"It will have its use in time," Madam Yin said softly, then gently brushed the dust off the embroidery frame, picked up the silk thread, and continued embroidering.
Ye Ying sighed and brought over the stewed snow frog and white swallow dish that had been sent from the kitchen to Madam Yin. Since the princess's ban was lifted, their lives had finally become much easier.
During the six months she was confined to her home, Ye Ying had endured enough mistreatment. She was always the last to request her meals, and even the old woman at the gatehouse would give her a hard time. Not to mention the charcoal and incense she received in winter, which were severely rationed. She and Madam Yin were so cold that they slept together in their clothes on, sharing a bed. Those days were truly despairing.
Now that the princess has finally been released from confinement, her allowance will no longer be withheld. In addition, with the Third Prince's help, the master's favor towards the princess is significantly better than before.
"Princess, I see you don't look well. Quickly drink this bowl of bird's nest soup," said Ye Ying, carrying the bowl from Qingya Huichao.
Madam Yin glanced at it and said quietly, "You drink it, I'm not hungry."
Ye Ying was startled and couldn't help but ask, "This was a special gift from the master, why doesn't Your Highness use it? If the master finds out, I can't bear the consequences."
“If you don’t tell, and I don’t tell, who will know who drank this bird’s nest?” Madam Yin glanced at Ye Ying and said.
"Princess, this snow frog and bird's nest is not something you can get often, why don't you drink it?" Ye Ying still didn't understand.
"I won't drink it, and I have my reasons. You'll understand when the time comes. Take it down and drink it. I need to get back to embroidery now, so don't nag me anymore." Madam Yin lowered her head and picked up the embroidery needle in front of her.
Ye Ying, puzzled, took the bird's nest and left. Seeing her leave, Madam Yin stood up and went to her inner room, where she took out a package wrapped in red paper.
Meanwhile, Lanqin and her group of four, because she was heavily pregnant, dared not walk too fast. A journey that normally takes only fifteen minutes took them a full half hour.
The servants at the main gate of the courtyard had already gone in to announce Lanqin and the others' arrival.
Lanqin left Cui'er and Sihua at the main gate, while she herself was helped into the main courtyard by Nianxue. As soon as she entered, she saw Geng Shi, dressed in a light blue cheongsam, kneeling on the bluestone in the courtyard.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed!" Lanqin bowed to the woman in the autumn-colored qipao who sat regally in the main seat. She raised her right hand and flicked away the soft, light blue silk handkerchief in her hand.
Wu and Wang had already arrived and were sitting on the side of the Fujin (the wife of the deceased). Yan Yu was naturally seated in the first seat to the Fujin's left.
"Get up, Princess Niu is already very pregnant, why are you being so polite? Please sit down," the Fujin said, still dignified and gentle.
"I beg Your Highness to allow Sister Geng to enter the room, even if she is standing. It is not right to punish her by making her kneel before the matter is clear." Lanqin slowly stood up.
Before the Fujin could speak, Yan Yu interjected, "Geng Shi is disobedient to the Fujin, so what's wrong with punishing her by making her kneel?" Ever since Lan Qin came in, Yan Yu had been surveying her stomach, her eyes seeming as if she wanted to poke two holes in Lan Qin's stomach.
Just then, Mrs. Song arrived in a hurry.
"Your Majesty is always kind and benevolent. I beg you, Madam, to allow Sister Geng to come in and speak." Madam Song walked to Lanqin's side and curtsied. "It is still uncertain whether Madam Geng has harmed the young prince. If the prince finds out that Your Majesty is biased towards Sister Yu, I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the public."
The princess's expression hardened; she hadn't actually expected what Song had just mentioned.
Lanqin thought to herself: That's right. Yan Yu is the Fujin's younger sister. At this time, the Fujin should avoid suspicion, otherwise it would be easy for people to think that she is being unfair.
"Chunliu, go and help Lady Geng in for questioning." Although the Fujin was unwilling, after thinking it over, she had no choice but to say it.
Song usually seemed like a silent, taciturn person, but at this moment she suddenly became sharp-tongued and witty.
With Lülan's help, Geng Shi slowly walked into the room. Seeing Lanqin and Song Shi both looking at her with concern, she felt a warmth in her heart. She walked up to the Fujin, curtsied, and said, "I did not mean to offend Fujin, please forgive me. I truly did not harm the little prince; I just found him adorable and held him and played with him a few times."
Yan Yu persisted, saying, "But the little prince started falling ill after you took him in your arms. He was perfectly fine before. If you hadn't fed him something, how could he have become like this?"
Geng said, "I really didn't feed him anything. Everyone knows it wasn't you who went back and fed him anything that caused the young prince's illness. How can you blame it on me!"
“You, how could anyone harm their own child? Madam, Lady Geng was clearly jealous and attacked an innocent child. I beg you, Madam, to do justice for me.”
"Madam, may I ask what Doctor Wu said? What exactly did he find out about the poison that the young prince was poisoned with?" Geng Shi ignored Yan Yu and turned to ask the Madam.
"The young prince's life hangs by a thread. I know you've been in the household for many years, but you haven't received much favor from the master, so it's possible you made a mistake for a moment. As long as you quickly tell me what kind of poison it is, and as long as the young prince is alright, I can plead for you with the Fourth Prince." The princess said, seemingly heartbroken.
Madam Geng shook her head and said, "My lady, I absolutely did not poison the young prince. How could I have poisoned him in such a short time?"
Yan Yu snorted coldly, "The little prince is just a child who has no ability to resist. You only need to put the poison in his mouth, and it won't take long."
Lanqin felt that this verbal sparring was pointless and that the Fujin's actions were clearly not beneficial. Even if the Fourth Prince returned, as long as Gengshi didn't admit it and no third party witnessed it, the matter would remain unclear.
“What’s the point of all this arguing? I think if Consort Geng really poisoned the young prince, we should search her body or her room. The poison might still be there,” Madam Wang suddenly said.
Lanqin glanced at the woman who often spoke at crucial moments, and suddenly seemed to realize something, thinking: Oh no!
Upon hearing this, Geng was furious, but she believed she hadn't poisoned anyone. While a body search or a house search was humiliating, what she needed most at that moment was proof that she was innocent.
It's all in vain.
"I would never falsely accuse someone of something I did not do. You may search, but what if you find nothing?" Knowing that she could not avoid the humiliation today, Madam Geng had no choice but to retreat as a means of advancing.
As if she had been waiting for this to be said, the Fujin immediately replied, "Alright, then let's go to the West Courtyard together. Niu Gege is not feeling well, so she should stay here and wait. The rest of you can come with me and be witnesses."
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