“A clear conscience fears no scrutiny,” Nanny Liu declared, drawing herself up to her full height. “If the Eighth Miss wishes to search, then by all means, let the search proceed.”

Shi Yutong said, “Grandmother, I have no wish to cast suspicion on her either, so let the people who conduct the search be chosen by you — so that if something is found that should not be found, no one can accuse me of planting it.”

“Very well.” The Old Madam called over the several attendants who had earlier searched the kitchen. “Go through the Eighth Young Master’s room from top to bottom. Make sure you do not wrongly accuse the Mistress.”

“Yes.” The attendants accepted the order and turned to go to Jing’er’s room.

Qian Lan had given Jing’er the largest and finest room in Zhuoxin Garden. The room faced south and received abundant sunlight, and she had specially placed a small bed by the window to allow Jing’er to bask in the morning light.

The attendants searched inside, while those waiting in the outer room sat together in a crowd, their moods varying widely — some restless and agitated, some gleefully expectant, and others entirely detached and disinterested.

After a short while, the attendants came out from inside. Yan Qing saw that one of them was cradling something dark blue — it was Jing’er’s pillow.

Because Jing’er was still so small, his pillow had been specially made. Held in the attendant’s arms, it looked very small and soft.

“Old Madam, Commander,” the attendant said, with fine beads of sweat visible on her forehead. “We found this.”

“What is that?” The Old Madam frowned. “Is that not Jing’er’s pillow?”

The attendant replied, “In response to the Old Madam — this pillow is packed full of black sesame.”

The moment these words were spoken, expressions of astonishment appeared on every face in the room — every face, that is, except Shi Yutong’s, which remained perfectly calm, as though all of this had been entirely within her expectations.

An attendant brought over a pair of scissors and cut open the fine fabric of the pillow cover. A great mass of black sesame came spilling out.

“This pillow…” Qian Lan quickly stood up. “This pillow was brought over along with Jing’er’s bedding when I took him in. This — this is not something I prepared.”

“Mistress, this pillow was indeed made by me,” Du Linghua said, her expression deeply sorrowful. “But the pillow I made was filled with buckwheat husks — not sesame. Knowing full well that Jing’er is allergic to sesame, why would I make him a pillow stuffed with sesame?”

“Commander, Old Madam.” Qian Lan explained in an urgent rush, “I truly knew nothing about the pillow. And I was completely unaware that Jing’er was allergic to sesame.”

Shi Yutong looked at her coldly. “Jing’er is not your own flesh and blood, so you want to torment him like this? First you let the wet nurses eat food that was incompatible and caused Jing’er to vomit without cease, then you had Jing’er — who is allergic to sesame — sleep on a sesame pillow. You want to harm him little by little, don’t you.”

“I have no reason to harm Jing’er. He is the Commander’s child, and I only wish to raise him well. Moreover, even if I wanted to harm him, I would not do something so brazen — something that in effect announces to everyone that my intentions are malicious. Does that not make sense?”

The Commander then stepped forward. “What Lan’er says is very reasonable. Ever since she brought Jing’er to Zhuoxin Garden, she has cared for him with great devotion. The cook prepared the braised beef with chestnuts without her knowledge. She was also entirely ignorant of Jing’er’s sesame allergy. As for how this pillow came to be…”

His gaze turned toward San Yitai. “San Yitai, since you made the pillow yourself, could you not know what was inside it?”

Faced with the cold suspicion in the Commander’s interrogating stare, Du Linghua felt her heart go half dead with chill. He had always called her Linghua — and now he addressed her as San Yitai, while turning to call another woman Lan’er.

Du Linghua had once clung to a last thread of hope regarding the Commander, but now she felt that even that thread had gone cold and gray. A rush of bitterness and resentment filled her, and her voice came out as cold as deep winter.

“Is the Commander suggesting that I would harm my own son? Jing’er was perfectly well at my side — it was the Commander who said he wanted his new wife to enjoy the happiness of motherhood, and so forcibly took my child away. You seized my son, and now you wish to accuse me of wanting to harm him? A tiger may be ferocious, but it will not devour its own cubs. Is there anyone in this room who believes I would gamble with my own son’s life? If the hospital had not acted in time today, Jing’er would be dead. He is my child — my own flesh and blood. It is not the same as with those who take a child away halfway and feel not the slightest affection for him.”

The Commander stared at Du Linghua in stunned disbelief. Du Linghua had always presented herself before him as gentle, obedient, and understanding. Her barely veiled and pointed accusations left the Commander seething with fury.

“Do you know what you are saying?”

Du Linghua met the Commander’s burning gaze without flinching. “I am only stating the facts. Is that not so?”

She turned to face the Old Madam. “Old Madam, what reason do I have to harm my own son? On the contrary, it is those who can no longer bear children who might fear a child usurping their position and threatening their future standing. Who is the one harboring malicious designs here is plain for all to see.”

The Old Madam looked at Qian Lan. Her impression of Qian Lan had always been favorable — Qian Lan spent the greater part of each day at her side, engaged in sutra-copying and prayer. Having once resided at Baiyun Convent, she had a deep affinity for Buddhist practice, and she and the Old Madam had much to speak about together.

But on one side was a newly arrived bride, and on the other was the blood of the Shi Family. Who mattered more to the Old Madam was beyond question.

Watching the Old Madam’s gaze grow thin and disappointed, Qian Lan felt her heart sinking steadily lower.

“Mother, I believe Lan’er is innocent,” the Commander said with unwavering conviction, standing firmly at Qian Lan’s side, his gaze cooling sharply as it fixed on Shi Yutong. “Yutong, was all of this your doing? Why were you so certain that Jing’er’s room would contain sesame products? Did you already know something in advance? Or, more to the point — was it you who deliberately placed that pillow there?”

Before Shi Yutong could respond, Du Linghua had already cried out in a sharp voice, “Commander, to protect your new bride, you are now willing to suspect even your own daughter? Jing’er is Yutong’s blood brother — what possible reason could she have to harm her own brother? Yet the person most likely to have schemed against Jing’er, you refuse to see, and you shelter her at every turn. If you cannot tolerate us mother and daughter any longer, we will leave the Shi Mansion this very moment and never trouble your eyes again.”

“Du Linghua.” The Commander had never been spoken to with such defiance. His face flushed crimson with fury. “How dare you.”

“The Commander has long since stopped trusting me — what is there left for me to fear?” Du Linghua said, tears already streaming down her face. “The Commander need not be angry. It is all my fault. I should never have brought Jing’er into the world. I will now return to Snowflake Garden and confine myself to contemplate my wrongs. Please, Commander, calm yourself.”

With these words, and without a thought for the Commander’s face, which had gone mottled with rage, Du Linghua turned and walked out.

Yan Qing watched Du Linghua leave in an unsteady sway, and recalled the air of triumph Du Linghua had worn when she first married into the Shi Mansion.

Between heaven and hell, there was only the passing whim of one man’s heart.

Seeing Du Linghua leave, Shi Yutong could not help but stomp her foot. “Commander, Seventh Brother is here today as well, and you all say Shun Cheng is governed by the rule of law. In a situation like this, I would very much like to know how you intend to handle it justly. Are you truly going to let a woman with a heart this vile stay in the Shi Family and continue to stir up chaos?”

“Be silent,” the Commander roared. “Get out.”

Shi Yutong had never endured such humiliation. Her expression changed in an instant, tears bursting from her eyes. “You are no longer yourself — you have been bewitched by a fox spirit. You fox spirit — you are nothing but a fox spirit.”

She pointed at Qian Lan and screamed her accusations several times over, then turned and ran out.

The scene that now remained could only be described as chaotic pandemonium. The Commander’s face was flushed purple, Qian Lan wept softly, and the Old Madam sat with eyes closed in silent contemplation.

“Enough.” After a long moment, the Old Madam finally opened her eyes. “It is getting late. Take care of Jing’er first — the rest can be discussed tomorrow.”

The Old Madam was tired as well, and leaning on the arm of a maid, she prepared to leave.

“Old Madam, I truly have never done anything to harm Jing’er.” Qian Lan suddenly rushed forward and knelt down before the Old Madam. “Please, Old Madam — you must believe me.”

The Old Madam let out a sigh. “I want to believe you — but in the current circumstances, how can I? That is all for today. Tomorrow, return Jing’er to San Yitai. A mother should raise her own child — placed in someone else’s care, how could she ever truly have his best interests at heart?”

“Mother,” the Commander stepped forward, “I believe Lan’er. This is someone deliberately framing her.”

“Is it San Yitai — the birth mother — who is framing her? Or Yutong — the birth sister — who is framing her? Commander, I understand that you dote on your new wife. But do not allow that devotion to blind you. The Shi Family has always upheld fairness and justice. I trust you will reflect carefully on what you do.”

Having said this, the Old Madam paid no further attention to Qian Lan, who remained kneeling and pleading, and allowed her maids to help her out of Zhuoxin Garden.

After the Old Madam left, Luo Huaimeng also departed with Shi Ting and Yan Qing. As for the Commander and Qian Lan — they would have their own words to exchange behind closed doors.

After seeing Luo Huaimeng back to her courtyard, Shi Ting and Yan Qing walked hand in hand through the garden.

They went up onto the white jade arched bridge and listened to the rushing sound of the water below. The autumn night carried a slight chill, yet the breeze against their faces was pleasant and refreshing.

“Shi Yutong was actually quite cunning this time — to have managed to put Qian Lan in such a difficult position,” Yan Qing remarked idly, plucking a leaf and tossing it from the bridge. The leaf landed on the surface of the water and drifted downstream with the current.

The moonlight poured down in a brilliant sheen, and the water’s surface shimmered with shifting fragments of light.

“Because she was ruthless enough,” Shi Ting said, his brow somber. “She was willing to use her own brother’s life as a wager. That was something Qian Lan could never have anticipated.”

Shi Ting surmised that Shi Yutong had laid this scheme from the very beginning, and that Du Linghua had clearly known nothing of it.

Shi Yutong herself was allergic to sesame. She must have secretly tested Jing’er with sesame behind Du Linghua’s back, and once she confirmed that Jing’er shared the same allergy, she quietly began to make her arrangements.

No matter how clever Qian Lan was, she would never have expected that Jing’er’s pillow could be stuffed with sesame — and by the time she found out, there was nothing she could say to clear her name.

Shi Yutong had been quite cunning this time, but also far too cruel. Jing’er had come very close to losing his life.

“Shi Ting,” Yan Qing said, gazing at the flowing water, her voice as clear and pleasant as the sound of a stream, “how do you think Qian Lan can possibly recover from this?”