Minglan is reborn, this time with no regrets!

"No, no, no, it's not me! It's really not me! It's Youji who is framing me, it's him who is framing me!" The maid was in great pain.

Youji spat, "You're talking nonsense! I have no grudge against you, why would I want to slander you?"

"You think I lied to hurt you, so you want to hurt me in the same way!" the maid shouted without thinking.

"So you admit that you were lying to me?" Youji looked at her.

"I didn't! It was you who went to the kitchen! This group of people all saw it and can all testify! You said that I was the one who called you, then what evidence do you have?" The maid suddenly found an idea and straightened her back instantly.

"Since you intend to harm me, you will naturally not leave any evidence. Why don't we go and ask Shitou to come and tell us what he saw?"

"No!" Xiao Qin was the first to shout.

Gu Yankai looked at her quietly and asked, "Why?"

Xiao Qin saw a coldness in his eyes that she had never seen before. She calmed herself down and said, "Erlang's health has just improved. Now is the time to use someone. How can we call Shitou to ask about these things? If he finds out, he will be sad again."

In fact, she heard Youji actually mention the stone on his own initiative, and was afraid that it was just as she expected, that the two brothers had already planned it and were digging a trap for her to fall into.

Gu Yankai said: "You are willing to help him find the person who poisoned him. If he knew, he would only be grateful to you. Why would he be sad?"

Xiao Qin's mind raced: "I... I'm just stupid. I just feel that if I let Shitou come back, Erlang will remember the day he was poisoned, and will be sad and upset that he was poisoned at home..."

"But it was clearly you who first suggested finding the stone." Gu Yankai's eyes almost saw through her.

"Hasn't the trial become a mess? As parents, we can't tell the truth from the false, and we have to ask our son's confidant to come back to testify. This is really..." She was confused and her words were also messy. Xiao Qinshi couldn't understand why Gu Yankai, who used to believe in her, suddenly became like this.

He knelt forward to his mother, held Xiao Qin's arm, and said, "Madam, don't be sad. If the second brother knew that you have done so much for him, he would be grateful to you."

"How could I expect his gratitude? As a mother, my son was murdered right under my nose, and I could do nothing... I wish I had drunk that poisonous medicine for him..." As she spoke, Xiao Qin began to cry, "My poor Erlang... Who on earth wants to harm you!" She became more and more sad, and finally she cried until she lay on the table.

Gu Yankai stared at her sobbing back for a long time before he said, "Well, didn't I tell you? The poison has been removed from him. Let him stay in the private house for the next few days, and don't let anyone around him bother him."

Xiao Qin raised her tear-stained face from the table and said, "Then I'll send some people to him. He only has that one stone by his side, and the other two are as stupid as a rock. I'm afraid they can't take good care of Erlang."

"No need. He is going to take the imperial examination. He should live a quiet and simple life. Why does he need so many servants?"

"Yes... I am stupid and don't understand these things. Luckily, Master reminded me. How about I send him some more supplements? He studied so hard and was poisoned so badly. He needs to take good care of himself!"

"I've already sent it off. The spring examination is approaching, so other people in the family should stop visiting him, to prevent him from being distracted again." Only then did Gu Yankai take his eyes off her.

"Yes, sir. I'll talk to the other families in the house tomorrow."

Gu Yankai said: "I'm tired. Take these people away and lock them up first. I will continue the interrogation tomorrow."

He looked at his mother and Xiao Qin for help.

"To my mother..." Xiao Qin looked at Gu Yankai cautiously.

"I said, take them all away! All of them! Are you deaf or don't understand?!" Gu Yankai roared and threw the teacup in his hand, scaring everyone to tremble.

Xiao Qin had never suffered such injustice from Gu Yankai. She suppressed the sob rising in her throat and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito: "Yes... Master..."

……

All night long, Xiao Qin's heart was beating wildly. She lay beside Gu Yankai, but felt like she had fallen into an empty abyss. All around her was Gu Yankai's cold eyes, as if he was a devil who wanted to devour her.

[I have done so much for the Gu family...]

She turned her head and looked at Gu Yankai's sleeping face in the dim light of the day.

[I have done so much for you, but you only have my elder sister in your heart. For so many years, you have only felt sorry for her and her son. You have never felt sorry for me, and you have never considered our son. In your eyes, only my elder sister and Gu Tingyu can be considered as your family, right? ]

In the darkness, tears streamed down her cheeks.

[But it was you who wanted to marry me! It was you who took me away from home again and again, and it was you who told my father that you would cherish me. Gu Yankai, you broke your promise, and you ruined my life! ]

More tears hit the pillow.

[My family, the Qin family of Dongchang Prefecture, is a noble family. From childhood to adulthood, everyone who sees me is respectful. But you, in front of so many servants, took away my confidant and even smashed the cup and yelled at me. Gu Yankai, you have such a cruel heart! All of you Gu family members are cruel butchers! Every one of you wants to eat me up.]

She suddenly wiped the tears from her face fiercely.

[I won't do as you wish, I won't do as you and your family wish, I want you to pay me back for everything you owe me! ]

At this moment, Gu Yankai suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at the pair of cold eyes beside the bed.

He seemed to be stabbed by the cold, and was stunned for a few breaths before asking, "Why didn't you sleep?"

"Ah, the master is awake?" Xiao Qin quickly put away the hatred that was spreading throughout her, put on a tired expression, and said, "I, I'll get up right now to help the master wash and dress." As she spoke, she propped herself up and sat up.

At this time, the morning light was dim and shone in through the window lattice. Gu Yankai saw that there was a large wet spot on Xiao Qinshi's pillow.

"Have you... cried all night?" Gu Yankai reached out and touched her pillow.

They each covered themselves with a quilt. Seeing this, Xiao Qinshi hurriedly used her own quilt to cover the pillow.

Gu Yankai pulled the pillow out of her quilt with force, and his hands immediately felt wet and cold.

"I... I just hate myself for being stupid. I can't figure out who among those people told lies last night. I feel sorry for mother Xiang and think it wasn't her. But if it wasn't her, then Youji was lying. But why would Dalang want to harm Erlang? I'm really... really useless! If my elder sister was here, she would definitely not let this happen!" Xiao Qin covered her face and burst into tears.

Her words "Why did Dalang want to harm Erlang" directly echoed what Gu Tingye said to Gu Yankai in the private residence. His heart suddenly tightened and he sat on the bed for a long time without saying a word.