The thunder roared, layers of clouds filled the sky, and a gentle autumn rain began to fall. The raindrops splattered the ground, carrying with them the scent of crushed flowers, and drifted slantingly into the window, adding a slight chill to the room filled with the smell of medicine.
Nanny Li reached out to close the window, then turned to glance at Yuanxi, who was exhausted and sleeping on the edge of the bed. With a sigh of pity, she walked over to drape a cloak over her, saying softly, “Madam, why don’t you go back to your room and rest?”
Yuanxi abruptly woke up, rubbing her slightly drowsy eyes, and asked, “What time is it now?”
Nanny Li glanced at the hourglass and replied, “It’s almost dusk.”
Yuanxi looked again at Xiao Du lying on the bed, still with closed eyes and no sign of waking up, then sighed disappointedly and turned her gaze back, asking softly, “Has Xiaochun returned?”
Nanny Li shook her head and said, “I’ve been waiting in the outer room and haven’t heard any news from him.”
Just as they were talking, the door was pushed open, and Anhe led a drenched Xiaochun into the room. Yuanxi quickly stood up, letting Nanny Li hand him a towel to wipe his face, and asked anxiously, “Why are you so wet? Did you find it?”
Xiaochun wiped the rainwater off his face, looking somewhat guilty as he lowered his head and said, “I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to put on my raincoat. But I’ve searched everywhere along the way and asked many people, but still couldn’t find it.”
Yuanxi furrowed her brow, feeling even more uneasy. The others didn’t know why she was so insistent on finding that thing, but since Madam cared so much, it must be of utmost importance. Seeing her serious expression at this moment, everyone dared not breathe heavily. For a while, the only sound in the room was the “patter” of raindrops hitting the window sill.
When Yuanxi came back to her senses and saw the puddle of water accumulating at Xiaochun’s feet, she instructed Nanny Li to stay by the bedside and went to the outer room with Anhe and Xiaochun.
Sitting in a chair, Yuanxi asked Xiaochun to change into dry clothes first before questioning him, “Think carefully, when was the last time you saw His Highness wearing that sachet? Was he wearing it when he had the accident?”
Xiaochun scratched his head, trying to recall, but in the end, he only showed a frustrated expression and said, “I only know that His Highness always treasures the sachet made by Madam and wears it every day. But today, he suddenly fainted, and I was so scared that I almost lost half of my life. At that time, I was only focused on whether His Highness was in trouble and hurried to find someone for help. I didn’t pay attention to what was on his body at all.”
Yuanxi pondered for a moment and then asked, “After His Highness fainted, who approached him?”
Xiaochun thought for a moment, his face full of bitterness, “When I carried him back to the room, I called a few maids and servants to help. Later, the princess and Aunt Cai came, and then His Lordship brought Doctor Zuo. Anyway, the room was in chaos at that time, and I was so flustered and afraid that I couldn’t remember clearly.”
Yuanxi rubbed her fingertips on her skirt, feeling countless doubts surging in her heart. Since the sachet had always been tied around his waist, how could it disappear without a trace? If it had been lost earlier, he would have been anxious to find it, and Xiaochun couldn’t possibly be completely unaware. In this way, it was very likely that the sachet was taken away by someone during the confusion after he fainted. But why would someone take only that sachet? Could it be that the sachet itself was the problem? But she had personally made it, and every medicinal material was sewn in by her hands. How could there be a problem?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. She closed her eyes, gently massaging her temples with her right hand, trying to relax herself. At this moment, she suddenly remembered something and opened her eyes abruptly, asking, “Where is Doctor Zuo? Why hasn’t he returned for so long?”
Anhe and Xiaochun looked at each other, then hurriedly went to call Nanny Li. Nanny Li thought for a moment before replying, “The princess sent someone to summon Doctor Zuo just now, saying that she wanted to ask him something. He hasn’t come back yet.”
Yuanxi felt a sudden pang in her heart, feeling even more restless. Nanny Li noticed her serious expression and couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Madam, what’s wrong?”
Yuanxi shook her head. After all, everything was just her speculation for now, and there was no need to worry them anymore. She left the outer room and walked back to Xiao Du’s bedside, reaching out to smooth out the furrow between his brows, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, “Whatever happens, I will get through it. I will wait for you to wake up.”
At this moment, a flash of lightning pierced the sky outside the window, causing everyone in the room to inexplicably palpitate. In the evening, as expected, news came. The princess sent her maid to invite Madam to the flower hall for a discussion. Yuanxi seemed not surprised, adjusted her appearance, stood up to accompany Anhe there, and instructed Xiaochun and Nanny Li to stay there. Then, with a solemn expression, she instructed Xiaochun, “There should be people arranged by His Lordship outside. You should stay in this inner room and remember not to leave a step. Except for His Lordship and the princess, no one else should approach His Highness easily, not even people from the mansion. If anything happens, let Nanny Li come to find me. Did you remember?” Xiaochun nodded quickly, feeling suddenly that the Madam, who had always been shy and gentle in his impression, became even more calm and composed after His Highness had an accident.
Anhe and Yuanxi walked to the outside of the flower hall with an umbrella and saw the maids and servants around the princess standing under the gallery. She handed the umbrella to Anhe to take care of, patted the water droplets splashed on her skirt, took a deep breath, and walked in.
Inside the flower hall, the atmosphere was solemn. When Yuanxi raised her head, she saw the princess sitting at the head with a gloomy face, beside her were Aunt Cai, Nanny Yu, and Doctor Zuo, all looking puzzled. She bowed to the princess and, seeing the strange atmosphere around her, asked, “Why did you urgently summon me? What happened?”
The princess instructed Nanny Yu to bring a tray in front of Yuanxi and said coldly, “Do you know what this is?”
Yuanxi looked up and saw the sachet she had made herself, now torn into pieces and placed on the tray, her heart suddenly sank, but she remained calm and said, “This is the sachet I made for His Highness on the Dragon Boat Festival. Inside, I used ingredients such as calamus, iris, mountain nard, and Chinese sweetflag, which have the effects of refreshing the mind and calming the nerves.”
The princess sneered, “Just these few ingredients?”
Yuanxi lifted her head firmly to meet her gaze and said, “Yes, just these few ingredients, all sewn by my own hands, absolutely nothing else.”
The princess’s expression grew even darker as she turned to Doctor Zuo beside her and said, “Doctor Zuo, tell us, what else is in this sachet?”
Doctor Zuo hesitated for a moment, but as a physician, he couldn’t speak against his conscience. So he replied, “According to my examination, apart from these ingredients, there is also a herb called croton inside. This kind of herb is colorless and tasteless. Its toxicity only seeps in slowly upon contact with the skin. Short-term contact won’t cause any harm, but repeated contact over a long period will lead to poisoning.” He paused, his gaze complex as he glanced at Yuanxi, then continued, “And the symptoms of poisoning are very similar to His Highness’s current condition.”
The princess slammed the table, her hands trembling, her gaze fiercely fixed on Yuanxi, “You are so wicked! You placed such a thing next to Du’er, causing him to end up like this. Du’er has always cherished you, why would you do this to him!”
Yuanxi’s body trembled slightly, but she still raised her head to meet the princess’s gaze, saying calmly, “May I ask, who gave this sachet to you?”
The princess was surprised by her calmness in the face of interrogation, and couldn’t help but hesitate, then said, “Regardless of who sent it to me, you admit that you made it yourself. Do you still want to blame others?”
Yuanxi’s face remained unchanged, but she shifted her gaze to Aunt Cai, speaking softly yet firmly, “Although I am not skilled in needlework, I know that it’s not difficult for someone accustomed to sewing to open a sachet and add something else inside. Please, don’t let yourself be manipulated by someone with malicious intentions just because you’re worried about His Highness’s safety.”
“Bold!” The princess was so angry that her body trembled, pointing at Yuanxi, “Are you saying that I’m deliberately framing you!”
Yuanxi slowly knelt, her tone still firm, “Yuanxi dares not offend Your Highness. It’s just that this accusation is groundless. Since I didn’t see this sachet being opened, I would never recognize it!”
She paused for a moment, and finally, a layer of mist appeared in her always calm eyes as she continued, “I truly love His Highness, and I only hope to be with him for the rest of my life. Even if it meant risking my own life, I would never harm him in the slightest. Please, Your Highness, you must believe me.”
Her words were spoken with dignity and reason, causing even the princess to waver. But Aunt Cai, standing beside her, looked increasingly unsightly. At this moment, Doctor Zuo turned to the princess and said, “In my opinion, although the symptoms of poisoning are similar, it does not necessarily mean that it was caused by this herb. This matter concerns Madam’s reputation, and I dare not conclude too hastily. I ask Your Highness to give me a few more days to study my medical skills and observe His Highness’s condition before making a judgment.”
The princess nodded, thinking of her son still lying unconscious in bed, her eyes also filled with tears, she said to Doctor Zuo, “I’ll have to trouble you, Doctor Zuo.” Then she looked at Yuanxi, sighed, and said, “If it weren’t for this evidence, I wouldn’t want to suspect you. But you are after all the daughter of Xia Xiang, and you happen to be well-versed in medicine. Du’er has always been cautious. If it wasn’t someone close to him who did this, it’s hard to explain why he would be poisoned.”
Yuanxi lowered her head in silence, feeling somewhat puzzled as to why her father was brought into this. At this point, the princess continued, “Until this matter is clarified, you should go back to your room first. When you have cleared yourself of suspicion, then you can go back to take care of Du’er.”
Yuanxi suddenly raised her head and blurted out, “No, I promised to stay with him, and I won’t leave him for a moment!”
The princess’s gaze gradually turned cold, “Do you think that without you, I can’t take care of my son? You don’t have the right to decide on this matter. Until things are clear, I won’t allow you to get close to Du’er again!”
Yuanxi felt both wronged and unwilling in her heart, and tears finally uncontrollably poured out. But seeing that the princess had made up her mind, she understood that resistance was futile. She slowly straightened her body, silently repeating in her heart, “Rest assured, I will find a way to prove my innocence. You must wait for me!”