Walking through the corridor, the servants in the manor hurried past with their heads bowed, their mouths shut tight as if sealed with tape.
Yesterday at the medical clinic, Song Jinzhao had already learned that Canying not only killed Concubine Su, but also slaughtered all the servants in her courtyard, including that man, Wang Zhong.
Since the murderer had not been caught, it seemed that everyone in the Liao Manor was now in a state of panic, afraid that they would be the next victim.
Entering Chunshui Courtyard, Song Jinzhao could not help but curl the corners of her mouth into a sarcastic smile.
The atmosphere here was much livelier than outside; there were even people gathering together and whispering to each other.
Inside the room, Liao Xiwen, who was sitting on a stool, saw Song Jinzhao coming and quickly stood up to take two steps forward.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she grinned and said, "Miss Song, you are finally back."
Ever since the incident at home, Liao Xiwen had not stepped out of the house. When she felt scared in the middle of the night, she could not help but think of how Song Jinzhao had saved her during the horse stampede.
If only she were as formidable as her. Not only would she not fear assassins, but she could also catch them.
Her arm was firmly grasped by the other party, as if the fingers were going to dig into her flesh.
Facing Liao Xiwen's shining eyes, Song Jinzhao froze for a moment before pulling her arm away. Their relationship was not quite at that level yet.
"Miss Liao, you look a bit pale. Did you not sleep well at night?"
Liao Xiwen lowered her eyes and said in disappointment, "A few days ago, something happened in the manor, and I have not slept well for several nights."
Several times she had dreamed of Concubine Su's ghost coming to her for help, and when the plea failed, the ghost tried to drag her down to hell with her.
After waking up in a cold sweat, she could not fall back asleep and could only catch up on her rest during the day.
Song Jinzhao said, "Later, I will write a soothing prescription for you, Miss Liao. Drink it before bed, and I guarantee you will sleep soundly until dawn."
Liao Xiwen nodded joyfully, "Thank you, Miss Song."
With her fingers resting on Kong Wanru's wrist, the room was extremely quiet. Everyone was waiting for Song Jinzhao's pulse diagnosis.
As expected, the prescription she had given previously had no effect at all.
Although her complexion looked rosy on the surface, her insides were actually hollow and deteriorating day by day.
"Have everyone leave."
Kong Wanru thought Song Jinzhao was going to examine her lower body again, so she immediately ordered all the maids out, not even letting Liao Xiwen stay.
The door was shut tight. Just as she was about to take off her pants, Song Jinzhao suddenly spoke, "Your body has not recovered; in fact, it is getting worse."
Kong Wanru's fingertips trembled, and in an instant, all the color drained from her face. "Is it because I caught a cold a few days ago, so my body is a bit weak?"
Song Jinzhao shook her head. "A cold affects the nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. The prescription I gave you treats the uterus and menstruation. Based on the recorded pulse, I suspect the medicine you drank was tampered with. Are the medicine dregs still around?"
Kong Wanru leaned against the pillow with a wooden expression, a chill running from her head down to her toes.
"They were thrown out."
The ancients believed in sending the illness to the road, thinking that the medicine dregs were tainted with the patient's sickness and bad luck.
They would throw the useless dregs onto the road for pedestrians to trample on, believing this would crush the sickness and bad luck.
"Are the dregs from the last two days still here?"
Kong Wanru opened her mouth to call for someone, but swallowed her words right at the tip of her tongue.
Last time, worried that her medicine would be tampered with, she had already replaced some of the servants and arranged for two people to supervise each other when brewing and serving the medicine.
They were all servants and house-born slaves she had brought from her maiden home. If problems still occurred under these circumstances, who else could she trust?
"Xiwen, come in."
Liao Xiwen, who was standing at the door, heard Kong Wanru call her name. She gestured for the others to step away from the door to prevent them from seeing anything they should not.
She pushed the door open and quickly closed it, finding her mother leaning against the couch, fully dressed.
Kong Wanru stared at her only daughter and said, "Doctor Song says there is a problem with the medicine. The medicine dregs are in the small kitchen next door. Go and bring them here."
"Have Linglong immediately go and tell the gatekeeper that the manor's servants are only allowed to enter and not leave these days. I want to catch the person who tampered with my medicine."
Liao Xiwen stood frozen in place, her arms pressed helplessly against her thighs.
"I will go do it right away." Her hand could not stop trembling as she turned to open the door, her heart racing as if it could not wait to jump out of her chest.
Opening the door, Liao Xiwen called Linglong to the side and whispered a few instructions before taking another maid towards the small kitchen.
Seeing them come out carrying the medicine pot, a maid in green standing under the eaves suddenly changed her expression, her eyes darting around like a frightened sparrow.
She took small, panicky steps backward until she was out of the courtyard gate, then turned and quickly ran away.
