Thunder rumbled overhead as dense clouds gathered in the sky, and a chilling autumn rain began to fall. The raindrops scattered the fallen petals across the ground and drifted slantwise through the window, adding a touch of coolness to the room already heavy with medicinal scents.
Nanny Li reached over to close the window, then turned to glance at Yuanxi, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion while lying across the edge of the bed. With a heartfelt sigh, she walked over and draped a garment over her shoulders, whispering softly, “Madam, you should return to your room to rest.”
Yuanxi startled awake, rubbing her somewhat drowsy eyes, and asked, “What time is it now?”
Nanny Li glanced at the water clock and replied, “It’s nearly the hour of You.”
Yuanxi looked again at Xiao Du lying on the bed. Seeing that his eyes remained tightly closed with no sign of awakening, she disappointedly withdrew her gaze and asked softly, “Has Xiao Chun returned?”
Nanny Li shook her head. “I’ve been keeping watch in the outer room, but there’s been no word from him yet.”
As they were speaking, the door was pushed open and An’he led in Xiao Chun, who was soaked through from the rain. Yuanxi quickly stood up, having Nanny Li hand him a towel to dry his face, then anxiously asked, “How did you get so drenched? Did you find it?”
Xiao Chun dried the rainwater from his face and lowered his head somewhat guiltily, stammering, “I left in such a hurry that I didn’t think to wear a rain cloak. But I searched everywhere along the route and asked many people, yet still couldn’t find it.”
Yuanxi furrowed her brow as the unease in her heart expanded further. The others didn’t know why she was so insistent on finding that particular item, only feeling that since the madam cared so deeply about it, it must be extremely important. Seeing her grave expression now, they didn’t dare even breathe loudly, and for a moment, only the sound of raindrops pattering against the window frame could be heard in the room.
Yuanxi came back to her senses and, seeing the puddle of rainwater that had accumulated at Xiao Chun’s feet, instructed Nanny Li to keep watch by the bedside, then went to the outer room together with An’he, leading Xiao Chun.
Yuanxi sat down in a chair and had Xiao Chun go change his clothes first before returning to ask, “Think carefully—when was the last time you saw the Marquis wearing that sachet? Was he wearing it when the incident occurred?”
Xiao Chun scratched his head and tried hard to recall, but in the end only showed a vexed expression. “I only know that the Marquis has always treasured the sachet that Madam made with her own hands, wearing it every day. But when he suddenly collapsed today, I was scared out of my wits. At the time, I was only concerned with whether the Marquis was injured and frantically looking for help—I had no mind to notice what he had on him.”
Yuanxi pondered for a while, then asked, “After the Marquis fell unconscious, who came near him?”
Xiao Chun thought for a moment, then said with a bitter expression, “When I carried him back to his room, I called several maids and servants to help. Later, the Princess and Concubine Cai all came, and then the Master brought Imperial Physician Zuo. In any case, the room was in chaos at the time. I was both panicked and frightened, so I really can’t remember clearly.”
Yuanxi’s fingertips rubbed against her skirt hem as countless questions surged in her heart: Since that sachet had always been tied at his waist, how could it have disappeared for no reason? If it had been lost earlier, he would certainly have been anxious to find it, and Xiao Chun couldn’t possibly have been completely unaware. Reasoning this way, the sachet had very likely been taken by someone during the confusion after he fell unconscious. But what purpose could that person have had for taking only this sachet? Could there have been something wrong with it? But she had made that sachet with her own hands, personally sewing in every medicinal ingredient—how could there be anything wrong with it?
The more she thought, the more confused she became. She closed her eyes and gently rubbed her temples with her right hand, trying to relax herself. Suddenly remembering something, she opened her eyes abruptly and asked, “Where is Imperial Physician Zuo? Why haven’t we seen him for so long?”
An’he and Xiao Chun looked at each other, then quickly called for Nanny Li. After thinking for a moment, Nanny Li replied, “Earlier, the Princess sent someone to summon Imperial Physician Zuo, saying she had some matters she wanted to clarify further. He hasn’t returned yet.”
Yuanxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt increasingly restless. Seeing her grave expression, Nanny Li asked with some concern, “Madam, what has happened?”
Yuanxi shook her head. After all, everything was still just her speculation, and there was no point in making them worry more. She left the outer room and walked once again to Xiao Du’s bedside, reaching out to smooth his furrowed brow, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear: “No matter what happens, I will endure it and will surely keep watch until you awaken.”
Just then, lightning flashed across the sky outside the window, causing everyone in the room to feel inexplicably startled. Come evening, news indeed arrived—the Princess had sent her personal maid to invite Madam to the flower hall for discussion. Yuanxi seemed unsurprised. She tidied her appearance, stood up, and had An’he accompany her, while instructing Xiao Chun and Nanny Li to remain on guard. Then, with a solemn expression, she gave Xiao Chun detailed instructions: “There should be people arranged by the Master standing guard outside. You must keep watch in the inner room and remember not to leave for even a moment. Except for the Master and the Princess, you absolutely must not easily allow anyone to approach the Marquis, not even people from the household. If anything happens, have Nanny Li come find me. Did you understand?”
Xiao Chun quickly nodded in agreement, suddenly feeling that this madam, who in his impression had always been shy and gentle, had gained more composed authority since the Marquis’s incident.
Yuanxi and An’he walked to the flower hall under umbrellas, seeing that all the Princess’s maids and servants had been sent to stand under the covered walkway. She handed her umbrella to An’he to put away, patted the water droplets on her skirt hem, took a deep breath, and walked inside.
The atmosphere in the flower hall was tense. As soon as Yuanxi looked up, she saw the Princess sitting in the place of honor with a dark expression, beside her were Concubine Cai, Nanny Yu, and Imperial Physician Zuo looking confused. She curtsied to the Princess, and seeing the strange atmosphere around them with no one speaking for a long while, she spoke up: “Mother-in-law urgently summoned me here—has something happened?”
The Princess had Nanny Yu bring a tray before her and said coldly, “Do you recognize what this is?”
Yuanxi looked up to see the sachet she had made with her own hands, now torn into pieces and laid out on the tray. Her heart contracted sharply, but she remained composed: “This is the sachet I made for my husband on Dragon Boat Festival, containing skullcap, spikenard, galangal, and nardostachys—several medicinal ingredients that have brain-clearing and calming effects.”
The Princess gave a cold laugh. “Only these ingredients?”
Yuanxi looked up and met her gaze firmly. “Only these ingredients, all sewn by my own hands. There could absolutely be nothing else.”
The Princess’s expression grew darker as she said to Zuo Qiao beside her, “Imperial Physician Zuo, you tell her what this sachet actually contains.”
Imperial Physician Zuo hesitated somewhat, but as a physician, he absolutely could not speak against his conscience, so he had to reply, “According to this old physician’s examination, besides these ingredients, there was also a poisonous herb called euphorbia. This poisonous herb has no color or scent, and its toxicity only slowly penetrates when in contact with skin. Short-term contact wouldn’t cause problems, but prolonged, repeated contact would result in poisoning.” He paused, looking at Yuanxi with complex eyes, and continued, “The symptoms of this poisoning are very similar to the Marquis’s current condition.”
The Princess slammed the table, her hand trembling slightly, her gaze fixed venomously on Yuanxi. “How vicious you are, to place such a thing near Du’er, causing him to become like this! Du’er has always been tender toward you—why would you treat him this way!”
Yuanxi’s body trembled, but she still looked directly into the Princess’s eyes. “May I ask Mother-in-law, who gave you this sachet?”
The Princess hadn’t expected her to remain so calm in the face of questioning, and couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned before saying, “Regardless of who brought it to me, you admit this was made by your own hands. What, are you trying to frame someone else?”
Yuanxi’s expression remained unchanged, but she turned her gaze to Concubine Cai, her tone gentle yet firm: “Though your daughter-in-law isn’t skilled at needlework, I do know that for someone accustomed to sewing, it wouldn’t be difficult to open a sachet and sew in some other ingredients. Please, Mother-in-law, don’t let your worry for my husband’s safety cause you to be manipulated by those with ulterior motives.”
“How dare you!” The Princess trembled with rage, pointing at her. “You’re saying I’m deliberately wronging you!”
Yuanxi slowly knelt down, but her tone remained firm: “Yuanxi would never dare offend Mother-in-law. It’s just that this accusation is completely groundless. Since this sachet wasn’t opened in my presence, I absolutely will not acknowledge it!” She paused, and her previously calm eyes finally became veiled with moisture as she continued, “My husband and I truly love each other, and I only wish to spend our entire lives together. Therefore, even if it cost me my own life, I would never harm him in the slightest. Please, Mother-in-law, you must believe me.”
Her words were spoken with neither servility nor arrogance, reasonable and heartfelt. The Princess also seemed somewhat swayed, while Concubine Cai standing beside her looked increasingly uncomfortable. At this moment, Imperial Physician Zuo turned and bowed to the Princess: “In this old physician’s view, though the symptoms of poisoning are similar, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was definitely caused by this medicinal ingredient. This matter concerns Madam’s reputation, so I dare not draw conclusions too hastily. Please grant me a few more days, Princess, to consult more medical texts and observe the Marquis’s symptoms more carefully before I dare make a determination.”
The Princess nodded, thinking of her son still lying unconscious on the bed, her eyes also filled with tears as she said to Zuo Qiao, “I can only trouble Imperial Physician Zuo then.” She looked again at Yuanxi kneeling on the ground and sighed, “If there weren’t this evidence, I wouldn’t want to suspect you either. It’s just that you are Chancellor Xia’s daughter after all, and you happen to be well-versed in medical texts. Du’er is usually quite cautious—if it weren’t someone close to him, it would be very difficult to explain how he could have been poisoned.”
Yuanxi kept her head lowered without speaking, but felt puzzled in her heart about why this would be connected to her father. Then the Princess continued, “Until this matter is clarified, you should stay in your own room first. Once you’re cleared of suspicion, you can return to care for Du’er.”
Yuanxi suddenly looked up and blurted out, “No! I promised to stay with him and will never leave his side!”
The Princess’s gaze gradually turned cold. “Are you suggesting that without you, I can’t care for my own son! This matter is not for you to decide. Until things are clear, I absolutely will not let you near Du’er again!”
Yuanxi felt both wronged and unwilling, tears finally flowing uncontrollably. But seeing that the Princess’s mind was made up, she understood that resistance would be useless. She could only slowly straighten up and silently pray in her heart: “Rest assured, I will surely find a way to prove my innocence. You must wait for me!”