Shen Wan looked at her second cousin with a puzzled expression.
Yun Lang said, "She dared not accept this set of jewelry, much less wear it, so she returned it to me. My cousin spent many days drawing the design, and it's such a pity to destroy it like this. We can only find a new owner who dares to wear it."
Yun Lang really didn't expect that just asking Miss Tao to retrieve some jewelry would cause such a commotion.
Princess Shouchun took a liking to this set of jewelry and insisted on buying it, but she gave up because of Shen Wan.
Even if Miss Tao had a few more lives, she wouldn't dare wear this set of jewelry. Although she probably wouldn't have much of a chance to meet Princess Shouchun again, it's better to be safe than sorry. In any case, what she valued was the person who gave her the jewelry. They were engaged and would stay together forever. She didn't necessarily need this set of jewelry. She couldn't cause trouble for her parents.
Miss Tao had some reservations, and Yun Lang couldn't force her to accept it.
It was the first time he had given a gift to a girl he liked, and it was returned in the end. Yun Lang was extremely frustrated.
Shen Wan never expected that this set of jewelry would end up in her hands. However, Miss Tao's concerns were not unreasonable. Princess Shouchun was very petty and would do anything she liked. If she were to see Miss Tao wearing this set of jewelry, she would definitely cause trouble for her. For a princess to try to control the daughter of a fifth-rank official would be a piece of cake.
Few in the entire Chu state dared to go against Princess Shouchun, and Shen Wan happened to be one of them.
There's nothing wrong with a cousin giving his younger cousin a set of jewelry, but since the jewelry is full of the cousin's affection for Miss Tao, she can't accept it.
Shen Wan said, "This is something my cousin gave to my future cousin-in-law. How could I accept it? But since my future cousin-in-law has this concern, I'll keep it for now and give it to her when the time is right."
Shen Wan handed the jewelry to Haitang, telling her to take it and keep it safe.
Shen Wan invited Yun Lang into the main hall to talk, but Xie Jingyan was not there, so Yun Lang did not go in to sit down. He said, "I still have some things to take care of at the shop, so I'll leave first, cousin."
Steward Zhou brought him here, and Steward Zhou also saw him off from the mansion.
Shen Wan returned to her room and continued her embroidery. However, after only a few stitches, Dong'er came in carrying a food box and said, "Your Highness, the palace has bestowed a food box of pastries..."
Yinshuang asked curiously, "Why did the palace suddenly bestow pastries upon us?"
Dong'er replied, "They said that the Imperial Kitchen made a new pastry today, and the Emperor thought it was good, so he ordered the Imperial Kitchen to make more to bestow upon the civil and military officials."
The emperor often bestowed pastries that he thought tasted good upon his civil and military officials, as a sign that the emperor and his subjects would enjoy themselves together.
All civil and military officials were included, let alone the Prince Ling's mansion.
Yinshuang took the food box from Dong'er and brought out the pastries.
The delicate and exquisite pastries are neatly arranged on the porcelain plate, making one's mouth water just looking at them.
Shen Wan reached out to take a piece to taste, but just as she was about to touch the pastry, the image of Fu Shu's miscarriage flashed through her mind, and she abruptly withdrew her hand.
Yinshuang was startled when she saw Shen Wan take out the pastries. "Your Highness, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with the pastries?"
Shen Wan shook her head.
She wasn't sure if there was anything wrong with the pastries.
But she was certain that someone in the palace wanted the child in her womb dead. There was no guarantee that they wouldn't take advantage of the Emperor's gift of pastries to kill her. Better safe than sorry, she wasn't short of food and it wasn't worth risking her life for a plate of pastries.
Shen Wan said, "Take the pastries to Doctor Tao for a checkup."
Thinking that the Crown Prince had been poisoned by someone putting food in his pastries, Yinshuang felt it was best to be cautious.
She put the pastries back in the food box and asked, "Are you bringing them back after the inspection?"
Shen Wan said, "I won't eat it. You can decide what to do with it."
Yinshuang took the food box and left.
Shen Wan continued embroidering. About half an hour later, Yin Shuang returned and said, "Your Highness, Doctor Tao has checked, and the pastries are fine."
It seems she was overthinking it.
But caution is always the best policy; one should not harbor malicious intentions, but one must always be wary of others.
Haitang asked, "What did you do with those pastries?"
Yinshuang said, "It just so happens that Doctor Tao's daughter, Miss Tao, is in the pharmacy. I saw that she really wanted to eat those pastries, so I gave them to her."
Although Yinshuang also wanted to eat it, she was by the princess's side and could eat the pastries made by Chef Li almost every day, so she didn't miss out on that one bite.
Doctor Tao cured the prince's leg ailment and is a great benefactor to the prince and princess. Miss Tao wants to taste what the imperial pastries taste like, so how could she be reluctant?
Nobody paid any attention to the plate of pastries. Even if a certain lord angered the emperor to death, it was no big deal. So what if he just gave away a plate of pastries bestowed by the emperor? Wasn't he afraid that it would reach the emperor's ears?
Shen Wan continued her embroidery, but a moment later, a maid stumbled in and said, "Your Highness, the plate of pastries sent from the palace is highly poisonous!"
Shen Wan was so shocked that she didn't poke her own hand. Her face changed drastically. "How could there be poison? Are Miss Tao and Madam Tao alright?"
Shen Wan's voice trembled.
She was afraid that Miss Tao and Madam Tao might have an accident after eating the pastries.
Silver Frost and Begonia were almost scared out of their wits.
The maid shook her head. "It's nothing. Doctor Tao didn't eat the pastries and asked Miss Tao to take them back to Old Madam Tao. But when Miss Tao left the manor with the food box on her way back to the Tao family courtyard, she was startled by a dog that appeared out of nowhere. The food box fell to the ground, the dog ate a piece of pastry, and died on the spot..."
Shen Wan's heart pounded wildly with fear. Only when she heard that Doctor Tao and Madam Tao were alright did the fear subside. Her face was icy cold, as if covered with a layer of frost.
Shen Wan got up and went to the pharmacy.
Upon entering the pharmacy, Shen Wan saw Miss Tao sitting there, her hands trembling as she held the teacup, her face deathly pale, clearly indicating that she had been severely frightened.
Doctor Tao's face was also pale. If it weren't for that dog, he would probably be suffering the pain of losing his mother, wife, and son all at the same time today.
Upon seeing Shen Wan, Doctor Tao composed himself and asked, "Why has the Princess Consort come?"
Shen Wan said apologetically, "I almost harmed Doctor Tao's whole family..."
Doctor Tao shook his head, blaming himself, "It's because I'm not good enough at medicine. I didn't detect that the pastries were poisonous. Luckily, the maid didn't take them back. What would have happened if the Princess had eaten them? How could I explain this to the Prince?"
Shen Wan was determined not to eat it, but Yin Shuang and Hai Tang might not be so sure.
Shen Wan said, "Even Doctor Tao couldn't find out what kind of poison was put on those pastries?"
Doctor Tao said, "It's a colorless and odorless poison. It must have been injected into the pastry with a needle. It can't be detected with a silver needle. Luckily, we had that dog this time, otherwise..."
By the end, Dr. Tao had choked up.
He still feels a chill down his spine.
He smelled the pastry and found no poison. He also tested the pastry with a silver needle and found no color change, so he concluded that the pastry was not poisoned.
He underestimated their methods and their determination to murder Prince Ling and his wife.
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