"Miss, is it really okay to deceive the young lord like this?" Chi Dan asked with concern.
"How can this be called deception? Although it's a guess, I have my reasons. You can start packing your things. Just think about the beautiful scenery along the way, and you won't worry about anything," Yu Mingyue waved her hand, leaving the rest of the trivial matters to them.
She took out a few travelogues she had obtained from Xie Jia Yan and began to read. The sky outside gradually darkened. Chi Dan lit a lamp and placed it not far from her, but Yu Mingyue was so engrossed in reading that she was completely unaware.
"Miss, someone from the residence of Princess Qingping has arrived," Chi Hua said, entering from outside.
"Why would Sister Ling Yi send someone this late? Please invite them in quickly!" Yu Mingyue closed the book and got off the couch.
"Sixth Miss, please save our Princess quickly, our Princess is dying." The person who arrived was Lu Mei, Princess Luo Ling Yi's personal maid. She knelt down as soon as she entered.
Although Luo Ling Yi was a princess and the future Princess Consort to the Seventh Prince, she had no friends in the capital. Previously, Consort Yao had repeatedly held banquets in the palace, making Luo Ling Yi's position increasingly awkward.
"I saw Sister Ling Yi doing well just a few days ago. What exactly happened? Please stop crying and explain clearly," Yu Mingyue helped Lu Mei up.
"Our Princess has been poisoned," Lu Mei confirmed.
Luo Ling Yi knew her predicament and acted with extreme discretion in the capital, yet even so, she could not escape being targeted by others.
Initially, she only experienced dizziness and fatigue. The imperial physician diagnosed it as qi deficiency and prescribed a few doses of medicine. However, the symptoms did not alleviate; instead, they worsened.
The county princess personally went to the palace to summon an imperial physician, who was replaced by another one, but the diagnosis remained the same.
After drinking the medicine, Luo Ling Yi slept all day, her hair fell out profusely, and her complexion turned sallow. A healthy person had been reduced to being bedridden.
Luo Ling Yi sensed something was wrong and secretly asked someone in the manor to invite an outside doctor. However, that doctor said the illness was strange and he could not treat it, advising them to prepare for the funeral.
Luo Ling Yi knew that Consort Yao found her occupying the position of Princess Consort to the Seventh Prince an eyesore and wanted her to die without anyone noticing.
She had already begun preparing for her funeral, arranging for the manor's guards to escort Ling Yuan out of the capital, hoping to save at least one person.
Her mother's plan was well-intentioned, but she did not anticipate the heartlessness of the imperial family, where even fathers and sons, husbands and wives could turn against each other, let alone siblings who had not seen each other for many years.
"My Princess feared implicating you, Madam, and did not want this servant to come. But Princess, this servant truly cannot bear to watch my mistress die like this. I heard that Sister Su Mu in your courtyard has excellent medical skills. Please ask her to come and see my Princess."
"Stop crying. You are a loyal maid. I will have Su Mu accompany you on this trip." Yu Mingyue spoke while already sending someone to summon Su Mu.
After Lu Mei left, Chi Hua could not help but remind her, "Miss, are you really going to get involved in Princess Qingping's affairs?"
If they saved Princess Qingping, wouldn't she become a thorn in Consort Yao's side? What if Consort Yao then tried to harm Miss?
Yu Mingyue looked at them, all tense. "Look how scared you are. Have you forgotten that Empress Wang is returning to the capital? How many more days do you think Consort Yao can be arrogant?"
"Then should we throw away all those things Consort Yao sent before?" What if they were also poisoned?
"Those things she sent are all registered with the Imperial Household Department. Consort Yao is not that foolish. I think the Yao family's good days are truly coming to an end this time," Yu Mingyue sneered.
The Yao family, as a sharp knife, was probably of no further use now, and it was time to discard it and find a new one.