The light that had just sparked in her eyes quickly faded. Liu Jingyue lowered her head to look at Yun Xi, stroking her hand as tears welled up again.
"Mother..."
Knowing that Liu Jingyue was feeling heart - broken, Yun Xi patted her and softly comforted her for a few words. Then she forced a smile and joked with her:
"Before, I couldn't figure out why Mo Tong was searching everywhere in the Liu family back then. Now, finally, I've found the answer. It saves me a few gray hairs."
Since her daughter was trying to cheer her up, Liu Jingyue naturally wouldn't rebuff her kindness. She suppressed her grief, tapped Yun Xi on the forehead and said helplessly:
"You..."
Yun Xi affectionately hugged Liu Jingyue's arm and rubbed against it. Then she put away her joking expression and said seriously:
"Anyway, we'd better keep the matter of this Gu poison a secret for the time being. We don't want to attract any more unexpected disasters."
After saying that, she turned to Hun Yuan and asked:
"Senior Brother, how long will it take for the poison of the Suju Yin to flare up?"
"Three hours."
Hun Yuan answered simply.
"Three hours later, the face will start to rot. In about five or six days, the whole face will be completely rotten. Then it will gradually spread to the whole body. The person will be tortured for half a month before dying in endless pain."
"What a vicious thing!"
Yun Qi couldn't help but interject, clenching his fists angrily. Everyone frowned in agreement.
Hun Yuan raised his thick eyebrows and asked:
"Why do you ask? By the way, you haven't said who poisoned you yet."
Yun Xi let out a cold snort. A hint of sharpness flashed across her eyes as she said:
"The mastermind behind today's incident is Yi Zhen. I'm asking this, of course, to catch the culprit."
"Princess Yi?!"
Everyone was surprised. They never thought that after being exposed in public last time and "banished" to the nunnery, Yi Zhen still didn't give up. She even reached out her hand to the Yun family.
Liu Jingyue was even more furious.
"Why is it her again?!"
"She is a princess, a daughter of the emperor. She has no deep hatred with you. For no reason, why does she always go against you? Is it just because of the Shen family?"
"Mother is right. I've been thinking about this too."
Yun Xi continued:
"Normally, as a princess, the daughter of the emperor, it's really not worth it for her to offend the emperor for the Shen family, an outer - related family, and put herself in a difficult and irreparable situation."
"Moreover, after the incident in Tanzhou last time, although the emperor didn't punish the Shen family explicitly on the surface, he still took the opportunity to remove many of their wings. That's one of the reasons why the Shen family was so eager to marry Shen Zhou to Lou Qianying later. They wanted to win over our family's influence."
After a pause, Yun Xi's slender fingers unconsciously tapped gently. After a moment of thought, she mused:
"But during this period, I was recognized back into the Yun family, and Lou Qianying's identity was also exposed. Although the Shen family stopped coming to visit, they immediately released Shen Zhou. Obviously, they didn't want to fall out with the Yun family."
"However, even though the Shen family's intention was so clear, Yi Zhen still attacked me at the welcome banquet. That means she actually didn't act according to the Shen family's wishes. There must be another reason for her to hate me so much and try to harm me several times."
A glint of light flashed in her eyes. Yun Xi suddenly looked up:
"As for what this reason is, we probably have to ask Yi Zhen properly."
Yi Yuan's eyes were complicated. He exchanged a look with Hun Yuan beside him and said seriously:
"Leave this matter to me."
"Yi Zhen is currently in the outskirts of the capital. Without an imperial edict, it's inconvenient for you to visit her. Moreover, the Holy Master and others haven't been caught yet. I'm worried about your safety."
But Yun Xi shook her head and vetoed:
"No, I must go and ask her myself."
She looked down at her tightly bandaged calf. Her fair and slender fingers gently stroked it. Her voice was already eight parts cold:
"She has tried to harm me several times. Now she even reached out her hand into my family. Even a clay figurine has a bit of temper. Even if she is a princess, I must get justice for myself!"
"Yingying is right."
Liu Jingyue's eyes were full of admiration:
"Even if the son of heaven breaks the law, he should be punished like a commoner, let alone a princess. If there is injustice, even if we have to beat the drum of grievances, we must get this injustice redressed!"
Yi Yuan opened his lips, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back. He just asked:
"Then... how do you plan to ask her?"
Yun Xi glanced at Yi Yuan. She guessed that he was probably worried that Yi Zhen would do something to her. She gave him a reassuring smile and said:
"Yi Zhen has a noble status and has always been deeply favored by the emperor. The previous times, because there wasn't enough evidence to prove that she was the mastermind behind the attacks, and I wasn't really hurt, Yi Zhen managed to escape punishment every time."
"Since she has provided such a great opportunity this time, I can't waste her painstaking efforts. So..."
Yun Xi suddenly smiled, a hint of coldness in her smile:
"I'm going to prepare a great gift, lure the snake out of its hole, and give her a heavy blow!"
"However, I need everyone's cooperation on this matter. First, keep the news that I'm okay a secret. Act extremely grief - stricken and run around everywhere trying to find an antidote for the Suju Yin. Let outsiders know that I'm dying."
"Then..."
She waved her hand mysteriously, lowered her voice and whispered for a while, detailing her plan. Finally, she concluded:
"That's roughly it. Since I'm injured, I'll have to stay in the Yun Mansion for a while. Saixing, when you go back to pack your things later, remember to bring the things that Aning usually uses."
"Lingyan, go and find the things later. We'll strictly follow the time to put on makeup. Make me look really scary, the kind that can scare people to tears at a glance."
Then she looked at Hun Yuan and continued:
"Senior Brother, the 'antidote' must be 'brought' to me at the last moment."
"We must make her hopes soar to the peak and then instantly plummet to the bottom. Only when one is so close to success but fails at the last moment can one feel the most unwillingness."
"Mother,"
Yun Xi's expression became a bit more solemn. She said slowly:
"Since Yi Zhen can reach into our family, it shows that there are some dirty people among our servants. We didn't finish the investigation just now. Let's thoroughly question them later. Then we'll know who the moles are."
Everyone responded one after another. After they had discussed the details, they left Yun Xi lying on the bed to rest and recover from her injury. Then they dispersed to make preparations.
After leaving the main gate, Hun Yuan sneaked up to Yi Yuan and said with a bit of schadenfreude:
"I told you not to hide it, but you didn't listen. Now that things have come to this, you'd better confess earlier. That's the best strategy."
A cold glare flew from Yi Yuan to Hun Yuan. Yi Yuan pursed his lips. A look of struggle flashed in his eyes:
"I know. You'd better take care of yourself first."
"The matter of your losing your composure for Jiang Ning today must have spread back to the palace by now. The price of protecting her... no one knows better than you."