Chapter 343 How many lychees did the young master buy back?

Huayi didn't respond immediately. She turned to Xiao Qingyuan and said, "Your Highness, what do you think..."

Xiao Qingyuan glanced down at her belly and said to Shen Wantang, "Huayi is pregnant and weak right now. I think there's no need for her to kneel. Let her serve you tea as a token of respect!"

Shen Wantang looked at him calmly: "Since you are unwilling to perform the ceremony, then let's forget about making her a concubine for now."

"What?! Shen Wantang, how can you just let such a big thing go? I'm going to make Huayi my concubine!"

"I don't think the young master takes this matter too seriously. Otherwise, why wouldn't he even let the maid perform the proper etiquette?"

Xiao Qingyuan looked at Huayi and said in a low voice, "Why don't you go and pay your respects to her?"

Huayi thought so too. Becoming Xiao Qingyuan's concubine was something she had always dreamed of, and now that the position of concubine was within her grasp, she was unwilling to miss it.

But just as she was about to nod, she heard Shen Wantang say coldly, "Today is not a suitable day to carry the concubine. A maid in the manor has died, and it is also unlucky for Huayi to be carried on this day. She will probably feel unlucky when she thinks about this day in the future. Let's put aside the matter of carrying the concubine for now. Now, we should find out the cause of Chundie's death first."

Xiao Qingyuan hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "That seems to make some sense. Huayi, how about we reschedule? We need to choose an auspicious day for you. Today... is really unlucky and not suitable for us to make you a concubine."

Hua Yi was extremely unwilling, even somewhat resentful, feeling that Shen Wantang was deliberately toying with her!

First, she was told that she would be promoted to the position of concubine, which raised her expectations to a high level and made her extremely happy. But just when she was overjoyed and thought she was going to be a concubine, Shen Wantang suddenly grabbed her and wouldn't let go of her concubine etiquette. In an instant, her face changed and she said that the matter of promoting her to the position of concubine should be put aside for now!

How can this be left unresolved?!

If she hadn't gotten the chance to be promoted, that would have been one thing, but the opportunity was right in front of her, how could she be willing to give it up?!

She didn't care whether any maids died today; she was only afraid that if she missed today, she wouldn't know when she would be made a concubine. If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have acted so haughtily and refused to kneel and pay her respects to Shen Wantang.

Xiao Qingyuan's mind always changes quickly. He might be fond of her today and want to make her a concubine, but in a couple of days, he might not want to make her a concubine anymore.

This kind of thing has happened before. The last time he was locked in the woodshed, he personally said that he would promote her, but after he came out of the woodshed, he completely forgot about it.

She had waited so many days, and now, because of her pregnancy, she had the opportunity to be promoted to the rank of concubine.

She grasped Xiao Qingyuan's hand and traced lines in his palm: "Your Highness, Huayi doesn't care about auspicious days. As long as I can be Your Highness's concubine, even the most unlucky day is a good day. Let's do it today. I think it's perfect."

Xiao Qingyuan used to fall for her act, but after looking at Shen Wantang's cold expression, he shook his head at Huayi: "Forget it, let's do it another day, there's no rush."

"But……"

"Alright, no buts. You're being promoted to concubine, which is no small matter. We can't choose such an unlucky day."

While the two of them were talking, Shen Wantang didn't listen at all. She called Xia Chan forward to ask her questions, demanding that she and Chun Die explain exactly what they had eaten and drunk the day before.

Xia Chan naturally dared not hide anything and told everything in detail.

After she finished speaking, Granny Chai stepped forward and said, "Princess Consort, the food that the servants were given yesterday was exactly what Xia Chan mentioned. The maids in Xinghe Courtyard and the other courtyards ate exactly the same food, and the water they drank was also boiled by the whole mansion."

Shen Wantang nodded: "It seems the problem isn't with the food in the manor. Xia Chan, Chun Die, did you eat anything brought back from outside yesterday?"

Xia Chan shook her head with red eyes: "Reporting to the Princess Consort, Chun Die has an ailing mother at home. Since she entered the manor, she has sent all her monthly allowance home. She doesn't keep a single penny for herself and has no money to buy food outside. She eats only the food from the manor."

"Just because she didn't have money to buy food doesn't mean she didn't eat outside."

Xia Chan looked up, bewildered: "What does the Crown Princess mean?"

"Describe Chun Die's symptoms from last night to me in detail again."

"She kept complaining of stomach pain all night, and then she started having diarrhea. She went to the latrine about a dozen times, but stopped going in the middle of the night. I thought she was better, so I didn't ask any more questions. Who would have thought that she..."

As Xia Chan spoke, she began to sob softly.

One of the maids who was bought into the manor at the same time suddenly died, leaving her feeling uneasy and even more fearful of the fate of a fellow maid.

She actually suspected Huayi, because Chundie started having stomach aches after Huayi called her back.

But she dared not say it in front of Huayi and Xiao Qingyuan, otherwise she would be the next to die after returning to Xinghe Courtyard.

But she didn't say anything. Shen Wantang still looked at Xiao Qingyuan and Huayi. She asked indifferently, "Yesterday, the young master said that Huayi wanted to eat lychees. I wonder if you bought them for her?"

Xiao Qingyuan frowned: "Shen Wantang, why are you asking this? What does my buying lychees for Huayi have to do with Chundie's death? I didn't buy any for Chundie!"

"I was just asking, why is Your Highness so agitated? What, Your Highness couldn't buy lychees for Huayi?"

"Of course I bought it!"

"How much did you buy?"

Xiao Qingyuan opened his mouth, but no words came out.

He was too ashamed to admit in front of so many people that he had only bought one lychee for Huayi.

No, they weren't bought; they were given away for free by Qingyunlou. They were rotten lychees, half black and half red.

"Why isn't the young master answering? How much did you buy for Huayi? How much did she eat? Were the lychees fresh? Were there any left?"

A barrage of questions enraged Xiao Qingyuan, who roared, "Shen Wantang, you really suspect me of killing Chun Die! I can tell you with absolute certainty that Chun Die's death has absolutely nothing to do with the lychees I bought! The lychees I bought were only given to Huayi, not to anyone else!"

"Yeah?"

Shen Wantang ignored his annoyance and looked at Huayi: "How many lychees did the young master buy for you? How many did you eat? How many are left? Where are the rest?"

Hua Yi lowered her head and did not answer. She shrank behind Xiao Qingyuan, seemingly very afraid of Shen Wantang.

Xiao Qingyuan immediately shielded her behind him: "Shen Wantang, you suspect me, and now you suspect Huayi? Don't make baseless accusations here. Do you want to kill Huayi just because she's pregnant with my child?!"

"Huayi is the gentlest and kindest woman in the world. She would never harm anyone! I can guarantee with my integrity that Chundie's death may be related to anyone else, but it has absolutely nothing to do with Huayi!"

"I'm taking Huayi back now. You can interrogate anyone else if you want, but Huayi is mine, and you have no right to interrogate her!"