Xiao Jingxi took Ren Yaoqi’s hand, and they sat down together on the soft couch.

“Nanny Gong came to the Prince’s Manor with my mother back then. She was someone my mother’s birth mother left for her, and she was originally from the Yun family. What’s wrong? Do you think there’s something wrong with her?” Xiao Jingxi asked with a smile.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment, then told Xiao Jingxi about her suspicions during Ren Yaohua’s delivery. Because she had no evidence at the time and was merely suspicious, and because Nanny Gong was the Princess Consort’s person who had also saved Ren Yaohua’s life, she hadn’t mentioned this to Xiao Jingxi.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Xiao Jingxi smiled: “I see.”

Ren Yaoqi looked at him: “But judging from Mother’s attitude, this Nanny Gong seems to have no problems. Could it be that I overthought things?”

Xiao Jingxi sighed: “No, you didn’t exactly overthink it. Nanny Gong indeed has problems, but the problem isn’t with her.”

“Oh? Then, who is the problem with?” Ren Yaoqi became even more curious.

Xiao Jingxi pondered for a moment, then smiled: “Forget it, this matter should have been told to you anyway. I just never found the right opportunity, since it’s not exactly a glorious affair. It’s also old business from over ten years ago.”

Ren Yaoqi got up to personally pour Xiao Jingxi a cup of warm tea and handed it to him: “Then take your time telling me. Mother did say I could come to you to clarify anything.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi couldn’t help but laugh, deliberately acting aggrieved: “This husband’s authority was already weak, and now you’ve found Mother to back you up. Where will there be any place for me to speak in this household from now on? Wife, you should at least leave me a shred of dignity, shouldn’t you?”

Ren Yaoqi glanced at him sideways.

“Jinglin and I were both delivered by Nanny Gong.” Having had enough fun, Xiao Jingxi finally got to the main topic.

But Ren Yaoqi immediately caught the key point: “Only you and Jinglin were delivered by Nanny Gong? I remember you saying last time that the heir was also delivered by Nanny Gong.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi smiled: “If I remember correctly, what I said then was that my elder brother was also delivered by Nanny Gong.”

Ren Yaoqi frowned, about to ask what difference there was between these two statements. But before she could speak, she suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but feel startled, looking at Xiao Jingxi with some shock.

“The heir… isn’t your elder brother?”

Xiao Jingxi’s hand gently touched Ren Yaoqi’s hair, and he sighed softly: “The one in the Capital isn’t. My biological elder brother died while still in my Mother’s womb. When Mother was pregnant with my brother, someone poisoned her. The fetus was already formed then, with only a dozen days left until birth. If not for Nanny Gong being there, it would almost have been two deaths.”

Although Ren Yaoqi had speculated before, speculation was just speculation. She hadn’t expected the truth to be so cruel.

Ren Yaoqi unconsciously gripped Xiao Jingxi’s hand.

Xiao Jingxi held Ren Yaoqi’s hand in return and continued: “Back then, the previous emperor was still on the throne. He was a strong-willed monarch. If he hadn’t been so domineering, he wouldn’t have caused that struggle between the two princes in his later years. He was even harsh toward his sons, so how could such a monarch tolerate the existence of the Yanbei Prince’s Manor? Moreover, the situation between Yanbei and the court back then was different from the current relationship between Yanbei and the court. When my great-grandfather first recovered Yanbei, the various noble families in Yanbei were still very powerful, showing signs of uniting to rival the Prince’s Manor. To prevent the humiliation of Yanbei falling under Liao cavalry from recurring, my great-grandfather used many forceful methods to make these families submit, and Yanbei was temporarily stabilized. So at that time, the Prince’s Manor really couldn’t confront the court head-on. Even if my brother had survived then, the Prince’s Manor would have followed the emperor’s edict and sent him to the Capital as a hostage.”

“But he died, so the one sent to the court as a hostage would be you?” Ren Yaoqi frowned.

Xiao Jingxi nodded: “Yes, after he died, it would naturally fall to the second son of the Prince of Yanbei. My mother had just lost her first child and was grief-stricken. To help her pull herself together, Nanny Gong and Nanny Xin came up with an idea: have her claim publicly that the child hadn’t died, and find a newborn baby as a replacement. After a few years, they would send him to the Capital as a hostage, thus preserving her second son.”

“I see, no wonder…” Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment. “About that previous rumor, saying you were your mother’s sister’s child. That wasn’t true, was it? Could it be that the heir is? Is he your cousin?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi twitched his lips and shook his head: “That rumor was pure nonsense. The ‘heir’ is the child of one of my mother’s dowry maids.”

Ren Yaoqi blinked: “Then… is this ‘heir’ really dead?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi with some surprise, then smiled: “What makes you say that?”

Actually, Ren Yaoqi was just asking casually, because she always felt that this heir, whether in this life or the previous one, died “very timely,” making her think more about it.

“I just feel something’s not right,” Ren Yaoqi said.

Xiao Jingxi gently tapped Ren Yaoqi’s nose tip and smiled: “Could it be that you smelled something wrong?”

Ren Yaoqi swatted away Xiao Jingxi’s hand and glared at him. Don’t think she couldn’t tell he was calling her a dog in a roundabout way!

Xiao Jingxi laughed and shook his head, half-seriously teasing: “Good thing I married you back home. How could anyone feel at ease leaving someone like you outside? This ‘heir’ indeed didn’t die. He completed his mission and retired successfully. Originally, we thought this matter was foolproof, even the court didn’t notice, but unexpectedly, you ‘sensed’ it. Tell me, isn’t your nose sharp?”

Ren Yaoqi ignored Xiao Jingxi’s teasing and steered the conversation back on track: “Then what about the poison in your body?”

Xiao Jingxi’s smile faded somewhat: “When Mother was pregnant with her first child, the baby died in the womb because someone poisoned her. Although Nanny Gong saved her afterward, the toxins weren’t completely expelled, so I was born with poison in me.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but be shocked. Xiao Jingxi had been poisoned when the Princess Consort was pregnant with him! She understood some medical principles and naturally knew that poison carried from the womb was the hardest to cure. No wonder Xiao Jingxi had been ill for so many years. He must have suffered greatly as a child.

Thinking this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but feel heartache.

Seeing the expression in Ren Yaoqi’s eyes, Xiao Jingxi took the opportunity to embrace her, his chin gently rubbing against her head: “Actually, it’s nothing. I’m fine now, aren’t I? Moreover, it was a blessing in disguise – now no poison works on me.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi felt even more heartache for Xiao Jingxi, nestling in his embrace without speaking.

“Then… was it discovered who administered the poison?” Ren Yaoqi asked in a muffled voice.

Xiao Jingxi was silent for a while before saying, “Although the Yanbei Prince’s Manor isn’t as secure as the gates of Jiajing Pass, it’s not a place where just anyone who wants to poison someone can enter.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi frowned. If outsiders couldn’t act, could it be someone from the Prince’s Manor?

Sure enough, Xiao Jingxi continued: “Back then, only people from this manor had the opportunity to act.”

Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but fall silent. Among the people in this manor who had both motive and ability to poison, it could only be the Old Princess Consort or Xiao Heng’s branch. Indeed, no matter how much you guard against outsiders, it’s hard to guard against traitors within.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s silence, Xiao Jingxi looked down at her. Thinking of the prescription Ren Yaoqi had been holding earlier, he lowered his head to kiss her brow: “Don’t worry, this kind of thing absolutely won’t happen a second time. I won’t tolerate anyone harming you or our children.” Although Xiao Jingxi’s voice was as gentle as always, it carried his characteristic certainty and dominance, as if anything he said would be accomplished, making people feel completely at ease.

Ren Yaoqi was quiet for a long time before asking: “Is Nanny Gong also keeping a low profile in the Prince’s Manor because of this matter? Since Nanny Gong was privy to that incident back then, it’s possible that someone suspected the heir’s identity and deliberately used my sister’s delivery to draw out Nanny Gong.”

At that time, when Ren Yaohua went into premature labor, they all thought it was because of Little Qiao Shi. Now thinking about it, it was also possible that the midwife had used some method to make her summon Nanny Gong. Thinking of this, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, both Ren Yaohua and the child were fine in the end, otherwise…

If this were true, the person behind it was truly vicious. How innocent were Ren Yaohua and her child! One careless move could have resulted in two deaths.

Ren Yaoqi was still in Xiao Jingxi’s embrace, so he naturally sensed her emotions. He couldn’t help but hold her and gently pat her back, comforting: “Don’t worry, I’ll have someone investigate. If someone was scheming behind the scenes, I absolutely won’t let them off.”

Ren Yaoqi sighed and gave a soft “mm.”

Xiao Jingxi pulled out the prescription Nanny Gong had given from Ren Yaoqi’s sleeve pocket again: “Although Nanny Gong isn’t a physician, she’s much better than many famous doctors when it comes to women’s childbirth. Since she gave you this prescription, you should try taking it.”

Ren Yaoqi’s face turned slightly red as she snatched back the prescription and put it back in her sleeve pocket, muttering softly: “You don’t like taking medicine yourself, but you’re managing me!”

Xiao Jingxi had exceptional hearing. He gently turned Ren Yaoqi’s face and said with a smile: “Wife, what are you muttering about?”

Ignoring that her face was being squeezed out of shape by Xiao Jingxi’s mischievous hands, Ren Yaoqi said unclearly: “I said, why does that potted plant in your study smell like Chinese medicine! What kind of water are you watering it with?”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingxi remained unfazed: “This is a new variety I had someone transport from Yunnan. It needs to be watered with medicinal water to survive.”

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but roll her eyes and reached out to pinch Xiao Jingxi’s face. The two of them pinched each other’s faces, both becoming distorted, looking quite childish: “My father has grown many flowers and plants too. Don’t think I don’t know what that plant is! You’re just making things up…”

Before Ren Yaoqi could finish, Xiao Jingxi leaned over and quickly sealed her lips with his.