When Yan Qingshu finished tidying up and walked out of the sleeping chamber, Tang Yinmian was already flipping through the books Qingshu usually read.
She stepped forward and sat down across from Tang Yinmian with a smile. "Sister Tang, thank you so much for last night."
Tang Yinmian placed the book on the table in front of her and smiled. "There's no need to thank me. I'd surely help you if you're in trouble."
"Besides, I did see that shadow before."
Yan Qingshu raised her eyebrows. "Sister Tang, when did you see it?"
"Almost a month ago," Tang Yinmian recalled, rubbing her chin.
She had been playing leaf cards with Qingshu late into the night and returned to the palace after dark.
Hearing this, Yan Qingshu lowered her eyes and curled up a smile.
Sure enough, someone was trying to frame her after having an affair on her own. They really didn't want to miss any chance to harm her!
"Qingshu, did His Majesty ask you about that shadow? Did he suspect you?" Tang Yinmian took a sip of tea. Seeing her silent, she couldn't help but feel worried.
Yan Qingshu looked up and saw the worried face of the person in front of her. She raised a smile. "Sister Tang, don't worry. His Majesty didn't implicate me because of this."
Hearing this, Tang Yinmian finally let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good."
"I was just worried about you. If His Majesty suspected you, you'd be so sad."
Yan Qingshu pursed her lips and smiled. "Don't worry. His Majesty didn't."
Tang Yinmian nodded. Her eyes fell on Qingshu's slightly bulging belly. She raised a smile. "I didn't expect you to be carrying twins."
"It seems the gift I gave you a few days ago might not be enough. I'll surely prepare two gifts for these two children and let them recognize me as their godmother."
Having said that, she thought for a while, looking a bit troubled. Finally, she simply took off a green jade bracelet from her hand and placed it on the table.
"Look, this jade bracelet was made from the jade material rewarded by the Queen. I had someone make it for me especially. I've been wearing it for some time. Let this be the gift for the other child when they call me godmother, okay?"
Yan Qingshu took the bracelet. Just as she was about to take a closer look, the anxious voice of the system rang in her mind.
[Host, throw it away quickly! There's musk in it!]
Yan Qingshu's eyes froze on the bracelet in her hand. She quickly placed the bracelet on the table, her hands trembling uncontrollably.
Musk...
Yan Qingshu's pupils trembled. She looked at Tang Yinmian's face in disbelief.
Her emotions were out of control. The look of horror on her face fell into Tang Yinmian's eyes.
"Qingshu, what's wrong? Don't you like it?" Seeing her change her expression, Tang Yinmian felt a bit disappointed.
"No, Sister Tang. When did the Queen reward you this jade material for the bracelet?" Yan Qingshu shifted her gaze from the green and transparent bracelet, feeling a bit incredulous in her heart.
"This was the jade material the Queen rewarded me after my last night with the Emperor. I thought it had a nice color, so I've been wearing it all the time."
Yan Qingshu clenched her fists. Hearing this, she let out a slight sigh of relief in her heart.
It seemed that the Queen had rewarded it to her during their stay in the palace.
Yan Qingshu didn't dare to think about what would happen if she had foolishly worn the bracelet without the system's warning.
"Thank you, Sister Tang. I like it very much."
The happy smile on the person across from her was extremely dazzling. Yan Qingshu took the bracelet and put it on in front of her.
"You look good! It suits you very well." Tang Yinmian smiled cheerfully and continued to drink tea and eat snacks, showing no sign of uneasiness at all.
Yan Qingshu had just taken the antidote pill from the system. These traces of musk couldn't harm her, so wearing it now posed no threat.
However, she couldn't help but wonder whether it was the Queen or the Tang Yinmian she had completely trusted...
Yan Qingshu's face turned a bit pale. She didn't dare to think about it or dig deeper.
If it was about offending someone, she had always been kind to Sister Tang, and they had never had a fight or been unhappy with each other...
Thinking about it, Yan Qingshu's eyes fell on Tang Yinmian's face. Seeing that there was not a hint of guilt on her face and that she continued to chat with her merrily.
Maybe... maybe it was the Queen's doing, and Sister Tang was unaware of it. Yan Qingshu tried hard to convince herself.
After floating and sinking in the palace for so long, Tang Yinmian was the only one she had truly befriended.
In the following time, seeing that Qingshu's face looked a bit pale, Tang Yinmian was a bit worried and tried to distract her by talking about other things.
"Qingshu, you don't know. When I went to pay my respects this morning, all the flowers in the imperial garden were in bloom! It's already autumn, but we can still see the spring-like scenery. It's really amazing."
If it had been before, Yan Qingshu would surely have discussed with her which flower was the most fragrant. But now, she felt cold all over and just felt chilled.
Tang Yinmian was still talking. Yan Qingshu found an excuse, saying that she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest. Tang Yinmian asked a few worried questions before leaving.
Watching her back disappear, Yan Qingshu quickly took off the green bracelet on her wrist and placed it on the table.
Looking at the green bracelet in her hand, it was a top-quality jadeite, priceless.
Yan Qingshu's eyes were moist, and her throat felt choked.
She sniffed and called for Zhuyao.
Zhuyao lifted the beaded curtain and came in. Seeing Qingshu with red eyes, she was a bit anxious. "My lady, what's wrong with you?"
Yan Qingshu wiped away her tears and handed the bracelet to Zhuyao. "Put this bracelet away properly. Don't open it. Then find a bracelet of similar quality from the storeroom for me."
Zhuyao took the bracelet and was a bit puzzled. "My lady, isn't this the bracelet that Lady Tang just gave you? I saw that you liked it very much just now. Why do you want to put it away?"
"I'm afraid I'll break it. Just put it away." Yan Qingshu casually found an excuse.
Now that she hadn't figured out whether this bracelet was the Queen's doing or Sister Tang's...
She couldn't jump to conclusions now. She could only wait and see.
Zhuyao nodded. She took the bracelet and walked out. She found a brocade box, carefully wrapped the bracelet, and placed it in the storeroom. Then she found a bracelet of similar quality from the storeroom.
"My lady, this is the most similar one to that green bracelet." Zhuyao handed the box in her hand to Qingshu.
Yan Qingshu took out the bracelet. This time, the system didn't make a sound. Only then did Yan Qingshu feel relieved and put it on.
"Zhuyao, if Lady Tang comes to see me again in the future, tell me in time." Yan Qingshu looked up and gave the order.
Zhuyao just felt that her lady had been acting a bit strange since Lady Tang left.
Before she had time to think further, there was a noisy sound outside.
Shihua lifted the beaded curtain and walked in. "My lady, these are the gifts from the concubines in each palace. They are all to congratulate you on carrying twins."
Yan Qingshu lowered her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed.
"Bring them all in. You all register them properly and put them all in the storeroom." Yan Qingshu frowned and waved her hand casually.
She put on the replaced bracelet. Looking at this bracelet, its quality was no less than the previous one. It made her skin look even whiter.
Yan Qingshu lay on the table. Her mind and heart were in a complete mess, hazy and hard to distinguish.