"This servant doesn't know what His Highness the Crown Prince is talking about. This servant is Jinghe's mother, how could I want to see him suffer?" Fangzhi lowered her head and said in a sorrowful voice.
"Now I'll tell you, the fragrance on you yesterday could soothe Jinghe and suppress the toxins in his body. Now that you know, it's time to hand over the thing that emits that fragrance, right?" Ye Jingchen asked with a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
The perfume balm is Fangzhi's biggest trump card. She wants to use it to get Ye Jinghe back, but where did things go wrong? How did Ye Jingchen know that her perfume balm could appease Ye Jinghe?
Seeing that she didn't speak, Ye Jingchen continued, "Jinghe told me that his head didn't hurt as much after you hugged him."
He also said that he smelled a fragrance, which relieved his headache.
"Your scent at the time was gardenia. I've experimented with gardenia scent before, and it had some effect, but it wasn't as good as the scent you had."
"You're skilled at making incense, so you must have specially developed that incense balm for Jinghe after you knew he was poisoned, right?"
"Since you love Jinghe so much, you should let him know in time, otherwise it would be bad if he misunderstood something."
These words were well-reasoned and persuasive, giving Fangzhi no chance to refute them.
Fangzhi felt a chill run down her spine, and for the first time, she began to look at the child in front of her with a serious eye.
In the past, she thought Ye Jingshu and Ye Jingchen were both bad and stupid. Their only advantage was that they were born from the womb of the late empress, so they were superior to others from birth. In reality, they were useless, and she never took them seriously.
But now her plans are being thwarted by Ye Jingchen one after another. Once or twice could be considered a coincidence, but at this moment, she can no longer afford to take any chances.
"The perfume I used yesterday was last year's stock, and there wasn't much left. The main ingredient for making perfume, gardenia, doesn't bloom until midsummer. I didn't know that this perfume could relieve epilepsy—" At this point, Fangzhi realized that she had made a fatal mistake.
The rumors circulating in the palace all say that the Fifth Prince has epilepsy, but Ye Jingchen just deliberately said that Ye Jinghe was poisoned, and he said it twice. However, she was too nervous because Ye Jingchen was pressing her step by step, and she did not notice this in time. Now it is too late to show her surprise.
Fangzhi looked up at Ye Jingchen and met his all-knowing gaze.
Such a look is definitely not something an eight-year-old child could have.
Fangzhi couldn't help but shiver.
She already had a difficult life in the palace, and if the emperor found out about this, she would surely die.
Her only chance of survival now is to gamble on whether Ye Jingchen really values Ye Jinghe as much as he seems on the surface.
It's ironic, she doesn't believe Ye Jingchen would genuinely reconcile with Ye Jinghe, yet she prays that he is sincere. Only then can she survive thanks to the balm that can alleviate Ye Jinghe's symptoms.
"The process of making perfume balm is complex, with very strict requirements on the dosage of various fragrances, and it must be made with the freshest gardenia flowers—"
Hearing her words, Ye Jingchen knew what she was up to, and his disgust for her intensified. He interrupted her, saying coldly, "I don't want to hear your nonsense. Hand over all the remaining perfumes you have. As for the production of the perfumes—Jinghe is your only child, and I believe you will do your best!"
Even knowing that Fang Zhi was the culprit who caused Ye Jinghe a lifetime of suffering, Ye Jingchen originally didn't intend to do anything to her. After all, she was Ye Jinghe's biological mother, and Ye Jinghe was the victim. How to punish her was Ye Jinghe's business. In this matter, he was just an outsider.
However, after being exposed, Fangzhi showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, she tried to use the balm that could alleviate Ye Jinghe's symptoms to control Ye Jingchen and prevent him from doing anything to her. This was truly selfish and despicable.
"I am Jinghe's birth mother, so naturally I don't want to see him suffer!" Fangzhi repeated this sentence, both to Ye Jingchen and Ye Jinghe, and also to herself.
"Miss Fangfei, come inside with me to fetch the perfume!" she said, getting up and walking into the house.
"Fangfei, go with her to fetch the perfume," Ye Jingchen ordered.
Fangfei was the most meticulous and reliable in her work, while Fangrong seemed to be particularly sensitive to fragrances, so Ye Jingchen asked the two of them to go together.
While Fangfei and the others were getting the perfume, Ye Jingchen picked up Ye Jinghe and kissed his cheek. "Our Jinghe baby is such a poor little thing."
My father doesn't love me, and my mother doesn't care for me.
One completely ignored him, while the other treated him as a tool.
Ye Jinghe looked at Ye Jingchen with a blank expression, wondering why he suddenly had such a sigh.
He was only four years old after all. No matter how intelligent he was, his brain capacity was limited. He couldn't understand the conversation between his brother and that woman. He only knew that the woman was willing to give him perfume.
This alone made Ye Jinghe very happy. With the balm, he wouldn't lose control and could continue to stay by his brother's side.
“With an older brother, Jinghe isn’t pitiful!” Ye Jinghe said with a grin.
"Of course, your brother will not let anyone bully Jinghe Baobao again!" Ye Jingchen assured him.
Fangfei and Fangrong came out with Fangzhi, Fangfei was only carrying two small porcelain bottles.
"Only two bottles?" Ye Jingchen asked, squinting.
Fangfei opened one of the porcelain bottles with a hint of helplessness and handed it to Ye Jingchen.
There was only a thin layer of balm at the very bottom of that small porcelain bottle.
Ye Jingchen held the perfume balm under Ye Jinghe's nose, "Jinghe, little brother, smell it and see if it works."
Ye Jinghe carefully sniffed it, then his eyes lit up and he nodded excitedly.
"The other bottle," Ye Jingchen gestured to Fangfei.
"Your Highness, you mustn't! This perfume is difficult to store. If it's opened, the fragrance will only last for ten days," Fangzhi quickly stopped her.
"Is that so?" Ye Jingchen stared at her, a cold smile on his face. "Are you sure you only have these two bottles left?"
“Indeed, only these two bottles are left,” Fangzhi said, her eyes lowered.
“But I don’t believe you,” Ye Jingchen said.
Fangzhi looked up at Ye Jingchen, her eyes filled with undisguised hatred, and asked with a mixture of grief and indignation, "What does Your Highness want? To search my residence? And what if you find nothing else?"
"Fangrong—" Ye Jingchen handed the opened bottle of perfume to Fangrong, "Take your men and search every nook and cranny of this palace thoroughly!" he ordered.
Fangrong accepted the order and left with most of the palace staff.
Ye Jingchen then looked at Fang Zhi, "If you can't find anything, so be it. This only proves that you still have a sliver of maternal love for Jinghe, and that you're not completely heartless. But if you find something else—"
Ye Jingchen didn't say anything more, but everyone present, except for the young Ye Jinghe, understood what he meant.
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