Chapter 320: Bird's Nest Contains Poison, Dangers Surround
The sun gradually rose higher in the east courtyard, filtering through the branches of the crabapple tree, casting dappled shadows across the bluestone slabs. Mian Rui sat in a cushioned cart, happily playing with a jade ruyi in his hands, his brow furrowed, a look reminiscent of Yongqi in deep thought. Mian Xin, meanwhile, nestled in Xiaoyanzi's arms, her tiny hands tugging at the buttons on her cheongsam, counting them one by one.
Xiaoyanzi was wearing a lilac-colored, soft silk cheongsam with a silver thread around the collar, which made her skin look even whiter. She looked down at her daughter in her arms and smiled, slapping her little hand away: "Little naughty girl, if you keep pulling at the buttons, they'll fall off." Mianxin giggled and snuggled closer to her arms.
Little Bug came in carrying a birdcage. Inside the cage, a gray pigeon was cooing. "Princess, look! This carrier pigeon has learned human nature. I just tried to let it fly around, and it actually came back!" He handed the birdcage to Little Swallow like he was presenting a treasure.
"Really?" Little Swallow became interested and leaned over to take a look. "Not bad, not bad. It will really come in handy in the future."
The little mosquito was shocked: "Wow, this little thing looks insignificant, but it has quite a lot of abilities!"
As they were talking, Chuntao walked in carrying a gilded lacquer tray containing a bowl of bird's nest, covered in brocade. With an unnatural smile on her face, she walked up to Xiaoyanzi and bowed, "Princess, the concubine said she saw how hard it was for you to take care of the two children, so she asked the kitchen to stew some bird's nest for you to nourish your body."
Xiaoyanzi's heart skipped a beat. Ever since the embroidery incident, she'd become more cautious about anything sent from the West Courtyard. She looked at Chuntao calmly, and when she saw her eyes flicker and her hands tremble slightly, she began to think something was wrong.
"That's thoughtful of you, Concubine." Xiaoyanzi said calmly, not immediately answering the call. "It's just that I just had breakfast, so I'm afraid I can't eat any more. Let's put it aside for now."
Chun Tao, however, refused to give in and continued to push forward, "Princess, this bird's nest was stewed by Concubine Concubine herself for three hours. Please try it. It will be well worth Concubine Concubine's kindness."
Xiaoyanzi frowned and was about to speak when Xiao Dengzi suddenly stepped forward and said with a smile, "We appreciate Concubine Concubine's kindness, but the princess has been having some stomach discomfort lately, and the imperial physician said she shouldn't eat anything too greasy. Since this bird's nest is such a good thing, why not give it to the little prince and princess? They're still growing up."
Chun Tao's expression changed instantly, and she stammered, "This... this is for the princess to replenish her body. I'm afraid it's not appropriate to give it to the little prince or princess."
"What's inappropriate about it?" Xiaoyanzi stood up, holding Mianxin in her arms, and looked at Chuntao sharply. "Children will grow faster after eating this, isn't that a good thing? Or is this bird's nest... only suitable for me?"
Chun Tao felt uncomfortable being looked at by her, and her eyes dodged in panic: "Princess, you are joking. Bird's nest is suitable for everyone...it's just...it's just that Concubine Jin cooked it specially for you..."
"In that case, we should share the nest." Little Swallow smiled and said to Shi Liu, "Shi Liu, go get two small bowls and divide the bird's nest between them. Give some to Rui Er and Xin Er respectively."
"Yes." Shi Liu responded and went to get the bowl.
"Don't!" Chun Tao suddenly screamed, subconsciously trying to protect the bird's nest. Then she realized she had lost her composure and quickly lowered her head. "That's not what I meant... It's just that this bird's nest is too hot, and I'm afraid it will burn the little prince or princess."
Xiaoyanzi sneered, becoming even more certain that there was something wrong with the bird's nest. "Really? Let me see how hot it is," she said, reaching out to remove the brocade lid.
Chun Tao turned pale with fear and pressed the lid shut: "Princess, you absolutely cannot do that! This bird's nest must be eaten while it's hot. It won't taste good if it's cold!"
"I want to see how valuable this bird's nest is." Xiaoyanzi tightened her grip, her eyes icy. Just as the two of them were at a stalemate, Yongqi walked in from outside.
"What's going on?" Yongqi frowned when he saw the scene before him. He was wearing a royal blue uniform with a jade belt around his waist, which made him look even more upright.
"Your Highness!" Chun Tao quickly released her hand and bowed as if she had seen a savior. "I am here on the orders of the Concubine to bring bird's nest to the Princess, but the Princess..."
"Yongqi," Xiaoyanzi said before she could finish, "Sister Zhihua was so kind as to send me some bird's nest. I wanted to share some with the children, but Miss Chuntao stopped me. Isn't that strange?"
Yongqi's eyes fell on the bowl of bird's nest, and then he looked at Chuntao's panicked expression, and he understood about half of it. "Since it's for the princess, it's naturally up to her to decide." His tone was calm, but with unquestionable majesty. "Chuntao, you can go down first."
"Your Highness..." Chuntao wanted to say something, but seeing Yongqi's cold eyes, she swallowed her words back and had to retreat unwillingly.
After Chuntao left, Xiaoyanzi immediately said to Yongqi, "There must be something wrong with this bird's nest. Chuntao's reaction just now was so strange."
Yongqi nodded and said to Xiao Dengzi, "Take this bird's nest to have Doctor Li take a look."
"Yes!" Little Dengzi carefully picked up the bird's nest and walked out quickly.
Xiaoyanzi breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the stone bench with Mianxin in her arms. "Zhihua is so bold! She actually dared to tamper with the bird's nest."
"She's just blinded by jealousy." Yong Qi sat down beside her and held her hand. "I'm sorry you always have to deal with this."
"I'm fine." Xiaoyanzi shook her head and looked at Yongqi. "Luckily you're back, otherwise I really don't know how this would end."
"From now on, anything sent from the West Courtyard must be inspected first." Yong Qi said in a deep voice, "I will never let you or the children come to any harm again."
Xiaoyanzi smiled and leaned on his shoulder: "With you here, I'm not afraid of anything."
Not long after, Xiao Dengzi hurried back, his face solemn, "Your Highness, Princess, Imperial Physician Li said... that a small amount of safflower was added to this bird's nest!"
"Safflower!" Xiaoyanzi stood up suddenly, her face turned pale in an instant, "She actually dared to use such a vicious thing!" Safflower is an abortion agent, Zhihua wants to harm her and the children!
Yongqi's face was so gloomy that it looked like water could drip out of it, and his eyes were full of anger: "That's too much! I'm going to go find her and settle the score now!"
"Yongqi, wait." Xiaoyanzi held him back, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down. "If we go to her now, she definitely won't admit it. We have no evidence."
"What should we do? Just let it go?" Yongqi was furious.
"Of course we can't just let this go." Xiaoyanzi's eyes became firm. "Since she dared to do it, she must pay the price. Let's keep quiet for now. Once we find solid evidence, we'll settle this account with her!"
Yongqi looked at Xiaoyanzi. Although her face was still a little pale, her eyes were remarkably firm. He knew that Xiaoyanzi was no longer the impulsive girl she used to be. She had developed her own strategies and strategies.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Yongqi held her hand, "Let's wait for the evidence together."
In the west courtyard, Zhihua was pacing anxiously, waiting for news from Chuntao. When Chuntao came back with a sad face and told her what had happened, Zhihua was so angry that she trembled all over: "Waste! You can't even handle such a small matter!"
"Concubine, I didn't expect that the prince would come back suddenly, and it seems that the princess has been suspicious for a long time..." Chuntao said aggrievedly.
"Useless thing!" Zhihua shouted, "You're more likely to cause trouble than to help!" She walked to the window and looked towards the east courtyard, her eyes full of resentment. "Fang Ci, you're lucky! But don't think you can get away with it like this. I won't give up!"
The crabapple trees in the east courtyard were still in full bloom, but the air was thick with the smoke of war. Xiaoyanzi knew this was only a temporary calm, and a greater storm awaited her. But she was not afraid, for she had Yongqi's support, the companionship of her children, and her own unyielding heart. She would protect her home and prevent anyone from destroying it.
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