All eyes immediately focused on Bai Lian'er. Bai Lian'er's face turned deathly pale, and she retreated repeatedly: "No, it wasn't me... How could I have harmed Sister Qi..." Her eyes instantly filled with tears as she looked at Xie Ansu, "Young Master Xie, please understand, Lian'er and Sister Qi have no grudge against each other, why would you do this?"
Xie Ansu's face turned ashen: "I also hope it wasn't Miss Bai. But you did specifically choose this bowl for Mingyue just now, didn't you?"
Bai Lian'er burst into tears: "I... I just thought that bowl was a good match for Sister Qi... How could I have known that such a thing would happen..." Suddenly her body went limp and she fainted.
The scene descended into chaos once more. Several female students rushed to support Bai Lian'er, some pinching her philtrum, others feeding her water. After a while, she slowly regained consciousness, and upon waking, she burst into tears, sobbing, "Lian'er's chastity has been ruined; it would be better if she died..."
Seeing her like this, Xie Ansu felt a renewed sense of doubt. If it really was Bai Lian'er who drugged her, why would she go to such lengths? But if it wasn't her, then who could it be?
Just then, a student suddenly said, "I think I saw a little maidservant sneaking around nearby just now, and she ran away when she saw people coming."
Another chimed in, "I saw her too, she looked like a kitchen helper."
The crowd immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. Xie Ansu immediately ordered someone to investigate, and sure enough, they found a timid little maid in the kitchen. Unable to withstand questioning, the maid quickly confessed that she had accidentally spilled croton powder into the bowl and had sneaked away to avoid punishment.
With the truth revealed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Several students comforted Bai Lian'er, saying, "It was all a misunderstanding; Miss Bai, you've been wronged."
Bai Lian'er's eyes were filled with tears: "As long as Sister Qi is alright, Lian'er doesn't mind suffering some grievances." She turned to Xie Ansu and said timidly, "Young Master Xie won't dislike Lian'er because of this, will he?"
Xie Ansu looked ashamed: "I misunderstood Miss Bai just now. It was Ansu who was wrong."
Qi Mingyue, who had been observing coldly, finally spoke slowly: "Now that the truth is out, let's all disperse. I'm a little tired."
The crowd then gradually dispersed. Xie An stayed behind last, saying with concern, "Mingyue, please rest well. I'll come to see you again later."
Qi Mingyue nodded slightly, and after everyone had left, she said to Zhishu, "Go and investigate that little maid's background."
Knowing the implication, he quietly withdrew.
That evening, Zhishu reported: "Miss, that maid only joined the school three months ago, and she only has a seriously ill old mother at home. Strangely, she suddenly received a large sum of money yesterday, saying it was a help from a distant relative."
Qi Mingyue gazed at the flickering candlelight and said softly, "Have you found out which relative it is?"
Zhi Shu shook her head: "She stammered and couldn't explain clearly. But I found out that someone saw Miss Bai's personal maid and that maid privately contacting each other the day before yesterday."
A cold smile appeared on Qi Mingyue's lips: "Just as I thought."
Zhi Shu said with great concern, "Miss, Miss Bai has framed you time and time again, and this time she has gone to great lengths. We can't let this go unpunished!"
Qi Mingyue shook her head: "Without evidence, saying it would only make us seem aggressive." She pondered for a moment, "However... we should give her a warning."
The next day, Qi Mingyue claimed to be ill and did not go to class. Xie Ansu came to visit her and saw that her face was still a little pale. He felt guilty and said, "It was all our fault for being careless yesterday and causing Mingyue to suffer so much."
Qi Mingyue smiled faintly: "It was just an accident, An Su, no need to worry about it." She suddenly changed the subject, "Speaking of which, Miss Bai was quite frightened yesterday, did An Su go to visit her?"
Xie Ansu said, "I went there this morning. Miss Bai still seems to be recovering and keeps saying she's scared."
"Really?" Qi Mingyue said calmly. "I heard that Miss Bai went to the kitchen this morning to specifically instruct me to add more nourishing herbs to the soup I was making."
Xie Ansu was taken aback: "How did Mingyue know?"
“A maid happened to come by to deliver something and mentioned it casually,” Qi Mingyue said seemingly unintentionally. “Miss Bai is truly kind-hearted. Even though she has been wronged, she still cares about my health.”
Xie Ansu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Mingyue, do you feel... there's something fishy about what happened yesterday?"
Qi Mingyue looked up at him: "Why do you ask that, An Su?"
Xie Ansu frowned slightly: "I can't quite put my finger on it... It just feels too much of a coincidence. But the maid has already confessed, and there seems to be nothing suspicious about it."
Qi Mingyue sighed softly, "In this world, truth and falsehood are intertwined; sometimes what we see with our eyes may not be the truth." She took out a silk handkerchief from under her pillow. "Does An Su recognize this?"
Xie Ansu took it and saw that it was the silk handkerchief that Bai Lian'er had tried to retrieve from the water yesterday when she "accidentally" fell in. He noticed that a small "lotus" character was embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief, with fine stitches, indicating that it was indeed Bai Lian'er's.
"This is Miss Bai's handkerchief, how did it end up with Mingyue?"
Instead of answering, Qi Mingyue asked, "Has An Su examined this handkerchief carefully?"
Xie Ansu examined it closely as instructed, and then noticed a few specks of white powder on the edge of the handkerchief, strikingly similar to the powder on the rim of the bowl from yesterday. His expression changed drastically: "This...this is..."
“I happened to find this handkerchief when Miss Bai fell into the water yesterday,” Qi Mingyue said calmly. “I originally intended to wash it and return it to her, but I unexpectedly discovered this.”
Xie Ansu stood up abruptly, his face ashen: "I'm going to find her right now and get to the bottom of this!"
"Wait a minute," Qi Mingyue called out to him. "Without any evidence, what can these powders prove? Miss Bai can simply say that she got them on her by accident."
Xie Ansu stood there stunned for a long time before slumping down and saying, "Mingyue is right... I acted impulsively." He gazed at Qi Mingyue, his eyes filled with guilt. "I've made Mingyue suffer these past few days."
Qi Mingyue shook her head: "An Su, there's no need to blame yourself. The human heart in this world is complex, and neither you nor I can fully understand it."
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