Speaking of children, Ulanara smiled and said:
"This child's personality is just like Yun's; she's very sensible."
Seeing that the Fujin (wife) did not seem to mind mentioning Yunhui, Li Jingshu continued to ask:
"I wonder if the Princess Consort knows that Sister Geng has been confined to her quarters?"
Ulanara stopped stroking her prayer beads and calmly told everyone the reason why Geng Youran had been confined to her quarters.
"Gege Geng took advantage of Yun Gege's trust and poisoned her, causing Yun Gege to die. As a result, the prince ordered her to be confined to her quarters."
"That's impossible!"
Upon hearing this, Wanru immediately retorted:
"Madam, there must be some misunderstanding. Sister Geng would never poison Princess Yun. She has no reason to do so."
Everyone here naturally knows this.
Not to mention that Lady Geng had served Consort Li even before she entered the manor, she treated every pregnant woman with kindness after entering the manor.
Even though others didn't believe her, she never had any intention of hurting anyone.
Since Princess Yun became pregnant, she had a poor appetite, so she often sent her food over, and the ingredients for each dish were always consulted with the imperial physician in advance.
Such a cautious person would not make such an obvious mistake.
“Sister Niohuru, I know that you and Princess Geng are usually the closest. But people’s hearts are the most complicated things, and what you see is not necessarily the truth.”
Wanru was somewhat angry:
“I will remember the teachings of the Fujin well. However, I also remember how Sister Geng helped me and taught Hongzhou to be respectful to his brothers when I was pregnant with Hongli and after Hongli went to the Imperial Study.”
After saying this, Wanru bowed and left, completely ignoring Ulanara's darkened face.
"Princess, please don't be angry with Niohuru. As you said, she has always been close to Lady Geng, and she is probably feeling very upset right now. She may have been rambling on for a moment, so please don't take offense."
Ulanara twitched the corner of her mouth:
"Don't worry, Sister Li. We've been sisters for so many years, so I naturally understand Sister Niu Hulu's personality and I certainly won't hold it against her."
"Since you've said so, Madam, I won't ask any more questions. I'll take my leave now."
Ulanara nodded, and Li Jingshu left.
Not far from the gate of the Fujin's courtyard, Li Jingshu heard a voice from the side:
"Could it be that the concubine really believes what the principal wife said? That it was Sister Geng who poisoned and killed Princess Yun?"
"Sister, watch your words!"
Li Jingshu had a look of disappointment on her face.
“Sister, if you really want to find out the truth for Sister Geng, you must calm down now. Only when you are completely calm can you see what you have been ignoring.”
After saying this, Li Jingshu went back first.
Meanwhile, Nian Yunrong remained seated, watching Niohuru Wanru and Li Jingshu leave one after the other. She looked directly into Ulanara's eyes and asked:
"My lady, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it?"
“Sister Nian, please speak freely.”
"I wonder if Your Highness has told you, Madam, what kind of poison Princess Yun has been poisoned with?"
"This...the prince never mentioned it."
Upon hearing this answer, Nian Yunrong had another thought, but she didn't show any unusual reaction. After having a few more cups of tea with the Fujin, she returned to her own courtyard.
"Consort, why did you ask the First Lady that question just now?"
"Just asking casually. But it seems our Prince doesn't quite trust our Princess Consort."
Meanwhile, Geng Youran, who was the center of everyone's discussion, was planting flowers in the yard.
"Princess, you are so calm. Even though you're confined to your quarters, you're still thinking about planting flowers in the yard."
"Otherwise, am I supposed to cry in front of the mirror all day? Besides, didn't His Highness say that this is just a delaying tactic?"
Yes, this confinement was actually planned by Yinzhen and Geng Youran in order to catch the real mastermind behind it all.
"You trust the prince that much?"
Geng Youran looked helplessly at Qianxue, who was squatting beside her and nagging incessantly:
"Just say what you want to say. Aren't you tired of beating around the bush?"
Qianxue looked embarrassed, while Xiao Anzi, who was in charge of digging the pit, covered his mouth and laughed, only to be glared at by Qianxue.
“Princess, what I’m thinking is, what if the Prince finds the murderer, but he’s unwilling to deal with him? Wouldn’t you be confined to your quarters for nothing?”
"You mean the murderer might be the Fujin (Prince's wife) or Consort Nian?"
Aside from these two people, Geng Youran couldn't think of anyone else in the mansion that Yinzhen was reluctant to deal with.
Nian Yunrong was, after all, Nian Gengyao's sister. If she were the murderer, Yinzhen would certainly find a scapegoat. As for the Fujin (consort), she was involved with too many court officials and powerful families. Moreover, since Consort De had returned to her rank, Yinzhen would definitely not take action against her.
So, it's possible that I could really become a scapegoat.
“What you said makes some sense. Come, let’s go to the study; I need to write a letter to the Prince.”
"yes."
In fact, Yinzhen had already investigated the matter quite thoroughly. The coroner smelled a faint scent on Yunhui's clothes and after several days of investigation, he discovered that it was a drug that could make people lose their strength.
These fabrics were the very ones that Yunrong had sent at the beginning.
Because her belly grew larger in the later stages of pregnancy, and Yunhui's diagnoses were all normal, she felt reassured and had the fabric made into clothes.
As for the diet, the people from the Imperial Medical Academy did not find anything wrong with it.
However, just as he decided to place Nian Yunrong under house arrest, Geng Youran's letter changed his mind.
The guards at Geng Youran's courtyard were all Yinzhen's confidants. Geng Youran had one of them deliver a letter to Yinzhen, which detailed all the details of her interactions with Yunhui during this period, and even included the recipes for each dish.
When Yinzhen first saw the letter, he was both amused and exasperated, but one detail caught his attention.
Geng Youran mentioned that she gave Yunhui a silver hairpin, and Yinzhen had also seen this silver hairpin before.
Thinking of this, Yinzhen quickly instructed Gao Wuyong to arrange for someone to find Lüyin and ask her about the hairpin.
Because this hairpin was something the princess cherished greatly during her lifetime, Green Grass has always kept it safe.
"Your Highness, I have obtained the hairpin."
"Give it to Qingfeng. He's always been interested in mechanical things. Let's see if there's anything special about it."
"Yes, sir."
Qingfeng was a bodyguard of Yinzhen, who occasionally appeared as a guard.
Less than two days later, Gao Wuyong received a response from Qingfeng.
"Your Highness, you were right after all, there is something wrong with this hairpin."
"Please elaborate."
"Yes, Qingfeng said that this hairpin looks like silver and weighs almost exactly the same as silver, but it is actually made of a special material. The decorations on the hairpin are all poisoned. When it encounters heat, the poison will flow from the flower center into the hollow inside the hairpin, and then flow into the dishes that the princess uses."
Now Yinzhen understood that the one who truly schemed against Yunhui was not Nian Yunrong, nor Geng Youran, but his wife.
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