With a handkerchief draped over her wrist, Madam Xu allowed Zhao to take her pulse, her eyes subtly scrutinizing Zhao's body.
"The old lady is in poor health. Does she often experience headaches and chest tightness, especially recently, when she seems listless and worried?"
Madam Zhao glanced at Xu Yunci and the other person, then subtly looked away: "Let me prescribe a medicinal diet, which, together with the herbal soup, will be better for the old lady's recovery."
"In that case, Lianchun, take the people and go."
Madam Xu spoke first, instructing Lianchun to take good care of the guests. She looked somewhat tired and glanced sideways at Granny Chang. The latter understood and gave a signal to the others in the room. The only maids serving in the room were Granny Chang and Chunling.
"Alright, just tell me, what happened?"
Seeing that everyone had left, Old Madam Xu leaned against the cushion behind her with Granny Chang's help, finding a more comfortable position, and looked at Xu Yunci.
Seeing the confusion and hesitation on their faces, they looked at each other, seemingly exchanging glances as if discussing whether to speak.
“Nothing can be hidden from Grandmother.” Xu Yunci felt as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from her body, her calm and indifferent expression from just moments before gone.
Madam Xu sighed softly, patted Li Shiyue's hand in a comforting manner, and pulled her to sit beside her: "Tell me, you came all this way so late at night, I hope Erlang didn't really bully you."
"No, let my cousin tell me. I just found out myself, and I'm still completely confused."
Li Shiyue's eyebrows drooped, and she looked completely uninterested, like a bewildered child, as she gently leaned against Old Madam Xu's chest.
Xu Yunci saw her expression and, although he felt sorry for her, the old lady Xu could easily tell that he was suppressing his anger.
Until Xu Yunci finished speaking the last word, Old Madam Xu silently turned the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, and the room fell silent. Her unfathomable eyes revealed a hint of unease.
Li Shiyue raised her head and softly called out, "Grandmother..."
As if she had just come to her senses, Madam Xu turned to look at Li Shiyue with a hint of heartache in her eyes, as if she had finally snapped out of her reverie.
"Do you think that Consort Fu poisoned her to avenge her daughter?"
Her voice was calm, but Li Shiyue was not surprised that Old Madam Xu would bring up this idea. She shook her head: "It's possible, but it may not necessarily be Consort Fu."
"Why."
Madam Xu remained calm, somewhat curious about what different opinions Li Shiyue might have.
Li Shiyue sat up straight, lowered her eyes, and all the unease in her heart was soothed when she saw Madam Xu again.
“Princess Chunhui is Consort Fu’s only child. If she believes that I am responsible for Princess Chunhui’s current situation, it is not surprising that she would do this.”
"But isn't that a bit too implausible? Consort Fu has been in the harem for many years. If she were to use her own things to harm me, wouldn't it be that if I were to lie down today and investigate on the spot, I would find that the investigation would directly lead back to her?"
"If I wanted to take revenge on someone, I would let the person who hurt me know that it was me, but I would rather you keep your word and hide yourself completely."
"The most satisfying way to take revenge is to vent one's anger. Since there must be two people who have a grudge, seeing that person unable to defend themselves and knowing that no one will believe what they say is the most satisfying revenge, isn't it?"
Li Shiyue looked up at Old Madam Xu, hesitating slightly: "So I don't really suspect it's Consort Fu. But I can't understand why someone in the palace wants to harm me, or is using Consort Fu to do so."
"There's a strange feeling, like you know the answer but don't know it either."
Old Madam Xu listened quietly to her finish speaking. She hadn't expected Li Shiyue to think of this, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"If you want to know who it is, let's work together to find them."
Li Shiyue looked up at Xu Yunci with some confusion, and saw the same puzzlement on his face.
"Just now, Erlang said that the symptoms after poisoning should appear around the time I should be falling into a coma. I can't even open my eyes now, and the young lady from the Rongguo Duke's mansion, who has been sick for several days, has also suddenly collapsed at my bedside."
After speaking, Madam Xu looked up at her eldest grandson: "There is one more thing, our young master needs to come and finish the second half of the performance."
"The heir of the Duke of Rongguo respects his grandmother the most, and the young lady from the Duke of Rongguo's family is the bride whom the heir begged the emperor to marry. If these two people were to fall ill at the same time, especially if it happened when medicine could not cure them, how do you think the drama would be?"
Her voice was as gentle and steady as usual, but the fierceness in her eyes when she spoke reminded Xu Yunci of the old lady who had managed the household affairs when he was young.
"Grandmother means, 'lure the snake out of its hole'?"
Xu Yunci looked at Li Shiyue and sighed helplessly: "Grandmother and Yan Yan have both fallen ill. This whole charade has to be a grand affair, and we still have to tell others about it."
Madam Xu did not speak, but turned to look at Li Shiyue.
“Aunt, we’re definitely not putting on a show for real, so we need someone to help us cover it up. You’re the perfect person to do that.”
Li Shiyue thought for a moment and then said, "I need to tell both my uncle and aunt, and not only tell them, but also tell them the plan."
"If the person behind this can send people to the Duke's mansion, there's no guarantee that there aren't others we haven't discovered yet. If we're going to lure them out, we need to make a trap, not alert them."
“My cousin and I had a fight tonight, which disturbed my grandmother. She left me in the Bisha Pavilion in Shousong Hall. Tomorrow morning, I found you unconscious. I was shocked and scared, so I went to find my uncle and aunt.”
Madam Xu nodded in satisfaction: "That's a good idea."
"Smack!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Xu's expression changed, and she reached out and threw the teacup on the small table by the bed onto the carpet.
The teacup shattered into pieces, and when Madam Xu looked at Xu Yunci again, her face had turned into one of anger and rebuke.
Footsteps came from under the corridor. Li Shiyue and Xu Yunci exchanged a glance, lowered their heads, and pinched their waists hard.
The pain made her gasp, and her eyes, quite cooperatively, reddened considerably. She quickly took the handkerchief Chunling offered and, before anyone else came in, vigorously rubbed her eyes, making them look even redder.
She began to sob softly and burrowed into Chunling's arms.
"Grandma, calm down!"
When the curtain was lifted, Xu Yunci glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, then lifted his robe and knelt down.
"Calm down? You told me you would treat Jiaojiao well, but after going out for a drink, you went out and caused trouble. Smell the perfume on yourself, and you came back to the manor all dirty."
"Madam, please calm down. You mustn't get angry. Even if the young master has done something wrong, please take care of your health."
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