With a loud bang, the sky-blue blue porcelain vase was thrown to the ground by someone and instantly broke into pieces.

The eight-year-old Xiao Du stood aside angrily. A little maid hurriedly picked up the fragments on the ground, fearing that he would be cut by accident. The other maids were so anxious that they were about to cry and kept begging, "Young Master, please, you still have a fever. Doctor Zheng has told you to stay in bed and rest for a few days. Don't move around anymore."

Xiao Du's head was dizzy from the fever, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and his face and neck were covered with red chickenpox of varying sizes, which were getting even more itchy as he got anxious.

He glared at the maids around him and shouted, "Get out! Get out! My disease is contagious, and I will make you lose face!"

The maids were all terrified, but they didn't dare to say a word or move a step. Seeing them like this, Xiao Du became even more upset. His face and body were itchy and painful, and he couldn't help but want to scratch his face. At this moment, someone grabbed his hand and said, "Don't scratch! If you scratch your face, it will be useless."

When the other maids saw this person, they all breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her with hopeful eyes. Xiao Du raised his head in a daze, looking at Yunniang's concerned and slightly dignified face. Her steady voice was like a stream of clear water that calmed him down temporarily, but then he felt very aggrieved, his nose was sore and he cried, "Yunniang! Mother didn't want to hug me. She said that my disease would be contagious and she was afraid that her body couldn't bear it. I feel so bad, I just want mother to hug me!"

Yunniang's face changed, and she quickly signaled to the frightened maids in the room to leave. Then she sighed, held him in her arms lovingly, and said softly, "Be good, young master, don't lose your temper. You see how good the princess is to you on weekdays, but she is weak. If she gets sick by accident, she will have to suffer a lot before she gets better. So don't blame the princess, she actually still cares about you. When you get better, she will definitely hold you well."

Seeing Xiao Du finally calm down, she carried him to bed, gently covered him with a quilt, tilted her head, patted his body and hummed a nursery rhyme to lull him to sleep. Xiao Du was really a little confused, and now under Yunniang's comfort, he was finally not so angry, so he slowly closed his eyes, and in a half-asleep, he murmured in a low voice: "Yunniang, I wish you were my mother."

Yunniang raised her hands and paused in the air, then sighed heavily. When her hands fell again, they slowly moved to his neck, and then... pinched him hard. Xiao Du felt suffocated for a while, and quickly opened his eyes, only to find that Yunniang's eyes began to turn red, and her face became ferocious and terrifying. He was so scared that he screamed: "Yunniang... cough cough... what are you going to do!"

Yunniang ignored his shouting and used more force on her hands, making Xiao Du completely unable to breathe. At this moment, a cut suddenly appeared on her face, and blood and flesh flew out. However, she seemed to feel no pain at all, and only revealed a sinister smile...

Xiao Du suddenly woke up from his dream and couldn't help but reach out to touch his neck. The feeling of suffocation was still very real, and his underwear was already soaked with cold sweat.

Yuan Xi was awakened by him, and dazedly turned over and hugged him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xiao Du shook his head, held her hand again, and whispered, "It's okay, go back to sleep." But his heart could no longer calm down. His childhood memories were mixed up with the present, and he could no longer tell which Yunniang was her real appearance.

Yuan Xi noticed his abnormality, so she sat up, snuggled into his arms and asked, "What's wrong? Are you unable to sleep because of Yunniang?"

Xiao Du sighed heavily and said, "I don't want to believe that all this was done by Yunniang. But after she admitted everything yesterday, she insisted that I send her to the government. No matter how I asked, she refused to say a word, and even refused to look at me again."

Yuan Xi pondered for a moment, raised his head and asked: "A'Du, are you unwilling to believe that Yunniang is the murderer, or do you really think it is impossible for her to do it?"

Xiao Du was silent for a long time, and said: "I don't know. But the Yunniang I have known since childhood is definitely not a vicious person, and...she will never harm my relatives."

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "I also think she must have her own reasons. If she hadn't reminded me that day at the farm, I might have died a long time ago." She thought about it and said, "How about this, I'll go find her tomorrow and give it a try. Maybe she'll be willing to tell me."

Xiao Du smiled bitterly and said, "She doesn't want to see me now, and there is no other way. Please tell her that no matter what her difficulties are, as long as she is willing to tell the truth, I will never make things difficult for her. I will go to Yizhuang again tomorrow, maybe I can find some new clues."

Yuan Xi nodded, rubbed her head in his arms, and said softly: "Sleep well, you must remember, no matter what happens, I will be with you."

Xiao Du kissed her forehead gently, his eyes a little hot. Yes, no matter how long and difficult the night is, it will always pass. As long as you are by my side, nightmares are not worth fearing.

The next morning, Yuan Xi came to Yunniang's courtyard alone. Xiao Du couldn't bear to imprison Yunniang, so he just found a few guards to guard the courtyard and told them to take turns day and night and not let Yunniang leave the house for a moment.

The guard saw that it was the lady who came, and after a moment's hesitation, he let Yuan Xi in. The maid who had been staying by Yun Niang's side had been sent away. In the simple and deserted room, Yun Niang was sitting alone in front of the window, wanting to look out. Only when you got closer could you see that there was only emptiness in her eyes.

Yuan Xi walked up to her, sat beside her, and called softly, "Yun Niang, I'm here to see you."

Yunniang rolled her eyes in this direction, but her posture did not change at all. She just said coldly: "Madam, why did you come to this place? I have recognized you. There is nothing else to say."

Yuan Xi sighed and said, "You should know that A'du has respected and trusted you since childhood, and even regarded you as a family member. He is more upset than anyone else about this matter, but why are you unwilling to explain it to him clearly?"

Yunniang trembled, her face showing a sad expression, but her tone was still cold and hard, she said: "Tell the Marquis that Yunniang is unworthy of his trust and care over the years. I am just a servant. Tell him not to worry about me, just take good care of himself, there are still many things waiting for him to do."

Yuan Xi seemed to be aroused by her and said, "Okay! You said that you did everything by yourself, then tell me how you contacted Aunt Cai over the years and instigated her to do those things. You must explain everything clearly."

Yunniang's eyes flashed with panic, and she turned around and said, "Anyway, I did everything, and the worst that can happen is that I die. I can't remember anything you asked, so just send me to the government for questioning."

Yuan Xi bit her lip and continued, "Okay! You can't remember the distant past, so I'll ask you about the recent past. On the day Aunt Cai died, how did you feed her the poison and how did you make her unable to resist? As long as you can explain it clearly, I will believe that you did it all by yourself!"

Yunniang was also a little excited. She stared at Yuanxi and said, "I entered the house that day, put a knife to her neck, and forced her to take poison. When the poison took effect, I took the key pieces of paper and destroyed them. Before leaving, I used ice cubes to hold the legs of the flower stand, then lit a charcoal stove and left through the window. After the ice cubes melted, the flower stand could be pressed against the window. Then no one would find out that I had been there. Now, you should believe it."

Yuan Xi suddenly showed a strange look, stared at her and said: "You said you forced Aunt Cai to take poison, and then took the calligraphy and left? Didn't you do anything else?"

Yunniang felt a little guilty when she was looked at by her, but then she stiffened her neck and said firmly, "No, the person who deserved to die is dead, and the things that should be taken have been taken. What else do I need to do?"

Yuan Xi asked, "So you don't know anything about the letter?"

Yunniang looked a little confused and said, "Believe? What believe?"

Yuan Xi sighed and said, "That day, there was a suicide note under Aunt Cai's body, telling us that it was Nanny Yu who killed her. And you really didn't know about this at all, which is enough to show that you entered the room after Aunt Cai died, and you didn't touch her body at all. Yunniang, what are you hiding? And why do you have to help her confess her guilt?"

Yunniang struggled for a long time, and finally sighed and said, "Madam, many things can be settled here, why do you insist on pursuing them? You just need to believe me, some things, once made clear, will not benefit anyone!"

Yuan Xi stood up excitedly and said, "So we should just let you take all the blame, let the real murderer go unpunished, and let A'Du live in the pain and guilt of losing his loved ones?"

Yunniang looked up at her, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "Madam, do you know? A person cannot make mistakes. Once they do, they cannot make amends even if they spend their entire lives. I am really tired. Just pretend you know nothing and let me atone for my sins in peace, okay?"

Yuan Xi held her hand and said, "Tell us what it is, and we can help you."

Yunniang quickly regained her composure, pulled her hand away and said coldly: "What you just said is just your own speculation. No matter where I go, I will insist that I did it alone. I think both the master and the government will be happy to let this case end with me. So Madam, there is no need to waste your words, please go back."

Yuan Xi was so angry that she almost cried, but she knew that she had made up her mind and would not change no matter how much she persuaded her. She could only say angrily: "I will not give up, and I believe A'Du will not give up either. There must be a way to prove that you are innocent!" After saying that, she turned around and walked out.

Yunniang shook her head, then suddenly lowered her head and said, "The young master finally married a good wife, you should be relieved." When she raised her head again, her weather-beaten face was full of tears. Despair spread from her eyes and slowly drowned her whole body.