Li Chenjiao stared at the broken bead and murmured, "It would be plausible if a maid in the garden had accidentally dropped it."
Qiu Ci nodded in agreement upon hearing this, as it was indeed a matter for which there was no clear solution.
Li Chenjiao took the handkerchief. The dirt covered most of the tiny beads, and the faint luster that had been there before was now completely gone.
She put the bead back on the table: "Take it to wash it clean in a bit. If there's nothing unusual, put it away."
Qiu Ci agreed, wrapped the bead in a handkerchief, and left.
Only Li Chenjiao, Granny Lin, and Qiu Hu remained in the inner room.
Granny Lin spoke first. She had been in the East Courtyard for two years, and her complexion looked much better than when she first arrived. She was the one who often offered advice.
"Does Master suspect there's something fishy about this?" asked Granny Lin.
Li Chenjiao didn't say yes or no, but suddenly said, "I remember a few days ago... it was Madam Wu who personally escorted the eldest prince out of the South Courtyard. I don't think I saw her today."
Lin Mama replied, "Yes, Consort Wu is worried about the First Prince and insists on personally escorting him every day. However, I heard that Consort Wu was feeling unwell last night, so I suppose that's the reason?"
Li Chenjiao said "Oh," and then added, "That's quite a coincidence..."
She had some doubts about the Fujin, but then she thought the Fujin couldn't possibly be that stupid, could she?
But since there was no evidence, Li Chenjiao was hesitant and timid for a moment.
Qiu Ci returned quickly, and Li Chenjiao picked up the bead again to examine it closely. She slightly raised her hand and held the bead up to the candlelight.
After a long pause, Li Chenjiao's voice was somewhat low: "There are scratches on it... like marks from someone slipping on it."
Even after the dirt was removed, the surface of the beads was not completely smooth. In addition to the traces of fine polishing, some scratches were finally visible.
Li Chenjiao pinched the beads. If Qiu Hu and the other girls were to step on them, they would probably slip. The roads are slippery in winter snow, and if a child were to accidentally step on one...
From the very beginning, Li Chenjiao suspected the Fujin (the wife of the deceased), and this kind of tactic was actually quite familiar to Li Chenjiao.
It was precisely because these beads were not handled properly that Li Chenjiao was somewhat skeptical.
What Li Chenjiao could discover, the Fourth Master might also discover if he ordered someone to investigate. She wouldn't deliberately inform the Fourth Master of anything.
There's no need to play the innocent card, and no need to get yourself into this mess.
The only thing that made Li Chenjiao frown was the Fujin, who was becoming increasingly audacious, actually daring to lay her hands on the children of the household.
What was once just an unborn child has now become the child in the manor who has grown up.
Li Chenjiao couldn't bear to see this, so she looked away and said, "Dispose of this thing. How about the First Prince?"
This time it was Qiu Hu who spoke up: "She was just a little frightened. The imperial physician prescribed some medicine, and I haven't heard of anything else... But that Haha Pearl almost ruined her leg."
Li Chenjiao was somewhat surprised: "You fell that badly?"
Qiu Hu shook his head and said no: "If it were a fall, it wouldn't be this bad. I heard that after slipping, he hit a sharp rock. Fortunately, the snow was thick yesterday, and the servants in the garden didn't clean it thoroughly..."
After hearing this, Li Chenjiao fell silent for a moment.
That's truly a stroke of good fortune!
In the end, Li Chenjiao fell asleep. In reality, these methods were far less powerful than those described in the storybooks.
But when you're actually in the backyard, any little thing can catch you off guard.
Li Chenjiao didn't sleep very well tonight.
This time it was the eldest prince, so who will it be next time?
Because Li Chenjiao didn't sleep well at night, she got up earlier than usual the next day.
Or perhaps it was because she had been getting up earlier than usual for the past two weeks due to the New Year holidays, Li Chenjiao got up before dawn.
She turned over groggily, raised her hand and tugged at the mosquito net. Her bare arm caught a chill from the cold wind, and Li Chenjiao shivered.
After a moment, she finally came to her senses and slowly got up.
However, before she could call out to Qiu Hu and the others outside, Lu Mei hurriedly came in.
She's on duty today.
"My lord, something has happened in the south courtyard. The eldest prince developed a high fever last night, and the fever didn't subside all night. The nanny who was taking care of him was careless and let the eldest prince fall off the bed. It was only when Consort Wu went there this morning that she discovered it..."
Li Chenjiao was stunned again: "This..." Did the people serving below really have a death wish?
Green Chrysanthemum stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and helped Li Chenjiao to her feet: "The master has already gone to court, and the Fujin in the main courtyard has already gone to the south courtyard."
Li Chenjiao grabbed a handful of hair and slowly exhaled: "Really... one problem after another."
Alright, get ready to go see the eldest prince.
Li Chenjiao quickly washed up, ate a bowl of rice porridge, and headed to the south courtyard.
When she arrived, Madam Song and the others had already arrived as well, but Madam Song and the others had probably just arrived and had been bowing to Li Chenjiao for a few days.
Li Chenjiao raised her hand to decline, saying, "Let's go see the First Prince first."
As Li Chenjiao walked into the house, her expression remained as calm as ever. However, the further she went in, the stronger the medicinal scent emanating from the incense began to linger in her nostrils.
She couldn't help but twitch her nose and furrow her brow, but she didn't stop walking.
The further you go in, the stronger the bitter smell of the medicine becomes.
Song, who was walking a little behind, couldn't help but cover her nose with a handkerchief, and only put it down when she got closer.
The side room was warm with a charcoal fire burning inside. The thin curtains on the bed in the inner room were deliberately drawn down, as if to prevent the spread of illness or to keep people away.
The princess consort, seated at the head of the table, greeted everyone with a calm, "Has everyone arrived?"
At the same time as her spoke was Lady Wu, who was guarding the eldest prince's bedside.
When Wu Shi first spoke, her voice was a little hoarse: "I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip... This servant thanks the Consort for her concern on behalf of the First Prince."
Two voices, one after the other, reached everyone's ears.
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