Zhou Xiruo, holding back her tears, said, "Miss Wan, I didn't mean it... I didn't know the medicine was so hot."
An Wan retorted angrily, "You don't know? You don't know it's hot, yet you're holding it with a handkerchief?"
The commotion here naturally alerted the people in the mansion, and even Ye Qingcheng rushed over in a hurry. An Xin frowned more deeply.
"Servant?! I'd like to see who dares to call my daughter-in-law a servant!" Ye Qingcheng's angry shout rang out, and An Wan's face turned pale instantly. Daughter-in-law? What's going on?
Ye Qingcheng's face was ashen as she stepped inside, and everyone in the room hurriedly bowed.
Yan Zhen also arrived, but his expression was calm, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Upon seeing Ye Qingcheng, Zhou Xiruo hurriedly got up and said, "Mother, I'm fine, please don't blame Miss An."
An Xin glanced at Zhou Xiruo with an unchanged expression. Just now she was calling her Miss Wan, but now she's calling her Miss An. She changed her address so quickly.
Ye Qingcheng suddenly looked sharply at An Xin.
"Mingyue, what do you think happened?" Yan Zhen asked.
Ye Qingcheng pulled Zhou Xiruo over and saw that her entire hand was blistered and swollen from the burns. She could no longer contain her anger and immediately shouted, "I don't care if she's Miss An or Miss Wang. Guards, take this arrogant woman away and give her two hundred lashes!"
An Wan turned pale with fright and stammered, "Sister, sister, please save me!"
Yan Zhen's eyes flashed, and she said gently, "Mother, you might as well find out the reason and cause before making a decision."
"What reason do you have! Xiruo is already injured like this, why aren't you dragging this girl out!" Ye Qingcheng shouted angrily.
An Wan grabbed An Xin's wrist and said in a trembling voice, "Sister, please save me! Two hundred lashes will kill me! Sister, you don't want to hurt Mom and Dad, do you?"
An Xin's expression remained unchanged, her gaze merely resting lightly on Ye Qingcheng's wrist. Those who rushed in dared not act rashly without Yan Zhen's approval, but the old lady's words could not be disobeyed, leaving everyone in a dilemma.
Zhou Xiruo said softly, "Mother, I'm fine. Miss Wan was just being careless..."
"Accidentally? Accidentally burned like this?! You idiot, you're injured like this and you still won't speak up for others!" Ye Qingcheng said, feeling both heartache and resentment.
Mingyue glanced at An Xin secretly, then looked at Yan Zhen and said respectfully, "My lord, Miss Zhou knew that Miss An Wan was injured and specially brewed medicine and brought it over. However, the medicine bowl was too hot, and Miss An Wan did not know that, so she drank it and burned her lips. In her pain, she knocked over the medicine bowl. Miss Zhou could not dodge in time and was injured as a result."
Mingyue's words seemed ordinary, but they also indicated that An Wan did not intentionally hurt Zhou Xiruo. Moreover, Zhou Xiruo knew that the medicine was hot but still gave it to An Wan, so she had only herself to blame for this outcome!
Yan Zhen said calmly, "Xi Ruo, since you knew the medicine was hot, why didn't you inform An Wan beforehand?"
Zhou Xiruo trembled and raised her eyelashes, saying, "I... I didn't know the medicine was hot..."
An Wan said angrily, "Don't you know why you wrapped the bowl in a handkerchief?"
Zhou Xiruo bit her lower lip in grievance and said, "I used the handkerchief to keep the medicine warm. I do the same when I bring medicine to my mother. Since Miss An saw that I wrapped the bowl in a handkerchief, she should already know that the medicine is hot. Why did you still drink it?"
An Wan, who was used to being willful, had never been so humiliated as to be speechless. Her eyes reddened, and she said angrily, "You, you're talking nonsense..."
An Xin narrowed her eyes slightly, then said calmly, "An Wan, apologize to Miss Zhou."
An Wan stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "Sister!"
An Xin coldly shouted, "Apologize!"
An Wan's fear of An Xin was not formed overnight. Every time she met An Xin's cold eyes, she would shudder. But this matter was clearly not her fault, so why should An Xin make her apologize?
"An apology or two hundred lashes?!" An Xin hissed.
An Wan's face turned pale and she hurriedly said, "Miss Zhou, I'm sorry."
Ye Qingcheng coldly retorted, "Is an 'I'm sorry' all it takes?"
An Xin did not remain silent, but asked calmly, "What medicine did Miss Zhou bring?"
This seemingly unrelated remark immediately startled everyone, including Zhou Xiruo. After a long pause, she murmured, "I don't know anything about medicine, and I don't know what kind of medicine it is..."
An Xin said calmly, "You didn't even know what kind of medicine it was before you brought it to An Wan to drink?" Trying to play tricks on her was really overestimating herself.
Zhou Xiruo's expression changed, and she hurriedly said, "The servant in the kitchen said it was specially made for Miss Anwan. I was worried about Miss Anwan's health, so I brought it over..."
An Xin remained expressionless, as if everything she said had nothing to do with her, and all she had to do was state the facts.
"Since the medicine is hot, and An Wan was burned earlier than Miss Zhou, the medicine should be even hotter. But why is it that An Wan's lips are only slightly red and swollen from the burn, while Miss Zhou's hands are covered in blisters? Could it be that the skin inside An Wan's mouth is more heat-resistant than the skin on Miss Zhou's arms?"
As soon as An Xin finished speaking, everyone was shocked. Indeed, who doesn't know that the skin inside the mouth is much more delicate than the skin on the body? Why was An Wan's mouth only a little red and swollen, while Zhou Xiruo had blisters all over her arms?
Zhou Xiruo's face was pale, and she said timidly, "Miss An, are you perhaps suspecting something about me?"
An Xin smiled faintly and said, "Miss Zhou is wrong. I never doubt it; I am only certain of it."
Zhou Xiruo shed tears and said sadly, "Miss An, we have no grudge against each other, why are you slandering me?"
An Xin said calmly, "What you brought isn't medicine at all, but a soup. Because of the black sesame seeds, it's dark in color, but Miss Zhou's arm wasn't burned by this soup." An Xin stepped forward, walked straight to Zhou Xiruo, grabbed her arm, and ignored Ye Qingcheng.
With an unpleasant expression, he rolled up Zhou Xiruo's sleeves, revealing the lining fabric with a damp patch on it.
Zhou Xiruo's eyes widened instantly.
An Xin said calmly, "Miss Zhou was indeed burned by the medicine, but the medicine that burned her was a decoction prepared for Madam Ye. Ye Qi wrote the prescription, and I glanced at it by chance. It's all Chinese herbs for relieving cough and phlegm. Look, there are still some dried tangerine peel residues here." An Xin casually picked up a piece from her sleeve and smiled slowly, "Besides, An Wan has already apologized. If we continue to be at an impasse, it won't be good for anyone, will it?"
Zhou Xiruo's eyes widened slowly, almost forgetting to react.
An Wan usually loathed An Xin, but at this moment, she was also shocked. Her sister was so perceptive. An Xin... had really changed!
Ye Qingcheng also looked at Zhou Xiruo in surprise, then looked at An Xin, and then frowned.
Yan Zhen smiled almost imperceptibly, then glanced at Mingyue and said, "What are you standing there for? Go and call Ye Qi over. Didn't you see Xiruo is injured?"