Chapter 229
"Princess Consort, please calm your anger. There might still be some misunderstanding in this matter." Upon hearing this, Nanny Luo hurriedly tried to console the Dowager Princess Consort.
Nanny Luo frowned as she looked at the gossiping little maids by the door. Didn't they know the Dowager Consort was in poor health?
How dare they discuss these baseless accusations in front of the Dowager Princess Consort?
"Where there's smoke, there's fire. If this had never happened, why would they bring it up?" After speaking, the Dowager Princess Consort coughed lightly a few more times, clearly beginning to harbor doubts about the matter.
"Dowager Consort, Miss Li is not that kind of person. Besides, if it weren't for Lord Li's timely reminder that day, you..." Nanny Luo stopped herself abruptly at this point, as the Dowager Consort was unaware that she had been poisoned.
"What about me? Cough..." The Dowager Princess Consort looked at Nanny Luo with confusion, sensing that she was hiding something.
However, since she didn't elaborate, the Dowager Consort didn't press further.
Yet, the doubts in her heart only grew heavier.
"Dowager Consort, you are fine. It's just that this old servant thinks someone might be jealous of Miss Li and deliberately spreading rumors. Think about it, wasn't the young heir also with Miss Li when they went to Li'an County?"
If something had really happened, the young heir wouldn't have allowed it, right?
"Didn't they say Qingshi has returned? Why haven't I seen him?" Mentioning her grandson made the Dowager Princess Consort feel even more unsettled.
After all, she had missed her little grandson terribly these past days, yet Xu Qingshi hadn't come to see her even after returning.
And Zheng Qiaoshu, she hadn't seen her since she woke up either.
"The young heir will surely come once he's properly rested," Nanny Luo said, her eyes evasive.
She had heard that the young heir was actually suffering from seasickness and was still recovering.
He probably wouldn't be able to come to Ci'an Hall for a while.
"And Qiaoshu? I fell ill, why didn't she come either?" The Dowager Princess Consort said with some displeasure.
"Dowager Consort, Miss Zheng... has gone back home," Nanny Luo quickly offered the excuse she had prepared earlier.
"She left without a word?" The Dowager Princess Consort was very displeased upon hearing this. She hadn't treated Zheng Qiaoshu poorly, yet she just left like that?
If her elder brother didn't know the circumstances, he might think she had mistreated her.
She didn't even take a proper congratulatory gift.
Returning like this, her brothers back home would undoubtedly gossip about her behind her back.
"Miss Zheng had urgent matters and left in a hurry. Surely the Zheng family won't blame you," Nanny Luo said with a smile.
She thought to herself that the Zheng family's master was probably already on his way to the capital.
What Zheng Qiaoshu had done was no small matter.
Meanwhile, the rumors from outside had also reached the ears of a few youngsters.
"Oh my! Xu Qingshi's pretty stepmother got married?" Jiang Yu exclaimed in disbelief.
"Keep your voice down. This isn't exactly good news," Xie Yanzhi quickly stopped him.
He thought to himself that Xu Qingshi would probably be very upset if he heard about this.
"But everyone is saying it!" Jiang Yu didn't think he had said anything wrong, as he wasn't the one who started the rumor.
He just didn't understand; hadn't his mother said Miss Li was a good person?
Why would she suddenly abandon Uncle Xu and marry someone else?
"I don't think Miss Li would abandon Qingshi," Xie Yanzhi said, thinking of Li Zhiwei, who had protected them without regard for her own safety back then.
She must have liked Uncle Xu.
Otherwise, why would she go out of her way to protect them, who were unrelated to her?
"Who knows? I haven't seen Qingshi in ages. How about we go to the An Prince's mansion to find him?"
Jiang Yu thought of their bond as friends who had been through hardship together with Xu Qingshi. They missed him terribly after not seeing him for so long.
"But I heard Qingshi isn't in the capital," Xie Yanzhi frowned.
He hadn't seen Xu Qingshi in a long time either. In the past, they were practically inseparable.
The two then immediately agreed and decided to go directly to the An Prince's mansion to find Xu Qingshi.
"I want to go with you too," Wei Herui, who had been silent until now, suddenly stood up and said.
He also hadn't seen Xu Qingshi in a long time.
Without Xu Qingshi to argue with, he felt like something was missing from his days, and it was quite uncomfortable.
Now, hearing Jiang Yu and the others were going to the An Prince's mansion, he wanted to tag along.
Besides, Xu Qingshi's stepmother was gone too. Let's see how he could still boast in front of him about having an amazing stepmother now.
Thinking this, Wei Herui felt smug. Step-parents were just unreliable.
His own birth mother might not be as beautiful as that stepmother of his, but she was his real mother and would definitely never marry someone else.
With this thought, Wei Herui's smugness returned. Xu Qingshi still couldn't compare to him.
When the group arrived at the An Prince's mansion, Liu Ming happened to see them and quickly went forward to greet them, asking with a smile, "Young masters, is there something you need?"
"Steward Liu, we'd like to see the heir. Is he here?" Xie Yanzhi hurriedly asked.
After all, he had come a few times before, but the answer was always that Xu Qingshi wasn't in.
"Young masters, your timing is perfect. The young heir returned just yesterday and is currently resting," Liu Ming knew that Xu Qingshi was still recovering.
However, he was also worried that Xu Qingshi might be too bored, so he thought of letting these young masters in to keep him company.
"Steward Liu, can we go see Qingshi?" Jiang Yu quickly asked.
"Of course you may enter. Take these young masters to Liangxi Courtyard," Liu Ming promptly called over a servant to lead them to Xu Qingshi's Liangxi Courtyard.
Xu Qingshi currently looked rather pale.
He had been vomiting the entire journey, and even now, back home, he still felt as if the room was swaying.
It was extremely uncomfortable.
Fortunately, after disembarking, he no longer felt the urge to vomit.
Xu Heming had instructed him to visit the Dowager Princess Consort at Ci'an Hall today.
But Xu Qingshi simply didn't want to get up at the moment.
"Young Master, perhaps I should have someone bring you some porridge?" Seeing Xu Qingshi's weak state, Moyu felt heartbroken.
"I don't want to eat," Xu Qingshi shook his head. The mere thought of food brought back the terrible feeling of nausea.
He was traumatized by the vomiting.
"Young Master, you must eat something. The Dowager Consort is quite seriously ill, and she's waiting for you to visit her." Thinking of the Dowager Consort's condition, Moyu now felt compelled to tell Xu Qingshi.
Upon hearing that the Dowager Consort was seriously ill, Xu Qingshi immediately wanted to get out of bed and go to Ci'an Hall to see her.
"Young Master, what are you doing?" Seeing Xu Qingshi trying to get up, Moyu quickly put down the medicine bowl in his hand to support him. Little did he expect that Xu Qingshi, having not eaten for so long, would collapse forward the moment he stood up.
"Young Master!" Moyu was terrified and rushed forward to catch him.
Xu Qingshi felt the world spinning around him.
That awful feeling of sickness surged in his heart again.
"Young Master, look who's here?"
Before Xu Qingshi could even lament his discomfort, he heard a servant's somewhat excited voice.
How could Xu Qingshi have the mind to see anyone at this moment?
His mind was filled with the thought: Am I going to die?
