The Double-Chapter 580 - 170: The Real Culprit_3

"If Eldest Young Master Li truly knew about this early on, how did he come to know? Is there evidence, or did he just catch wind of it?" Mei Xiang remained as calm as ever, "We don’t know any of that now."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I am trying to say is that even if Your Highness were to go before Imperial Consort at this moment, before His Highness Prince Cheng, and tell them that Eldest Young Master Li is responsible for the death of Your Highness’ unborn child, I fear no one would believe it. Before that, we must focus on evidence. Take the evidence and test Eldest Young Master Li, and we will know whether he is really the mastermind behind this."

Princess Yongning asked, "How can we get evidence?"

"I overheard the conversation of those two men in the secret room. They mentioned that Eldest Young Master Li had used various means to try to induce Your Highness’ miscarriage, but all in vain. This was because when Your Highness stayed at the Li Family, you took great care of the little one in your womb. Not to mention, you didn’t consume any of the fetus-preserving medicine brewed in the Li Family’s kitchen, fearing that it might be drugged. Instead, you only ate the Pregnancy-Sustaining Pills that I brought from the Princess’s Mansion. But others don’t know that; they think Your Highness consumed the medicine when in fact I poured it out under the willow tree by the door."

"There are still some remnants of those medicines left, amounting to quite a bit. I can go dig them up, and there should still be some to find. As long as we bring them to the pharmacy and have the doctor smell them, we’ll know if there’s anything inside that could cause a miscarriage. If there is, it proves that what those two people said is true, and Eldest Young Master Li truly wished to ensure the unborn child’s death. If the medicine remnants are unproblematic, it would mean those two were lying, aiming to slander Eldest Young Master Li and have Your Highness and him mutually destroyed."

After hearing this, Princess Yongning couldn’t find fault with it. After a long while, she finally said, "Fine, I’ll listen to you. Go, dig up those medicine ingredients and take them to the pharmacy tomorrow for clarification. If they’re harmless, let be. But if it truly was Li Xian who harmed my child, I’ll stake my life to drag the Li Family down with me!" freёnovelkiss.com

Her eyes blazed with the fire of revenge, and Mei Xiang bowed her head, saying, "Yes."

...

The news of Princess Yongning’s miscarriage had spread throughout the court and the Shen family was not unaware of it.

Upon returning to the Shen residence, Shen Yurong saw a carriage parked at the entrance; it was from Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion, Shen Ruyun was visiting.

He frowned slightly, entered, and the young servant came forward to help him remove his robe. As he approached the room, in the hall, Mother Shen and Shen Ruyun were talking; seeing him arrive, they immediately stood up.

Since marrying into Marquis Ningyuan’s Mansion, aside from the day she returned to her maiden home, this was the first time Ruyun came back. She was dressed even more exquisitely than before, wearing intricate patterns on her clothes that dazzled the eye. Every accessory she wore – on her head, hands, neck – was glittering, as if afraid others wouldn’t see them.

It seemed that her days were not bad; at least in terms of her attire, she was better dressed than ever before, but her face showed a much more anxious expression. Having become a married woman, even the last bit of charm and likability from her maiden days seemed to be worn away. She had become a complete Madam of the House, no different from those in Yanjing City, and in fact, she seemed to be even more discontented.

"Big brother," Ruyun stood up and immediately blurted out, "Did you know that the Princess had a miscarriage?"

Shen Yurong glanced at her and sat down off to the side. A maid hurriedly poured hot tea; he picked it up, took a sip, and then said expressionlessly, "I know."

"Why haven’t you gone to inquire after her? You should find a way to see her!" Ruyun said, "She is at her most vulnerable right now."

"She is now the wife of Li Xian, Eldest Lady Li, for what reason should I go see her?" Shen Yurong replied calmly.

"So what if she is married? In her heart, she only has you, and not that thing Li Xian."

"Shen Ruyun!" Shen Yurong reprimanded her harshly.

Ruyun was startled; Shen Yurong’s tone was far too severe. But after a moment, she muttered softly, "It’s true, the Princess has been very generous to our family. She is already pitiable for having had a miscarriage, and my sympathy for her is why I said as much."

"Yes," Mother Shen couldn’t help but speak up, "Yurong, don’t blame your sister. What she says isn’t wrong. The Princess’ affection for you is known to the whole Shen family. You must not fail her."

Mother Shen spoke up, and Shen Yurong was unable to admonish Ruyun as harshly as he had done; a wave of powerlessness swept through him. The members of his family were all speaking up for Princess Yongning, not because of deep ties with the Shen family, but because of the Princess’s status. By marrying into royalty, he could become Prince Consort, establishing a marital connection with Prince Cheng. This way, he could leverage that relationship to climb up the ladder, with little effort, to an enviable and prestigious position.