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Just moments later, Yuan Hongjun arrived, his hands filled with wild berries, red and dewy, “I went to pick some wild berries. They’re really sweet. Try some.”

Fan Yuru felt a pang of guilt, thinking he had left her while he was actually gathering berries for her, “Thank you.”

“No need to be polite, eat up. I’ll go gather some herbs, and then we can head down the mountain at noon.”

“Ok.”

Da Bai emerged from a bush, its fur soaked again. Fan Yuru took out a handkerchief to dry it off, “Naughty. If Qingzhi saw you like this, she’d definitely not touch you.”

Da Bai was stunned when it heard this. It quickly sat down and raised its face to let Fan Yuru wipe it. It definitely couldn’t let its master find it too dirty to touch. “Hongjun, can Da Bai understand human speech?”

“Yes, the tigers, wolves, and eagles my master raised could all understand human speech. They’re very intelligent.”

“Next time, I’ll ask Qingzhi to pick one for me too.”

“What do you want to keep?”

Fan Yuru thought for a moment, “A parrot might suit me.”

“That would be fitting for you…”

At the Chu Residence.

A luxurious carriage pulled up in front of the Chu family’s gate.

Ning Yuting stepped down from the carriage and then turned to assist Chu Qingyue. Today was Chu Qingyue’s return to her maiden home, and the weather was clear, everything looked golden and bright.

The Chu family had canceled all their outings to welcome the young couple at the gate.

The elders, seeing Chu Qingyue dressed in fine clothes and looking well, felt reassured.

Chu Qingyue and Ning Yuting stepped forward to greet, “Grandfather, grandmother, father, mother (in-laws), elder brother and sister-in-law, and all my younger brothers and sisters.”

Grandpa Chu helped Ning Yuting up. “Good, let’s go in.”

Everyone entered the mansion, and the butler along with maids and servants started moving gifts from the carriage into the house. There were so many gifts it took a while to finish.

Inside, Ning Yuting joined Grandfather Chu, Chu Rong, and the other men in the main hall for a chat, while Chu Qingyue went with Grandmother Chu, Li Qingyu, and the other female family members to the inner courtyard for a conversation.

Around Chu Qingyue, everyone settled down.

Chu Qingning asked with concern, “Second sister, how is it at Brother Yuting’s house? Has anyone made things difficult for you?”

Chu Qingyue smiled and shook her head, “They’re all very kind. The second and third branches live separately, and the other relatives live in adjacent houses, so we rarely meet and have little conflict.”

Hearing it directly from Chu Qingyue, Li Qingyu finally felt at ease, “In such a large family, internal strife is what I feared the most.”

Chu Qingyue reassured with a smile, “Mother, don’t worry about me. Yuting and grandfather are very supportive; I’m living well.”

“That’s good to hear. I was most afraid of you being mistreated.”

Chu Qingyue held Li Qingyu’s hand, joyfully saying, “Mother, Yuting and I are planning to travel down south for a while. I won’t be able to return to see you all for a short period.”

Li Qingyu smiled, “That’s fine, as long as you’re happy.”

“Second sister, your handkerchief fell.” A gust of wind blew, and the handkerchief that was on Chu Qingyue’s lap fell to the ground. Chu Qingning picked it up for her.

“Wait.” Chu Qingzhi, who was sitting in the direction of the wind, suddenly smelled something unpleasant.

Everyone turned their heads in confusion towards Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingyue voiced everyone’s question, “Fifth sister, what’s wrong?”

Chu Qingzhi took the handkerchief and smelled it, detecting the scent of cottonseed, which is known to cause infertility in women. “Second sister, what did you eat today?”

Chu Qingyue recalled, “I had a bowl of medicinal porridge, radish cake, egg yolk buns, and white porridge.”

Chu Qingning cautiously asked, “Fifth sister, is there a problem?”

“I’ll tell you in a bit.” Chu Qingzhi handed the handkerchief back to Chu Qingyue, trying not to alarm everyone. Her expression softened, “Second sister, can I see your sachet?”

Chu Qingyue quickly handed over her waist pouch to Chu Qingzhi, “Fifth sister, this sachet was given to me by Xia Mei. She said Yuting likes this scent.”

“Hmm.” Chu Qingzhi opened the sachet, pouring out its contents – some dried flower petals. She sifted through them with her fingers, inspecting closely. The petals themselves didn’t seem problematic, but the scent was off, carrying the smell of Thunder God Vine.

Chu Qingzhi picked up a petal, smelling it again to confirm. Indeed, it bore the scent of Thunder God Vine.

The perpetrator was cunning, having soaked the petals in Thunder God Vine’s juice before drying them, thus concealing their true nature effectively.

Thunder God Vine can also cause infertility in women, and its effects are potent. Long-term exposure, especially when combined with consuming medicinal dishes containing cottonseed, could likely result in Chu Qingyue being infertile for life.

Everyone looked at Chu Qingzhi anxiously, fearing the worst.

After sharing her findings, Chu Qingzhi reassured them, “It’s been a short time, so it hasn’t affected her health yet. There’s no need to worry.”

“What should I do now, Fifth Sister?” Chu Qingyue was scared, having thought the mansion was peaceful, only to discover someone had targeted her right from the start.

Li Qingyu was also frightened, her heart hanging high once again. She held Chu Qingyue’s hand tightly, “It’s okay, Qingyue, it’s good that we found out early. Your health is still fine.”

She then grabbed Chu Qingzhi’s hand, her worry and fear evident, “Qingzhi…”

Chu Qingzhi patted Li Qingyu’s hand, “Mother, we just need to find out who did this. It’s not a big deal. I’ll help Second Sister.”

Holding Chu Qingzhi’s hand, Chu Qingyue’s hand trembled slightly, now hesitant to even return, “Fifth sister, I’ll tell Yuting about this and we’ll catch the culprit together.”

Thinking of the malicious intent behind the act, she became restless.

Chu Qingzhi calmed her, “Second sister, stay calm. It’s not too late to tell Yuting in the afternoon when you go back. Qingning and I will accompany you. Just say you invited your sisters over for a visit. Let’s not alert the perpetrator prematurely.”

Chu Qingyue swallowed hard, “Yes, Fifth Sister, I’ll follow your advice.”

What was supposed to be a joyful return was now overshadowed by this unsettling incident.

Chu Qingning followed Chu Qingzhi to her room, “Fifth Sister, who do you think could be behind this?”

Chu Qingzhi sat behind her desk, “It could be anyone from the Ning family, but the second and third branches are the most likely, as it benefits them the most.”

With Grandfather Ning’s health failing, everyone was vying for the family’s fortune. Inheritance disputes have always been anything but peaceful, often downright brutal.

Chu Qingning frowned. “But even if the first branch doesn’t have children, there is still Second Brother-in-law. They wouldn’t gain much by plotting against Second Sister.”

Chu Qingzhi explained, “If Yuting and Second Sister remain childless, it’s very likely that a child from either the second or third branch would be adopted. That way, they could gain control of the Ning family without much effort.”

Chu Qingning was surprised, “Such a far-reaching plan.”

“Let’s not speculate any further. We’ll find out more when we visit the Ning residence this afternoon.”

“Ok.”

After Chu Qingning left the room, Chu Qingzhi released the Golden Feathered Phoenix, “Jinghong, I need to visit Second Sister’s place this afternoon. Something came up. Can we reschedule our meeting?”

Tang Jinghong felt a bit disappointed but didn’t show it, quickly replying, “Okay.”