Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Xiao looked at her aunt, the princess, and then at Ling Xi beside her, completely at a loss.

Ling Xi's neck was still burning and tingling. Although she knew perfectly well that any further explanation would be superfluous at this moment, she did not want to be bullied at will.

She suppressed the bitterness in her heart, her fingertips clenched slightly, and when she looked up again, she was filled with pride and looked steadily at Princess Rui.

"Mother, I respect you as my elder, and I understand your concern for Consort Mu's safety, so I won't hold it against you. But you can't just throw this filth at me without even a little investigation!"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the courtyard, and her voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"Today, I will make my words crystal clear in front of everyone in this courtyard! I, a princess of the Chu Kingdom, have been raised by the Chu royal family since childhood. How could I possibly commit such a despicable act as murdering a pregnant woman? Whether you believe me or not, I will never admit to this fabricated crime! And don't even think about locking me up in the dungeon of the Prince Rui's mansion a second time!"

Ling Xi stood ramrod straight, a thin layer of anger already forming in her eyes, yet she still stubbornly refused to show any weakness in front of everyone.

Xiao Ce stared at her intently from beginning to end, his gaze fixed on her neck, which was red and swollen, his fingers clenching tightly inside his sleeve.

Xiao Xiao, standing to the side, was so shocked that she released Ling Xi's arm, her face turning deathly pale.

She guessed that the people in Prince Rui's mansion would not like her, but she never expected that they would actually dare to confine the Princess of Chu to her courtyard and even lock her in the mansion's dungeon.

As she listened to each and every incident, her heart pounded, and she found it difficult to process the truth before her eyes.

"You...you..."

Princess Rui was so angry at Ling Xi's words that she trembled all over. Her well-maintained face turned red, and she trembled for a long time, but she could not say another word.

"Ce'er..."

"Mother...we'll talk about this later."

"Lu Ming! What are you standing there for? Take him out of here."

"yes!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming realized that the young master was angry and dared not delay. He immediately stepped forward and gestured for Ling Xi and Xiao Xiao to enter.

……

Two hours later, Ling Xi let go of her tough demeanor, leaned against the soft couch and closed her eyes to rest. Medicine had been applied to her neck, and she could only feel a slight coolness.

"Princess Rui went too far! What kind of behavior is this? Even if she is an elder, she can't just raise her hand and hit someone without asking any questions!"

Pei Lan grew angrier the more she thought about it, and kept complaining in a low voice. While feeling indignant, she carefully brought a cup of warm tea and handed it to Ling Xi.

Ling Xi took the teacup slowly, but the warmth hadn't yet seeped into her heart when she suddenly remembered what Xiao Xiao had just said.

"Sister-in-law, I believe you didn't do what happened today. But please don't blame Aunt Princess. Ever since Brother Mo passed away, she seems like a completely different person. She used to be so cheerful; she's nothing like this at all..."

Ling Xi lowered her eyes and looked at the tea leaves floating in the cup, then let out a long sigh.

If Xiao Ce hadn't held her back, Princess Rui's slap would have swollen her face. Such an indiscriminate conviction was truly heartbreaking, but Xiao Xiao's words inexplicably dissipated some of the raging anger in her heart.

But she was wronged and didn't know who to blame. The grievance remained firmly stuck in her heart, refusing to go away.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Ling Xi sat up abruptly, startling Pei Lan.

"Princess, what's wrong? Does your face still hurt?"

"Peilan, tell me, in the entire Prince Rui's residence, who is most likely to have poisoned Consort Mu?"

Perrin frowned, looking completely bewildered.

"From the few months we've been in the manor, everyone here treats Consort Mu like a fragile treasure. She herself rarely steps out of Yunqi Courtyard. Her food, medicine, clothing, and perfumes are all subject to rigorous checks and handled by designated personnel. With such meticulous and tight security, she can't even see outsiders, let alone come into contact with any poisons."

"Yes... but ironically, this person, who was protected so tightly, was poisoned without anyone noticing. And it was a poison unique to our Chu Kingdom, Frostless."

Ling Xi rested her fingertips lightly on her knees, maintaining her previous posture without moving, her eyes deep in thought.

"But there are only a few masters in the entire Prince Rui's mansion. It's impossible that the poison was administered by the Prince, Princess, or the Heir Apparent. Wouldn't they suspect our Yuehua Courtyard?"

Ling Xi's eyes darkened. Pei Lan was right. So this poison... could only have been administered by a servant in the manor.

"The one who wants to harm her is someone who is right in front of her every day, someone she can reach out and touch."

"Does the princess mean... the servants of Yunqi Courtyard?"

"Um."

Ling Xi nodded, her mind racing to figure out who had access to the food at Yunqi Academy.

Although frost-free poison is not highly toxic and cannot kill a person in a short time, its most distinctive feature is not its strong toxicity or rapid onset, but rather that it is colorless, odorless, and incurable. It cannot be smelled or seen, and cannot be detected by ordinary silver needle testing methods.

Those who are poisoned will develop symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath within a few days. Not all poisoned people will die, but they will be physically weak and exhausted for the rest of their lives.

Ling Xi knew this so clearly because a few years ago, Consort Jin in the palace was also poisoned by the Frostless Poison, and her unborn child was stillborn. Consort Jin was depressed because of this and passed away two years later.

In other words, Mu Wanning may not necessarily die, but the child in her womb is very likely to.

Thinking of this, Ling Xi felt a surge of panic. She had to find a way to prove herself quickly. If Mu Wanning's child was dead, judging from Princess Rui's attitude, she would definitely tear her apart.

"Princess! Princess!"

Ling Xi's mind was in turmoil when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from outside, and Granny Qi rushed in.

"Princess, Consort Mu... has given birth!"

"She gave birth?!"

Pei Lan was even more excited than Ling Xi. She had been with the princess in Yunqi Courtyard and overheard Physician Lu saying that he wanted to induce labor. She didn't expect that she would give birth so quickly.

"Yes! It's a boy. I heard the baby cried loudly when he was born. Imperial Physician Lu examined him carefully and said the baby is very healthy and there's nothing wrong with him..."

Pei Lan suddenly looked troubled, already imagining how difficult her princess's future would be. Despite being the heir apparent's primary wife, she was disliked by the heir, and now, to make matters worse, the concubine had given birth to a boy.

Ling Xi slowly raised her eyes, a faint ripple passing through the depths of her gaze, quickly replaced by an unfathomable calm.

No! No, no!

In the morning, she was in Yunqi Courtyard when she clearly heard Physician Lu say that the baby was not yet a month old. If it was indeed premature, even if the baby survived, it would be weak and frail, so how could it be strong?

Or perhaps the food and tonics that Prince Rui's mansion prepared for Mu Wanning were exceptionally meticulous, enough to completely restore the premature fetus?