Meng Qi was surprised. Although she had indeed faked the pregnancy and intended to trick Xiaolin into committing a crime, she hadn't expected that Xiaolin's idea was actually instigated by Wu, and that Wu's actions were arranged by Hu at the behest of Li. This was too confusing, wasn't it?
"From then on, Concubine Li didn't ask me to do anything, until the summer, when she suddenly asked me to take the eldest daughter to Jing'an Garden every day to play with the second young master."
"Did she let you bring the fragrant cakes at that time?" Meng Qi frowned.
Mrs. Hu shook her head. "No, but she gave me a bottle of powder and told me to sprinkle it on the Second Young Master when no one was paying attention. At first, I didn't know what it was. It wasn't until more than ten days later that the Second Young Master began to feel weak and sweating all over. I was terrified and went to ask Concubine Li."
"How did she say it?"
"She said that was just a superficial appearance and had no effect on the Second Young Master's health. She did that to make the Prince feel that the Princess wasn't careful enough in raising the Second Young Master. If she could get the chance, it would be best to have her help take care of the Second Young Master."
Meng Qi looked up at Song Chengze. Song Chengze was stunned at first, then he nodded. He always knew that Li wanted to raise Song Bairan in her own yard.
Seeing that neither of the two masters responded, Mrs. Hu continued, "Originally, the medicine was supposed to last a few more days, but the princess moved the second young master to the outer courtyard and hired a martial arts master. Gradually, the second young master got better. I thought that was the end of the matter, but twenty days ago, Concubine Li came to me again and asked me to take the eldest daughter to the second young master's courtyard every day.
"As you all know, the eldest daughter is Concubine Wu's favorite. She used to be in Jing'an Garden, which was at least the inner courtyard. Now she's being taken to the outer courtyard every day, and Concubine Wu absolutely refuses. But Concubine Li says it doesn't matter, she has a solution."
"She threatened Wu?" Meng Qi asked.
Hu was surprised and asked, "Does the princess know?" Then she nodded and said, "Yes, Concubine Li asked me to give a letter to Concubine Wu, saying that Concubine Wu saw the item and the things inside, and she will definitely cooperate with me."
"What's written? What's inside?" Meng Qi asked.
Mrs. Hu shook her head. "I gave the letter directly to Concubine Wu, falsely claiming I saw it on the eldest lady's windowsill. As for what was written inside, I have no idea. I only remember that Concubine Wu looked at the letter and her face turned ashen. When she saw the jade pendant inside, she cursed loudly."
"Jade pendant?" Song Chengze asked.
Mrs. Hu nodded and shook her hands, perhaps wanting to compare the size, but she found that her hands were still tied to the chains.
"A jade pendant, a vibrant green, with a very fine surface. It seems to have words engraved on it."
Song Chengze seemed to have thought of something, "Is the jade pendant with Wu?"
Mrs. Hu said, "I saw Concubine Wu looking at the jade pendant with a look of rage. I don't know if she broke it or disposed of it."
Meng Qi seemed to remember something when she heard this. She turned to look at Song Chengze. Song Chengze nodded and turned to the door and said, "Go to Yinyan Pavilion and ask Wu to hand over the jade pendant and the letter."
It was only then that Mrs. Hu realized that a man had been standing at the door for such a long time without making any sound.
"Go on." Song Chengze said coldly.
"The next day, when I showed Concubine Wu another letter, she told me to take the eldest daughter to the outer courtyard to play with the second young master every day, and to bring a jasmine-shaped fragrant cake with her every day. The fragrant cake was given to me by Concubine Li, who told me to change it every day. The one I used the day before should just be dissolved in water and thrown away.
"At first, Concubine Wu was worried that the fragrant cakes might contain something bad and harm the young lady. I was worried too, so I took them to a pharmacy outside for testing. Since there was nothing wrong, I brought them to the young lady every day."
At this point, Mrs. Hu summoned all her strength and said, "Your Highness, Princess, what I said is true. I really checked the fragrant cakes and there is nothing wrong with them. I really have nothing to do with the Second Young Master's illness. It was not my fault. Even if I had the courage of heaven, I would not dare to do it."
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