Repeatedly broken branches

"Wanwan, you haven't come to see me in so long. Are you trying to distance yourself from me?"

After finishing dinner, Xiao Mu was digesting in the Imperial Garden when she noticed Ye Wanwan acting suspiciously by the lake. Since she was bored, she figured she might as well play with her.

Ye Wanwan probably didn't hear her. When Xiao Mu got closer, she gently patted her shoulder. Startled, she looked at Xiao Mu in astonishment and said in a daze, "Princess... what are you doing here?" After saying that, she kept looking towards the rockery. Xiao Mu listened carefully and thought there was some movement.

Xiao Mu wanted to go over and take a look, but Ye Wanwan stopped her guiltily. Her round eyes darted around, a calculating glint in them. "Princess, why are you out today? I heard it's going to rain. You'd better go back quickly!"

There must be something fishy about why they're in such a hurry to get rid of her. Could it be that she's having a secret rendezvous with Zhou Tingxi and is afraid I'll see it?

Xiao Mu stretched, glanced at her casually, and said in a relaxed tone, "I think the weather is quite nice today. Why don't you come for a walk with me, Wanwan?"

Ye Wanwan was clearly distracted, glancing at the artificial hill every now and then. What unspeakable secret was there?

"Princess, I'm not feeling well today and may not be able to stay with you. You should summon your husband to the palace to keep you company. I'll be leaving now..."

"Hey, Wanwan!"

Xiao Mu couldn't get her to stop no matter how much she called. She really couldn't hide anything; everything was written all over her face. Or was she trying to get her attention on purpose and set a trap for her?

Ye Wanwan is an unfathomable person. It's impossible for someone like her to reveal everything clearly. If you can guess everything about her, then there's a problem. Villains often don't play by the rules. She keeps glancing at the artificial hill. There must be something there. It's either her own secret or she's trying to lure Xia Yunzhi there.

If you want to hide something, you can never expose it.

Back at Yuyin Palace, where Xiao Mu lived, she sat on pins and needles, wondering what Ye Wanwan was trying to imply. What exactly was there at the rockery? So much time had passed; what should have been there should be gone, and what shouldn't have been there, she didn't know.

Xiao Shao brought in a bowl of something dark and pungent.

Xiao Mu frowned, pressed her index finger to her nose, looked at the bowl of dark stuff, and said, "What is this? It stinks! It makes me want to vomit."

Xiao Shao said calmly, "Princess, this is a prescription that Miss Wanwan found for you from the common people. It's specially for treating your asthma. You haven't forgotten, have you? A few days ago, you caught a cold and the imperial physician said you didn't need to drink this anymore. Now that your cold is better, you must drink it, otherwise what will you do if your asthma flares up again?"

Asthma? The system didn't mention that Xia Yunzhi had asthma. Judging from the fact that the next full moon is in five days, she needs to get all the questions she needs to know.

A plot flashed through Xiao Mu's mind: the villainous female supporting character usually puts some kind of slow-acting poison in the medicine of the female lead or other people. Could there be something bad in this?

"Little Spoon, take this dregs with you, we're going to the Imperial Hospital!"

Xiao Shao looked bewildered, but still did as instructed.

The imperial physician picked up a bit of the dregs, sniffed it, then licked it with his tongue. He frowned, carefully tasting it before speaking to Xiao Mu, "There's nothing wrong with these dregs, except for a few extremely cold herbs, including ice mustard seed. It won't cause any problems for men, but long-term use by women may lead to uterine coldness and difficulty conceiving..."

Ye Wanwan is really interesting. She hasn't even married into Zhou Tingxi's family yet, and she's already starting to target his descendants. Although Xiao Mu doesn't plan to have children right now, people say that a mother's status rises with her son's. What does that matter to her? Isn't her status valuable enough?

Xiao Shao exclaimed in astonishment, "This medicine... was personally prepared by Miss Wanwan..."

Xiao Mu narrowed her eyes slightly, smiled contemptuously, and a glint of light flashed in her eyes. Since you, Ye Wanwan, know how to drug people, then... I'll play along.

Xiao Mu pulled Xiao Shao aside and whispered something to her. Xiao Shao just nodded, occasionally widening her eyes in amazement to express how wonderful it was.

"What's wrong? Why does the princess suddenly have a stomachache?"

Zhou Tingxi rushed to Yuyin Palace late at night and examined the imperial physician in front of him. The physician looked at him and said, "Prince Consort, the princess's abdominal pain is caused by taking an extremely cold medicine. The princess has probably been taking this medicine for a long time, which has already damaged her uterus. If she continues to take it, it may lead to infertility."

Zhou Tingxi glanced inside, then strode in angrily.

Xiao Mu's face was pale, her lips were bloodless, and she was only wearing a thin, moon-white gauze shirt. Her delicate and fair skin was faintly visible, but she lay there like a broken piece of jade, which made people feel sorry for her. This was the first time Zhou Tingxi felt that Xia Yunzhi could be so weak.

Xiao Mu glanced at him hazily, her eyes slightly red, filled with unconcealed sorrow. She pursed her lips tightly, her eyes flickering, stared at Zhou Tingxi for a long time, and then said in a coquettish, choked voice.

"Why, why, why did you do this to me? Who is it that wants me to be unable to conceive? How cruel she is! I love children so much..."

Xiao Mu stole a glance at Zhou Tingxi. He also looked very sad. Her eyes met his dark, brooding gaze, slowly eroding his heart. Xiao Mu hugged Zhou Tingxi's waist and began to cry.

He was heartbroken. He gently stroked her hair and said softly, "Princess, don't be afraid. Your humble servant will definitely find the person who poisoned you."

At that moment, Xiao Shao, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly started sobbing. Xiao Mu's gaze shifted slightly, and she couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Shao, why are you crying? Do you know something?"

Xiao Shao kept kowtowing to her, muttering, "The princess's medicine has always been prepared by Miss Wanwan, and this prescription was personally found by Miss Wanwan from among the common people."

Xiao Mu stared blankly at Zhou Tingxi, her eyes filled with disbelief. She seemed to be talking to herself, "Impossible, impossible, Wanwan wouldn't do this to me... Waaah, Tingxi, tell me it's not true... it's not."

Zhou Tingxi wiped away her tears and patted her back comfortingly.

"No matter who it is, I will... deal with them according to the law, without any leniency," Zhou Tingxi said calmly.

Zhou Tingxi stayed with Xiao Mu for a long time before leaving the palace.

"Little Spoon, the Oscar for Best Actor is definitely yours!"

What is an Oscar-winning actor?

Xiao Mu smiled and said, "It just means you're amazing."