Meeting Bihe's gaze, Song Jinzhao pressed her lips together, stood up, and walked through the crowd to Guo Yiyao to examine the wound on her arm.
"The cut isn't too deep. Apply ointment for a few days and it will heal without scarring."
Seeing that Song Jinzhao had dismissed Guo Yiyao's injury with just a few casual words, Liu Fufeng quickly spoke up. "I've long heard of Physician Song's exceptional medical skills. Yiyao has been experiencing some irregularities with her monthly courses lately. Could you please take her pulse and see if there's any underlying issue?"
Song Jinzhao raised the corner of her mouth meaningfully and gestured for Guo Yiyao to extend her hand.
All eyes were fixed on them, as if eagerly hoping something was wrong with Guo Yiyao.
After two months of recuperation, the acne on her face had noticeably improved and was barely visible under makeup.
When Qiu Ye had come alone to the clinic to fetch medicine earlier, she had mentioned Guo Yiyao's condition; her monthly courses had clearly arrived just last month.
Liu Fufeng thought Guo Yiyao had missed her courses for two months, which meant this scheme had been in the works for at least a month.
Song Jinzhao released her hand and said with a smile, "Miss Guo is in perfect health. The recent irregularity over the past two months is likely due to stress. Getting proper rest for a while should resolve it."
Liu Fufeng's breath hitched, her pupils constricting sharply.
"How is that possible? Are you sure you didn't misdiagnose?"
Song Jinzhao feigned confusion, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't misdiagnose. Miss Guo is not ill. Why do you sound almost disappointed, Madam Liu?"
"Do you wish for her to be ill, or not?"
Madam Meng narrowed her eyes at Liu Fufeng, finding her behavior strange.
Liu Fufeng's expression changed, forcing an awkward smile. "You jest, Physician Song. Of course, I hope Yao'er is well and healthy."
Seeing Guo Yiyao escape unscathed, Guo Yishu, who was standing beside Liu Fufeng, was just about to speak when a sharp pain seized her lower abdomen. She clutched her stomach and bent over, squatting down.
Liao Xiwen, standing behind her, pointed in horror at her backside and cried out, "Blood! Second Miss Guo is bleeding!"
Song Jinzhao raised an eyebrow. It seemed the drugged soup had been consumed by Guo Yishu instead.
"Mother, my stomach hurts," Guo Yishu whimpered, grabbing Liu Fufeng's skirt, unable to stay crouched due to the pain.
Seeing the blood stain on her daughter's skirt spreading, Liu Fufeng pushed Nanny Lu and shouted, "Quick, help Shu'er to a bed!"
The ladies present were now thoroughly bewildered. One incident had just ended, and now another began?
Old Madam Meng's eyes held clear displeasure. This constant disturbance at her birthday banquet was a slap in her face.
Suppressing her anger, she spoke slowly to Song Jinzhao, "Physician Song, I must trouble you to examine Second Miss Guo as well."
This banquet trip was truly worth it.
She had met people, established connections, watched a drama unfold, and even earned some consultation fees on the side.
Just as she was about to step forward, Guo Yiyao silently gave her a meaningful look.
Song Jinzhao's brows lifted slightly. Was it time for the big reveal?
Guo Yishu thrashed violently on the bed, sweating profusely from the pain, her fringe completely damp.
After finishing her examination, Song Jinzhao exited the inner chamber and announced, "Second Miss Guo appears to have ingested something that induced her monthly courses."
"Forcibly inducing menstruation harms the vital energy and blood, intensifies menstrual pain, and could lead to further irregularities or even a temporary cessation of menses."
Liu Fufeng's face turned deathly pale, and she shot a fierce glare at Nanny Lu.
Didn't she say the medicine would be undetectable by pulse diagnosis? Why did Song Jinzhao identify it at a glance?
Old Madam Meng demanded sternly, "How could such a thing appear at a birthday banquet?"
Madam Meng hurriedly apologized. "Mother, this substance was likely brought in from elsewhere. If the banquet food were tainted, more than just Second Miss Guo would be affected."
Old Madam Meng slammed her prayer beads onto the floor. "Investigate this immediately! To consume such a thing at a birthday banquet is inauspicious!"
Madam Meng's mind was now completely at ease. As long as it wasn't Yiyao in trouble, all was well.
"Then let's first examine what Second Miss Guo consumed. Physician Song, would you please assist us in checking?"
Liu Fufeng could find no reason to object and could only watch helplessly as they returned to the main hall.
Song Jinzhao picked up the bowl of soup, mostly finished, and smelled it.
"It's this soup. It contains safflower, achyranthes root, peach kernel, and other herbs that promote blood circulation and break blood stasis. Fortunately, the dosage was light, otherwise it could have caused severe hemorrhaging and endangered her life."
"So, someone deliberately poisoned it?"
Meng Hechuan arrived with some servants from the neighboring men's section. He had wondered at Old Madam Meng's prolonged absence and, upon inquiry, learned of trouble among the female guests.
Song Qiming watched Song Jinzhao and Song Shixue with a worried expression. How could such a thing happen at a birthday banquet?
After checking the other soup bowls, Song Jinzhao stated, "Only this bowl was drugged. It was definitely intentional."
Meng Hechuan's face darkened, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "To dare poison someone at my Meng family's birthday banquet... the culprit must be found."
"Everyone who handled this soup, from start to finish, bring them all here."
Old Madam Meng sat stiffly in her chair, face ashen. A birthday banquet turned into a poisoning scene—who knew what rumors would spread?
Liu Fufeng, who had rushed over after settling Guo Yishu, saw that Meng Hechuan was involved and even men from the other banquet were peering over, causing her heart to race and panic to flash across her face.
Her gaze locked onto Song Jinzhao, who was inspecting the food.
It was all her fault.
The physician had clearly said this medicine wouldn't be detected. But Song Jinziao was here. Why did her medical skills have to be so exceptional?
The birthday banquet had turned into a courtroom. The Meng family's expressions were the most grim.
Soon, the kitchen staff and the maid who served the soup were all brought forward.
The chef responsible for the soup knelt on the ground, pleading his innocence. "Sir, everyone in the kitchen was present when I made the soup. They can all testify I didn't add anything."
The maid who served the soup, Yunqiao, knelt pitifully, wiping her tears. "Sir, I'm innocent. What grudge could I possibly have against Second Miss Guo to poison her?"
Another maid standing in the hall narrowed her eyes in recollection, frowning hesitantly.
When serving the dishes, Yunqiao seemed to walk a bit slowly and fell behind for a stretch.
Upon questioning the kitchen staff, it was confirmed everyone was present during the soup's preparation, and the chef himself had even tasted it during final seasoning.
Meng Hechuan fixed his gaze on the maid. "Did any stranger touch it along the way? Was the soup ever out of your sight?"
Yunqiao hesitated for a moment before looking up. "This servant... had to use the privy midway. I placed the soup tray on a railing bench. When I returned, I didn't notice anything different."
Madam Meng reprimanded her unhappily. "Couldn't you have held it? The distance from the kitchen to the main hall is so short!"
Yunqiao immediately kowtowed in apology, the sound sharp and rapid, her forehead nearly breaking. "It was this servant's fault. I truly couldn't hold it any longer and went quickly, thinking it would be fine. I never imagined a villain would seize the opportunity. Please forgive me, Madam."
Seeing her being so quick-witted, Liu Fufeng inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
The soup had been left unattended, and with so many guests at the Meng residence today, it would be very difficult to trace who administered the drug.
