He didn't know the specifics of what his mother had done to Qin Sheng, but he had a vague... sense of it.

They were now certain that Jiao Niang was a descendant of the late Emperor Hui.

In his excitement, Yin Wenxiao thought of Qin Sheng.

His mother told him not to get involved anymore, and that she would take care of these things for him.

Yin Wenxiao felt uneasy, vaguely knowing what his mother was planning to do. He wanted to stop her, but didn't know how to say it.

This delay has dragged on until now, and the truth has finally come out.

"Wenxiao!" When Old Madam Yin saw her son enter, she suddenly grabbed his hand tightly, her eyes filled with a hint of malice. "Remember, you know nothing!"

"..."

"mother……"

When Yin Wenxiao spoke, his voice was somewhat hoarse and strained, "The Qin family patriarch has arrived, as have my brother-in-law and mother-in-law."

Qin Yu had just returned from Yan Shu. As a military general, he was intolerant of any wrongdoing.

Although Yin Wenxiao thought his brother-in-law was a boorish man and looked down on him, he was still somewhat afraid of him.

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Madam Yin patted her son's hand, instructing Granny Shi to help her change her clothes and do her hair. Then she said to her son, "You don't need to go out, I'll do it."

"No!" Yin Wenxiao said urgently.

"Listen to me." Madam Yin lowered her voice. "Today is not the time to resolve this matter. I will find a way to get them to agree. We will conduct an internal investigation first. No matter what the result is, the Yin and Qin families will sit down and talk face to face three days later."

"..."

Three days... If we can gain three days, we can get a lot done.

...

The Qin family had received Qin Sheng's handwritten letter a few days ago, so they were all mentally prepared.

Qin Yu looked furious, and Madam Qin almost lost her footing.

The Qin clan patriarch was speaking in a low voice to an old man, while Qin Yu held his mother's hand tightly beside him.

Qin Sheng was afraid that Old Madam Yin would delay, so he sent Qiao'er over. Before Old Madam Yin arrived, Qiao'er had already vividly recounted what Abi had done in front of the Qin family.

She will not give the Yin mother and son a chance to escape!

Madam Yin was surprised by Qin Sheng's swift actions, as if he had been prepared all along. In the end, she couldn't get rid of her son and was helped in by Yin Wenxiao and Granny Shi, one on each side.

Everyone in the hall immediately turned their attention to that direction.

Madam Qin's eyes were bloodshot, and her good upbringing could hardly suppress the urge to swear.

After Madam Yin sat down, Qin Sheng arrived late, accompanied by Emerald, Caiyue, and Abi, whose cheeks were red and swollen and who looked disheveled.

The entire hall, inside and out, was cleared of servants.

Xuemei and the newly arrived Aunt Lin watched from afar, both feeling somewhat apprehensive and not daring to approach.

Both of them had already heard about what happened this morning.

Qin Sheng was prepared. She had already sent people throughout the mansion to spread the word, leaving no room for anyone to maneuver or retreat.

The two women exchanged a glance, and Aunt Lin said, "I didn't expect this Abi to be so bold."

Murdering the mistress of the house—what a serious crime! If handled poorly, the whole family could be implicated and die without a burial place!

Xuemei pursed her lips. "It's more than just bold; it's blatant suicide."

She couldn't believe that a mere servant would dare to poison and murder his mistress.

still……

Was someone instigating this?

Xuemei's heart skipped a beat, and she became even more certain of her idea that someone must have instructed Abi.

But who could it be? The old lady, or the lord?

It was past noon, and the sky grew increasingly gloomy. Snowflakes swirled down, and the wind and snow were chilling.

Xuemei subconsciously raised her hand to adjust her cloak and said, "Let's go back."

Aunt Lin certainly didn't want to cause any trouble.

She willingly entered the Yin family as a concubine to seek refuge, not to cause trouble.

On the way back, however, the two had different thoughts.

What Xue Mei was thinking was, if the old lady and the master really had the intention to poison the lady, then what were they planning to do?

If the lady is really dead, the Earl will inevitably have to remarry. But who else would be willing to marry the Earl and be of even higher birth than the lady?

"..."

Xuemei suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Despite it being the dead of winter, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth throughout her body, and a person flashed through her mind.

Ye Jiaoniang.

Her mind was quick; she connected all the events in her head, and a vague idea began to take shape in her mind.

"Aunt?"

Her personal maid, Min'er, who had been supporting her, noticed that something was wrong with Xue Mei and quickly asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"without."

Xuemei gripped her hand tightly: "Let's go, let's go back quickly."

It doesn't matter who wants to harm the lady; her most important task now is to protect the child in her womb and give birth to the child safely.

...

In the lobby.

Madam Yin spoke first: "This matter is indeed serious, but neither I nor the Earl know about it. In my opinion, as long as we execute this audacious and shameless maid and thoroughly clean up the inner quarters, this matter will be over."

The old nanny beside her chimed in, "What the old lady says is true. This lowly maid dared to poison her mistress because of a little resentment. She really cannot be allowed to live."

Old Madam Yin looked at Madam Qin and said meaningfully, "Don't let this lowly maid's few words of instigation ruin our harmony, in-law."

"Since our two families have become related by marriage, we certainly won't let this little misunderstanding damage our relationship."

She spoke with such sincerity that it seemed as if everything truly had nothing to do with her and her son.

"What a misunderstanding."

Qin Yu was standing to the side and behind Madam Qin. He took a step forward and sneered, "If you say that no one instigated or instructed her, who would believe that a mere maid would dare to drug the mistress!"

"And what about your Yin family? So what if you're a noble family? You've put all your thoughts into taking concubines. Who knows if you've lost your mind and started thinking about favoring your concubines over your wives!"

That's a serious statement.

He favored his concubine over his wife. If word got out, would Yin Wenxiao ever dare to go out again? He'd be cursed to death by everyone behind his back!

Moreover, his wife is the legitimate daughter of the Left Censor-in-Chief's family; how could the Qin family let him go!

Although Qin Yu was a military general, he was quite eloquent!

Moreover, speaking of which, he was personally appointed as a fourth-rank military officer by His Majesty, a title that even the Yin family, with their noble ranks, could not match.

The patriarch of the Qin family glanced at Madam Qin, but Madam Qin showed no intention of stopping him.

After Qin Yu sat down, the other two people from the Qin family who had come over, the uncle of the Qin siblings, stroked his beard and said, "This happened in your Yin family. Whether this maid was taking revenge in private or someone was instigating her, shouldn't we listen to her side of the story?"