Yujie finished speaking, turned, and walked out.

Shao Caihuan immediately understood her implication and winked at her maid. The maid got up and walked quickly to the incense burner, lifted the lid, and extinguished the incense inside.

Shao Yanru’s face was very sullen. She looked at Shao Caihuan calmly, and then at Wang Yuxin, having a sense of foreboding.

“Third Miss Shao, what do you mean by doing this? Are you suspecting me? How can you believe the words of a maid?” Although Wang Yuxin was flustered, she didn’t dare to show it. Her face was full of anger, and she spoke loudly, trying to maintain her aggressive vibe and hiding her panic.

“Miss Wang, whether you did this or not, the incense in this censer must be well kept. If anyone takes advantage of Fifth Sister’s matter to harm Duke Xing’s Mansion, we will definitely make that person repay!” Shao Yanru stood up, and her face was slightly cold.

She regarded Shao Wanru’s matter as Duke Xing’s Mansion’s matter, and it showed that the three sisters of Duke Xing’s Mansion were in the same boat.

Wang Yuxin was angry and panicked. But she could not think of any words to refute, so she tossed her sleeves and said, “Okay…if Fifth Miss Shao turns out to be all right, you guys will know how ridiculous you are!”

Shao Wanru had left early, so her skin might not blister at all. There was nothing for her to be afraid of.

Besides, even if she had some blisters, it would not be a big deal. She could say Shan Wanru might have eaten some wrong food, and the food might trigger off allergic reactions.

Thinking about it in this way, Wang Yuxin felt less scared, turned around, and strode away. She was not afraid of such a small matter.

After Wang Yuxin left, the other ladies also went back.

Yujie didn’t go back to report to Shao Wanru until she saw all these young ladies leaving.

Shao Wanru had taken off her outer skirt and loosed her hair. She leaned on the bed with a thick cushion against her back, looking extremely relaxed.

“Miss, they are all gone!” Yujie reported. “Miss Wang went back alone angrily. First Miss left at the latest. When she walked to the door with Third Miss, she comforted Third Miss that everything would be fine and asked her not to worry. She also said that if you were harmed by the incense, she would definitely stand by Third Miss and you and would ask Miss Wang to give Duke Xing’s Mansion an explanation!”

Shao Yanru wanted to use Duke Xing’s Mansion to suppress Wang’s Mansion and tie the interests of the three sisters together. In this way, no matter what happened to Shao Wanru, no one would suspect Shao Yanru. She was really good at calculation!

The corners of Shao Wanru’s lips twitched slightly, and there was a bit of ridicule on her delicate face. Shao Yanru was always pretending to be innocent and making it look like it was someone else that had done the bad things, not her. In this way, she would never be suspected!

But she couldn’t avoid her shoes from getting wet if she always walked along the rivers.

“Wait and see, there should be a big show tomorrow!” Shao Wanru smiled slightly. “What did the palace maid say?”

Of course, Shao Wanru was all right, but Shao Caihuan might not be so lucky. Even if the incense had been noticed early, there would inevitably be some damage.

“That palace maid said she was unwilling to testify, but she doesn’t want the reward from you. She wants to follow you in the future,” Yujie said.

This palace maid was the one who had reported to Shao Wanru earlier that Wang Yuxin might harm her. She had heard the conversation between Wang Yuxin and her maid, so she had come to remind Shao Wanru to be careful.

In Shao Wanru’s previous life, this palace maid had followed Shao Yanru.

Shao Wanru had ordered Yujie to ask the palace maid a few more questions in private, and Yujie had tried both tough and soft tactics to persuade her into testifying against Wang Yuxin at an appropriate time.

The palace maid wanted to curry favor with Shao Wanru but didn’t want to stick her neck out, who was very similar to Shao Yanru. No wonder Shao Yanru had drawn this palace maid to her side when she had entered the palace in the previous life and treated her as one of the most entrusted subordinates.

“What did you say to her?” Shao Wanru asked.

“I just said what you asked me to say. She swayed when I told her that you might recruit her,” Yujie said contemptuously. At first glance, she knew the palace maid wanted to attach herself to a powerful lady and thought Fifth Miss could stay in the palace. However, how could Shao Wanru stay here?

“I think she just wants to play up to a powerful lady. She chose you because she thinks you would stay in the palace,” Yujie said angrily.

Because of the rush, she hadn’t had time to report the palace maid’s matter. Now, she felt more and more annoyed when thinking about it. The Emperor was so old, so Shao Wanru would definitely not marry him.

“So, she was willing to testify?” This was as expected, so Shao Wanru said with a faint smile in her eyes.

“As you taught me, I coupled threats with promises, and she finally agreed!” Yujie said proudly. Fifth Miss had never seen the palace maid before, but she knew her very well. Her words had straight hit the palace maid’s pain points.

The palace maid had been hesitating but finally agreed.

Fifth Miss was really amazing! Even she had never seen the palace maid, she could also predict her thoughts.

“Go to sleep first, and we’ll talk about it tomorrow!” Shao Wanru said. She then slid down and lay under the blanket, slowly closing her eyes.

It was winter. Even if Shao Caihuan extinguished the fragrant incense, the smell was still lingering. There was no ventilation to dissipate the smell in the room, so the whole room was filled with this smell…

When Shao Caihuan got up the next morning, she felt a dull headache. At first, she thought it was because she hadn’t slept well last night. Even though the extra sheet of incense had transferred the suspicion to Miss Wang, Shao Caihuan still could not rest assured for Shao Wanru’s matter. She had tossed and turned till late last night, thinking about it.

When the maid heard the sound from the bed, she lifted the gauze tent immediately. When she saw Shao Caihuan’s face, she took a step back in shock. The basin in her hand fell to the ground, making a crisp “bang” sound.

“Mi…Miss…” The maid looked at Shao Caihuan tremblingly, her face pale.

“What’s wrong?” Shao Caihuan frowned, completely wakened up. She felt not only a dull headache but also uncomfortable in her face as if something were sticking on it.

When she raised her hand, intending to touch her forehead, she suddenly saw two small red blisters on her hand, and she also exclaimed in surprise.

Then she thought of something and screamed. “Hurry…Go get the mirror for me.”

The maid backed away in panic, almost tripped over the basin on the floor, and turned back to grab the mirror.

When Shao Caihuan took the mirror and looked into it, she saw her face full of blisters in different sizes and was scared to scream.

Shao Wanru and Shao Yanru had already got up. When they heard the scream of Shao Caihuan and then the sound of something being smashed on the ground, both of them hurried in.

“Third Sister, what happened…” Shao Yanru walked faster. When she came in and saw Shao Caihuan, she couldn’t finish her words because of the shock, and then she subconsciously looked behind. Behind her was Shao Wanru. Her face was still fair, beautiful, and charming, without the slightest blemish.

She had got up early today because she had originally speculated that something would happen to Shao Wanru and it would cause a stir. She hadn’t expected it was not Shao Wanru but Shao Caihuan that had been harmed. Judging from Shao Caihuan’s face, it was very serious.

“Big Sister, what’s wrong with Third Sister?” Shao Wanru walked behind Shao Yanru. Seeing Shao Yanru stop in front, she asked politely.

“Fifth…Fifth Sister, are you okay?” Shao Yanru couldn’t help asking.

Shao Wanru, who should have had the blisters, was OK, but Shao Caihuan was harmed. Even Shao Yanru was panicked on the spot.

“Big Sister, should not you pay all your attention to Third Sister now? Third Sister is the one who is suffering. Why do you care about my situation?” Shao Wanru looked at Shao Yanru calmly.

At this moment, Shao Caihuan was obviously in a bad condition, but Shao Yanru asked Shao Wanru’s situation first while Shao Wanru seemed to be all right. It seemed somewhat fishy.

“Big Sister…Fifth Sister is the one who should have the blisters rather than me, right?” Shao Caihuan had a quick mind. She raised her eyes to look at Shao Yanru, and her eyes were fierce and resentful.

Shao Yanru’s action was really too suspicious. Thinking of Shao Yanru’s methods in the mansion, Shao Caihuan immediately believed that it was related to her.

“Third Sister, Fifth Sister was uncomfortable when she left yesterday. I originally planned to go see her today. I didn’t expect that she is all right but you got ill. Shuqi, go and invite the Nanny in charge to come over!” Shao Yanru explained hurriedly, stepping forward a few steps on the water on the ground.

Shuqi ran out as she ordered.

Shao Wanru followed Shao Yanru in. When she saw the bulging red blisters on Shao Caihuan’s face, her eyes became cold. If she hadn’t prepared in advance, it would have been her who had the trouble now. The air she breathed in was cold, but there was a fierce flame burning in her body.

These people had done everything they could to destroy her. If she hadn’t come back late yesterday, Wang Yuxin would have gone to Shao Wanru’s room to talk about the old days, and the smell of the incense would have stayed in her own room for a long time. If the smell of medicine in the protective talisman had been mixed with it, Shao Wanru must have been in trouble now!

“Third Sister, I can see blisters on your face. What about your body?” Shao Wanru reminded her.

Shao Caihuan stretched out her hand to pull down the collar, immediately found that there were also blisters on her neck, and started crying in panic.

“Third Sister, don’t worry. The Nanny in charge is coming soon. We will invite an imperial physician to see you. Everything will be fine. What did you eat yesterday? Maybe you’re allergic to the food?”

Shao Yanru expressed her concern.

“I didn’t eat anything wrong… What I ate yesterday was the same as what you ate… how could it be… how could it be like this!” Shao Caihuan cried.

“Then, where did you go yesterday? I know a person allergic to powdered medicine, and some people are allergic to other things. Do you also have any allergies?” Shao Yanru thought for a while and then softly soothed Shao Caihuan. “Third Sister, calm down. The imperial physician will tell us about it after he sees you. Don’t worry!”

“Big Sister, what should I do… What if I can’t recover!” Shao Caihuan choked with sobs. She took Shao Yanru’s hand, eagerly trying to find support from her.

“Don’t be afraid. You will be fine. Everything will be fine!” Shao Yanru’s voice was soft. She sat on the edge of the bed, allowing Shao Caihuan to hug her, and she also put her hands around Shao Caihuan’s shoulders.

Shao Wanru’s gaze fell on the two sisters who were hugging each other tightly. Her eyes darkened a little, and a faint smile appeared on her face. Shao Yanru’s scheme was elaborate, but she had still made a mistake…