When Meng Qingqian put aside her official duties and rushed to Jinxian Courtyard, He Yunxiao was leisurely playing with the egrets.
"You... gave this to me?" Meng Qingqian looked at the large bird with its beautiful feathers and graceful shape, and said to He Yunxiao with a hint of surprise.
Seeing He Yunxiao's dedication, her previous dissatisfaction with him vanished.
He Yunxiao: "Ah? Well, you could say that."
Meng Qingqian: ? What do you mean by "also count as"?
“Mengbao, isn’t the poison you’re afflicted with called ‘White Heron’? I inquired about its preparation method and guessed that it might be because you, like a white egret, have always had toxicity in your body, but for some reason, the toxicity suddenly increased. So I caught a white egret and took it to Jinxian Academy to see if it would also suddenly be poisoned while staying there.”
"How is it now?"
“It’s very healthy,” He Yunxiao said.
"So... it failed?" Meng Qingqian asked doubtfully.
He Yunxiao laughed and said, "There was no failure. Mengbao, you're alright, which means the poison hasn't been triggered yet. How could the egret be in trouble? It's not like Mengbao gets poisoned every time she comes to Jinxian Academy."
Meng Qingqian thought for a moment and said, "You're right, but the cause of this poison is still unknown."
He Yunxiao walked to Li Qingmeng's side, reached out and placed his hand on her waist, gently pulling her into his arms.
Meng Qingqian struggled for a moment, but after realizing that she was no match for He Yunxiao, she obediently stopped moving.
“Mengbao, think about it. After we detoxify you, your body should be free of toxins, but even so, you still get poisoned after a few days. What does this mean?”
Meng Qingqian frowned and said, "This means someone has been poisoning us. But..."
He Yunxiao laughed and said, "I know that Mengbao's confidants are absolutely reliable and it's impossible for them to be poisoned. But have you ever thought that the poisoner might not be a person, but another creature, such as a parasite or a Gu worm? Have you heard of the toxins in egret droppings? They could very well originate from the worms on the egrets. They were made by the worms."
Meng Qingqian frowned deeply and remained silent. The concept of "parasites" was still too advanced for her; she could only barely understand it by referring to "Gu worms."
As a modern person, He Yunxiao understands this much better.
Even Mengbao's "Hundred Gu Heart-Protecting Pill" wouldn't kill a "highly poisonous" substance like the Soul-Devouring Pill, so it's quite possible that it might spare some harmless insects. However, these insects might become harmful under certain environmental stimuli.
While patting Li Qingmeng's flat stomach, He Yunxiao took something out of his pocket.
"Mengbao, Jiang Wuyou..."
"You are not allowed to mention her."
"Alright, alright, I'll only say it this time. Didn't I tell you before about the palace mole? Jiang Wuyou went to investigate, but he just couldn't find this person. At that time, I thought things weren't that simple. Until I thought of Meng Bao who was suddenly poisoned, and the Yan Emperor's 'deadly plan,' I suddenly realized that it wasn't a person."
"Not human?"
He Yunxiao nodded and said, "Yes, it's not a person, but the royal palace of the Qi Kingdom."
Meng Qingqian's eyes widened. He Yunxiao's sudden words were too abrupt and a bit puzzling.
“Mengbao, I remember you told me that Jinxian Courtyard was originally the Meng family’s temporary palace, and was later sold to the Li family. In other words, Jinxian Courtyard is actually part of the imperial palace, right?”
Meng Qingqian hadn't expected He Yunxiao to remember her words so clearly. This was the excuse she'd given He Yunxiao when she'd accidentally said "this palace" (referring to herself) to cover up her mistake. Although it was a hasty explanation, the logic was sound; the Jinxian Academy was indeed composed of people from the imperial palace.
"Since Jinxian Academy is the imperial palace, it makes perfect sense that your poison would take effect there. The environment of the imperial palace, whether it's the plants or the building materials, could trigger the worms in your body to expel large amounts of toxins, ultimately causing repeated poisoning."
Meng Qingqian looked at He Yunxiao suspiciously and asked one last question, "Then why wasn't I poisoned in the palace, but I was poisoned when I was with you at the Jinxian Academy? Could it be that you are also part of the Yan Emperor's plan?"
After a moment's thought, He Yunxiao had solved the mystery. He couldn't help but bring up "Jiang Wuyou" again, saying, "I'm not, but Jiang Wuyou is. Think about it, Jiang Wuyou is living in my house now, so maybe we didn't notice..."
When Meng Qingqian heard He Yunxiao mention Jiang Wuyou again, her thoughts immediately went astray.
"You touched Jiang Wuyou, didn't you? I was poisoned twice because you touched Jiang Wuyou before you touched me."
He Yunxiao thought about it carefully, and it seemed... he really had been intimate with Sister Jiang...
Seeing that He Yunxiao didn't speak, Meng Qingqian disregarded the Emperor of Yan and the assassination attempt, and immediately broke free from He Yunxiao's embrace.
"You really are! You! Liar! You said before that you had no feelings..."
"Mengbao! Listen to me..."
"I won't listen!" Meng Qingqian's cat-like fur stood on end.
The reason she had previously refused to let He Yunxiao touch her was, frankly, because she couldn't marry along with Nan Zhu. The fundamental reason for this was that the Meng royal family couldn't bear the shame of two princesses sharing a bed and serving the same person in a marquis's residence.
Jiang Wuyou's situation was the same. After all, Sister Jiang was a dancer, while Meng Qingqian was a princess of high status. How could a princess share a bed with a dancer...?
If this matter were to become public, the Meng royal family would be utterly disgraced. Princess Xiaoyue's name would henceforth become a laughingstock.
But the key point now is that this matter is a done deal, a fact.
Meng Qingqian felt like she was going to be driven crazy by He Yunxiao.
Unbeknownst to him, he had caused such a huge disaster for himself and Namjoo.
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