If you were cold and aloof in your past life, why are you crying in this one?

The pills Zhou Shuhuai gave were only to temporarily suppress the effects of the medicine.

Not long after Lady Lu arrived, Xi Lingxian felt the heat within her body reignite.

Lady Lu borrowed a side room in the Prince's mansion to perform acupuncture to counteract the effects of the medicine.

All the maids in the Prince's mansion were summoned to the courtyard, and Shen Qingdai identified them one by one.

No, none of these people are among them.

The steward of the Prince's mansion said, "Miss Shen, all the maids in the mansion are here."

"Impossible, there must have been some who slipped through the net."

Xi Rui: "Which of your familiar maids are not here? Name them and I will reward you with ten taels of silver."

Upon hearing this, everyone eagerly began to identify and search for their target within the crowd.

"Is Chun'er not here?"

"...It really is! Where did that girl go?"

"I noticed something was off about her last night. Could she have really been bribed to do something shady?"

Xiao Jing: "Go search again, and make sure you find this traitorous lackey."

厢房

Ling Xian removed her clothes, and Lady Lu inserted needles into the key acupoints.

Before she could finish a cup of tea, Ling Xian suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, the bloodstains of which were faintly black.

Tao Zhi brought warm tea for her master to rinse his mouth.

Ji Ruchuan was cursing under the eaves, "You ignorant fool, you really think you're something special, using such filthy and despicable methods, it's disgusting."

The maid named Chun'er had already been brought in, and she and the Zhang family girl were kneeling together in the hall.

Madam Zhang was unaware that her daughter had gotten involved in these things, and was still arguing and shouting that the powerful families were abusing their power.

Suddenly, a figure in a white robe with a refined and elegant appearance slowly approached, his brows furrowed in a stern expression.

"Brother You'an, why waste your breath on them? Let the Court of Justice handle the case."

"Under the torture methods of the imperial prison, there's no fear of not getting the truth out of them."

Madam Zhang gritted her teeth and shielded her daughter behind her, saying, "I am a noblewoman of the court; how dare you resort to private torture?"

"Even a prince is subject to the same laws as a commoner. Instead of mocking the powerful families for abusing their power, Madam Zhang, you should advise your daughter to tell the truth as soon as possible so that she can suffer less physical pain."

The girl still refused to admit it, saying, "Mother, I didn't do it! How could I possibly have such methods?"

Wang Jue and Xi Rui exchanged a glance.

Xi Rui was stunned and subconsciously took half a step back.

Wang Jue took the initiative, coldly scrutinizing the Zhang girl. His eyes were like years-old ice, and what was inside them grew increasingly heavy, as if they could pierce through flesh.

Cold sweat trickled down Zhang's spine, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

"take away."

Two royal guards immediately stepped forward to take him away.

The girl, terrified, buried her face in her mother's arms, crying, "I...I'll tell you!"

"Yes, it's Lady Lu, who serves Her Majesty the Empress..."

Madam Zhang was so angry that she poked his forehead. "You, you are so stupid! Two strings of pearls have blinded you to your true nature."

Zhou Shuhuai suddenly spoke up, "So, it seems the second young lady of the Xi family is also one of the culprits?"

Xi Hui's brow twitched. "Where did you come from, some nobody? Don't spout nonsense!"

"Zhou Shuhuai, it's good that you rescued the eldest young lady, but without concrete evidence, you can't falsely accuse the second young lady because of that, can you?" Zheng Lun mocked.

"It was my duty to save the eldest young lady, and I have my reasons for mentioning the second young lady as well."

"What do you mean by 'well-founded and justified'? Where's the evidence? What's the basis for it?"

"It's with me!"

A clear, cool voice fell like crushed jade beads onto a porcelain plate.

With a soft tinkling of jade pendants, the person supported by a maid slowly appeared, her face slightly pale, but her beauty and charm remained undiminished.

"If Xi Yao hadn't publicly toasted me today, forcing me to reconcile with her, there wouldn't have been the subsequent incident of drinking tea and taking Chinese medicine; she is definitely not innocent."

Xi Hui stared at Xi Lingxian in disbelief, his face contorted with grief, and said, "Elder sister, Yao'er and I have always treated you with utmost respect. Today, she sincerely wanted to reconcile with you, which is why she publicly apologized to you. If you don't want to accept it, then so be it. Why frame her like this?"

Xi Rui frowned. "Xi Hui, your ability to spout nonsense and shift blame is just as good as Xi Yao's. Is this how you speak to your elder sister when I'm not at the manor?"

Xi Hui looked away. "I'm just stating the facts. If you disagree, brother, you're welcome to find the evidence."

"That's none of your concern."

"Guards, take the Third Young Master and the Second Young Lady back to the manor and confine them to their quarters. Until the truth comes out, not even a fly is allowed to leave their courtyard!"

Madam Yu stood protectively in front of her two children, her eyebrows raised in anger. "Let's see who dares! Xi Rui, no matter how capable you are, I am still your stepmother and elder. Disrespecting one's elders is a serious offense. Do you dare to touch me?"

Xi Rui's guards bypassed Yu Shi and escorted Xi Hui and Xi Yao away by their arms.

"Don't worry, even if my father doesn't divorce you for a day, I won't do anything to you."

Madam Yu's face turned ashen. "You're arrogant!"

Xi Rui's smile didn't reach her eyes. "So, your son isn't arrogant because he doesn't want to be?"

Yu choked.

Empress Yu and the Crown Prince have been summoned back by palace servants. Yu sent someone to call her elder brother Yu Liang to come and support her, but the messenger has been gone for a long time and has yet to appear.

She felt uneasy.

Such a drastic change occurred in just half a day, and the Prince's Mansion lost its will to continue the banquet, so the ladies of the court and their families dispersed one by one.

The Princess of Huainan cursed the real culprit behind her back a thousand times in her heart.

……

Xi Lingxian was escorted home by her brother and her friends Shen Qingdai and Ji Ruchuan.

She enjoyed hot baths, medicinal meals to nourish her body, and two witty maids who would tell jokes to cheer her up.

Tao Zhi was still shaken. "Young lady, today was truly terrifying. Fortunately, Young Master Zhou appeared in time."

Xi Lingxian took a sip of ginseng soup, remaining noncommittal, "When Father returns, I will discuss the matter of expressing my gratitude with him."

"You were frightened today too, go back and rest. Leave the servants to Caiping."

Cai Ping nodded, and Tao Zhi, without trying to be stubborn, went down as instructed.

After drinking the ginseng soup, Xi Lingxian took a long nap.

After waking up, I still felt a little uncomfortable, but I took a pill given to me by Lady Lu, which relieved the discomfort.

Madam Lu said that the aphrodisiac she had been given was very potent, and to be on the safe side, it would be best to take the Heart-Clearing Pill for two more days.

They also praised her for her strong will, saying that she could remain conscious even under such strong medication.

Xi Lingxian herself couldn't explain it.

Perhaps because her life was hard-won, she didn't want to ruin it so easily.

She couldn't find anything about the Crown Prince that appealed to her;

She'd rather die than give herself to a man like that.

Xi Jian and Xi Rui did not return for a long time.

Xi Lingxian was filled with unease. She knew her father's temperament and was certain that he would argue for the Crown Prince's punishment.

It's not difficult for powerful families to control the royal family, but it also depends on whether the families are united.

"Young lady, the master and young master have returned."

Xi Lingxian grabbed her cloak and ran out impatiently.

"Father."

When Xi Jian saw his daughter in the distance, he quickened his pace.

"Banfan."

Xi Rui glanced at her clothes. "Why aren't you dressed properly? What if you catch a cold?"

Xi Lingxian had no time for that; she asked, "How did things go?"

Xi Jian gazed at his daughter, remaining silent for a moment.

Xi Lingxian's heart jumped into her throat.

Could it be that other prominent families were unwilling to punish him severely, forcing Father to compromise?

"Fanfan, it seems that the Second Young Master Wang's feelings for you are not simple."

Xi Lingxian was stunned.

Why did this suddenly involve Wang Jue?

Xi Rui explained, "My father and I originally intended to severely punish the Empress and the Crown Prince, and His Majesty had already compromised and agreed..."

Xi Lingxian frowned, vaguely anticipating that what her elder brother was about to say was not simple.

"It had all been agreed upon, but Wang Jue suddenly submitted a memorial, stating bluntly that the Crown Prince was morally deficient and of questionable character, unfit to be the heir apparent, and should be deposed and replaced."

"..."

Xi Lingxian opened her mouth, "Huh?"