Heyue was still unconscious, but as she felt the warm sun overhead and heard the news from the Twelfth Prince's residence, she immediately became fully awake.
"What did you say?" He Yue's face was ashen.
Hailan repeated herself, her face full of worry. Only then did Heyue realize what had happened, and without saying a word, she went to the Twelfth Prince's residence.
Today, the Twelfth Prince did not attend court. When He Yue entered Yu Xiu's room, she saw the Twelfth Prince holding Yu Xiu's hand. His usually gentle and refined face was now faintly pale, and he looked at Yu Xiu, who was lying motionless on the bed with a deathly pale face, with worry and tenderness in his eyes.
He Yue's temples throbbed; Yu Xiu's condition was even more serious than she had imagined.
When the twelfth prince saw her, his eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up and strode toward her.
He Yue rarely saw him so out of control.
The Twelfth Prince was usually calm and elegant, and this was the first time he had shown such emotion.
"Thirteenth sister-in-law, I have invited you here today because I have no other choice. Yuxiu has always been close to you, and at this moment I can only listen to your words. Please forgive me, sister-in-law."
The twelfth prince bowed to her.
"Twelfth Brother, you're exaggerating. Yuxiu is my sister, so of course I won't ignore her." Heyue nodded without saying anything more, looking at Yuxiu, who was still motionless on the bed, with a complicated expression.
The maid brought over an embroidered stool, and Heyue sat down, taking her hand and speaking softly, "Yuxiu..."
Although Yuxiu is awake, her eyes are motionless, like a soulless shell.
He Yue felt heartbroken seeing this.
As if awakened by the sudden sound, Yuxiu's eyes moved slightly, and she slowly shifted her gaze to Heyue.
The moment she saw He Yue, tears suddenly streamed down her face: "He... Yue?"
Her voice was hoarse, indicating that she had been crying for a long time.
He Yue responded, holding her hands tightly with both of his, his eyes reddening.
When had she ever seen Yuxiu so vulnerable, so heartbroken?
That girl, as beautiful as the moon, has turned into this, like a fragile piece of porcelain.
She couldn't understand why such a good girl like Yuxiu would suffer like this.
Yuxiu's eyes returned to their lifeless state, her lips moved, and she gave a bitter smile: "My child is gone. He was fine yesterday, he even smiled at me, and then he was gone last night... Isn't it ridiculous? He didn't even call me 'Mother' once..."
Heyue hugged her and gently comforted her, "It's alright, what's done is done. You have to pull yourself together. You can't give up, you know?"
"I couldn't protect my child. I watched him die, his body growing colder and colder, and I was powerless to do anything about it. I cried and screamed, but I still couldn't bring him back to life." Yuxiu closed her eyes, tears streaming down her jade-like neck.
He Yue didn't know how to comfort her; in this situation, any form of comfort would be pale and powerless.
All she could do was hold her and give her strength.
Seeing the scene, the Twelfth Prince ordered his men to leave and quietly slipped out himself.
Yu Xiu's lifeless eyes suddenly flashed, and she grabbed He Yue's hand.
The movements were undeniably forceful.
He Yue was surprised to see Yu Xiu's moist yet bright eyes staring intently at her, as if she had something to say.
Her lips moved slightly, and her hand gripped Heyue tightly: "Heyue, I have a question, and you must answer me truthfully."
Her eyes were clear, as if a flame was burning within them, supporting her as she clung tightly to the only direction.
Although she didn't understand why she suddenly had that expression, Heyue nodded: "Go ahead and ask."
"Back then, you almost miscarried. I know the Thirteenth Prince suspected that Ping Gu was responsible. Do you have any evidence?"
He Yue was surprised that she would ask this question. Gazing into her determined eyes, she realized that this matter was very important to her.
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head: "I have no evidence, but when I saw Pinggu, I did have a feeling that she was not very friendly to me, or even... hostile, although she hid it very well."
"That's it." Yuxiu suddenly laughed and released her hand: "She has no connection with you, so why is she so hostile towards you? Why would she want to harm your child?"
Heyue thought she didn't believe it, and rightly so, even she herself couldn't explain Pinggu's motives.
He then stopped talking.
Unexpectedly, Yuxiu spoke up again the next moment, but her words surprised Heyue.
"First she harmed your child, and now she's harmed mine. What is her purpose? Why is she doing this?" she muttered to herself, her eyes filled with hatred, almost to the point of madness.
He Yue frowned, gripped her hand tightly, and looked at her intently: "Do you know what you're saying? How do you know it was her who did it?"
Her expression was so frantic that He Yue couldn't help but suspect she was rambling incoherently in a state of collapse.
Yuxiu looked at her, paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled again, a somewhat dazed smile: "What evidence do I need? I only know that my child died a violent death, not from illness. Who else could it be but her? You will believe me, won't you?"
She stared at Heyue with expectant eyes.
Heyue couldn't bear to disappoint her. She wasn't sure if Yuxiu was talking nonsense or had discovered something, but she still chose to believe her.
So he took her hand and nodded slightly.
Yuxiu smiled, but it was a bitter smile: "But Master doesn't believe me. He has complete faith in Aunt Ping. When I wanted to investigate evidence that she harmed you, Master stopped me, saying it couldn't have been Aunt Ping."
He Yue was deeply moved, never expecting that Yu Xiu had done such a thing.
The Twelfth Prince didn't believe it, but Yuxiu always believed that Heyue wouldn't speak without reason.
Such friendship is something that Heyue is extremely grateful for and cherishes.
“Pinggu has been taking care of Twelfth Prince since the palace. She is no ordinary person, so I naturally trust her without a doubt.” Heyue understands Twelfth Prince just as Hailan has taken care of her since childhood. The relationship between Heyue and Hailan is also extraordinary and has long surpassed the bond between master and servant.
Yuxiu sighed: "Yes, and Pinggu is not simple. When the thirteenth brother came to the master, the master was suspicious and even asked Pinggu. It was Pinggu who proved her innocence with her death that the master completely believed her and never doubted her again. Instead, he felt very guilty. If I tell the master now that she harmed my child, he will definitely blame me for making unfounded accusations."
As she spoke, her expression was filled with sadness, as if lamenting that she, the woman beside her husband, was not even as important as a mere servant in his heart.
He Yue couldn't help but wonder if Yu Xiu's certainty about Ping Gu was also related to this.
Although Pinggu was slightly older than the Twelfth Prince, the age difference wasn't significant, and they had served each other closely since childhood, so it's no wonder she was jealous.
Pinggu was, after all, the Twelfth Prince's close confidante, and even though Heyue had suspicions, she couldn't do anything about it, but she still couldn't swallow her anger.
Now, with the matter of Yuxiu added, we must uncover Pinggu's true colors no matter what.
Otherwise, such things will happen again in the future.
Or perhaps, next time it will be Yuxiu's life that's taken.
To convince the Twelfth Prince, one must see it with one's own eyes. But how can one force Pinggu to reveal her true colors?
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