Calculating that she had unknowingly developed an increased appetite, it would be difficult to restrain her diet when the time came.
Eating was not good, and not eating was not good either—for a pregnant woman, this was a form of torment.
Pregnant women were most susceptible to emotional turmoil, which not only increased the burden of childbirth but was also harmful to the child.
Madam Bai trembled with anger as she looked at the table full of food, as if seeing some kind of flood or ferocious beast.
Yan Tingbai reached out to comfort his wife: “Don’t eat these things. Let the servants order a feast from Yuelai Restaurant instead!
They may be able to meddle within this mansion, but Yuelai Restaurant is backed by Prince Jian—it’s not a place where they can act recklessly.”
He dared not let Madam Bai eat anything from the mansion now, for who knew what methods his stepmother had used to ensnare his wife.
“Alright,” Madam Bai nodded. Not only did she intend to avoid the food in the mansion, but she also wanted to thoroughly investigate the traitor who had betrayed them from within. “Once I find out who this ungrateful wretch is, I’ll sell off their entire family, old and young alike.”
When it came to her own safety and that of her child, Madam Bai could no longer afford to be gentle and virtuous. She was like an enraged mother beast, eager to tear her enemies apart immediately to ensure her own safety.
“Gui Rou,” Yan Tingbai called his wife’s name. Only when Madam Bai looked at him did he continue, “Father said he has his own plans regarding this matter. I think it’s best not to act hastily and risk alerting the enemy.”
Otherwise, if his stepmother and the second branch of the family retreated, and the old master found nothing, he might think Yuan Jie’er was just talking nonsense!
Madam Bai took a deep breath to calm herself down. “I understand. I won’t cause any commotion.
But we still need to investigate. I think we should start within our own courtyard first and leave the rest for later.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Yan Tingbai, who lacked strong opinions, agreed once Madam Bai had made up her mind.
Swallow Holding Branch had no desire to be taken away, but being young and without a say, she was led by a maid to eat pear stewed with rock sugar. After finishing, she was taken to feed the koi fish, watch the birds, and only after a round of activities was she brought back to her parents.
She carefully observed her parents’ expressions. Both were smiling brightly, showing no signs of anything amiss.
However, the table in the room had been cleared spotlessly—not even a pot of water remained.
Her mother had changed her clothes, now wearing a crabapple-red wide-sleeved jacket made of Shu brocade with a round medallion linked pearls paired geese pattern, its edges trimmed with a treasure flower border in gold mud.
The gold-mud resist-dyed gauze half-sleeve revealed the pattern of the inner jacket beneath, its cuffs adorned with small sese stones, complementing the pomegranate-red light gauze shawl embroidered with scattered sprigs of apricot blossoms in twisted gold thread.
Her golden-yellow six-panel silk skirt featured a peacock holding ribbon pattern embroidered on the front panel, shimmering subtly under the light—a rich and elegant style that showcased the wealth and heritage of the marquis’ household.
Swallow Holding Branch moved closer. There was no trace of the familiar fragrance on Madam Bai’s person; she had even replaced her beloved sachets and blended incense products.
It seemed her mother already knew and had quickly taken precautions. Swallow Holding Branch breathed a sigh of relief. With both internal and external safeguards in place, her mother would likely be much safer this time.
Yet Swallow Holding Branch remained worried. In the rear courtyard of the marquis’ household in her previous life, the women’s sinister methods were truly impossible to guard against completely.
She looked up at her mother, who was not yet twenty years old—still so young. As a girl from a scholarly family, she had rarely been able to go out and experience the world. Would her mother be a match for Wang Caibing and the second branch of the family?
However, it turned out that Madam Bai truly had her own way of doing things. She had her trusted confidante, Nanny Li, who had accompanied her as part of her dowry, gather her daily necessities—including makeup powder, lip balm, fabrics, fragrances, tea sets, bowls and chopsticks, bedding, and pillows—and pack up the most frequently used items.
Then, under the pretext of sending festival gifts for the upcoming Qingming Festival, she had Nanny Li take these items back to her maiden home, asking her own mother to find someone to check whether they had been tampered with.
Afterward, Madam Bai also hired several pregnant cats and fed them her daily meals, while she herself did not touch a single bite.
Every day, her meals were either ordered by Yan Tingbai or by her trusted servants from restaurants, packed into food containers and brought to the Cloud-Grasping Pavilion. Only then would Madam Bai have something to eat and drink.
Seeing that her mother was so cautious that she dared not even drink a sip of water from the marquis’s residence, Swallow Holding Branch finally felt her anxious heart settle.
Her mother’s various responses were enough to prove that she was a competent mistress of the household, with a mind no less sharp than anyone else’s.
Wang Caibing and the second branch would gain no advantage from targeting her mother.
The changes in the Cloud-Grasping Pavilion remained within a small circle, and with Madam Bai’s well-prepared excuses and cover-ups, the mastermind behind the scenes did not realize that their plan had already been exposed.
Three days passed in this manner, and Madam Bai’s maiden family sent festival gifts in return to their married daughter—food, drinks, and daily necessities, all of which were abundant.
The person delivering the gifts was a nanny serving Swallow Holding Branch’s maternal grandmother, surnamed Zhang. Nanny Zhang not only brought the festival gifts but also delivered a message.
Most of the items Madam Bai had sent back to her maiden home for inspection earlier turned out to be fine.
Whether it was food, daily necessities, clothing, fragrances, or regular meals, there were no issues. Neither using them individually nor in combination would cause any harm to a pregnant woman.
The problem lay in a teacup that Madam Bai often used, which was part of her dowry.
This teacup was particularly special—it had been molded and fired by Madam Bai and her grandfather when she was a child. Because of its sentimental value, she had brought it with her to the marquis’s residence when she married.
However, last year, Yan Tingbai accidentally broke the cup. If it had been any other piece of tea ware, it would have simply been discarded.
But because this cup held special meaning for Madam Bai, she could not bear to throw it away and specifically had a servant find a craftsman to repair it.
Afterward, Madam Bai continued to use the teacup as usual, never expecting that it would become the loophole exploited by someone.
Nanny Zhang said gravely, “Madam repeatedly examined your items but could not find anything amiss. It was only after reporting to the old madam, who invited an elderly nanny from the palace to help inspect them, that the issue was discovered.
The damaged teacup had been boiled in medicinal liquid for a long time beforehand. The liquid seeped into the cracks of the cup, accumulating inside and not easily washed away with water.
Once the cup encounters heat, the medicinal properties gradually dissolve into the water. Thus, anyone using this cup would unknowingly fall victim.”
The mastermind behind this did not use harmful poison. Upon inspection, it was found that the liquid seeping into the cracks of the teacup contained only appetite-stimulating herbs.
Whoever used this cup would not experience any adverse reactions—at most, they might feel their appetite had improved slightly recently.
Apart from that, there were no other harmful effects, which was why Madam Bai had unknowingly been eating more.
Fortunately, it was discovered in time. Now, as long as she stays away from this cup, Madam Bai will gradually return to her normal eating habits.
“Madam knows you’ve been plotted against and is terribly anxious, worried about your health. She wants to find a doctor to examine you thoroughly.
You previously instructed not to alert the enemy, so tomorrow, Madam will pretend to feel unwell and send someone to inform you.”
At that time, Madam Bai will have an excuse to return to her maiden home, taking the opportunity to have the doctor examine her properly.