't need to be afraid either."

Peeking out from her mother's arms, Mengmeng blinked at her and said earnestly.

"Don't be scared anymore. Mengmeng, just sleep it off, and everything will be alright tomorrow."

Using her left elbow to prop herself up, Lin Yuqiao tucked her son in, touched his little face, kissed his forehead, and gently patted him to lull him to sleep.

Mengmeng is always well-behaved, and she closed her eyes after hearing Lin Yuqiao's words.

"Mengmeng, do you want Mommy to sing you Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?"

Hearing Lin Yuqiao's words, Mengmeng opened her eyes and shook her head, "No."

"Okay, okay."

After being refused a lullaby, Lin Yuqiao smiled and kissed him again, continuing to pat him gently.

Once Mengmeng was sound asleep, Lin Yuqiao got out of bed, instructed the wet nurse to keep an eye on Mengmeng, and then returned to her room.

At that moment, a ray of sunlight pierced through the deep darkness outside the window; it was already dawn.

Did Mengmeng come into contact with anything else today?

Unable to fall asleep any longer, Lin Yuqiao sat on the tatami mat by the window, a cup of hot milk on the table.

According to the imperial physician's diagnosis, Lin Yuqiao believed that Mengmeng was experiencing an allergic reaction. However, this allergy was rather strange; it appeared severe but also healed quickly.

"No, everything is the same as before."

Granny Jiang bowed and replied. She had already carefully questioned the Third Prince's wet nurse, and there was nothing unusual about what she was eating or using.

Lin Yuqiao sighed and bit her lower lip.

"Then something must have been wrong in the Imperial Garden."

After ruling out all other possibilities, Lin Yuqiao and Granny Jiang exchanged a glance and tacitly identified the main culprit.

Her Yanqing Palace was now as secure as an ironclad fortress. Every procedure for food, clothing, and daily necessities was overseen and approved. Moreover, she carefully selected all those who served Mengmeng, ensuring that no one ever had a chance to be alone with him, not to mention that she herself spent almost all day with her son.

The only unexpected thing was that yesterday in the Imperial Garden, Hanyu suddenly slipped a purse into Mengmeng's hand.

No one expected her to make such a sudden move. After realizing what was happening, Lin Yuqiao had Granny Fang take the purse away. The entire time Mengmeng touched it was no more than three seconds.

"Is the problem with this purse? Should we give it to the imperial physicians tomorrow and have them analyze it carefully?"

Granny Jiang had already taken the purse from Granny Fang and opened it from the inside out. The perfume powder inside looked normal, and Granny Fang, who had been holding it all the way, hadn't had any problems.

Looking at the pieces of sachets that had been torn apart on the plate, and the powder inside, Lin Yuqiao suddenly thought of something and shook her head.

"No, it can't be her purse. She wouldn't be that stupid."

Remembering that when Han Yu stood up, her hand seemed to have accidentally touched Mengmeng's face, Lin Yuqiao gritted her teeth inwardly.

At the time, she felt disgusted with Han Yu. Han Yu's action of squatting down to give her the purse was so unexpected that by the time she realized what was happening, she couldn't push her away immediately. It was just a fleeting moment, but unexpectedly, a problem arose.

She was just too careless.

"How did this despicable hussy get in touch with our Third Prince?"

Even the usually impeccably polite Granny Jiang was furious. She was terrified by what happened tonight, and her heart was still pounding. She hated Han Yu with a vengeance.

Lin Yuqiao lowered her eyes. She remembered that when Han Yu stood up and passed by her, she had a faint sweet fragrance on her body, like the scent of some kind of fruit.

It seems that the thing Han Yu used is mango. In modern times, Lin Yuqiao was allergic to mangoes. Whenever she came into contact with mango juice, she would get rashes on her face and her mouth would swell.

The first time she ate a mango, her face swelled up like a pig's head, and it took more than half a month of applying medicine for it to go down. However, she still loves the smell of mangoes. Even though she can't eat them herself, she always smells them whenever she passes by the fruit section in the supermarket.

Although it's not exactly the same as a mango, Lin Yuqiao believes that the fruit Han Yu uses works on a similar principle: some people can eat it, while others are allergic. In the garden, her hands must have been covered in fruit juice, which is why Mengmeng developed a rash that night when it touched her face.

Have you ever heard of fruits that cause rashes on the face?

Lin Yuqiao frowned and asked Granny Jiang.

After thinking for a while, Granny Jiang shook her head. She had never heard of anyone getting rashes after eating fruits and vegetables.

"Your Majesty, tomorrow you should send someone to report to His Majesty. Once Han Yu is arrested and interrogated, we will know the answer. His Majesty dotes on the Third Prince and will certainly not let that wretched woman Han Yu off the hook."

Granny Jiang was still furious that Han Yu had actually laid a hand on the Third Prince, and she offered some advice to Lin Yuqiao.

"She'll definitely talk. But what do you think she's trying to achieve by doing this?"

Lin Yuqiao was somewhat puzzled, wondering what Han Yu was trying to gain by going through all this trouble to harm her son. Moreover, how could a palace maid like her have such audacity to plot against a prince?

Are they certain they won't be punished, or are they just stupid enough to court disaster?

Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. As long as they are mentally sound and not truly anti-human or anti-social, their actions will have a logical basis. If Han Yu wouldn't benefit from this, why would she do it?

Granny Jiang was stumped by the question and couldn't figure out the reason for doing this. If she really wanted to harm the prince, why would she choose this method?

"Or perhaps Han Yu was just too stupid and brought this upon herself!"

Anyway, Granny Jiang didn't have any good feelings towards Han Yu. Some people are just that stupid, she said with certainty.

"No, no, no, Granny, think about it. If we tell His Majesty about this, we'll need some evidence. There's nothing unusual about the purse. Only I smelled her scent. If Hanyu goes back and cleans up that fruit that causes rashes without leaving a trace, she'll be completely innocent. We can't find any evidence to punish Mengmeng just because she gave her a purse. Besides, even if we get to His Majesty, he won't find a reason to punish her!"

Even if you drag Hanyu over for questioning, she'll insist she did nothing wrong, and you won't have any evidence. On the contrary, if she turns around and accuses you of deliberately framing her, then you'll end up getting yourself into trouble for nothing.

After calming down and thinking it through carefully, Lin Yuqiao looked at the cold milk on the table and frowned.

"What should we do then? Just let that bitch Hanyu go? Why don't we search her room later? Maybe we can find some evidence!"

Jiang Mama felt resentful if she couldn't punish Hanyu.

"How could I let her get away with this? No matter what she's up to, if she tries to climb over me to get ahead, and even tries to take advantage of my son, I won't let her go!"

Lin Yuqiao's words were unusually cold, which put Jiang Mama at ease.

In this deep palace, there will never be a shortage of these troublesome, hidden attacks. There's no need to actively harm others, but the necessary methods must be used to deter the others in the harem. Even if we can live in peace forever, we must make them think twice before using any means they want in the future.

When Lin Yuqiao went to pay her respects to the Empress in the morning, the Empress had also heard about the commotion at Yanqing Palace that night. She asked a few questions and only showed relief after learning that the Third Prince was alright.

"The Third Prince's rash appeared very suddenly. Has the Imperial Concubine found the cause? If it is because the people around him did not take good care of him, or because the prince came into contact with something he should not have come into contact with, he should be punished severely."

After listening to the Empress's words, Lin Yuqiao suddenly had an idea. If Han Yu's thoughts were indeed as she suspected, then she would have a solution.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will investigate this carefully again when I return."

Her smile was perfectly normal, and the Empress, having heard it was just a false alarm, stopped bringing up the topic to avoid Liu Heng accusing her of overstepping her bounds.

After the morning court session, Liu Heng, unusually, did not go to his study to continue handling palace affairs, but instead went to Yanqing Palace first.

Is Mengmeng alright now?

Holding his son and examining his face closely, Liu Heng also felt something was amiss. He had already reviewed the imperial physician's medical records; the rash had appeared suddenly and disappeared quickly, and so far, no abnormalities had been found in Mengmeng.

"You have no idea how scary Mengmeng was last night."

Thinking of Mengmeng's swollen face last night, Lin Yuqiao felt sad and even more determined not to let Hanyu off the hook.

She didn't know Han Yu's background, but there was no doubt that Liu Heng valued her highly. He rarely paid attention to women, especially palace maids; his special treatment of Han Yu must have some ulterior motive.

If she doesn't handle this matter well, it will make her seem narrow-minded and intolerant of Hanyu, and might even create a rift between her and Liu Heng.

"Have you figured out what caused Mengmeng's rash?"

Mengmeng is usually fine, so the sudden appearance of a rash must be due to contact with something or inadequate care. However, Liu Heng had not heard of anyone being punished at Yanqing Palace, so he inquired about it.

"I think I understand now. Ziping has heard of a kind of fruit that some people love to eat, while others get rashes after touching it."

Because she smelled fruit fragrance on Han Yu, Lin Yuqiao was certain that it must be some kind of melon or fruit.

Liu Heng had never heard of such a strange fruit before.

Lin Yuqiao continued, "We'll find out what kind of fruit it is sooner or later. No matter who it is, if they use such methods on Mengmeng, I will never let them off the hook."

Upon hearing Lin Yuqiao's words, Liu Heng's face darkened, his eyes filled with frost.

"You mean someone is deliberately trying to harm Mengmeng? Who is it?"

"I can't say who it is, there's no evidence yet, but I guarantee that person will come to light within three days."

Lin Yuqiao had an idea in mind and said confidently.

Seeing her expression, Liu Heng didn't ask any further questions.

After leaving Yanqing Palace, I summoned my secret guards and they investigated what happened yesterday.

Upon hearing the report that the female official Han Yu had taken leave due to illness two days ago, and that she had met the Imperial Concubine and the Third Prince in the Imperial Garden yesterday, and even gave the Third Prince a purse, Liu Heng frowned.

Could it be made of cold jade? But why would she do that?

However, the secret guards found nothing wrong with the purse. Granny Jiang and Granny Fang had opened and inspected it, and even sent some of the incense powder inside to the Imperial Hospital, but the imperial physicians found nothing unusual.

Liu Heng was no longer certain, as there was currently no evidence to suggest that Han Yu was responsible. However, he remained vigilant and sent his guards to closely monitor Han Yu's movements.

Meanwhile, Han Yu, ever since she heard that the Third Prince had developed a rash at night, had been waiting to be questioned by Lin Yuqiao or someone else.

The purse she gave to the Third Prince was purely to divert attention. At least four palace maids saw her making the purse. As soon as she finished it yesterday, she went to the Imperial Garden and then gave it away. The perfume powder inside the purse was also obtained from the Inner Palace through a female official she lived with.

With so many people able to testify, she was certain she wouldn't be ruined by something as trivial as her wallet.

But the lack of news the following day made Han Yu feel uneasy. For a concubine, her son was her lifeline, and with the Third Prince's accident last night, Consort Lin would surely be filled with anxiety.

Even if the Third Prince is better now, she shouldn't do nothing. Doesn't Consort Lin have any doubts about her?

But that evening, Hanyu suddenly heard a soft knock on the door. At that moment, she was sitting in her room pondering what to do next. If the Imperial Concubine was really so easy to keep quiet, what should she do?

She didn't want to be a lady-in-waiting forever! The best way out was to leave the palace at thirty, but by then she would be that old, and what hope would she have left?

As soon as she opened the door, Han Yu saw an unfamiliar palace maid in green standing outside.

"Shhh."

The palace maid quickly slipped into the room and told her to close the door.

Since Hanyu's room was the innermost east wing, which was usually quiet and sparsely populated, no one else saw her.

"Who are you?"

The door wasn't closed, and Han Yu glanced warily at the green-clad palace maid.

"I am Lin'er from Jinghe Palace. I need to speak with the lady-in-waiting."

Han Yu saw the waist token that Lin'er showed her, which was indeed from Jinghe Palace, and closed the door with a heart full of doubt.

"What brings you here, Consort Ning?"

The green-clad palace maid smiled mysteriously, glanced at Han Yu, and said directly, "Her Majesty asked me to pass on a message to the lady-in-waiting. She said she knows what the lady-in-waiting did to the Third Prince, but she told me to tell you that it's useless; the Imperial Concubine won't fall for it. If the lady-in-waiting wants to advance further, she can help you."

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

She was pouring a cup of tea when Han Yu suddenly flung it across the table, scattering it everywhere, and said sternly.

"Hehe, stop pretending. It's laughable to pretend in front of people who know better. Our Empress is the most capable person. What doesn't she know? And it's not just our Empress who knows. Even the Imperial Concubine knows what the Lady Official is planning. The Lady Official thinks her scheme is brilliant, but little does she know that in other people's eyes, it's utterly ridiculous."

"Although the Consort hasn't made a move yet, if I were a lady-in-waiting, I wouldn't dare to think that I could get away with offending her. I'm afraid I'd have to risk my life to learn from the Consort's methods. Anyway, I'm just here to deliver a message from our Consort. Think it over carefully. If you really want things to go your way, take this hairpin to the eunuch in charge of sweeping the gate of Jinghe Palace at noon tomorrow. I'll come back tomorrow evening."

After finishing her rapid-fire speech, Lin'er got up and left with a smile, leaving behind a hairpin, made entirely of jade, warm and delicate, unlike any ordinary item.

As she went out, she happened to run into Fei Chen, the female official in the next room.

Watching Lin'er's departing figure, Fei Chen asked Han Yu, "Do you know the people from Jinghe Palace?"

Feeling confused after Lin'er's words, Han Yu gave a casual reply and went inside. Before closing the door, she asked Fei Chen again, "Do you know her?"

"Yes, I know her. She's Lin'er from Jinghe Palace. She's quite favored by Consort Ning. I didn't know you two were lovers."

As soon as she entered the room, Han Yu rushed to the table and looked at the hairpin left by Lin'er, her face turning pale and then red.

It seems that this Lin'er is indeed from Jinghe Palace. So, does that mean Consort Ning wants to recruit her?