Just as Princess Jiahua had predicted, Granny Tan died at the Eighth Prince's residence after apologizing.
Not long after, Zhao Zhiyan went to the palace to visit the Empress Dowager.
"Princess, is it possible for the Empress Dowager to reconcile with the Eighth Prince?" Xiu Shu asked curiously.
Princess Jiahua shook her head: "Granny Tan has served the Empress Dowager for nearly thirty years. She was a childhood playmate. How could she have imagined that the Eighth Prince would kill someone?"
The Empress Dowager will not be able to swallow this insult anytime soon.
"I underestimated that peasant girl from humble beginnings. She quietly orchestrated such a grand scheme, taking the initiative and turning the tide of the game."
Princess Jia Hua said with disdain, "The Eighth Prince is such a shrewd man, yet he was completely fooled and sank deeper and deeper into the mire, unknowingly destroying the reputation he had painstakingly built up over twenty years."
Xiu Shu laughed: "It's because the Eighth Prince is so useless that he has to make way for our Prince Guangjia."
At this point, Princess Jiahua's smile deepened, her eyes filled with arrogance: "Only by marrying my A-Yue will he be qualified to be the Crown Prince, not the other way around."
She thought for a moment and asked Xiu Shu to go to the Guangjia Prince's Mansion in person to tell Song Yue everything, so that she wouldn't make a mistake out of ignorance.
When Xiu Shu met Song Yue, Song Yue was sitting in the pharmacy fiddling with medicine. Her skin was fair and delicate, her eyes were bright and watery, and her appearance was even more beautiful than before.
"Xiu Shu, what brings you here?" Song Yue smiled and put down the herbs in her hand, then stood up. "Did Mother send a message?"
“Yes.” Xiu Shu stepped forward to brush the bits of herbal medicine off Song Yue’s clothes, glanced around, and then quietly explained the whole story.
Song Yue narrowed her eyes.
“Lady Liu suddenly fell ill and died on the estate. There’s no way to verify her death, and no one can prove whether Lady Liu was actually the Eighth Prince’s biological mother. The Eighth Prince has been staying in Xingshan Village for quite some time, secretly searching for the spies from the villa from back then,” Xiu Shu said.
Song Yue's eyelids twitched. How did the investigation turn to her?
“The princess said that the villa is surrounded by mountains and there is no inland river,” Xiu Shu reminded her.
Only after being reminded did Song Yue remember this detail. At the time, she was so focused on escaping and avoiding her previous life's experiences that she had forgotten this particular detail while traversing waterways and mountain paths.
"So what if they find out? I have no grudge against the Eighth Prince's Mansion." Song Yue wasn't worried; having escaped death, she only wanted to survive.
Zhao Zhiyan's investigation into this matter was simply meddling in other people's business.
Despite saying that, Song Yue was not confident. She pursed her lips and waited until she met Yun Ke that evening before telling him about the matter with a heavy heart.
Why is Eighth Imperial Uncle investigating me?
After a moment's thought, Yun Ke said, "Eighth Imperial Uncle is probably making a comparison."
"Compare?"
“Compare who lied in the beginning, you or Xu Lingqing.” Yun Ke smiled, bent down and pulled Song Yue into his arms: “It shows that Eighth Prince was wavering, his will was not firm, and he just wanted to have something to verify.”
Song Yue looked up: "Then what outcome does he hope for?"
“Xu Lingqing is not the only one who has suffered injustice since childhood. How can someone who can’t even get enough to eat learn medicine? None of the villagers in Xingshan Village know medicine. Some things cannot withstand close scrutiny.”
Hearing Yun Ke say this, Song Yue was even more shocked: "You also investigated Xingshan Village?"
The other party nodded: "I just learned about this today. Xu Lingqing... is quite extraordinary. Although she grew up in Xingshan Village, she suddenly became skilled in medicine. When she was fourteen, she suddenly disappeared. The villagers thought she had fallen off a cliff and died. Unexpectedly, a few years later, she became the Eighth Prince's wife. In the past fourteen years, no one knew that she knew medicine. The reason she got involved with the Eighth Prince was because when she was thirteen, she saved the Eighth Prince, who had fallen off a cliff and was unconscious. That's why the Eighth Prince brought her back to the capital."
Song Yue sat up straight: "You, you just said that Xu Lingqing saved someone at the bottom of a cliff when she was thirteen years old?"
Yun Ke's eyes narrowed: "Yes."
Xu Lingqing is twenty years old this year, four years older than her. When Song Yue was nine years old, she went up the mountain with Wang Cuihua to pick herbs and also saved a man at the bottom of the cliff.
It was raining heavily at the time, and she got lost. Shivering, she saw a person lying not far away, wearing a long black robe.
She boldly walked over, touched the tip of his nose and found he was still breathing. Without thinking twice, she dragged him into the cave.
At that time, she didn't know how to save lives or how to treat patients. She searched the man for a jade pendant and ran through the heavy rain to the next village to find Granny Wen to help him.
Grandma Wen's eyesight wasn't very good, but she had treated Song Yue before, so she remembered her.
She remembered that it was Granny Wen who saved the man with acupuncture and gave him some kind of pill. Granny Wen said, "It's not a deadly poison, it won't kill him. It's just that he survived falling from such a height. He's really lucky."
Song Yue stayed by his side all night.
It wasn't until Wang Cuihua's voice rang out from outside that Song Yue panicked and left the cave, only to be dragged away by Wang Cuihua by the ear.
What a coincidence! The year Xu Lingqing saved someone when she was thirteen, she also happened to save a man at the bottom of a cliff.
Looking into Yun Ke's gentle eyes, Song Yue told the truth: "I also saved someone when I was nine years old."
Yun Ke's heart sank, and his smile became somewhat forced. He was certain that if Zhao Zhiyan found out about this, he would definitely cause trouble.
"That person also fell from the cliff. He was drugged and fortunately, he was stopped by the vines below the cliff, so he didn't fall too hard."
The two locked eyes and were almost certain that the person was Zhao Zhiyan!
Xu Lingqing took credit for Song Yue's rescue.
Xu Lingqing had no medical skills at all before the age of thirteen; she learned these skills in Japan.
"A-Yue." Yun Ke said solemnly, holding the person in his arms tighter. "Fortunately, this matter has only just been investigated. If... if people had known earlier, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to marry you."
He was certain that Zhao Zhiyan would never break off the engagement with Song Yue if he knew the truth.
Song Yue smiled, her mind filled with only one thought: if she had known that person was like this, she would have preferred to let him be eaten by wolves.
"Xu Lingqing's only reliance is on the life-saving grace." Song Yue finally understood why Zhao Zhiyan treated her so specially.
When the truth is revealed one day, what leverage will Xu Lingqing have left?
“If he only developed feelings for this person because he saved them, then he only loves his savior.” Song Yue smiled, put an arm around Yun Ke’s neck, and said coquettishly, “I’m already married to you, why should I worry about such things? Does Your Highness lack confidence in yourself?”
Yun Ke held her tightly, his face grave: "If I'm going to fight for it, I'll stop at nothing. Xu Lingqing won't let me off easily either."
"Of course, success or failure hinges on this. My wealth and glory are all tied to you." Song Yue smiled.
As for Xu Lingqing, the more trouble she causes, the more she exhausts Zhao Zhiyan's patience and energy.
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