Cui Huaiyin stared at the young servant who had run over to deliver the news, his head drenched in sweat, and felt her heart pounding violently.
Her mother-in-law had been poisoned and was unconscious. That could perhaps be dismissed as an accident—but now Zhu Wangbei had also met with misfortune, and his symptoms were exactly the same as hers!
It was as if—as if they had both been poisoned!
They had both eaten food prepared by Concubine Liu. Then her daughter’s dream…
Cui Huaiyin did her best to steady her breathing and tightened her grip on her daughter’s hand. Turning to Chenxiang, one of her dowry servants, she ordered, “Send people to surround Concubine Liu’s courtyard. Do not let anyone leave!”
“This servant will do so at once!” Chenxiang replied.
With both victims unconscious, Cui Huaiyin had no choice but to check on them one at a time. Even so, she did not dare leave her daughter alone and could only bring her along.
She first went to her mother-in-law Wang Cuiyun’s courtyard. The place was in complete disarray. Her mother-in-law lay on the bed, her breathing faint and her expression filled with pain, as though a single gust of cold wind might blow her life away.
As her daughter-in-law, Cui Huaiyin had to display filial devotion in front of everyone. She immediately pulled her daughter along, rushed forward with reddened eyes, and began to weep.
“Mother, Mother, what happened to you? Please don’t frighten your daughter-in-law! Doctor! Where is the doctor? Hurry and call a doctor to treat Mother!”
Unfortunately, the doctors were still on their way. Even at their fastest, they would need at least a quarter of an hour to arrive.
What Cui Huaiyin had not expected was that when her daughter saw her grandmother lying on the bed, her eyes also reddened, and she cried even more sincerely than Cui Huaiyin did as she called out for her grandmother.
Though her thoughts were in turmoil, Cui Huaiyin understood perfectly clearly that if her mother-in-law had truly been poisoned by the dish, then her daughter had, in a sense, delivered the poison to her.
No! What did this have to do with her Yaoyao? Yaoyao was still so young and knew nothing. She had only wanted to show filial respect to her grandmother by sending over a dish she loved.
With a sorrowful expression, Cui Huaiyin helped wipe away her daughter’s tears before taking her to check on Zhu Wangbei.
Zhu Wangbei’s condition was somewhat better than Wang Cuiyun’s, but not by much. His breathing was faint, and his lips had turned purple.
He certainly would not be waking anytime soon!
After both of them had been examined, the doctors finally arrived.
Three doctors had been summoned in all. Each was a renowned physician in the capital, including a doctor from Yisheng Hall.
The three physicians split up to examine Old Madam Wang Cuiyun and Zhu Wangbei.
They soon reached a conclusion.
Wang Cuiyun and Zhu Wangbei had indeed both been poisoned!
Doctor Zhang said, “The old madam has been poisoned too deeply. Her breath is barely there. I’m afraid she has less than half a day left… This old physician is incompetent and can do nothing.”
Doctor Li added, “Doctor Zhang is right. The old madam is advanced in years and has been poisoned deeply. There is truly no hope of saving her. Madam, please accept my condolences.”
Doctor Wang said, “Scholar Zhu has also been afflicted by a deadly poison. He must have consumed less of it, which is why he still has some breath left. At present, all we can do is sustain him with medicine. Whether he lives or dies will depend on Heaven’s will.”
Cui Huaiyin felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss, her entire body stiffening.
Without thinking, she glanced at her daughter, whose face was streaked with tears. In that moment, she seemed to see a trace of a smile on the girl’s face. It vanished in an instant. When she looked again, the child’s small face held only concern and tears.
At that moment, her daughter also looked up at her. Her eyes were moist, her long lashes trembling. Pulling on her hand with her soft little fingers, she spoke in a choked voice, “Why have Father and Grandmother been poisoned? Who would want to harm them?”
The little girl was soft and delicate, dressed in a white fox-fur cloak for winter. Its fluffy fur framed her tiny face, making her look especially adorable. Her large eyes brimmed with tears, and anyone who saw her could not help but feel pity for her.
The three doctors all revealed looks of compassion.
Doctor Zhang said, “It was likely done by one of the Zhu family’s enemies. I advise Madam and Miss to report this to the authorities at once.”
Doctor Li nodded. “Indeed. Since the poison entered through the mouth, Madam can investigate the food they ate. You may be able to apprehend the culprit quickly.”
With a grief-stricken expression, Cui Huaiyin embraced her daughter and immediately ordered the servants beside her to report the matter to the authorities.
Then, as though she had suddenly thought of something, she wiped away the tears on her face and turned her gaze toward the servants who had been attending to Wang Cuiyun and Zhu Wangbei.
“Quickly bring over all the food the old madam and Master ate today. Have the doctors examine every dish!”
The old maids and young servants who served Old Madam Wang Cuiyun and Zhu Wangbei had long since been scared out of their wits. Each of them was distraught, weeping over their unconscious masters.
When they heard Cui Huaiyin’s orders, however, it was as though they had found someone to rely on. They hurried off to retrieve the food.
The old maid serving the old madam said, “The old madam only ate the glutinous rice-steamed lotus root and fried white jade tofu sent over by Madam today!”
The young servant serving Zhu Wangbei quickly added, “Master also had the fresh bamboo shoot and sea bass soup sent from Madam’s quarters!”
Cui Huaiyin’s eyes widened. She abruptly rose to her feet and stared at the servants attending the old madam and Zhu Wangbei in shock. Her voice trembled as she said, “What? How could this be? All of those dishes were made by Concubine Liu! She personally sent them over! I saw that they were all dishes Mother and my husband liked, so I had people deliver them. Could it be that Concubine Liu… that she…”
Her body suddenly stiffened. She hurriedly ordered someone to bring over the unfinished food and placed it before the three doctors.
Doctors Zhang, Li, and Wang quickly took out their various tools and examined the dishes.
One smelled the food, another tested it with a silver needle, while the third tasted a small bite before spitting it out as quickly as possible.
Moments later, the three doctors announced almost simultaneously that all three dishes had been poisoned!
Cui Huaiyin’s expression turned grim, and she could barely remain standing. Pointing outside, she cried, “Quick! Surround Concubine Liu’s courtyard! Go to her residence! The Zhu family kindly took her in, yet she repaid our kindness with treachery and tried to take my mother-in-law’s and my husband’s lives!”
At that moment, many people still had no idea what had happened. They trusted the words of the only conscious mistress in the Zhu residence without question. Whatever Cui Huaiyin ordered, they obeyed.
Cui Huaiyin not only sent people to surround Concubine Liu’s residence but also invited the three doctors to search the courtyard for the poison.
They had just arrived when the constables from the authorities came as well. Cui Huaiyin immediately sent Chenxiang to bring them over.
As Chenxiang led the four constables toward Concubine Liu’s residence, she carefully recounted everything that had happened that day. She neither added nor omitted a single detail, leaving no opening that could be used against them. All she wanted was for the constables to arrest Concubine Liu, the woman suspected of poisoning the others.
After hearing Chenxiang’s account, the four constables had a general understanding of the situation. They quickened their pace and followed her toward Concubine Liu’s residence.
By the time they arrived, Yuzhi Courtyard was already surrounded by people.
When the constables reached the scene, the suspect, Concubine Liu, had already been seized and held by the servants.
She put up only a token struggle. “What’s happening? Why are you arresting me? Who has been hurt? Where is Master? I want to see Master!”
“You poisoned people and harmed two of the household’s masters!” one of the servants snapped impatiently. “Don’t even think about escaping today!”
“No! I didn’t do it! I’ve been wronged! I want to see Master!” A flash of delight passed through Concubine Liu’s eyes.
They were dead. She had undoubtedly succeeded! Cui Huaiyin and Zhu Rongyao must both be dead!
Suppressing her joy, she raised her head and looked ahead. But when she saw the mother and daughter standing before her, her pupils abruptly contracted.
“You—you…”
