in front of Mo Junyi. "You eat this."Mo Junyi looked bewildered, he blinked and looked at An Xuetang, his eyes seemed to ask, what's going onAn Xuetang stifled a laugh, she cleared her throat and said...At this moment, she seemed to be thinking about something. She suddenly lowered her eyes and looked at the bird's nest soup in her bowl.

Her dark eyes flashed a hint of killing intent, the corner of her mouth curled into a cold smile, and her cold voice spoke slowly, "Do you know... plotting against the princess is punishable by extermination of the entire clan"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the maid's face instantly changed. Her incredibly surprised eyes met Xizi Ke'er's sinister gaze, which held a hint of a smile that wasn't quite a smile.

Even the dimmest bulb knows she's been caught.

In the next instant, she knelt down with a thump and kowtowed to Xizi Ke'er repeatedly, "Your Highness...please spare my life, maidservant...I was truly driven to desperation. I didn't really want to harm Your Highness."

Xi Zi Ke'er curled the corners of her lips into a sarcastic smirk, letting out a cold laugh. "Is that so Since you don't want to harm this palace, then where did the poison in this bird's nest come from"

Speaking of which, she suddenly remembered something and shook her head. "I guess the little sister you keep calling 'Sister Hua' has been poisoned by you, hasn't she"

"No... My lord, I didn't harm Miss Xiaohua. I only... only gave her a sleeping draught to make her sleep. I really didn't kill her."

Xi Zi Ke'er's dark eyes flickered with an unfathomable depth, a strange chill emanating from within. Her gaze was fixed intently on the maidservant's face.

After a moment, she withdrew the enigmatic smile from her face and suddenly slammed the bowl in her hand back onto the table.

Her movement caught the attention of the female guards standing outside the door. The guards immediately gathered at the room entrance, knocked softly, and asked in hushed tones, “Your Highness, do you need our assistance”

"Come in."

As soon as Xizi Ke'er finished speaking, the room door was immediately pushed open by that group of guards.

Two of Xizi Ke'er's most trusted confidantes walked in, glancing at their princess's face and then at the maid kneeling on the ground. Their brows furrowed.

He suddenly moved left and right to the maidservant's side, both of them gripping their sword hilts. As soon as the princess gave the order, the maidservant would surely be dead.

Surrounded by two trusted aides, one on each side, the maid knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face as she repeatedly kowtowed to Xizi Ke'er.

Even though her forehead was already bleeding from hitting it herself, she didn't dare to stop.

In order to soften Xizi Ke'er's heart and spare her family, she had to keep kowtowing incessantly.

Having been by Lady Xizi's side for many years, she knew that the princess had a kind heart and as long as they spoke to her nicely, she wouldn't punish the entire clan.

She thought this way, so at this time her head kept bumping on the ground, even though she had already bled a lot. But in order to give her family a glimmer of hope, she didn't care about anything else.

Looking at her like this, Xizi Ke'er's sharp eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke in a deep voice, "Answer this palace's question first."

Indeed, upon her voice, the maidservant ceased. Her voice trembled, "Your Highness... Your Highness, you ask"

"Who is it"

Xi Zi Ke'er merely uttered these two words in a soft voice. Though not loud, her tone was firm, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Now, thinking about who would want to harm her, it boils down to these two: her mother and her elder sister, Xi Zi P'an'er.

But at that moment, her mind was lost in thought. Her hands clenched slightly, as if anticipating something.

Thinking of her mother-in-law's likely desire to kill her, she lowered her long eyelashes, concealing the sadness in her eyes. A hint of melancholy colored her features, and her gaze held an emotion that was impossible to decipher.

"Yes... Your Highness. It is... it's His Majesty."

As the handmaiden replied, Xizi Ke'er's heart instantly turned cold.

As expected, as expected, she is indeed her mother.

At this moment, Xizi Ke'er clenched her hands tightly, her knuckles turning white as she desperately suppressed the inexplicable chill in her heart.

The guards standing on either side of the maid cautiously glanced at their young master.

It's not a pleasant feeling.

Having served Her Highness for many years, they all know that she truly cares deeply for His Majesty.

To be hurt by the person you care about most, no one would be able to accept it.

But they did not see any sign of distress on their master's face at this time.

The two could only slowly lower their heads, awaiting the lord's command.

After the handmaid finished her reply, a long silence descended upon the room.

Nobody can guess what Xizi Ke'er is thinking.

After an unknown amount of time, she slowly lifted her head and looked at the maidservant. "What poison did she make you put in me"

The maid was now sobbing uncontrollably, but faced with Xishi's interrogation, she could only shake her head. She wanted to say something, but the truth was, she didn't know.

"All she could do was shake her head and sob, “Your servant… your servant doesn’t know. That person only gave me a package of medicine and told me… told me to try my best to get Your Highness to take it tonight.”

How do you know that man was sent by my mother

"Because...because, that eunuch came to our manor. He was there on behalf of the Emperor to deliver a birthday gift to His Highness, so I remember him."

“When he found me, I was also shocked. I didn't want to do this...to hurt Your Highness like this, but...but that eunuch told me that all my family members had been thrown into prison. If I didn't do this, if I wasn't successful tonight, tomorrow...tomorrow morning they would transport the bodies of all my family members home.”

As she spoke, the maid cried even more pitifully, once again pounding her head against the ground before Xizi Ke'er. "Your Highness... Your Highness, please, please save my family! I am willing to die, I have done wrong, I am willing to bear it all alone."

"But...but my parents and brothers are innocent, they've done nothing wrong, Your Highness...please...can you save them You can ask me to do anything, I will."

Xizi Ke'er stared at her, left and right there was only a maid, how could she refuse this matter

Her parents and brothers are all in the Emperor's hands, threatening them with the lives of her closest people. Let alone this maidservant, even if she were in the same situation, she would make the same choice and complete the Emperor's task even at the risk of her life.

Xizi Ke'er's hand gently tapped on the table, her gaze fixed thoughtfully on the maidservant who was kowtowing ceaselessly. She didn't seem eager to say how she intended to punish her.

After a while, Xizi Ke'er suddenly raised her hand.

The two guards, seeing this, immediately grabbed the maid's shoulders, one on each side, and made her stand up.

The maidservant knew at this time that Her Highness had something to say, so she did not dare to cry aloud, only her shoulders trembled, silently sobbing.

But expectant eyes were fixed on Xizi Ke'er's face.

At this moment, Xizi Ke'er pushed the bird's nest on the table to the side.

One of the guards understood what her Highness meant and, with a slight nod, brought over the bowl of bird's nest. been no outsiders in the village these past two days."A flash of disappointment crossed An Xuetang's eyes.Yunliu, where are you now Are you safe! Did you bring back the Lily of the ValleyAn Xuetang's...