amaotonovel Chapter 189 Sowing Discord 6
Chapter 189 Sowing Discord 6
"Miss Yonghe, did you cut this piece of cloth?"
Yonghe denied it, saying, "No, I don't really like the pattern of this fabric. It's been sitting there untouched."
"In other words, this murderer was quite clever, knowing to steal a piece of cloth from someone else to wrap the dregs of the medicine."
Shen Lan then asked, "Is there a small kitchen in this courtyard?"
Lady Hou ate all three meals a day in her own courtyard, where the small kitchen was no less spacious than the large kitchen.
Shen Lan looked up and asked Imperial Physician Lan, "Old sir, you have a keen sense of smell. Shall we go in and take a look?"
Imperial Physician Lan waved his hand, "No need to look anymore. I smelled it when I got the wine last night, and it wasn't there. I suppose she only has one portion of that medicinal herb."
He jumped down from the tree, walked slowly with his hands behind his back, and said with a smile, "However, I have another way to tell."
He deliberately walked up to Yongliu, grabbed her hand, and smelled it.
Yongliu almost screamed, tears welling up in her eyes from fright.
Fortunately, Physician Lan quickly released her hand. "This kind of herb can stay on your palm for a long time after you touch it. Even if you wash it with soap, it is difficult to clean it. Others can't smell it, but I have a keen sense of smell and I can smell it as soon as I smell it."
As he spoke, he walked over to another maid.
The maidservant cooperated and immediately offered her hands.
When Imperial Physician Lan walked up to Yonghe, she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands, unlike the others who stretched out their hands.
"What? You're afraid to let me smell it?" Imperial Physician Lan grinned lewdly.
An old woman walked over, grabbed Yonghe's hand, and lifted it up.
Yonghe screamed, pushed them away, and knelt before Lady Hou.
"Madam, I didn't mean to harm you... I didn't know the medicine packet was poisoned!"
Everyone looked surprised.
"Yonghe, I trust you the most," Lady Hou said softly.
Yonghe was the daughter of her dowry maid, and she grew up in front of her since childhood.
Shen Lan didn't think she was genuinely apologizing. She had been so good at pretending just now. If it weren't for Physician Lan tricking them, she wouldn't have admitted it.
"Who gave you the medicinal herbs?" Shen Lan asked directly.
“It was Bai Wu, who served Consort Li.” Yonghe said, crying, “Usually Bai Zhi would bring medicine to the lady, but that day Bai Wu also came, saying that the lady had given other instructions.”
She gave me a packet of herbs and told me to simmer it over low heat for an hour, and then add it to the lady's medicine.
I asked her what it was, and she said it was a prescription given to the lady by the imperial physician to help her... prepare her body for conception.
Lady Hou's face turned bright red, and her fingers trembled with anger.
"You...is this how you repay my trust in you?"
How old is she? Her children are all grown up. What kind of pregnancy is she trying to have?
“This servant knows her mistake. This servant heard Bai Wu say in private that during the time when the young master was away from home, Her Majesty hoped that the lady could have another child.”
Lady Hou found it utterly ridiculous.
How could such words come from her daughter's mouth? She saw it all clearly from childhood, and she even advised herself to get a divorce.
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"
Fu Qingyan didn't believe it either.
These words are clearly meant to sow discord.
Given how much his sister doted on him, how could she possibly let their mother get pregnant again when he was missing?
Lady Hou didn't even dare to look into the eyes of Marquis Pingyang, always feeling that he would utter harsh words at any moment.
This is utterly shameful.
"First of all, the white mist gave you poison, not a tonic, so her words are not to be trusted."
She used this pretext to manipulate you into poisoning the mistress; don't you have even a shred of suspicion?
Yonghe pressed her head to the ground and said in a muffled voice, "I had my doubts, but Baiwu and I are like sisters, why would she lie to me?"
Consort Li has been in the palace for several years; people change when they are in the palace.
Marquis Pingyang stood up and said, "I will go to the palace now and bring Bai Wu out for questioning."
He left in a hurry, which relieved Lady Hou; otherwise, she really wouldn't know how to face him.
Shen Lan squatted down in front of Yonghe, lifted her head, and continued to ask, "Then why did you bury the dregs of the medicine under the big tree?"
Her behavior suggests that she was also suspicious; otherwise, why wouldn't she just throw it away?
"I...I'm just doing this as a precaution. After all, it's something of unknown origin, just in case..."
"You saw it yourself, Madam was indeed poisoned. Why didn't you inform the imperial physician immediately? If Imperial Physician Lan hadn't come, do you think Madam would still be alive?"
Shen Lan's words grew increasingly sharp, leaving Yonghe with no way to defend herself.
Lady Hou was in a state of confusion.
She beckoned to Shen Lan, "Miss Shen, come back to my room with me."
Shen Lan helped her into the house and instructed her to close the door.
"Ahem... There were many people around just now, so there were some things I couldn't tell you. Now that it's just the two of us here, I'll tell you the truth."
"If it's confidential, you don't have to tell me."
“You are my son’s savior and have helped me many times. You are like family to me.”
For the past six months, Consort Li has been sending me medicine every month. She says it's a medicine the Emperor takes regularly, which can not only cure all diseases but also prolong life.
I don't know if it's true or not, but at that time I was so angry because Qingyan ran away from home that I got sick, so I tried eating it.
The effects were indeed remarkable; it truly lived up to its reputation as a sacred medicine of the imperial court. From then on, she would deliver the medicine on the first day of each month and send someone to check on me on the fifteenth, all to avoid attracting attention.
"This should be a good thing, so why is the medicine being prepared in secret?"
"Because she said that the emperor also secretly took this medicine, and most of the imperial physicians were unaware of it."
"Where did she get her medicine? Was it a gift from the Emperor?"
"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that; it would be far too dangerous for Consort Li."
Shen Lan reminded her, "It's good that you want to keep Consort Li's secret, but it seems that outsiders have found out about this matter and it has become a weapon. We don't know if their target is you or Consort Li."
If Lady Hou is poisoned to death this time, then the Marquis of Pingyang will follow the clues and find out that the medicine was sent from the palace.
Consort Li will become a suspect in the poisoning of her own mother.
At that time, Consort Li's act of sending medicine will also be exposed.
The emperor was furious when he discovered that his favorite concubine had been stealing medicine.
The person behind it all only needs one move to reap the benefits; what a clever scheme!
"Madam would be better off sending someone to the palace to inform Consort Li first; it's better to be prepared than unprepared."
"Yes, you are right."
Lady Hou, supporting herself, began to clean up the mess.
Yonghe was temporarily detained, and the other servants were repeatedly instructed not to reveal the matter to anyone.
The imperial physician Lan's medicine was very effective; within half a day, the poison in Lady Hou's body was cured.
However, she was severely weakened and her body was still very frail.
When Marquis Pingyang brought back the news that Bai Wu was dead, Shen Lan was not surprised at all.
Xiao Ji returned with him.
When the Xiao family heard that the Lady of the Marquis was seriously ill, they originally planned to come as a whole family, but they were worried that the Marquis of Pingyang would not be pleased, so they sent Xiao Ji first to find out the news.