After Qiao Yuchen left, Chen Siyuan immediately took out the bracelet and carefully put it away.

"Young Madam, what are you doing?" It's clearly poisonous, why keep it?

"This is a gift from the Empress Dowager. What if I want to see it someday but don't? Besides, this stuff only becomes poisonous when it comes into contact with water."

Chunping understood what he meant, but she was still a little worried. Chen Siyuan was right.

I immediately felt that the Empress Dowager was a terrible person.

It's outrageous that someone would give away something so poisonous and then not be able to destroy it.

Chen Siyuan didn't seem to care much, and looked at Chunping, "Where are all my jewelry?"

"In the small storeroom."

"Let's go take a look."

Led by Chunping, Chen Siyuan quickly arrived at the small storeroom, searched it thoroughly, but couldn't find a single one that looked similar.

I originally wanted to find a replacement, but now it seems I can only be disappointed.

It can only be said that the bracelet bestowed by the Empress Dowager was so extraordinary that even counterfeits could not be found.

Disappointed, he returned to the house, where Zhang Ma, who was by Mrs. Qiao's side, arrived, carrying a box in her hands.

"This servant greets the young mistress."

Chen Siyuan glanced at her and asked, "Why is Zhang Ma here? Does Mother have something to tell you?"

Chunlan and Chunping were very angry.

What does Mrs. Qiao mean?

The young mistress meant well, worried about Madam Qiao's safety. What's the big deal?

Not only did he harm the young mistress, but he also pretended to be a stranger on the sidelines.

That's outrageous!

Zhang Ma clearly sensed that Madam Qiao's attitude towards the young mistress was different; she witnessed many things that day.

My impression of the young mistress has changed slightly.

Bowing to Chen Siyuan shows sincerity.

Holding the box in both hands, she approached Chen Siyuan and said, "This is a gift that Madam asked me to give to the young mistress."

"Gift?"

“Yes,” Zhang Ma explained. “When the young mistress enters the family, the madam should show some appreciation. However, due to many matters, it has been delayed until now. Please forgive the young mistress.”

Chen Siyuan felt that there were too many inappropriate things to say. Thinking of how the Empress Dowager's reward almost cost her her life, and then of the handkerchief that Madam Qiao had given her, she gestured to Chunping to accept it.

Chunping took the box and placed it on the table next to Chen Siyuan.

"I haven't been feeling well these past few days and haven't been able to thank my mother in person. Please tell her that I will definitely go and thank her when I feel better."

When Zhang Ma heard this, she took a closer look at Chen Siyuan, whose face looked paler than usual.

"This servant will inform Madam."

"Chunping, take this to Zhang Ma."

"Yes." Zhang Ma was politely seen off like this. When she walked out of the North Garden gate, Chunping gave Zhang Ma a gift.

When Zhang Ma saw that it was a banknote, she quickly declined.

"Chunping, this is unacceptable."

Chunping smiled, "Zhang Ma, the young mistress doesn't lack these things. We usually receive a lot of rewards, so Zhang Ma doesn't need to worry about them. If you need them, just ask the young mistress."

"This—" A hundred-tael silver note was handed over just like that.

This was the most generous master Zhang Ma had ever encountered while serving under Madam Qiao.

Considering Chen Siyuan's status, it suddenly dawned on me that it made sense. Chen Siyuan had no shortage of money, and this amount was just a drop in the ocean for her.

Besides, this banknote was also a deliberate gesture by someone to curry favor with me.

If she doesn't accept it, she doesn't know what the young mistress will think.

Chunping watched Zhang Ma leave and quickly went back into the house.

At this moment, Chen Siyuan had already opened the box and saw that there was a table inside that looked somewhat similar to the one bestowed by the Empress Dowager.

I was immediately startled.

The young mistress went to look for jewelry just now, specifically for this item. Now that Madam Qiao has brought it over, she obviously knows something about it.

"Young Madam?"

Chen Siyuan had a similar experience before, so she quickly tried the bracelet using the method she had used not long ago. Later, Jiang Ma was also worried and did many experiments to confirm that the bracelet was not poisonous, but they were still a little uneasy.

"Young Madam, what does Madam mean by this?"

Chen Siyuan glanced at it, then put it on her wrist. "She must have meant well." She's an unfathomable person.

It's plausible to say that he's ruthless to himself.

If you're talking about concern, that's fine.

The bracelet in front of her clearly showed that Madam Qiao knew there was something wrong with the bracelet the Empress Dowager had given her, but she didn't point it out or explain the matter. Today, she suddenly sent this item.

If Chen Siyuan hadn't known before that the Empress Dowager's bracelet was poisonous, she wouldn't have thought too much about it. But now, what exactly does Madam Qiao mean?

After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Siyuan still couldn't figure it out, and she had no intention of going to see Madam Qiao.

Having promised Qiao Yuchen she wouldn't go out, she stayed quietly in the North Garden.

The next day, Chen Siyuan asked Chunping to buy some pastries from Su Ji Pastry Shop. She took one portion back to Beiyuan to eat, and had Chunping deliver the other portion to Xiyuan.

Chen Siyuan didn't know whether Madam Qiao would eat, but she knew in her heart that she couldn't be careless about the proper etiquette.

After all, Mrs. Qiao is an elder to him, but not Qiao Yuchen's biological mother, so there are some things he can't do too much of.

She is different from Qiao Yuchen.

There are many things that Qiao Yuchen can do but I can't.

Time flew by, and Chen Siyuan spent three quiet days in Beiyuan.

For the past three days, Chen Siyuan has been busy, having Wang Li find many books for her.

There are all kinds of books, almost filling an entire bookshelf.

She was only doing this for show; what she really needed to know was about the Feathered Clan.

She has decided to go to the Feathered Clan to get the antidote for her elder brother. After this period of time, she will leave the capital and make a trip to the Feathered Clan.

Doing research beforehand is helpful.

I searched through many books and eventually found records about the Feathered Clan in some miscellaneous books.

Originally, the Feathered Clan was a place where sorcerers were born throughout the ages. Later, because the sorcerers' power was too great, they were feared by many people, and eventually the entire Feathered Clan gradually faded from everyone's sight.

Chen Siyuan also did some research on the fabrics, because with that kind of background, no one dared to use their fabrics.

So many years have passed, and the Feathered Clan is not as terrifying as people imagine.

Even now, a very small minority of the Feathered Clan still possess witchcraft skills.

Because of this understanding, Chen Siyuan knew that finding the right person to target her elder brother would make things simpler.

However, the bracelet bestowed by the Empress Dowager is also a key element.

After thinking about it for a long time, Chen Siyuan decided that she should go to her grandfather to ask him for some information.

My grandfather has been in business for many years and has seen many strange people and events, so perhaps he knows something.

Just as I was thinking this, someone suddenly delivered a visiting card.

Chen Siyuan looked and realized that it was actually the Fifth Prince's Consort.

Suddenly, Chen Siyuan remembered that Qiao Zhen had gone to the tasting event.

Did something happen during that tasting that made Qiao Zhen look so haggard these past few days?

After thinking about it, it seems that only matters of the heart could cause such a drastic change in Qiao Zhen.

She took a close look at the invitation card in her hand. She really wanted to go, but remembering that she had promised Qiao Yuchen, she didn't answer the person who delivered the card in person. She just sent him away.