"Be careful, if the prince finds out, he'll skin you alive when he gets back," Bai Lu teased playfully, then obediently followed Lin Shuang back to the side courtyard.

He instructed the maids below to serve the food.

Ji Fengyao then dismissed all the maids in the inner courtyard and asked Xique to sit down opposite her.

Xi Que wasn't reserved and guessed why Ji Fengyao wanted to keep her: "Miss, last time you secretly told me to keep an eye on Sister Lin Shuang, but I didn't notice anything unusual about her. Could it be that you suspect there's something wrong with Sister Lin Shuang?"

“Yes, and I’m even more suspicious than last time,” Ji Fengyao said bluntly.

Xi Que frowned slightly, puzzled: "But apart from sleeping soundly at night and not knowing if she gets up at night, Bai Lu and I are almost always with her, and she is still the same as before, without any problems."

Ji Fengyao asked, "Do you still remember the day we went hunting at the horse farm, when you, Wuhen, and Bailu were all knocked unconscious?"

Xi Que nodded: "I remember, but Sister Lin Shuang was also knocked unconscious."

"She collapsed behind a big tree, which was a secluded spot for you; when I found her, I saw a bruise on her neck, a mark from a karate chop."

Xi Que was still puzzled and said, "That person hit extremely hard. My neck hurt for a long time that day. I saw Bai Lu, and she also had bruises, which didn't disappear until the next day."

“When I helped you regain consciousness that day, I specifically checked your bruises. They were on the back of your neck, or slightly to the left. This means that the person who attacked you was right-handed. He attacked you from behind, so leaving these marks would have been convenient for him. But Lin Shuang’s bruises are different. The bruises on her neck are on the right side, and they are shallower at the top and deeper at the bottom.” Ji Fengyao paused and sighed softly.

While Xi Que may not be quick-witted, she is an expert in fighting: "Miss suspects that Sister Lin Shuang knocked herself unconscious?"

Ji Fengyao nodded.

“She injured her leg that day and arrived late, so it’s understandable that she didn’t encounter any bad guys. Besides, we all trust her, so she had no reason to knock herself unconscious.” As Xique spoke, a hint of anger appeared on her face. She said resentfully, “Unless, her leg injury was fake, and she deliberately sent me and Bailu away to do something that would betray Miss, and then came back and ran into Miss feeling guilty!”

The sparrow grew angrier and angrier, slamming its hand on the table and about to stand up: "You heartless wretch! You taught and nurtured her, Miss, but I want to ask you what her heart is made of!"

“Xi Que, don’t be impulsive. We have no evidence right now, and you won’t get anything out of her if you ask her. What if she has some other reason and doesn’t want to harm us? If you do this, won’t you be making things even harder for her and hurting her feelings?” Ji Fengyao quickly stopped Xi Que.

The magpie thought about it and realized it made sense, and quickly quieted down.

After all, they had been sisters for so long, and Xique didn't want to wrongly accuse Lin Shuang: "Miss, then tell me what to do, I'll listen to you."

"The day after tomorrow, I will go to Jin'an Temple with the Empress Dowager to offer incense. The Empress Dowager probably has other plans. At that time, you..." Ji Fengyao said, then stopped speaking and switched to telepathy.

The magpie nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Lin Shuang was anxious all night. The next day, she came to serve in the main room and saw that Ji Fengyao and Xi Que were no different from usual. The two of them even played shuttlecock with Bai Lu for most of the day, showing no signs of fading away.

Lin Shuang was relieved and became even more careful in her words and actions.

On the morning of the third day.

Two matrons and a group of palace maids came to fetch Ji Fengyao.