Thunder roared, the sky was covered with clouds, and an autumn rain began to fall. The raindrops knocked down the petals all over the ground, and then drifted in through the window, adding a little coolness to the smell of medicine in the room.

Nanny Li reached out to close the window, then looked back at Yuan Xi, who had fallen asleep on the edge of the bed due to exhaustion. She sighed distressedly, walked over to put a coat on her, and said softly, "Madam, you should go back to your room and rest."

Yuan Xi suddenly woke up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and asked, "What time is it now?"

Madam Li looked at the leaking pot and replied, "It's almost the evening hour."

Yuan Xi looked at Xiao Du lying on the bed again, and saw that his eyes were still tightly closed, with no sign of waking up. She looked away in disappointment and asked softly, "Is Xiao Chun back?"

Madam Li shook her head and said, "I have been waiting outside, but I have not received any news from him yet."

As the two were talking, the door was pushed open, and An He led the soaked Xiaochun into the room. Yuan Xi stood up quickly and asked Li Ma to pass him a towel to wipe his face, and then asked anxiously, "Why are you so wet? Have you found it?"

Xiaochun wiped the rain off her face, lowered her head with a guilty look, and stammered, "I was in a hurry to get out, so I didn't bother to put on my raincoat. But I looked everywhere along the way and asked many people, but I still couldn't find it."

Yuan Xi frowned, and the uneasiness in her heart expanded again. Others did not know why she was so determined to find such a thing. They just thought that since the lady cared so much, it must be a very important matter. Seeing her solemn expression, they dared not speak. For a while, the only sound in the house was the "crackling" sound of raindrops hitting the window frame.

Yuan Xi came to her senses and looked at the puddle of rain water under Xiaochun's feet. She told Li Ma to stay by her bed, and then she and An He took Xiaochun to the outer room.

Yuan Xi sat down in the chair and asked Xiao Chun to change her clothes before asking, "Think carefully, when was the last time you saw the Marquis wearing that sachet? Was he wearing it when he got into trouble?"

Xiaochun scratched her head and recalled the past carefully, but in the end she only showed a look of regret, saying: "I only know that the Marquis has always cherished this sachet made by his wife and wears it every day. But he suddenly fainted today, and I was scared to death. At that time, I was only concerned about whether the Marquis was in trouble and was anxious to find someone to help. I didn't pay any attention to what he had on him."

Yuan Xi thought for a while, then asked, "After the Marquis fell unconscious, who was close to him?"

Xiaochun thought for a while and said with a bitter face, "When I carried him back to the room, I called a few maids and servants to help. Later, the princess and Aunt Cai came. Then, the master brought the left imperial physician. Anyway, the room was in a mess at that time. I was panicked and scared at that time. I really can't remember clearly."

Yuan Xi stroked her skirt with her fingertips, and countless questions surged in her mind: How could the sachet disappear without a reason since he had always tied it around his waist? If it had been lost before, he would have been anxious to find it, and Xiaochun couldn't have been completely unaware of it. Based on this inference, the sachet was most likely taken away by someone in the chaos after he fell unconscious, but why did that person take away the sachet alone? Is there something wrong with the sachet? But the sachet was made by her own hands, and every medicinal ingredient was sewed in by her own hands, so how could there be a problem?

The more she thought about it, the more confused she felt. So she closed her eyes and gently rubbed her brows with her right hand, trying to relax herself. Suddenly she remembered something and asked, "Where is Doctor Zuo? Why haven't I seen him for so long?"

An He and Xiao Chun looked at each other, and hurriedly called Li Ma Ma. Li Ma Ma thought for a while before replying, "Just now the princess sent someone to ask the imperial physician Zuo to go out, saying that she had some things she wanted to clarify, and he hasn't returned yet."

Yuan Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she became even more uneasy. Seeing her serious expression, Nanny Li asked worriedly, "Madam, what happened?"

Yuan Xi shook her head. After all, everything was just her guess. There was no point in making them worry any more. She left the outer room and walked to Xiao Du's bed again. She reached out and stroked his wrinkled brows. She said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "No matter what happens, I will get through it and will definitely stay with you until you wake up."

At this time, a flash of lightning split the sky outside the window, making everyone in the house feel inexplicably terrified. In the evening, as expected, the news came that the princess sent her personal maid to invite the lady to the flower hall to discuss matters. Yuan Xi didn't seem to be surprised. She straightened her appearance, stood up, asked An He to go with her, and told Xiaochun and Li Ma to stay here. Then, with a serious look on his face, he instructed Xiaochun, "There should be people arranged by the old man to guard outside. You just stay inside and remember not to leave. Except for the old man and the princess, no one can easily get close to the marquis, not even the people in the mansion. If there is anything, let Nanny Li come to me. Did you remember that?" Xiaochun nodded in response quickly. She suddenly felt that this lady, who was always shy and docile in her impression, became more calm and composed after the marquis got into trouble.

Yuan Xi and An He walked outside the flower hall holding umbrellas. They saw that all the maids and servants around the princess had been sent to stand under the corridor. She handed the umbrella to An He, who put it away, patted the water droplets on her skirt, took a deep breath and walked in.

The atmosphere in the flower hall was solemn. When Yi Yuanxi looked up, she saw the princess sitting at the top with a gloomy face, next to her were Aunt Cai, Nanny Yu, and the confused Zuo Imperial Physician. She knelt and saluted the princess. Seeing that the atmosphere around her was strange and no one spoke for a long time, she asked, "Mother-in-law is in a hurry to call me over, but what happened?"

The princess asked Nanny Yu to bring a tray to her and asked coldly, "Do you know what this is?"

Yuan Xi looked up and saw the sachet she had made herself, which was torn into pieces and placed on the plate. Her heart suddenly shrank, but she remained calm and said, "This is the sachet I made for my husband on the Dragon Boat Festival. It contains several herbs, including scutellaria, galangal, and nard, which have the effect of refreshing the mind and calming the nerves."

The princess sneered and said, "Are these the only flavors?"

Yuan Xi raised his head and looked into her eyes firmly, saying, "These are the only flavors, all made by me personally. There is absolutely no other flavor."

The princess's face became even darker, and she said to Zuo Qiao beside her: "Doctor Zuo, please tell me what is in this sachet."

Doctor Zuo was a little hesitant, but he was a doctor after all, and he could not speak against his conscience, so he could only reply: "According to my inspection, in addition to these, there is also a poisonous herb called Euphorbia. This poisonous herb is colorless and odorless. Only when it comes into contact with the skin will the poison slowly penetrate. Short-term contact will not cause any harm, but only long-term repeated contact will cause poisoning." He paused, looked at Yuan Xi with a complicated look, and continued: "The symptoms of the poison are very similar to the situation of the Marquis at the moment."

The princess slammed the table, her hands trembling. She stared at Yuan Xi fiercely and said, "You are so vicious. You put such a thing next to Du'er and made him become like this. Du'er has always loved you. Why did you treat him like this?"

Yuan Xi trembled, but still looked up and looked directly at the princess, and said, "Excuse me, mother-in-law, who gave you this sachet?"

The princess was surprised that she would remain so calm in the face of questioning. She continued, "No matter who sent it to me, you admitted that you did it yourself. So, do you want to put the blame on someone else?"

Yuan Xi's expression did not change, but she turned her eyes to Aunt Cai, and said softly but firmly, "Although I am not good at needlework, I know that it is not difficult for someone who is used to needlework to open a sachet and find some other things. I hope that mother-in-law will not be used by people with bad intentions just because she is worried about the safety of her husband."

"How dare you!" The princess was so angry that she trembled and pointed at her and said, "You are saying that I deliberately wronged you!"

Yuan Xi slowly knelt down, but her tone was still firm: "Yuan Xi would never dare to offend mother-in-law. But this crime is completely false. Since this sachet has not been opened in front of me, I will definitely not recognize it!" She paused, and her eyes, which had been calm all the time, were finally covered with a layer of mist. She continued: "My husband and I are truly in love, and I only hope to be with him for the rest of my life. Therefore, even if I lose my life, I will never hurt him. Please believe me, mother-in-law."

Her words were neither humble nor arrogant, and they were reasonable and emotional. The princess seemed to be a little shaken, while Aunt Cai, who was standing beside her, looked more and more unhappy. At this time, the left imperial physician turned around and bowed to the princess and said, "In my opinion, although the symptoms of the poison are similar, it does not mean that it is definitely caused by this herb. This matter concerns the reputation of the lady, and I dare not draw a conclusion too quickly. Please give me a few days to read more medical books and take a closer look at the symptoms of the marquis before I dare to make a decision."

The princess nodded, and tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of her son who was still lying unconscious on the bed. She said to Zuo Qiao, "I'll have to trouble you, Doctor Zuo." She looked at Yuan Xi who was kneeling on the ground, sighed, and said, "If it weren't for these evidences, I wouldn't want to doubt you. It's just that you are the daughter of Prime Minister Xia, and you happen to be well-versed in medical books. Du'er is usually very cautious. If it wasn't someone close to him who did it, it's hard to explain why he was poisoned."

Yuan Xi lowered her head and said nothing, but she was confused as to why this matter was related to her father. At this time, the princess said, "Before the matter is investigated, you should go back to your room. When you are cleared of all the ties, go to Du'er and take care of him."

Yuan Xi raised her head suddenly and blurted out: "No, I promised to accompany him and I will never leave him!"

The princess's eyes gradually turned cold, and she said, "Do you think that I can't take care of my son without you? You have no say in this matter. Before I figure out the matter, I will never let you get close to Du'er again!"

Yuan Xi felt wronged and unwilling, and her tears finally flowed out uncontrollably. However, she saw that the princess had made up her mind, so she knew that it was useless to resist. She could only slowly stand up and silently said in her heart: "Don't worry, I will definitely find a way to prove my innocence. You must wait for me!"