Font Size:
Considering Princess Zhenyang’s venomous glare before she was helped away, Xu Qingyi felt it was more than just food poisoning.
She must have eaten something that had been tampered with.
Xu Qingyi lowered her head, glancing at the stewed dish in front of her. After a moment’s thought, she vaguely guessed what had happened.
Princess Zhenyang had instructed Lin to put something in her soup.
But Lin had turned against her and put it in Princess Zhenyang’s soup instead.
Xu Qingyi’s first reaction was that Lin was indeed a good son. Despite Princess Zhenyang’s coercion and enticement, he hadn’t been swayed by power or wealth.
She patted her chest in relief.
Their mother-son bond had withstood the test.
Secondly, her good son was truly ruthless, bold, and daring. Wasn’t he afraid of Princess Zhenyang seeking revenge later?
Meanwhile, Xie Huaian, as Prince Su’s son-in-law, was drinking with others at the banquet.
He was suddenly told that the princess needed him; the old maid looked quite flustered, so he got up and hurried after her.
They entered the princess’s chambers.
Xie Huaian was immediately embraced by the flushed princess.
He was startled. “Princess, what’s…”
“I’ve been poisoned,” Princess Zhenyang said breathlessly, tugging at his collar. With a last shred of composure, she said, “You’re my husband. Help me!”
Xie Huaian was surprised. How could the princess be poisoned at her own banquet?
“Hurry!” Princess Zhenyang urged.
This poison was harmful; the sooner it was released, the better.
“But…” Xie Huaian, deeply in love with Du Jinyun, hesitated. He suggested, “Princess, shouldn’t we call a physician?”
“No, this poison can’t wait…!” Princess Zhenyang was puzzled. She didn’t care anymore, yet Xie Huaian was still refusing.
Was he protecting his concubine’s virtue?
For her own life, Princess Zhenyang had no choice but to resort to persuasion. “Don’t you want a legitimate son?”
Xie Huaian’s eyes narrowed. Yes, having a legitimate son would benefit him greatly.
The opportunity was right in front of him, and he couldn’t miss it.
But he also felt a pang of sympathy for Du Jinyun; she had sacrificed so much for him.
He still hesitated.
“Xie Huaian, are you going to offend me for a woman?” Princess Zhenyang glared at him resentfully. “Fine, fine, fine. Just you wait.”
“No, Princess, please don’t misunderstand. That’s not the case,” Xie Huaian came to his senses. He had no room to refuse. Offending Princess Zhenyang would have unimaginable consequences.
It would be better to take advantage of this opportunity to have a legitimate son.
For the greater good, Du Jinyun should understand his predicament.
*
The banquet ended earlier than everyone expected. Something must have happened at the Prince Su’s residence, causing Princess Consort Su to end the party prematurely.
Something big had indeed happened, Xu Qingyi thought, feeling anxious the entire time, fearing that the Prince Su’s residence would order Lin’s arrest.
To deal with this situation, she had even prepared a tantrum speech. If necessary, she would cry, make a fuss, and hang herself—she wouldn’t let the Prince Su’s residence take Lin.
Thankfully, the banquet ended without incident.
Perhaps Princess Zhenyang was still preoccupied and hadn’t had time to deal with Lin.
When Xu Qingyi went outside, she saw Lin standing unharmed among the crowd, and she finally relaxed.
Lin also saw Xu Qingyi and felt relieved when he saw that she was safe.
He hadn’t been at the scene and didn’t know what exactly happened among the female guests.
If Princess Zhenyang had made a scene, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Fortunately, Xu Qingyi was fine.
Since it wasn’t the right time to talk, mother and son only exchanged a brief look.
On the carriage back to the Marquis’s residence, the Marchioness sighed regretfully. “I wanted to chat more with the Princess Consort, but something must have happened at the Prince Su’s residence. She seemed so distracted.”
Xu Qingyi was preoccupied with her thoughts and had no desire to argue with the Marchioness, so she simply echoed, “Yes, I wonder what happened.”
“Huaian really is something; he got drunk at the banquet. It seems he won’t be coming home until tomorrow,” the Marchioness complained, but inside she was overjoyed.
From what she observed today, the Prince and Princess Consort seemed to have a good impression of Xie Huaian. They hadn’t blamed him for his behavior and had even arranged a guest room for him to rest.
“It works out well that the princess is staying at her family’s house. They’ll be coming back together tomorrow.”
“Yes, just right,” Xu Qingyi replied, still distracted.
Once back at the Marquis’s residence, she immediately retreated to her courtyard.
Lin followed closely behind, silently making his way to the study.
Seeing Xu Qingyi already there didn’t seem to surprise him. He called out, “Mother,” then lowered his eyes, keeping silent and waiting for a scolding.
It seemed Lin knew deep down that his actions today had been reckless.
“Congratulations, Lin. You succeeded,” Xu Qingyi’s first words to him were this.
There was even a smile of delight on her face.
Xu Qingyi, though putting on a brave face, felt more shock than joy.
But she couldn’t just pour cold water on the situation right away; that would be too frustrating for a parent.
Setting aside her initial fright, shouldn’t there also be a sense of surprise?
There was, indeed, so she focused first on expressing her overwhelming admiration for Lin, which flowed out like a river, unstoppable.
Only then did she say, “But you also scared your mother half to death. I was afraid you would be captured by the Prince Su’s residence.”
She patted her chest, looking as if she were still recovering from the shock.
Lin never expected Xu Qingyi would not scold him.
Surprise flickered in his eyes for just a moment before he regained his composure and replied calmly, “I saw an opportunity and wanted to give it a try.”
When Princess Zhenyang mentioned that it was a hallucinogen, he had already guessed her intentions.
He was instantly furious.
This was more malicious than directly taking a life; it was simply intolerable.
So, in a moment of impulse, he acted.
“It was my fault; I was too reckless.” Thinking about how Princess Zhenyang would retaliate later made Lin feel a bit apprehensive.
“As long as you can reflect on your actions, Mother won’t scold you,” Xu Qingyi sighed, having roughly guessed the reason behind Lin’s impulsiveness.
It was simply that Princess Zhenyang’s methods were too underhanded.
Not only had she insulted Xu Qingyi, but she had also humiliated Lin’s father.
Considering the situation they would have to deal with later, Xu Qingyi steeled herself to reassure him. “It’s alright. I’ll explain the situation to your father’s cousin later and see if she has any ideas.”
“You shouldn’t have to worry, Mother,” Lin said, the shadows of his eyelashes casting over his face, his voice sounding rather dejected.
“Don’t worry. She wouldn’t dare do anything openly. At most, she might try to trip us up behind the scenes,” Xu Qingyi replied, assessing her own leverage. She continued to comfort her eldest son, “When she returns, I’ll have a word with her. If she dares to lay a finger on you, I won’t let her off easily.”
Xu Qingyi wasn’t joking; anyone who dared to harm her eldest son was essentially threatening her very lifeblood.
She would make sure Princess Zhenyang knew she wouldn’t be pushed around.
“Alright.” Hearing his mother’s words, Lin felt much better inside.
He wasn’t afraid himself, but he was worried about implicating others.
Seeing his low spirits, Xu Qingyi, having said what she needed to, said gently, “You’ve been tired all day. Go and rest. Leave the rest to Mother; don’t worry.”
With that, she got up to leave.
She hadn’t been home all day and wanted to see her little clingy son, Heng.
“Mother, was the fish glue soup delicious today?” Lin suddenly asked as Xu Qingyi was passing by.
Xu Qingyi was taken aback. “What fish glue soup? Didn’t you bring me pigeon soup?”
The boy was still thinking about what he ate at the banquet?
She chuckled and replied seriously, “That stuff has a fishy smell, no matter how it’s prepared. If you like it, I’ll have the kitchen make some for you. I won’t drink it.”
Hearing this, Lin looked strange and quickly refused. “Mother, don’t bother. I don’t like it either.”
Then he quickly turned and went to the inner room to rest, wanting to avoid being forced by Xu Qingyi to eat meat and drink soup.