Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

Chapter 1196 The Rat's Today, His Tomorrow

"Dead! Really dead!"

In the left cage, the dead rat's eyes were wide open, and upon closer inspection, they were somewhat terrifying. Many people were so frightened that their hair stood on end and a thin layer of sweat broke out on their backs.

"He's really dead... The powder Huai Shaoyong took was indeed poisonous, and it looks like it was quite potent..."

Nowadays, no one considers that powder to be a "supplement".

"vomit--"

The students of Luming Academy seemed to see their own future through that dead rat, and they all started to vomit, trying to vomit up the tea they had drunk yesterday.

Hearing the sounds of vomiting rising and falling, Jiang Zhiming gritted his teeth and squatted down next to Shen Zheng, looking at the other mouse with her.

"Bang-"

"Bang-"

"Bang-"

The remaining mouse ignored the sudden death of its companion and continued to violently bang on the cage wall.

Jiang Zhiming swallowed hard and asked Shen Zheng in a low voice, "Lord Shen, will this rat die too?"

Shen Zheng stared intently, then shook her head and said, "I don't know."

As soon as the words were spoken, the rat in the cage suddenly slowed down, and the force with which it pounded against the cage walls gradually weakened. Its fur no longer stood on end, but instead lay tangled on its body. At the same time, its breathing became more and more rapid, and its ribs heaved violently.

The onlookers stopped gasping and their faces were filled with horror.

Some people hurriedly covered the children's eyes, while others stared intently at the rat through the cage hole.

"It...it seems it's almost gone too..." someone murmured, their voice filled with barely concealed fear.

"squeak--"

Suddenly, the rat let out an extremely sharp scream. After one last violent convulsion, its body stiffened abruptly, then it fell straight down, its limbs limp, and it became completely still.

“He…he’s dead too…” Jiang Zhiming stood up, his voice trembling, and subconsciously looked at another bamboo cage.

In the right cage, the two mice that had only eaten millet were still grooming themselves, looking perfectly fine, even somewhat leisurely.

With such a comparison, what else could anyone not understand?

"My God, that 'spiritual powder' is not a tonic at all, it is clearly, as Lord Shen said, a deadly poison!"

"That brat Huai Shaoyong is taking poison like a tonic; he's probably a poison man by now! His fate will likely be exactly the same as these two rats!"

"It's terrifying, truly terrifying. If it weren't for Lord Shen's wisdom, wouldn't we have been harmed by this poisonous creature in the future?"

"That can't be... Didn't you hear Huai Shaoyong say just now? This thing costs twenty taels of silver per tael! More expensive than gold!"

Discussions rose and fell. Amid the astonished gazes of the people, Shen Zheng reached out and lifted the bamboo cage, bringing it to Huai Shaoyong's side.

"Huai Shaoyong, under these circumstances, do you still think 'Spirit Powder' is a tonic?"

With a clatter, the bamboo cage containing two dead rats was thrown in front of Huai Shaoyong. Huai Shaoyong's shoulders trembled slightly as he made eye contact with one of the dead rats in the cage.

"No..." Huai Shaoyong stared intently at the rat carcass, shrinking back. "No, the spirit powder is a tonic, not poison. You won't die if you eat it..."

Those scarlet, beady eyes sent shivers down his spine. He dared not look any longer, averting his gaze to the ground, muttering, "It was you... you must have smeared poison on the edge of the bowl long ago, that's why they died. It has nothing to do with the spirit powder..."

"Stubborn fool!" Hou Yirui pressed one hand to his aching chest and pointed at Huai Shaoyong with the other, angrily rebuking him: "Everyone here saw how the millet and the 'spirit powder' were poured into the bowl, and how the bowl was put into the cage! These two rats went mad and died suddenly after taking the 'spirit powder'! Huai Shaoyong, you saw it with your own eyes, why won't you admit that the spirit powder was poisonous?!"

Hou Yirui's furious rebuke was deafening, but Huai Shaoyong ignored it, seemingly lost in his own world, muttering to himself, "They won't die, they won't die from eating the spirit powder. How could such a potent tonic be poisonous... It must be that these two rats are just unlucky and don't have the fortune to enjoy it..."

Huai Shaoyong seemed to have found a self-deceiving reason, and as he spoke, he suddenly chuckled softly: "Yes, that's it. The spiritual powder is too nourishing; a mere rat's body certainly can't handle it. Too much nourishment, and that's how it is... But what can you do? They're rats after all; a person wouldn't die from eating them..."

His words were full of certainty, but his voice trembled uncontrollably.

Clearly, this reason not only failed to convince everyone present, but even he himself could not believe it.

Shen Zheng pretended not to see the fear in his eyes and handed him the crumpled oil paper package: "In that case, you should also eat the remaining half of the 'spiritual powder' to nourish your body."

Huai Shaoyong's pupils shrank suddenly, as if he had seen a flood or a ferocious beast, and he shrank back abruptly.

Seeing this, Shen Zheng pushed the oil paper package forward again and asked with a smile, "What, don't you want to eat it anymore?"

"No, no..." Huai Shaoyong's teeth chattered, but he remained stubborn: "Spirit Powder is not poison..."

"Then eat it!" Shen Zheng suddenly raised her voice and ordered the guards, "Pry his mouth open!"

Exclamations arose from all around, but the guards did not hesitate to grab Huai Shaoyong's cheeks, preparing to pry open his mouth.

"No!" Seeing Shen Zheng about to open the oil paper package, Huai Shaoyong began to struggle violently. "I won't eat it! I won't eat it! I don't want to eat it now!"

In the struggle, his gaze once again pierced through the holes in the bamboo cage and fell upon the two dead rats with their eyes wide open.

Will the two mice's fate today be his fate tomorrow?

A wave of immense fear swept over him. The "highly nutritious food" that he once treasured now seemed like a venomous creature with fangs, waiting to drag him into the abyss.

"No..." Finally, he swayed, and the world spun before his eyes.

The rat carcasses in the bamboo cage, the gasps of the onlookers, and Shen Zheng's icy gaze all distorted into a blurry black shadow in his eyes.

"Boom-"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Huai Shaoyong rolled his eyes and fell straight backward.

Shen Zheng paused in her movements, and the crowd screamed in terror: "He's dead! Huai Shaoyong is dead too! Huai Shaoyong was poisoned! He died in broad daylight!"

"But Lord Shen hasn't fed him the poison powder yet!"

"He must have been terrified, lost his composure, and the poison overwhelmed his internal organs, which is why he suddenly died like those two rats!"

"It's not Lord Shen's fault, it's not Lord Shen's fault. Everyone, we've all seen what happened today, we can't let the Huai family cause trouble for Lord Shen!"

"Yes! Lord Shen, rest assured, we will testify for you that Huai Shaoyong's death has nothing to do with you!"