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Chapter 965: Chapter 968 Suspicious Mud Stains
Qin Mingrui had successfully been found, and the women, in groups of threes and fives, returned to the back yard.
Although they all wanted to see the splendor of King Qin again, the distinction between men and women had to be to observed, and they had to consider their own status.
Moving around, Qiao Duo’er suddenly noticed the mud stain on the hem of Du Yingxue’s skirt; if she remembered correctly, the basket Xuan San had just carried also had mud hanging from it.
Qiao Duo’er narrowed her eyes, she had been in the birthing room the whole time, and if Xuan Er had appeared, it would have been unreasonable for her not to notice.
Back then, the room was filled with women, and a man’s presence would have been very conspicuous. Even if she hadn’t paid attention, there was a room full of people at the time—had none of them noticed?
The only explanation was that a female member of the family must have collaborated with Xuan San to carry the child out before handing the child over to Xuan San.
Qiao Duo’er quickly glanced over everyone’s hemlines; apart from Du Yingxue’s, everyone else’s skirts were neat.
"Miss Du, why are you in such a hurry?"
Qiao Duo’er called out to Du Yingxue with a harmless smile on her face.
Du Yingxue replied impatiently, "Mrs. Tan, are you even going to manage my bathroom affairs?"
"It’s understandable for people to have urgent needs, I only wanted to remind you to wash your hemline," Qiao Duo’er purposely spoke loudly.
Du Yingxue looked down and said in a fluster, "Thank you for the reminder, Mrs. Tan. It must have been from when I was carelessly searching for the young master just now."
It had rained yesterday, and getting a bit of mud on oneself was normal—it should cover things up.
"Don’t mention it; it just looks a bit like the outline of a basket."
Qiao Duo’er said seemingly offhandedly, but she was always paying attention to Du Yingxue’s expression.
With just one look, Qiao Duo’er had an idea.
Madam Qian’s gaze was complex, "It does indeed look quite like the basket that was carrying the young master."
If Du Yingxue had been in contact with that basket before... could it have been Du Yingxue who handed the child over to Xuan San?
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Qiao Hua’er said displeased.
Qiao Duo’er was somewhat surprised, judging by Qiao Hua’er’s manner, she must be the Du family’s legitimate madam.
Hmm... not bad tactics.
Seeing the astonishment in Qiao Duo’er’s eyes, Qiao Hua’er felt even more proud.
This time, Du Haofeng had contracted the plague and was unconscious.
She had bribed a Jianghu Sorcerer to declare that her birth chart would bring prosperity to her husband, and by marrying her, Haofeng’s safety was ensured and they could bear a precious child.
The Du family, panicking, immediately believed the sorcerer and took her in as a wife.
Indeed, on the third day after she entered their home, she claimed she had a medicine to treat the plague, and the Du Family Members’ faith in the sorcerer’s words only grew stronger. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑝𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Now, even her mother-in-law was willing to bring her along to social gatherings.
However, what disappointed Qiao Hua’er was that after only one glance at her, Qiao Duo’er then proceeded to ignore her existence. What did this mean?
"This might be a misunderstanding, the Du family has no animosity with the Qin family, and wouldn’t do such a thing," someone suggested.
"But it really is the mark of bamboo strips, just like the basket Xuan San was carrying."
"It could also be from somewhere it rubbed against, we mustn’t make unfounded speculations."
The mud on Du Yingxue’s skirt became the subject of everyone’s discussion.
Upon hearing unfavorable comments about Du Yingxue, Qiao Hua’er immediately retorted, "Don’t talk nonsense, Yingxue is very kind, she wouldn’t even harm an ant in ordinary times."
As Yingxue’s sister-in-law, it was her responsibility to protect her.
If she could appease Yingxue, her days in the Du family would also become much easier.
Upon hearing something related to her son, Chen Yiling could not help but take a closer look, and when she saw that mark, she became unsettled.
"ChunTao, go and call over the Prince and my husband, please."
