Chapter 211
"Nanny Luo, this is a misunderstanding. I was just too worried about my aunt," Zheng Qiaoshu quickly said with a smile.
"Worried? This old servant clearly stated that what I fed the Old Dowager Princess was the All-Detox Pill. Yet, you, Young Mistress, insisted that I was poisoning the Old Dowager Princess." The more Liu Ming thought about it, the more a fire burned in his heart with no place to vent.
Having managed the An Prince's estate for many years, no one had ever doubted his loyalty. Today, however, an act meant to save his master was twisted into an attempt to harm her.
Xiuhong stood to the side, her eyes red, feeling somewhat wronged herself.
After all, besides Nanny Luo, she was the one who most often attended to the Old Dowager Princess. Being accused in such a manner by the young mistress naturally chilled her heart.
"Young Mistress, the cause of the Old Dowager Princess's poisoning today has not yet been uncovered. However, this old servant believes that person certainly could not be Steward Liu," Nanny Luo said, frowning as she looked at Zheng Qiaoshu beside her.
She sighed inwardly. With the master of the estate absent and such a thing happening to the Old Dowager Princess, she herself was beginning to feel at a loss.
"Doctor Zhang, is the Old Dowager Princess truly alright?" Looking at the still-unconscious Old Dowager Princess, Nanny Luo asked again, unable to feel at ease.
"The Old Dowager Princess is merely asleep now. It is only thanks to Steward Liu promptly administering the All-Detox Pill. Any further delay would have put the Old Dowager Princess in grave danger." Doctor Zhang was a longstanding retainer of the estate. His All-Detox Pills were not something every member of the An Prince's household possessed.
Only Steward Liu and Nanny Luo had them, precisely for emergencies involving their masters.
Having his medicine called poison today naturally displeased Doctor Zhang somewhat.
"Since the Old Dowager Princess is out of danger, may I take my leave?" Seeing this, Li Tianyou also felt uncomfortable. It was not his place to make decisions in the An Prince's estate affairs; otherwise, others might speculate about ulterior motives.
"You cannot leave! The poisoner hasn't been found yet. Who's to say it wasn't you? Otherwise, why would my aunt be poisoned precisely when you came to visit, not earlier nor later?" Zheng Qiaoshu stood up, looking at Li Tianyou with suspicion.
Today, she intended to muddy the waters thoroughly.
Otherwise, if they truly investigated and it led back to her, what would she do?
"Does Miss Zheng have any evidence for such words? Although I may lack talent, I am now an official appointed by the court. Do you know the consequences of slandering a court official? Moreover, why would I poison the Old Dowager Princess?" Li Tianyou's face darkened.
He thought to himself that if the An Prince's estate in the future included such a person, he would absolutely not allow his own daughter to marry into it. It was too repulsive.
"You suspect me of poisoning, but I suspect you might be the one who poisoned the Old Dowager Princess. Otherwise, why were you so anxious just now when Steward Liu was administering the antidote?" Li Tianyou looked at Zheng Qiaoshu, thinking she had the opportunity to poison the Old Dowager Princess.
"Lord Li entered with this old servant. Prior to that, Lord Li had no contact with the Old Dowager Princess. If one were to accuse Lord Li, it would be more plausible to accuse this old servant, who had more opportunity." Liu Ming glanced at Zheng Qiaoshu and stated the facts.
However, Liu Ming also wondered inwardly if Li Tianyou's words hinted that Zheng Qiaoshu was the one who poisoned the Old Dowager Princess.
Otherwise, why did she try to stop him from saving her earlier?
"The Old Dowager Princess didn't eat anything today, only the pastries sent by the young mistress," Xiuhong said softly from the side.
"The pastries I sent weren't eaten by my aunt alone; I ate them too," Zheng Qiaoshu quickly added.
"Are any of those pastries left?" Doctor Zhang asked, looking at Nanny Luo.
Nanny Luo looked at the empty plate on the table and frowned. The Old Dowager Princess had only eaten one piece. At the time, she, Nanny Luo, had tasted one piece herself and felt fine.
Moreover, she had indeed seen Zheng Qiaoshu eat one as well.
But where were the remaining pastries on the plate?
There should have been more pastries. How could it be such a coincidence that they were all gone?
"Xiuhong, where are those pastries?" Nanny Luo asked with a frown.
"This servant doesn't know. There were still pastries on the plate before the Old Dowager Princess fell asleep," Xiuhong replied after thinking.
Doctor Zhang looked at the empty plate.
It was completely empty, not even a crumb remained, making it impossible for him to examine anything.
Seeing this, Zheng Qiaoshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she had been clever and secretly taken away the extra pastries earlier.
Thinking of this, Zheng Qiaoshu also remembered having someone send a letter to Li'an County.
And her master's order for her to check the An Prince's estate treasury. Now that the old lady was unconscious, what exactly was the token in Nanny Luo's hands?
For some reason, Nanny Luo felt there might truly be something amiss with the pastries, yet both she and Zheng Qiaoshu were fine.
Nanny Luo then looked at Li Tianyou, who wore an unpleasant expression, and said to him apologetically, "Master Li, regarding today's matter, I am truly sorry for detaining you. If you have matters to attend to, please return first. When the Prince returns, this old servant will personally visit to offer our apologies."
Nanny Luo was clear that Li Tianyou could not be the one who poisoned the Old Dowager Princess.
"Nanny!" Upon hearing Nanny Luo was about to let Li Tianyou leave, Zheng Qiaoshu voiced her dissatisfaction.
She needed Li Tianyou as her scapegoat, after all.
"Apologies are unnecessary. Please take good care of the Old Dowager Princess, Nanny Luo. I will visit again to see the Old Dowager Princess when Zhiwei returns." Li Tianyou stood up, preparing to leave.
Frustrated, Zheng Qiaoshu stood up, intending to seize the chance to stuff the pastries onto Li Tianyou's person.
Unexpectedly, just as she was about to bump into him, Li Tianyou sidestepped, evading Zheng Qiaoshu and moving aside.
Li Tianyou was, after all, a merchant who had seen all sorts of people.
He saw through Zheng Qiaoshu's petty scheme quite clearly.
Earlier, she had acted as if he were guilty, and now she wanted to throw herself at him. She surely had some purpose.
He simply wouldn't let her have her way.
Zheng Qiaoshu didn't expect Li Tianyou to dodge and fell directly to the ground. The pastries in her hand tumbled out.
"Aren't these the pastries the young mistress sent to the Old Dowager Princess earlier?" Xiuhong exclaimed in surprise.
"Why would these pastries be on the young mistress's person?" At this moment, what was there for Liu Ming not to understand?
The poisoner was none other than this young mistress before them.
No, it's not. These were for me to eat myself," Zheng Qiaoshu said anxiously, trying to explain.
"Doctor Zhang, could you please examine these pastries to see if there's anything wrong with them?" Nanny Luo's face darkened.
She had originally thought Zheng Qiaoshu was above suspicion.
But now, if the pastries she gave were harmless, why would she hide them?
"Nanny Luo, how is the Old Dowager Princess? I've brought the ginseng that was needed." The Accountant walked in holding a box, only to see the tense atmosphere in the room, somewhat puzzled.
What was going on? He had only been worried about whether the Old Dowager Princess truly needed the ginseng and thus brought it personally.
