“Madam…” Emerald said, “Should I go to Mingyue Pavilion and bring that girl over so you can ask her yourself?”

"No need."

Qin Sheng shook her head: "Let's just pretend we don't know anything."

Emerald was taken aback again, then thought about it and realized that it made sense. Why did Madam go to all that trouble? Anyway, that Aunt Ye wasn't a good person!

...

I saw Ye Jiaoniang again several days later.

Qin Sheng still holds the title of Lady Pingyin, and hearing that Consort Ye at Mingyuexuan's place is not eating or drinking during her postpartum period, she has no choice but to go and check on her.

Ye Jiaoniang's eyes were lifeless. When she saw Qin Sheng come in, she said, "This servant knows that you have always resented me, Madam. You resent that I met the Earl early and that he took me into the household not long after our marriage."

She wore a plain white nightgown, and looked like a butterfly with broken wings, lifeless.

Qin Sheng looked at her calmly: "It's not really about resentment. You're still in your postpartum period, so don't overthink things."

Ye Jiaoniang shook her head gently, her face pale: "It's no use."

There is already a new concubine in the manor. The vow that the Earl once made that he would only have her as his woman in this life has long since vanished with the wind.

"lady……"

Ye Jiaoniang suddenly grabbed Qin Sheng's hand tightly: "I only have one wish now, I want to know who killed my child!"

"..."

Ye Jiaoniang said angrily, "That cat's pounce was too suspicious. As the lady of the Pingyin Marquis's mansion, I beg you to find out who did this to me!"

As he spoke, he actually threw off the covers, got out of bed, and knelt down in front of Qin Sheng, tears streaming down his face and his expression filled with emotion.

As luck would have it, Yin Wenxiao, who had just come in, witnessed this scene.

"What are you doing?" Yin Wenxiao's face darkened. He took a few steps over, picked up Ye Jiaoniang, put her on the bed, and covered her with a quilt.

"Lord..."

Ye Jiaoniang cried with tears streaming down her face, "Lord... our child, our child really died so unjustly. This servant begs Madam to seek justice for our child."

"Didn't we catch and kill that cat?" Yin Wenxiao frowned.

The night Ye Jiaoniang miscarried, Yin Wenxiao had already ordered a manhunt to search the entire mansion for the black cat. When they found it, the beast was still leisurely eating a piece of osmanthus cake.

Yin Wenxiao immediately ordered his men to beat the beast to death with sticks and throw it out.

"No, it wasn't a cat, it was a person!" Ye Jiaoniang cried out. "Someone must have been behind it! Lord, Madam! Someone must have been behind it!"

"It's understandable that Aunt Ye lost her child, but it's best not to say things carelessly. This mansion is perfectly fine, who would send a cat to harm your child?"

Who else could it be?

With such a blatant implication, only a fool like Qin Sheng wouldn't understand.

In the Yin family, if there was anyone who didn't want Ye Jiaoniang, a concubine, to give birth to her child safely, it would be Qin Sheng, the mistress of the house.

Sure enough, Yin Wenxiao looked over.

Qin Sheng ignored his gaze and stood up, saying, "Aunt Ye, you'd better stop crying. I heard that if you cry too much during your postpartum period, it will be difficult to have children in the future."

"..."

These half-truths and half-lies immediately startled Ye Jiaoniang, who stopped crying and stared blankly with her swollen eyes.

Qin Sheng left after she finished speaking.

...

The next day, Jade heard some news.

"Madam, I heard that the old lady had Granny Shi contact a matchmaker outside and sold one of the maids in the manor."

"Who?" Qin Sheng frowned. "Okra?"

Jade nodded: "Exactly."

It seems the old lady also knows something; I wonder if she suspects Xue Mei yet.

Qin Sheng had promised Madam Yin that she would write a letter to her uncle to mention taking her sister-in-law's son as a student.

Qin Sheng did write a letter, but he didn't mention this matter at all; he just casually inquired about his uncle's health.

Upon hearing that the Nian family had sent a reply, Old Madam Yin hurriedly summoned Qin Sheng to Songliu Courtyard.

"Well?" the old lady asked. "Did your uncle agree?"

"this……"

Qin Sheng pursed her lips slightly and said, "As you know, my uncle doesn't easily accept students. Even though it's my sister-in-law's child, my uncle said he still has to see what the child's aptitude is like."

Should Xia Zijin be accepted as a student by her uncle?

No, she would never be that foolish in her life!

In her past life, she couldn't resist Qin Sheng's persistent pleading, and her uncle, who loved her dearly and couldn't bear to see her caught in the middle between her mother-in-law and sister-in-law because of this matter, made an exception and took Xia Zijin as his student.

Xia Zijin was indeed quite talented, but despite her young age, she was arrogant and somewhat violent, often punishing and beating her servants.

In his previous life, he once encountered the young emperor traveling incognito at the Nian residence. He saw that Grand Secretary Nian treated the young emperor with utmost respect and spoke highly of him, which aroused his jealousy.

Xia Zijin actually had people surround the young emperor outside while he was leaving the Nian residence, intending to beat him up.

Fortunately, there were skilled guards secretly protecting the Nian residence, which prevented him from succeeding.

Otherwise, the entire Nian family might be implicated by him!

Hearing her say that, Madam Yin was a little unhappy. "After all, we are family. Your uncle is willing to teach outsiders."

She was referring to Yuan Xi, the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Yongning.

The heir of the Yongning Marquis's mansion married Princess Xuanji, the daughter of Princess Wenhua, and their son was naturally born into a family of great wealth and honor.

I've met Yuan Xi and Qin Sheng twice before, when they met during New Year's visits to their uncles' houses with their parents before they got married.

The child is only a few years old, but he is not spoiled at all. He looks mature beyond his years and is very hardworking in his studies.

The uncle was even particularly proud of the child.

Qin Sheng couldn't help but think to herself, "How dare the old lady say such a thing? Doesn't she even look at what her own grandson is like, and what other people's children are like?"

But she didn't say these words aloud, and silently drank her tea with her head down.

After returning from the old lady's place, I heard from Caiyue that the Earl had gone to Rainbow Courtyard, and that---

Caiyue was still an unmarried young girl, her face flushed. "And I heard that she has already called for water twice."

"..."

Caiyue hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Madam, are you sure we don't need to prepare contraceptive soup for Aunt Mei?"

Qin Sheng shook her head: "No need."

Why prepare any contraceptive soup? Let them have as many children as they want, let them have their fun!

The next day.

Just as Qin Sheng was about to go to Songliu Courtyard to pay her respects to Old Madam Yin, Xue Mei arrived.

She wore a light green dress, and her slender waist, fair complexion with a rosy glow, and shy expression all spoke volumes about how well she had been pampered.