Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

An Ruyi glanced at her and chuckled.

"Aren't you afraid that the jade cup that smashed on the ground will hurt Mother?" Although the two of them were deliberately putting on an act in front of Qingwu, Duan Yuyan's action of smashing the cup just now still frightened her.

"That's also to make it more realistic and fool Aunt Qingwu, Mother." Duan Yuyan carefully stroked An Ruyi's belly. She was only a little over three months pregnant, and her lower abdomen was only slightly protruding.

A sly glint flashed in her eyes, but An Ruyi didn't see it.

"Besides, when I smashed the jade cup, I clearly hit it behind me, so it couldn't have hurt my brother." Her words made An Ruyi laugh until her eyes crinkled.

"It's only been three months, how do you know it's a boy?" An Ruyi stroked her belly contentedly, seemingly pleased with her words.

Her pregnancy was extremely difficult; she often couldn't sleep soundly for nights on end, nausea prevented her from eating, and she lost a lot of weight.

Duan Yuyan looked up at An Ruyi, her eyes brimming with affection that seemed to overflow.

This was the first time Duan Yuyan had ever seen her mother like this, and it inexplicably stirred up a bittersweet feeling in her heart.

She wondered to herself, "Aren't my brother and I her children?"

She opened her mouth, but stopped herself from speaking.

An Ruyi, however, did not look up and notice her daughter's unusual behavior. Instead, she asked first.

"Is there any news about Thirteen?"

"Her?" Duan Yuyan frowned slightly. She had never liked that person, so why would her mother ask her about Thirteen's whereabouts?

Thinking of this, Duan Yuyan's face naturally showed disgust.

"How would I know where she went? I heard that the Zhou family has been looking for her these days, but it seems like she hasn't appeared for a long time."

She had not forgotten her past grievances with Thirteen, so she naturally sent people to keep an eye on the small courtyard in the south of the city.

But the thirteenth one seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing for several days without showing up.

"Could it be that he's really afraid of me and ran away?" She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that she hadn't eliminated Thirteen completely back then!

"Wasn't it because you broke someone's leg back then? Did you really think your mother knew nothing while living in the harem all day?" An Ruyi finally raised her head and glanced at Duan Yuyan.

The emotion in his eyes seemed to contain a hint of disgust, which made Duan Yuyan pause for a moment.

"Mother, what are you saying? That vile woman has repeatedly defied me. Do I not even have the right to execute a lowly commoner?" she exclaimed in surprise.

Mentioning Thirteen in front of her will make her emotional.

An Ruyi glanced at her, and seeing her jumping up and down like that, quickly comforted her.

"Isn't Mother referring to the time she talked back to you? Do you remember the incense sticks Mother asked you to investigate last time?"

Duan Yuyan frowned and said

"Was it the one your palace maid sent? What was her name, Xiang'er?" She seemed to vaguely remember her; the palace maid looked rather plain.

"That's right, did you know that the incense sticks were made by Qingwu?"

"Aunt Qingwu?" Duan Yuyan was shocked, as if she had thrown her resentment towards Thirteen to the back of her mind. She finally understood why her mother had sent Xiang'er to deliver a message to her a few days ago.

They said they would pretend that the mother and daughter were at odds in front of Qingwu.

She hadn't figured out the reason yet, but the question about the incense sticks suddenly made her connect the dots.

Duan Yuyan glanced at the tightly closed door and quickly lowered her voice.

"Is Mother referring to those incense sticks mixed with menstrual blood?"

What exactly is that "moon money seed"? The itinerant doctors she had found under her command had not yet discovered its effects.

Obviously, this matter had to be put on hold for the time being.

"Yes, Mother wants you to take that monthly allowance to ask Master Thirteen." An Ruyi naturally thought that Master Thirteen's medical skills were among the best in Nanyang.

At that time, Xiang'er took incense sticks and went out of the palace to look for Thirteen, but to no avail. Who knew that the girl was also clever, she turned around and ran to Duan Yuyan for help.

Upon investigation, it was found that the incense sticks were indeed problematic!

However, none of the itinerant doctors that Duan Yuyan has found so far have been able to find any information about the effects of the herb.

They can no longer delay.

"Thirteen? How could she find out this?" Duan Yuyan naturally didn't believe in Thirteen's abilities. She thought that her brother's recovery was entirely due to Thirteen's luck.

In her eyes, Thirteen was a worthless life, not worthy of her mother's concern.

An Ruyi could also see her daughter's opinion about Thirteen, but now she understood that in the end, the child in her belly was the most important.

She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and began to speak.

"Put your grudges aside for now. Once the issue of this month's money is investigated, Mother will naturally let you deal with her." Her tone was calm, as if she had no recollection of the help Thirteen had given her before.

In her eyes, as long as things are used to their fullest potential, she doesn't care about the outcome.

Duan Yuyan pouted, her face still showing some emotion, not wanting to pay attention to her mother's words.

"My relationship with her will be one of eternal enmity!"

She and Thirteen had been entangled for a long time, their feud dating back to the time they met at the gate of the Third Prince's residence.

Given her personality, the only person in the entire Nanyang who dared to defy her time and again and was still alive was Thirteenth Master.

If it weren't for the Emperor's decree ordering her to go to the Western Regions for a marriage alliance, there wouldn't have been time to search for the whereabouts of the Thirteenth Prince.

Even if it meant digging three feet into the ground, she would find Thirteen and kill him.

Thinking of this, a hint of ruthlessness appeared in her eyes, causing An Ruyi to shake her head.

This daughter, in the end, didn't follow her mother's nature and wasn't very steady.

"A fight to the death? You're about to get married, how long can you keep entangled with her? Don't forget that your brother's health might not be able to hold out until the succession struggle."

Seeing that she couldn't convince her daughter this way, An Ru had to try a different approach.

"My brother?" Duan Yuyan's brows furrowed even more; she naturally did not understand the meaning behind her mother's words.

An Ruyi leaned back, placing the soft cushion behind her to support her lower back.

“Your brother’s health is not as good as before, and I don’t know how much longer he can live. Otherwise, why would I risk my life at this age to give you another brother? This is your guarantee for the future.”

An Ruyi glanced at her, but the truthfulness in her words confused Duan Yuyan.

"My brother's body... hasn't he been cured of the poison?"

She remembered that she was still working with Duan Yuchuan, and she might not be able to bring him down before achieving her goal.

"He was cured of the poison, but his body was also weakened. Your brother has been sick for so many years, his body is no longer like that of an ordinary person, and he lives a long life."

An Ruyi glanced up and gestured to her. Duan Yuyan followed her gaze to the teapot on the table, got up, poured her a cup of warm water, and carefully handed it to her.

"Does Mother mean that my brother is unreliable?"