Her words warmed Zheng Shi’s heart. Just as she was about to speak, a servant entered and said, “Madam, Lady Ji has arrived.”

Hearing this, Zheng Shi’s face, which had just begun to improve, immediately darkened again. Liuye said with displeasure, “She previously suspected madam in every way, and now that she knows the eldest young master wasn’t harmed by madam, she’s changed her tune again. Coming shamelessly to see madam time after time – she has no shame.” Speaking thus, she said, “Madam, this servant will go send her away immediately.”

As Liuye prepared to leave, Zheng Shi said coldly, “Let her in. I want to see what she has to say.”

“Yes.” Liuye responded and left. After a while, she returned with Jirong, who nodded to Yunyi and the other, then walked to Zheng Shi’s bedside and performed a courtesy, saying, “I know elder sister has been suffering from wind-cold that hasn’t improved, so I specially brought two wild ginseng roots for elder sister, hoping they can help elder sister recover soon.” With her words, the maid behind her opened the brocade box in her hands, revealing two ginseng roots arranged side by side, with complete roots and whiskers – they appeared to be over a hundred years old.

Zheng Shi didn’t even look, saying coldly, “It’s just a minor ailment. I cannot accept such a generous gift from younger sister. Please take it back.”

Jirong’s expression became somewhat awkward. After quite a while, she asked softly, “Is elder sister still angry with me?”

“I wouldn’t dare!” Faced with Zheng Shi’s icy words, Jirong said dejectedly, “Elder sister is indeed blaming me. Actually, that day I truly didn’t intentionally suspect elder sister. It’s just that Chengzong suddenly became a… disabled person. My mind was in complete chaos; I was nearly mad and couldn’t calm down to think. I believed whatever people said. Looking back afterward, I felt this matter was full of suspicious points. After Chengzong was born, he was weak and sickly, and elder sister sought medical treatment for him many times, exhausting your efforts. When he was ill, it was also thanks to elder sister’s help in caring for him. If elder sister truly wanted to harm him, you could have acted long ago – there was no need to wait until now. Not to mention that Ayue deliberately told Qiuzhu she was elder sister’s person, clearly intending to frame you. I’m not the only one who thought this way – my husband did too. After elder sister was confined, my husband kept having people investigate. Before long, Nanny Tong committed suicide from guilt.” Speaking thus, she suddenly knelt down and said earnestly, “I have never forgotten elder sister’s kindness to Chengzong and me. Please forgive my momentary confusion. I promise elder sister that no matter who tries to sow discord in the future, I will never harbor the slightest suspicion toward elder sister again.”

Zheng Shi faced the wall without speaking. Zhangsun Shi said, “Nobody is perfect – who can be without fault? Since Lady Ji has recognized her mistake, elder sister-in-law, please forgive her this once.”

Under her persuasion, Zheng Shi turned her head to look at Jirong kneeling before her and asked, “Are these your true words?”

“Before elder sister, I dare not deceive in the slightest.” After Jirong finished this sentence, Zheng Shi let out a long breath and nodded, “Chengzong is the root of your life. When something suddenly happened to him, no wonder you would even suspect me. Since everything has been explained clearly now, let’s consider this matter past. Let’s neither of us mention it again.”

Jirong said joyfully, “Does this mean elder sister has forgiven me?”

Zheng Shi said warmly, “You and I are always sisters. How could I stay angry with you for a lifetime? Get up.”

Jirong said chokingly, “Thank you, elder sister.”

Seeing the two reconcile, Zhangsun Shi smiled, “Good, good. Finally the clouds have cleared and the sun shines. With this knot in your heart gone, I’m sure elder sister-in-law’s illness will soon be cured.”

Jirong was both happy and somewhat guilty, “Making elder sister suffer such grievance is truly inexcusable. I…”

Zheng Shi interrupted, “I just said not to mention it. Have you forgotten so quickly?”

“Elder sister is right.” Jirong smiled as she took the brocade box from her maid. “These two ginseng roots are a small token of my heart. Please, elder sister, you must accept them.”

“Since that’s the case, I’ll accept them.” After signaling Liuye to take the brocade box, a servant brought in a basin of water – though calling it water wasn’t quite right, as it emitted a strong medicinal smell and was light brown in color. Jirong asked puzzledly, “What is this?”

The servant replied, “In response to Lady Ji, because madam is six months pregnant and shouldn’t take too much medicine, the physician prescribed a formula for external washing. Every six hours, we wash madam’s body with this, saying it can help with recovery.”

“I see.” Speaking thus, Jirong said, “Then I won’t disturb elder sister anymore. I’ll come visit elder sister again tomorrow.”

After her, Yunyi and Zhangsun Shi also took their leave. Before departing, Zhangsun Shi handed the pot containing rock sugar snow pears to the maid Liuye, asking her to feed it to Zheng Shi later, as it had the effect of dissolving phlegm and stopping coughs.

When Liuye, who had escorted them out, returned, Zheng Shi asked, “Have they all left?”

“Replying to miss, this servant watched them leave through the courtyard gate.” Before her words finished, Zheng Shi had already waved her hand to overturn the copper basin on the small stand by the bedside. The medicinal water that had taken over half an hour to prepare spilled entirely on the floor, even wetting the shoes placed on the bed platform.

Zheng Shi said coldly, “That bitch Jirong still has the face to say those things before me. Her face is truly thicker than the walls of Chang’an city.”

“Miss, please calm your anger. It’s not worth harming your body over such a person.” Faced with Liuye’s consolation, Zheng Shi gritted her teeth, “She’s certainly not worth it, but just thinking of her face makes my anger flare. I should never have let that slut go to Hedong with my husband back then!”

“What’s done is done. Your anger won’t help now, miss. Fortunately, this time there was no real danger, and she didn’t succeed.” Hearing Liuye’s words, Zheng Shi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning anger in her chest, and asked, “Are you certain that matter won’t cause any problems?”

Liuye lowered her head, “Miss, rest assured. Nanny Tong is dead, and her family doesn’t know what really happened. They still think the child genuinely got lost while playing.”

“Excellent!” Zheng Shi breathed a long sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you thought of such a method, otherwise I might still be under house arrest now, or even… my very life might be in danger.”

Just as Jirong had suspected, Nanny Tong was merely a scapegoat. After Zheng Shi was confined that day, in order to extricate herself, Liuye devised a plan to find a scapegoat to bear the blame for poisoning Li Chengzong. After much consideration, they chose Nanny Tong. Firstly, Nanny Tong had been punished by Jirong before; secondly, Liuye had once overheard Nanny Tong mention that her family had been single-generation for several generations, and her son and daughter-in-law had been married for years but only had one son, just four years old, who was the treasure of the entire family and had also come to settle in Chang’an. By threatening her grandson’s life, they didn’t fear Nanny Tong wouldn’t agree.

Li Jiancheng had only confined Zheng Shi; Liuye could still freely enter and leave the mansion. So after thinking of this plan, she immediately sought help from the Zheng family. Although the Zheng family’s foundation was in Xingyang, Zheng Shi’s cousin Zheng An held office in Chang’an. Kidnapping a mere child was nothing to him.