In the Crown Prince's harem, it's unlikely that anyone would have a smooth pregnancy, especially when he didn't have many children and only had one son.
Therefore, no matter how careful Xia Zhaoxun is, problems will still arise.
That day, the maid Qing Shuang had a headache and felt unwell from the moment she woke up in the morning.
Naturally, I should ask for leave immediately. I can't go to serve someone just because I'm not feeling well, otherwise what if I delay my master's business?
Especially since Xia Zhaoxun was pregnant.
She felt short of breath and her chest tighten terribly. This Qing Shuang was a maid in the manor, and had been serving Xia Zhaoxun for several years.
She was ill, so naturally the family physician had to be called over.
After examining the young lady, the physician was somewhat puzzled: "This young lady's illness... is rather strange. There doesn't seem to be any major internal cause. Has there been anything the young lady has been unable to come into contact with since childhood? And it's not even springtime, with countless pollen and willow catkins yet, is it?"
"Really?" Qing Shuang was stunned.
May, who was standing to the side, was also taken aback: "What did we come into contact with?"
Qing Shuang gritted her teeth: "What else could it be! Periwinkle, you know, I'm intolerant of it. Too much of it could be fatal."
"Huh? We don't have that kind of thing in our Yihu Residence." May was even more stunned.
"No, but you don't know, this stuff is not only intolerant to me, it's also poisonous." Qing Shuang took a deep breath: "They say that if you eat it, whether it's the flower or the leaf, in large quantities, it can cause numbness in the limbs and weakness all over the body."
She gritted her teeth: "I suppose it's also bad for the fetus..."
"You mean this is to harm Zhaoxun?" May's heart skipped a beat.
She was Xia Zhaoxun's closest maid.
"This is my estimate, quick!" she said, struggling to get down from the ground. "Mr. Zhu, please take a look at this."
She pointed to a plate on a table to the side.
Those were the plates of pastries that Xia Zhaoxun had given them as a reward yesterday. Xia Zhaoxun hadn't eaten them because she didn't have an appetite.
They broke up.
Mr. Zhu went to take a look and said after a long time, "It's hard to say. If it really is periwinkle, it is indeed poisonous, but if you want to harm someone, a small amount won't work. It always has to accumulate."
"Alright then, Mr. Zhu, go see our Zhaoxun first and tell him about this." Qing Shuang struggled to get up and went to the main room with him.
I told Xia Zhaoxun about this.
She sighed softly, "Since that's the case, let's not tell anyone yet."
"Zhaoxun!" May cried out anxiously, "How can we not say it? What if..."
“What’s the use of saying this now? Even if His Highness believes it, there’s no evidence. Can we ask Qing Shuang to testify? Who would believe that?” Xia Zhaoxun sighed. “No rush. Since they want to harm me, if one time won’t lead to anything serious, there will be another time.”
May took a deep breath: "This servant understands."
“Mr. Zhu, you are here to treat Qing Shuang today, so there’s no need to bring up anything else.”
Mr. Zhu readily agreed. He couldn't be happier.
After seeing the physician off, Xia Zhaoxun sighed, "It was bound to happen sooner or later. Will it be born healthy? Will nothing go wrong along the way? I just wonder who did it."
"It must be Consort Ye! She's the one who always finds fault with you the most." May said angrily.
"Not necessarily." Xia Zhaoxun shook his head.
It might not be her, but in the end, she might be the one to fall for it.
Xia Zhaoxun naturally paid extra attention.
Once you've discovered something, it's much easier to control.
After the first month of the lunar calendar, the weather gradually warmed up, but it was still the north after all.
February won't be too warm; it's hot at midday, but it's still quite cold in the mornings and evenings.
However, people can simply change their clothes a few more times each day.
As the weather warms up, the Crown Princess's health is gradually improving; at least the lochia has stopped, and she only needs to take good care of herself.
Perhaps to consolidate his position, Ning Chenghui spent a considerable amount of time in the main courtyard during his time attending to the ailing patient.
Now that I've stayed, my chances of seeing my child have definitely increased.
However, she was a smart woman and knew that the Crown Princess did not like her to be near the children, so when she saw them, she would just look at them without holding them or playing with them.
They would offer a few words of concern, but only in a polite manner.
She also privately told her subordinates that she hoped to have another daughter.
This means that she has given up on the child.
The Crown Princess was relieved that she had given up on having another child, as it would be difficult for her to conceive again anytime soon.
The more at ease I feel, the more I can use her.
After a long period of surveillance, lasting more than half a month, Xia Zhaoxun finally caught someone.
That's the secret route in the kitchen; any pastries he sends are problematic.
It's all the juice and powder from periwinkle flowers. Although the amount added is small, it adds up.
If Xia Zhaoxun ate these every day, something bad would definitely happen.
But Qing Shuang is practically blessed with good fortune. She tries out snacks every day, but only eats a little bit, and she doesn't have any serious problems, just some allergic reactions and redness.
Therefore, we can find the pattern and the shortcut.
So, Xia Zhaoxun took the problematic items from today, along with the pastries he had stored up over the past few days, to the main courtyard.
Upon hearing the story, the Crown Princess was furious and quickly summoned everyone to the main courtyard.
I told them what happened.
Xiao Luzi has been apprehended and sent to the prison.
Those who were involved in this matter, even though they didn't deliver the goods, all took them.
"Your Highness is busy today, so I will handle things first." The Crown Princess sat there with a serious expression.
She had lost a lot of weight, but her spirits had returned. Her anger now was somewhat frightening.
Now that they're in the prison, the results will be out soon.
It is Xiang Fengyi.
Upon hearing Xiao Lu's testimony, Xiang Fengyi knelt down, her expression already unpleasant.
Kneeling there, he couldn't utter any words of explanation.
It was at this moment that Shu Chengfeng arrived.
Seeing Xiang kneeling there, he kicked her.
He kicked Xiang, causing him to fall to the ground.
Seeing the Crown Prince's fury, the crowd hurriedly tried to kneel as well, but the Crown Prince waved his hand to stop them.
"Fortunately, one of my maids is allergic to this flower. I don't know how many I've eaten before. That one time I didn't want to eat it, so I gave her some pastries. She almost died..." Xia Zhaoxun said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"If this hurts the child, I..." Xia Zhaoxun wiped away her tears.
"No, I didn't... I just wanted you to be sick so I could take care of you... I didn't harm your child... I didn't..." Xiang Fengyi knelt up with difficulty: "I didn't harm you, I really just wanted to... Waaah... Spare me, Your Highness..."
"You want to make Xia sick so you can go and serve her? And use that as an excuse to see His Highness?" Yan Nangui chuckled, "What a clever scheme."
"How vicious! Does that mean you have to be careful who you approach?" Ye Liangdi retorted angrily.
“There’s no chance to get in touch anymore. This is so vicious. Even if you didn’t intend to harm Xia Zhaoxun’s child, can you guarantee that using poison won’t hurt the child in the long run?” Su Liangdi asked calmly.
The Crown Princess glanced at the Crown Prince: "This kind of poisonous woman cannot be allowed to live."
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