After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

Bai Zhi felt a little embarrassed by her gaze, scratched her head, and lowered her voice to say, "My mother said that I had to sort beans while kneeling in the Buddhist hall as punishment, and she was afraid that you would suffer from it, so she asked me to take two bags of beans from the kitchen before I left."

"I tied it to my back and covered it with a cloak. Luckily, that old woman Wang didn't notice."

She deftly poured the undivided beans from the bowl in front of Afu into her empty bag, and then shoved the two piles of divided beans on the ground into two empty bowls, pretending that they had just been divided.

After doing all this, she squatted down next to Afu, her face full of guilt and anger.

"Sister, I'm sorry, it's all my fault today." Bai Zhi's tears fell. "I didn't mean to leave the small kitchen..."

"I know." Afu swallowed the last bite of steamed bun, reached out and wiped away the tears on her face. "It's not your fault, I just didn't see the problem during the last check."

"It's Xiao Mei, the one who's with Tao Yao!" Bai Zhi gritted her teeth, her voice filled with anger. "Her house is in the next courtyard. She came to me at noon and said that my grandma fell at home and that I should go back and check on her right away."

"My parents have been away from home for the past few days. When I heard that, I panicked and didn't care about anything else. I entrusted my things to Yunxi and ran home."

"When I got home, I found Grandma sunbathing in the yard! That's when I realized I'd been tricked. By the time I ran back, it was already...it was already overheard..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face with anger. "It's all my fault for being so stupid. I fell for their trick and gave them the opportunity to tamper with the plum sorbet!"

It turned out to be the case.

Afu's last remaining doubt was also resolved.

"It's not your fault. Anyone would be worried if they heard something like this." Afu patted her hand, her voice calm. "Luckily, you're alright, and your grandma is alright too. That's enough."

Bai Zhi sniffed, looking at Afu's pale face, feeling even more distressed: "Sister, you've been wronged."

Afu shook her head, and even curved her lips into a smile. "I'm full now, so how could I be upset?"

She pointed to the two bowls of beans, "Thanks to you, I don't even have to continue this work."

Bai Zhi burst out laughing at her, tears still on her face, looking both pitiful and funny.

"Sister, after you've eaten, lean against the pillar and rest for a while. If you can sleep, take a nap," Bai Zhi instructed. "Tomorrow morning, as soon as Granny Wang opens the door, just say you've divided it up. She won't be able to tell anything."

"I'm leaving now; if I stay any longer, she'll become suspicious."

After she finished speaking, she stuffed the cloth bag containing the mixed beans into her bosom, quietly unlatched the door, peeked out and said a few kind words to Granny Wang, before quickly leaving with the empty food box.

The Buddhist hall returned to silence.

Afu slowly felt sleepy, curled up on her side on the futon, and drifted off to sleep.

Wang Pozi hadn't gone far under the eaves.

She peered through the crack in the window and watched as Afu's breathing gradually became even before taking out a thin bamboo tube from her sleeve and carefully blowing it in.

She waited a while longer before raising her voice and calling out twice, "Miss Afu? Miss Afu?"

There was no response from inside, so she pushed the door open and went in, walking to Afu's side.

She didn't draw blood immediately, but instead looked around to see if there was any wire or sharp object that could be used to disguise the wound.

She paced back and forth, frowning, when she suddenly heard Afu utter a muffled murmur, her eyelids twitching almost imperceptibly, as if she were about to wake up.

Granny Wang's heart tightened. Without time to think, she grabbed Afu's arm and made another cut near the old wound where the scab had just fallen off.

Blood beads rolled down the blade. She hurriedly caught a few drops in a small porcelain bottle, then immediately let go, ignoring the fact that Afu's arm was still bleeding. She tucked the bottle away and quickly turned to leave.

Afu was awakened by the pain in her arm. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw the gray beams and pillars of the Buddhist hall. The candlelight flickered, and a sharp pain shot through her arm.

She glanced to the side and saw a small patch of blood soaking her cuff. Near the old wound, there was a fresh cut, and blood was still seeping out. The edges of the wound were clean, as if it had been made by a sharp blade.

She was in so much pain that sweat beaded on her forehead. She propped herself up and called out towards the door, "Is anyone there?"

Granny Wang pushed the door open and came in, looking impatient: "What are you yelling about in the middle of the night?"

Afu covered her arm and said, "Please give me some wound medicine, Granny. I don't know how I injured my arm."

Granny Wang glanced at it, muttered "troublesome" under her breath, but didn't go out to get the medicine. Instead, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her person.

Afu paused for a moment, her gaze lingering on the porcelain bottle. She always carried wound medicine with her.

Granny Wang had already uncorked the bottle, roughly sprinkled a layer of powder on it, and then haphazardly wrapped a strip of cloth around it twice, all in a very quick motion.

Afu looked down at her bandaged arm, but caught a glimpse of Granny Wang's drooping sleeve. Inside the sleeve were two dark red bloodstains that had dried for a while.

But when she was applying the medicine, no blood dripped from her arm onto Granny Wang.

Following her gaze, Granny Wang looked down, then quickly withdrew her hand, covering her sleeve with her other hand. When she looked up, her eyes flashed, and then she put on a stern face: "What are you looking at? You can leave first thing tomorrow morning."

After she finished speaking, without waiting for Afu to say anything more, she turned around and walked out quickly, closing the door behind her.

The Buddhist hall fell silent again. Afu sat on the prayer cushion, looking down at her arm, which had been hastily bandaged.

She recalled that the last time she woke up after fainting, she had a cut on her arm from a wire. Having injuries on her body after fainting twice was certainly not a coincidence.

As dawn broke, the door to the small Buddhist shrine creaked open.

Afu tried to stand up, but her knees felt like they were being stabbed by countless needles at once; they were numb and painful, and she couldn't put any weight on them.

Granny Wang watched coldly from the side, showing no intention of helping. She just pursed her lips and turned to leave.

Afu stood there for a long time before finally supporting herself on the cold base of the Buddha statue, little by little, she managed to lift herself up from the ground.

She used her uninjured left hand to support herself against the wall and slowly walked out of the small Buddhist hall. The small Buddhist hall was built in the most remote western corner of the Marquis's mansion, and one had to pass through a small garden to reach the main road.

As soon as Afu turned into the garden path, she saw a person standing next to the artificial hill not far away.

The man was dressed in a moon-white robe, slender in build, with a refined and elegant face, and was looking at a cluster of roses in full bloom with his hands behind his back.

He is Xie Yun's husband, Wei Changsheng.

Afu felt a little uneasy. She looked so disheveled that if she encountered a strict master, she would inevitably be criticized for being improper.

She instinctively lowered her head, intending to take another path around the area.

"Miss Afu." A gentle voice sounded from behind.

Afu paused, turned around, lowered her eyes, and gave a curtsy: "Greetings, son-in-law."

"No need for formalities." Wei Changsheng walked over and stopped three steps away from her. His gaze was calm, without any scrutiny or disdain, which made her feel a little more at ease.

"I have something I'd like to ask you. Would you mind taking up a moment of my time?" he said sincerely.