So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

It was already dark, and there were guards at the entrance to the dungeon. Ning Yu looked at the patrolling guards and felt no impulse.

"Princess Consort, let's go back first. It's the middle of the night, no one will be torturing the maids."

Ning Yu knew very well that the Xie family was a den of dragons and tigers, and she was weak and powerless with no backing. Only the old lady, who usually ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddhist prayers, would care about her appearance.

"The dungeon is gloomy; if she gets slapped, the wounds will leave scars."

This was the first time Qin Mama had seen her mistress care so much about a servant, and she couldn't help but feel relieved. "Then this old servant will go and make arrangements."

"I'm afraid the Third Madam has already given her instructions. Just take some more money and a pot of wine, and have them deliver the medicine in. Don't say anything else. Go and see if it will work."

As Ning Yu spoke, she hurried back to the Mo Courtyard. Once inside, she took out everything she needed and handed it to Qin Mama.

"Make sure the medicine is delivered. If that doesn't work, pay extra, give us more."

"Princess Consort, rest assured, this old servant has been in the manor for so many years, I know what to say and what not to say."

"Thank you for your help, Aunt Qin."

After Qin Mama left, Ning Yu carefully recalled the people Qin Mama had mentioned, went to the courtyard where the servants lived, and found the maid named Jinse.

The girl was asleep when Ning Yu drugged the others, took her out, and brought her to a secluded place.

Not many people come here; there's a desolate well in the courtyard.

"What are you doing?"

As soon as Jinse opened her eyes, she saw the woman standing in front of her. When she recognized her, she was startled.

Ning Yu lowered her eyes to look at her, "You're awake."

"How did you get me here? Are you crazy? I'm going back to tell Third Madam that you dared to break into the Jade Pavilion at night."

"Don't be afraid, Miss Jinse, I just have two questions for you."

Jinse suddenly stood up and said angrily, "Forgive me, but I have no comment."

With a bang, the next second, Ning Yu grabbed the back of her neck. A sharp pain shot through her, and Jinse felt like she almost suffocated.

Before she could speak, something was fed into her mouth, and her eyes immediately showed fear as she looked at her with lingering apprehension.

Ning Yu repeated, "May I ask Miss Jinse two questions?"

Jinse nodded heavily.

Ning Yu released her.

"What—what did you feed me?"

"Chuan Chang San" (穿肠散).

"You---" Jinse trembled with fear.

Ning Yu kindly said, "As long as Miss Jinse helps me, I will naturally give you the antidote."

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you find the Third Madam's bracelet in Qinghe's purse?"

Jinse shrank her neck and hesitated for a long time before saying, "It has nothing to do with me. It was Fifth Miss who told me to do it."

It just so happened that the girl happened to be passing by. When she searched Qinghe, she deliberately put the bracelet in Qinghe's purse, so that the Third Madam would punish her.

"The Fifth Miss has a spoiled and arrogant temper, and this servant dares not disobey her."

"Go to the old lady first thing tomorrow morning and tell her that if she dares to lie, she can forget about living." Ning Yu said before turning and leaving.

Jinse watched the departing figure, her panicked eyes turning into hatred. After a moment of thought, she quickly got up and went to find Xie Ling.

Ning Yu didn't go back to the Mo Courtyard to sleep. Instead, she wrapped knee pads around her knees and hurried towards the old lady's courtyard.

The old lady was still asleep at this hour, and she didn't ask anyone to announce her arrival. She just stood in the old lady's courtyard.

Seeing her thin and frail appearance, the old woman on night watch kindly suggested, "Should I go and inform them?"

"Wang Mama, it's the middle of the night and the old lady has already retired for the night. We can't bother her with some irrelevant matters." Another nanny looked down at Ning Yu with an air of superiority. "Princess Consort, you should go back first. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Ning Yu glanced at the sky; it was already past midnight. She would only have to wait a few more hours.

She didn't move and continued to wait in the old lady's courtyard.

As dawn approached, the old lady heard from the maid in the room that the princess had been waiting outside all night and was now kneeling.

"What happened?"

"It seems that I heard yesterday that one of the princess's maids stole the third madam's bracelet and was locked up by the third madam."

The old lady was helped out of the inner room. "How could the maids of the Mo Courtyard steal things from the Jade Pavilion?"

"They say the Third Madam's bracelet was lost by the lake, and the maidservant who was passing by picked it up but didn't hand it in, so it was discovered during the search."

The old lady just smiled and didn't say anything.

"Is she still kneeling in the courtyard?"

A kind-hearted old woman said, "She's been kneeling all night. It really breaks my heart to see her like this. If the young master were here, such a beautiful woman as the young master's wife would surely be able to live in harmony with him, and the old lady would be able to hold a big, fat grandson soon."

Mentioning Xie Yan stirred up the old lady's deepest pain.

Everyone in the Xie family knows that the two eldest sons of the main branch were raised under the old lady's very nose, and she dotes on her two grandsons the most.

"Let her go back first. I'll ask her carefully when she arrives, and then I'll give her my answer."

"Yes."

Ning Yu was surprised to be sent back without even seeing the person. Looking at the quiet room, she hesitated for a moment and then went back.

When I got back, I saw Qin's mother standing at the door, saying that the medicine had been taken in and that the person was fine now.

Ning Yu couldn't sleep and barely ate anything. Not wanting to just sit and wait for death, she went to Rong An Tang again in the afternoon.

The Third Madam came early in the morning and spent the whole morning talking with the Old Madam, implying that Ning Yu was inconsiderate and made a scene in her courtyard in the middle of the night, just to avoid letting her go.

Several ladies, young ladies, and young masters were all in Rong'an Hall. Xie Ling came with the second lady and embellished the story at length.

"Alright, enough of this, it's giving me a headache. How long are you going to keep arguing about such a small thing?"

"Grandmother, my sister-in-law even dared to poison the maid in my third aunt's courtyard. Who knows when she'll poison me too? If we don't punish her, she'll become unruly."

When Ning Yu arrived, she saw Jinse being brought over, crying and shouting in the courtyard that she had been poisoned and begging the old lady to do something.

She entered the room and, upon hearing Xie Ling's words, said directly, "I have never seen that girl, let alone poisoned her."

"You still dare to say you didn't?" Xie Ling immediately stepped forward. "Yesterday you took her away and forced her to say that I asked her to frame your girl, and even poisoned her to help you get your dead girl out of trouble. She came to me herself and told me that."

"Is Fifth Miss joking? I was with the Old Madam all night. When did she see me?"

"At Hai hour (9-11 PM), bring the person there---"

Before she could finish speaking, Ning Yu interrupted, "I was with the old lady at Hai Shi (9-11 PM), and the servants on night watch can testify to that. However, why would Fifth Miss be in contact with the maids in Third Aunt's courtyard? She even went to see you at night."

Xie Ling paused, and seeing everyone looking at her, she stammered, unable to speak.

Seeing this, everyone immediately realized that there was something fishy about the bracelet.

"Since this girl says she's been poisoned, let the imperial physician examine her to find out."