The scumbag was secretly having an affair, while I was openly having an affair with the prince.

Chapter 44 Inquiring about the Dowry

"What?!" The couple were so shocked that they trembled.

"My lord and madam, please forgive my lack of medical skills. I cannot determine what poison the eldest son has been afflicted with, nor can I treat him. I urge you to seek a more skilled physician. I take my leave." After saying this, the old lady picked up her medicine box and quickly left.

The news of 'inhumanity' was not only a bolt from the blue for You Jianbin and the Wen family, but an unbearable disaster!

Wen collapsed onto the bed again, holding her agonizing son and sobbing uncontrollably, "Bo'er... what happened... tell your mother... who the hell did this to you..."

You Qingbo naturally heard the doctor's words. His face, which had been contorted in pain, was now filled with terror and despair; he almost vomited blood and fainted. Hearing Wen's cries, he suddenly grabbed her hand and said in a hoarse voice, "Mother, your son doesn't want to be a useless piece of trash! Quickly, bring that person here; he must have a way to save me!"

He didn't actually know how he was poisoned. He only knew that he woke up in a mass grave holding a woman's corpse, and what happened after he woke up was so shameful and embarrassing that he couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

Reminded by his son, You Jianbin quickly urged Madam Wen, "That's right, Madam, quickly find that person. Isn't he skilled in medicine and poison? He must have a way to save Bo'er!"

A look of worry appeared on Madam Wen's face. "I haven't seen him for many years, and I don't know if he's still in the capital... But he still owes me a wish. As long as I find him, he will definitely save Bo'er!"

As she spoke, she stood up and ran towards the door—

……

General's Mansion.

I heard that Wen went to a small tavern on the outskirts of the city alone. When I woke up from my sleep, I called my aunt and we secretly left the general's mansion and went straight to that tavern.

The scouts who were staking out the tavern saw her arrive in person and stepped forward to report, "Third Miss, Madam You has been in the tavern for almost an hour. I have been keeping watch and have not seen her come out."

Ye Shishu said, "We'll stay here and keep watch. You go in and investigate. See who she met with tonight."

"Yes!"

The scout then swaggered over and headed towards the tavern.

After knocking for a long time, the tavern door was finally opened, and a waiter-like man said impatiently, "We're closed. Please go somewhere else, sir!"

The scout, posing as a traveler, said ingratiatingly, "Brother, I'm from out of town. I've been traveling for several days and I'd like to find a place to stay for the night. I'd be so kind as to trouble you."

"I already said we're closed..."

"Brother, this is all the silver I have on me. Please do me a favor." Before he could refuse, the scout took out two pieces of silver and stuffed them into his hand.

The waiter weighed the loose silver in his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "There's an empty room in the backyard. If you don't mind, you can make do with it for the night."

"Thank you so much, waiter! Thank you so much, waiter!" the scout said, bowing deeply.

About a quarter of an hour later.

The scout appeared and anxiously said to Ye Shishu, "Third Miss, Madam You is not in the tavern!"

"How could this be?" Ye Shishu couldn't help but ask in surprise. "Didn't you say you saw her enter this little tavern?"

"Third Miss, I watched her enter the tavern with A Yuan. After A Yuan went to inform you, I stayed outside the tavern without leaving for even a moment. I swear on my life that I really didn't see Madam You leave the tavern!" The spy solemnly assured him.

Ye Shishu stared at the closed tavern, his eyes darkening.

A moment later, she instructed her scout, "There's something wrong with this tavern. You can continue to disguise yourself as a passerby and stay in the tavern to investigate! If you find anyone suspicious, be sure to report it immediately!"

"Yes!"

Ye Shishu didn't linger and quickly left with Ninth Aunt.

But instead of returning to the general's mansion, they went to the Yufeng Marquis's mansion under cover of night.

The rest of the Yu Feng Marquis's residence was quiet, but You Qingbo's courtyard was bustling with servants bringing water and medicine.

Inside the room, You Qingbo's painful groans rose and fell, but they almost never stopped.

Ye Shishu didn't know the details of You Qingbo's situation, but he learned from Ye Shijun that You Qingbo was definitely ruined.

What shocked her at this moment was not how painful You Qingbo's groans were, but that Wen's voice could be heard coming from You Qingbo's room—

"Bo'er, just bear with it a little longer. The doctor said you'll be fine soon after taking the medicine!"

……

At cockcrow, Ye Shishu and Ninth Aunt returned to the General's Mansion.

Seeing Ye Shishu's gritted teeth, Ninth Aunt couldn't help but comfort her, "Your Highness, perhaps the spies were mistaken, and Wen Shi didn't go to that tavern."

Ye Shishu shook her head. "They are Second Brother's men, and they are quite capable. They wouldn't misjudge people. Huaxiang Pavilion is a mysterious gang. If they don't even have the ability to keep their identities hidden, that would be abnormal."

Unfortunately, she failed to find any evidence of Wen's dealings with Huaxiang Pavilion. She even spent two hours staking out the Marquis's residence, watching You Jianbin and Wen leave You Qingbo's courtyard, but didn't see anyone suspicious appear.

Ninth Aunt asked in bewilderment, “Your Highness, the Marquis of Yufeng’s mansion has repeatedly tried to poison you. You could have just eliminated them directly. Besides, with your abilities, eliminating them would not have been difficult. Why did you insist on finding the people from Huaxiang Pavilion? Most of those martial arts sects are just doing things for money. In the end, it is the buyer’s fault.”

Ye Shishu lowered her eyes.

Logically speaking, Aunt Jiu is right; the buyer is the most hateful one.

In her previous life, people from Huaxiang Pavilion had appeared before her, which meant it wasn't just a simple business deal, but a real accomplice!

Based on her experiences in her previous life, she strongly suspects that her mother's death was also unusual.

Unfortunately, she couldn't tell anyone about the former, and she had no evidence for the latter, so she could only secretly search for clues.

“Ninth Aunt, I’m just curious. My eldest aunt is just an ordinary housewife. How could she have any connection with Huaxiang Pavilion?”

Ninth Aunt said, "Your Highness, if you really want to find the people from Huaxiang Pavilion, you might as well tell the Prince. Perhaps the Prince has a way."

Ye Shishu looked up in surprise, "Your Highness has dealings with Huaxiang Pavilion?"

Ninth Aunt smiled slightly, "What I mean is that you can tell the Prince to send someone to inquire."

Ye Shishu chuckled dryly, "Let's forget it. I was just being curious. How could I trouble Your Highness with something like this?" Then she changed the subject, "Ninth Aunt, it's getting late. You've been running around with me all night. Go back to your room and rest."

Ninth Aunt opened her mouth, as if she still had something to say.

But seeing the weariness on her face, she ultimately said nothing and left.

At noon.

Ye Shishu was awakened by the sound of arguing outside the door.

"Ninth Aunt!" she couldn't help but call out towards the door.

Soon, Ninth Aunt pushed open the door and came in. She came to the bedside and said with a guilty look, "Your Highness, it was this servant who failed to watch the courtyard properly and let someone disturb your peaceful sleep."

Seeing the lingering anger on her face, Ye Shishu asked, "What's wrong? Who's causing trouble?"

Ninth Aunt replied, "Your Highness, your great-aunt's maid, Iris, came to Yuexin Courtyard and said that your great-aunt was entrusted by the General to arrange your marriage. So she sent Iris to take stock of your dowry and asked me for the key to your private treasury."

Ye Shishu's face darkened instantly. "Check my dowry?"

It's not that she's petty, but her great-aunt tried to take her dowry as soon as she arrived, which makes it hard for people to like her!

After a brief silence, she said to her aunt, "If anyone asks about my dowry again, I'll scold them if they want to, and embarrass them if they want to. I won't hold back. My dowry is all my mother's private property, and my father and my two older brothers can't make the decision."

"Yes." Seeing her so decisive, Ninth Aunt smiled.

What Ye Shishu didn't expect was that Old Madam Fan came to Yuexin Courtyard in person in the evening.

Facing the kind-faced Madam Fan, she suppressed her displeasure and, with the demeanor of a junior, welcomed her into the flower hall.

"Is Auntie settling in well at your place?"