My Antler Serpent Is Very Timid

"Mm." Grace nodded.

"Since you have the medicine that can wake Sam Yuan, why didn't you give it to him earlier?"

Because I had to wait for Cindy Zhu to enter the palace!

Grace didn't answer, she just asked, "Did you find Little Cutie yet?"

"No!" Claire made a face. "We've searched everywhere, but there's no sign of it."

"Let's go outside and call for it again!" Grace walked out. "It's super smart, it understands people."

"Okay..." Claire followed her out.

But as soon as they stepped outside, they saw the Antler Serpent with its furry head poking around the doorway, peeking inside.

"Little Cutie!" Grace was overjoyed and scooped it up. "Where did you run off to? I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The Antler Serpent nuzzled against her chest.

"Did you go out looking for something to eat?"

It shook its head.

"Then were you out playing?"

It nodded.

"Wow! It really understands people!" Claire suddenly shouted from the side.

The little Antler Serpent was startled, tilting its head to look at her, only to see Claire's eyes shining as she exclaimed, "Miss Lawrence, it really understands human speech! And it even responds!"

"That's right!" Grace laughed. "Isn't it smart?"

"Uh-huh! Last time it seemed kind of dumb—no matter what I said, it didn't react at all. But now it looks so clever!" Claire said, itching to hold it. "Can I hug it?"

"Here you go!" Grace handed the Antler Serpent to her.

Claire reached out to take it, but the Antler Serpent twisted its body and dove back into Grace's arms, clearly unwilling to let Claire touch it...

Grace looked down at the Antler Serpent clinging tightly to her chest: "..."

Claire's hand froze in midair: "..."

"Well, it's probably just not familiar with you and a little scared," Grace explained awkwardly. "My Antler Serpent is super timid."

"Oh, never mind then," Claire said, a little disappointed. "Maybe when it gets used to me, it'll let me hold it."

Grace nodded.

Soon, Hope came back.

She had already followed Grace's instructions and delivered the Clearwind Elixir to Mr. and Mrs. Yuan.

"Did you see Bobby wake up with your own eyes?" Grace asked.

"Yes." Hope frowned. "I watched him take the Clearwind Elixir, and then he woke up. Mr. Yuan and Mrs. Yuan asked him what happened, and he said..."

"What did he say?"

"He said that while he was at our estate, Silver passed on a message, saying you were waiting for him behind the ancestral hall and needed his help. But when he went there, someone ambushed him, covered his mouth and nose with a medicated cloth, and after that, he remembers nothing!"

Grace only now realized—the method was exactly the same as what was used on her.

"Later, Mr. Yuan asked the servant who went with them, and that servant's story matched Sam Yuan's exactly," Hope said. "The servant also said that when they brought Sam Yuan back, he was clutching a jade pendant in his hand."

"Did you see the jade pendant?" Grace raised an eyebrow.

Hope said, "No, Mr. Yuan told me to come back first."

Grace nodded. "Good, well done."

"As I was leaving the estate, I overheard two Yuan family stewards talking. They said... His Majesty has dismissed David Yuan from his post," Hope added. "They also said the Emperor was furious about what happened, and the Yuan family might be in serious trouble this time..."

The David Yuan Hope mentioned is Bobby's older brother, who holds an important position at court.