Meng Hechuan narrowed his eyes. "Men, search the rooms of all the servants who served in the main hall and the back kitchen today. If you find any poison, report back to me immediately."
This matter had to be investigated thoroughly to clear the Meng family of any suspicion.
The incident happened in their manor. If the culprit was not found, the Meng family would be the one to take the blame.
Liu Fufeng stood calmly by Guo Qishi's side. The menstruation-inducing powder had only been brought over today, and all of it had been poured into the soup.
The paper packet that held the powder had already been torn to pieces and thrown into the pond by Nanny Lu. Even if they searched every servant's room, they would not find any poison.
Song Shixue grasped Song Jinzhao's fingers, her eyelids lifting slightly.
Sister, should we tell them what we saw?
Song Jinzhao gave a slight nod.
Since Guo Yiyao could swap the drugged soup, it meant she definitely knew Liu Fufeng was going to poison her and must have a backup plan.
They just needed to stay quiet and watch the show.
Not long after, the guards who went to search ran back, holding a lacquer box.
"My Lord, your subordinate found this in Yunqiao's room."
When the lacquer box was opened, it was half-filled with expensive pearl hairpins and earrings. At first glance, it was obvious that these were not things a maid could afford to use or buy.
Madam Meng's face darkened with anger as she sharply questioned, "Speak, where did you get all these things?"
Yunqiao stared blankly at the items in the box. Once she realized what was happening, she quickly shook her head and cried out.
"You wrong me, Madam! These things are not mine at all. I don't know how they ended up in my jewelry box. Someone must have planted them to frame me!"
Meng Hechuan reached out to motion Madam Meng to step back. "Then tell me, who is trying to frame you?"
Yunqiao's eyes darted around helplessly. Her hesitant demeanor sent Meng Hechuan into a rage.
"I think you are full of lies. Bring the staff and give her fifty heavy blows. I will force the truth out of her."
Everyone present was shocked. Fifty blows would definitely claim this maid's life.
Hearing that she was going to receive fifty blows, Yunqiao instantly burst into terrified wails.
"My Lord, these pieces of jewelry are really not mine! Only the fifty taels of silver inside belong to me, which was the money Nanny Lu used to bribe me. Nanny Lu administered the medicine herself; it has nothing to do with me!"
Those who didn't know instinctively asked the people around them, "Who is Nanny Lu? Is she a servant of the Meng manor?"
Those in the know used their chins to point at the nanny standing next to Liu Fufeng. "She's no servant of the Meng manor. Nanny Lu is a servant of the Guo manor, a trusted confidante of the Guo family's matriarch."
Guo Qishi heard Yunqiao's accusation, swung his sleeve, and slapped her hard across the face, tearing a cut at the corner of her mouth.
"You wretched maid, how dare you make such wild accusations! How could my wife possibly poison her own biological daughter? There should be a limit to your nonsense!"
Liu Fufeng stood calmly in place, but the trembling fingertips exposed beyond her cuffs betrayed her nervousness and unease.
Standing beside her, Nanny Lu froze completely. A chill ran down her spine, and her breath caught in her throat.
Yunqiao's face quickly swelled up. In order to survive, she no longer even feared Guo Qishi, a magistrate.
"Guo Yishu is her biological daughter, but Guo Yiyao is not! That medicine was originally meant to be put into Guo Yiyao's soup bowl. Somehow there was a mistake, which led to the current situation."
She reached out, pointed at Nanny Lu, and said, "She also told me to deliberately say at the birthday banquet that Guo Yiyao was bleeding heavily. Madam Guo would play along on the side, leading everyone to believe she had a miscarriage."
"Once Guo Yiyao's reputation was ruined, the old madam would no longer let the young master marry Guo Yiyao. After Guo Yishu married over, they would promote me to a senior maid."
She crawled on her knees to Madam Meng and kept kowtowing and begging, "I was blinded by greed and accidentally took the wrong path. I beg you for mercy, Madam! Please spare my life! I will never dare do it again!"
The main hall fell into a deathly silence.
Guo Yiyao, unable to bear the blow, collapsed to the ground.
Her face was deathly pale, as if she were about to die at any moment. She muttered helplessly to herself, "Impossible. Mother couldn't possibly do this to me."
Seeing her like this, Madam Meng couldn't help but get red-rimmed eyes.
Her heart aching, she stepped forward to embrace Guo Yiyao, gently stroking the back of her head to comfort her. "It's alright. With Aunt Meng here, no one can bully our Yaoyao. Aunt Meng will back you up. Aunt Meng will protect you."
Thinking back to the scene where her good friend lay dying on the bed, holding her hand and entrusting her orphaned daughter to her on her deathbed, Madam Meng had to grit her teeth hard to keep the tears from falling.
The observing madams whispered among themselves as they looked at Liu Fufeng and Guo Yiyao.
"Stealing the first wife's daughter's marriage for her own biological daughter. No wonder Liu Fufeng seemed to be protecting Guo Yiyao's reputation on the surface just now, yet blurted out that she had a miscarriage. She was practically wishing for something to be wrong with her body. So she had an ulterior motive all along."
Watching this deceitful farce unfold before her eyes, Song Shixue fearfully grasped Song Jinzhao's hand, pressing her body tightly against her sister's.
Noble households were too terrifying. Living under the same roof, they schemed against each other like enemies. It was simply horrifying.
Guo Qishi looked at Liu Fufeng in disbelief. How could his usually considerate and gentle wife commit such a vicious and wicked act?
Under everyone's accusing and disgusted gazes, Liu Fufeng spoke her first words since Yunqiao started pointing fingers at her.
With trembling eyelashes and a twitching mouth that seemed to hide unspeakable suffering, she perfectly established the image of a solitary and brave figure who had suffered a massive grievance yet stubbornly defended herself.
"Drugging and falsely accusing Yao'er of having a miscarriage—the truth would immediately come to light as soon as a doctor was invited to check her pulse. Why would the Meng family despise her and agree to a marriage swap under those circumstances?"
Yunqiao roared loudly, "That's because you believed Guo Yiyao was infertile! That's why you wanted to use this miscarriage incident to have a doctor expose her in front of everyone. By then, this marriage would have to be annulled whether they wanted it or not, and you could logically have your own biological daughter marry in her place!"
"Nanny Lu told me all of this herself! If I am telling a single lie, let me be struck by lightning and die a horrible death! Let me descend to the eighteenth level of hell after death and never be reincarnated!"
A sudden clap of thunder exploded in the sky, shocking everyone to the point of dizziness and making their minds go blank.
But Liu Fufeng, as if clutching at a life-saving straw, sharply questioned, "What baseless lies! Doctor Song clearly stated that Yao'er is in good health. Where did this infertility come from? If you want to pin your own evil deeds on someone else, you should at least make up a better lie."
There was no evidence, only empty words.
Almost in despair, Yunqiao screamed at the top of her lungs, "Who knows, maybe the heavens just couldn't bear to see you harming people like this!"
"The medicine meant for Guo Yiyao's bowl was drunk by your daughter. If Guo Yishu becomes infertile, that is retribution!"
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly chaotic, Meng Hechuan rubbed his forehead, squeezed his eyes shut, and opened them again.
"Men, take Yunqiao and Nanny Lu to the government office and lock them in the dungeon first. I will try this case carefully and uncover the truth."
