Wife Doting Addiction：My Abducted Tsundere Husband - Chapter 83: The One Who Used the Poison

Chapter 83: The One Who Used the Poison

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“What kind of poison is that? How have I never heard of it?”

As someone from the martial arts world, Su Jiu had heard of and seen many poisons, but this name was unfamiliar to her.

“That’s because you’re too young, little girl!” Old Gu laughed coldly.

Stone Flower Powder was a type of poison used explicitly on females. It wasn’t fatal, but it changed a woman’s bodily structure. After consuming it, in only two days, an ordinary woman would become a stone girl. From then on, she would be unable to lay with a man, and absolutely unable to give birth. It was a poison that women of the rear courts used in their struggles to gain favor.

Because the poison was too harmful and so horrible, it had disappeared over the last several years. No one could have ever could have guessed that it would appear now in Ji Manor.

Old Gu’s expression, which had initially been quite lazy, now became much gloomier. This young woman was the mistress of Ji Manor. Most likely, the poison was meant for her, but it had been accidentally used on her ‘servant girl.’

Fortunately, this ‘servant girl’ was not actually a girl, so the poison had only given her incredible stomach pains.

Outside the bedroom, Mrs. Fan and four servant girls—Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong—were waiting. They saw Ji Yuxian approaching from afar and quickly bowed to greet him.

Ji Yuxian had not combed his hair, and it was only loosely bound behind his back. He wore his big silver fox fur coat, and his feet did not stop as he went all the way into the bedroom.

Hearing the sounds, Nanny rushed out from the inner room. She dipped her head to greet him, “Hello, Eldest Young Master!”

Ji Yuxian’s expression was calm and indifferent. “Who was poisoned?”

“Eldest Young Master, it was our Young Miss’ servant girl, Chang Huan. Doctor Gu is already helping her.”

“What was she poisoned with?”

Nanny hesitated for a moment. “Stone Flower Powder.”

Ji Yuxian’s phoenix-like eyes immediately narrowed.

Standing in the outer room, he peered into the bedroom and saw Su Jiu holding her ‘servant girl,’ her face heavy and anxious. She hadn’t even noticed that he had come.

Chang Huan’s face was pale, eyes squeezed shut, and he was continually arching in Su Jiu’s arms.

Ji Yuxian’s eyes darkened a bit, and he stepped into the inner room.

Nanny fell to her knees and held him back, “Young Master! Chang Huan is a girl. Please don’t arouse suspicion!”

Ji Yuxian smiled. “Yes, she’s a girl. I will wait here!”

He said the words ‘she’s a girl’ with particular emphasis. Nanny’s heart skipped a beat. Then, she got up, smiled, and said, “I will pour you some tea!”

Old Gu opened his medicine box to take out his silver needles. He turned and said, “Lay him down flat. I need to apply these needles to cure the poison!”

“Yes!”

Su Jiu supported Chang Huan by the shoulders and laid him down on the bed, but Chang Huan clutched onto her arm, unwilling to let go.

In a voice full of pain, he mumbled, “Boss, don’t go. Don’t leave me!”

Su Jiu’s heart ached terribly. In a low, comforting voice, she said, “I’m here, I’m not leaving. Once you lay down and get the poison cured, then it won’t hurt!”

Chang Huan obediently lay down, but he still clung onto Su Jiu’s hand, refusing to let go.

The glint of the shining silver needles was bright like cold moonlight. One by one, the needles were inserted into the acupuncture points—Zhifu, Taichong, and Shaofu.

Shortly after, black blood began to flow from the Zhifu point.

Chang Huan’s pained face gradually improved, and he no longer twisted and turned.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the blood seeping from Zhifu turned red. Old Gu retrieved the silver needle and scratched a line through the skin on his wrist. He sprinkled a little white powder on it, and then wrapped it up tight with white gauze.

As he did this, Old Gu was not as flippant as before. Instead, he had a somber expression.

Chang Huan’s flushed face gave way to a pale white. He had fallen into a lethargic sleep.

Old Gu put away his silver needles. Then, from the medicine box, he took out a white porcelain bottle. With a look of distress and regret, he took out a red pill. Holding it tightly, he said, “This medicine is a panacea that can cure hundreds of poisons. Money can’t buy this!”

“A panacea for poisons?” Su Jiu grabbed it, put it in Chang Huan’s mouth, and then stared at Old Gu’s medicine bottle. “Is one enough? Should we give him a few more?”

As she said this, her hand stretched out to grab more.

Old Gu dodged her claws, guarding his medicine protectively. “I only have ten of them in this bottle!”

“Stingy!” Su Jiu snorted coldly. Then, suddenly, she glanced out the window. She cried out with alarm, “Who’s that outside?”

Old Gu automatically turned to look, and then his hands were empty. She had snatched the medicine bottle.

“If Chang Huan doesn’t wake up tomorrow, I will give him a few more!” Su Jiu opened the lid and poured the pills into her hand.

Old Gu went crazy. “Little girl, you’re ungrateful and greedy! I saved one of your people, and you’re still stealing my medicine.”

Su Jiu glanced at the lazy shadow in the outer room and narrowed her eyes in a fierce smile. In a low voice, she said, “You’ve guessed that right. I am not a good person! This medicine stays with me. If Chang Huan wakes up, then I will save some for you. But if you say something that you shouldn’t say, then I’m going to take every last pill and not leave a single one for you!”

Although her identity was already known to Ji Yuxian, he probably still didn’t realize that Chang Huan was a man. If Chang Huan was exposed as male, then the whole manor would be in an uproar.

Old Gu huffed with anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Ji Yuxian waiting outside and knew that the girl was afraid that he would expose Chang Huan’s secret. He grinned, “If you’re afraid that I’m going to say something, then hurry up and give me back the medicine bottle!”

“Do you want to bet? If you say a single word, I will send you straight to heaven!” Su Jiu smiled ruthlessly.

Old Gu stared at her for a long time. “Fine, I won’t say anything. Give me back the medicine!”

“Are you true to your word?”

“Of course, I am a miracle doctor!”

Su Jiu returned the medicine bottle to him and smiled, saying, “Thank you for today, then!”

Old Gu’s mouth twitched, and he snorted coldly. He grabbed the quilt from when he’d come in and left the room. Seeing Ji Yuxian outside, he snorted again, “Go see that nice little wife you married!”

Ji Yuxian smiled. “Thanks for your work, Elder Gu!”

Old Gu was truly the miracle doctor of the Liang Empire. Years ago, when Ji Yuxian’s mother had been severely ill, Ji Yuxian had scoured half the empire for him. Although he’d been unable to completely cure Madame Ji’s illness, he’d still defied nature and extended her life by five or six years.

In his youth, Miracle Doctor Gu’s morals had been rather lax, and he’d racked up a lot of debt. Ji Yuxian had spent a lot of money to resolve all of his debts, and then had him stay at the manor. He’d now been at the manor for about ten years.

For the time being, no one outside had seen even a shadow of Miracle Doctor Gu. There was talk of him being in seclusion, but no one knew that he was at Ji Manor.

“I’m going back to sleep!” Old Gu yawned a few times, wrapped himself up in the quilt, and left.

Nanny had gotten some water and helped Chang Huan wash his face. Su Jiu left the inner room and sat down in the chair across from Ji Yuxian. Exhausted, she said, “It’s fine. Nothing’s wrong. Go back to sleep!”

“Nothing’s wrong?” Ji Yuxian smiled. Under the lamplight, his eyes twinkled. He looked calmly at Su Jiu. “Who did the poisoning? Did you figure it out?”

Su Jiu was startled and turned her head quickly.

Just now, she had only been worried about Chang Huan, so she had forgotten the most important thing. How had Chang Huan been poisoned?

Although she didn’t understand the back-and-forth tricks of the rear court, she wasn’t dumb. She knew that the poison was meant for her. Chang Huan had been hurt by mistake.

They’d eaten supper together. The only difference was that Su Jiu hadn’t consumed the chicken soup.

The chicken soup that Nanny made…

Su Jiu glanced into the inner room at Nanny, who was bustling away. She frowned. Her intuition told her that Nanny would not hurt her.

If it were Nanny, why would she have waited until now?

“The women of the rear court may seem weak and not worth your attention, but they’re more dangerous than any sword you’ve encountered before. My dear, take care!” Ji Yuxian curved his lips into a smile, slowly stood up, and left.

Su Jiu collected her thoughts, stood up, and said, “Tomorrow, I’m going to take care of Chang Huan, so I’m not going to go to your study!”

His tall figure was ringed by a halo of beautiful moonlight, fuzzy yet grand. Ji Yuxian looked back at her and smiled, more luminous than the moon. “Alright. I’ll give you one day off then, my dear.”

He said this and left.

Su Jiu stood there, her eyes down as she thought for a moment before turning and heading back into the inner room.

Nanny had already wiped Chang Huan’s face clean of sweat and carefully covered him with a quilt.

Seeing Su Jiu come in, Nanny fell to her knees on the ground and said in a tragic voice, “Young Miss, this evening you gave the chicken soup to Master Huan, so I know that you must suspect me. But I swear on my life that I have never done a single thing to hurt you!”

Su Jiu watched the woman kneeling on the ground, her delicate face completely expressionless.

She’d seen this self-debasing and sincere expression on Nanny’s face too many times, aimed at Second Young Madame, Xie Ying, and even Su Linshi. When she lied, her face was full of fear and reverence, with the appearance of utmost humility and genuineness.

Nanny survived between the cracks of the rear court women. Her mind was nimble, and she played both sides for her benefit, crafting a heart that was cunning in the ways of the world. This was not a surprise.

But for such a long time, Nanny had looked after her with the utmost care, and Su Jiu already thought of Nanny as one of her own. Even though today’s events were very odd, she still decided to trust her intuition.

It wasn’t because of her attitude nor any oath. There wasn’t any definitive evidence in front of her. She just never doubted her people!

“I believe you. Stand up!” Su Jiu said calmly.

Nanny was still kneeling, unmoving. “I will ferret out who did it. I will get to the bottom of this!”

She had made the chicken soup in the large kitchen. Every now and then, she had stepped away. Many people came and went from the kitchen, people from all over the household. There were so many possible people who could have slipped the poison in.

Of course, out of everyone, Xie Ying was the main suspect.

Su Jiu stepped forward and helped her up, smiling coldly. “This kind of despicable trick is inferior to us bandits!”

At least they showed their weapons when they fought. Schemes and crafty conspiracies were contemptible!

“Young Miss, how could you have known that the rear court was so vile? This instance will be a lesson to us. From now on, I will definitely be on my guard.” Nanny’s eyes were full of worry. She turned he hear to look at Chang Huan, who was deep in sleep. “We’re lucky that you didn’t eat the chicken soup, and that Master Huan is not in serious trouble.”

Su Jiu nodded. “Even if we can’t find out who did it this time, as long as that person is in the manor, I will eventually uncover them!”

“Yes, and I will also pay more attention!”

All this had taken up most of the night, and it was nearly daylight. Nanny put a jacket on Su Jiu and said, “Young Miss, you haven’t slept all night. Go outside and nap on the couch for a few hours. I will watch over Master Huan!”

“No need. You can go to sleep. I will watch Chang Huan!” replied Su Jiu.

Seeing Su Jiu’s resolute attitude, Nanny could only nod. “Once the sun comes up at dawn, you should also go lay in bed for a little while.”

“Don’t worry!”

After Nanny left, Su Jiu sat beside the bed. She saw that Chang Huan was sleeping peacefully, so she also gradually became sleepy and fell asleep by the bed.

Ji Yuxian was on his way back to Cloud Pavilion when, suddenly, his feet stopped. He turned his head and said, “Make sure that the news spreads about today’s events. Say thatYyoung Madane was nearly poisoned by Rock Flower Powder.”

Jin Feng’s eyes turned to him, and he nodded in understanding. “Yes, I will do that!”

The next morning, news of the poisoning at Perched Phoenix Pavilion had already reached the entire rear court. Everyone was terrified and stunned. Talk spread fast, and there was panic in the air.

A poison as sinister as Rock Flower Powder naturally had a bit of a reputation, and now it had been used to try to poison Ji Manor’s Young Madame!

After something so eventful, Second Young Madame, as an elder, could no longer pretend to be in the dark. After throwing a big fit, she sent two ladies to each courtyard to investigate!

Ren Zhi’er was at Lotus Pavilion discussing the matter with Xie Ying.

“Sister, last night at Perch Phoenix Pavilion, Young Madame’s personal maid was poisoned with Rock Flower Powder. Did you hear about it?”

Xie Ying was painting in her eyebrows in the mirror. She glanced at Ren Zhi’er as she replied, “What do you mean by that? Do you think I did it?”

Out of fear, Ren Zhi’er quickly denied it, “Why would I ever suspect you, sister? I just wanted to ask if you’d heard about it.”

“How could I not have known about this morning’s uproar?” Xie Ying’s bright eyes were sharp. The hand that held the eyebrow brush tightened. She hated that the servant girl had ended up drinking the poison. How nice would it have been if Su Yuejiu had consumed it?

“How can such a sinister thing appear in our Ji Manor? How odd!” Ren Zhi’er took the pearl flower and put it on Xie Ying’s head. Her downcast eyes sparkled.

“If someone’s determined, nothing is impossible to find!” Xie Ying snorted coldly.

“Who do you think wanted to hurt Young Madame?” Ren Zhi’er asked, almost carelessly.

“You don’t really think that it was me, do you?” Xie Ying looked at Ren Zhi’er. “I’m not the only one in this manor who doesn’t like Su Yuejiu. What about you? Aren’t you jealous of Su Yuejiu?”

“You’re joking. I don’t like her because she offended you. I thought it was unjust on your behalf. I don’t have any status in this manor, so what would be the use of fighting for good favor?” Ren Zhi’er answered in a panic.

“There’s no knowing what’s in anybody’s heart. How can I know what you’re thinking?” Xie Ying smiled. She put down her brush and stood up when she heard noise outside.

The servant girl Shao Yao dashed inside, curtsied, and said, “Second Young Madame, Second Madame has sent people to search us. They’re already in the courtyard!”

Xie Ying slammed her eyebrow brush on the table, breaking it into several pieces. With a cold smile, she said, “It looks like they do suspect me, after all!”

After saying this, she whipped her sleeves around and stood up to go outside. Her servant girls, ladies, and Ren Zhi’er hurried to follow behind her.

In the courtyard stood two ladies, who waited on Second Madame in Jinlan Pavilion. Behind them were four or five more servant girls.

Xie Ying was wearing a red flower dress and golden peony pins in her hair. She cheerily greeted them with a warm, welcoming smile, “You two ladies have been working hard. Have you already searched all the other places?”

Mrs. Chen, who was a little older, approached and said respectfully, “We are starting the search with the Lotus Pavilion. Please forgive our intrusion!”

Xie Ying sneered, “This happened at Young Madame’s Perched Phoenix Pavilion. Why aren’t you searching there? Why would you start with my place?”

If word of this were to get out into the manor, then they’d be telling everyone that she was the one behind the poisoning!

She had only just recovered from her cough, but with this surge of anger, her blood began to rush. She covered her lips as she began to cough. Shao Yao, standing beside her, hurried to pat her back for her. “Second Young Madame, don’t be angry. Take care of your body. We don’t have anything to hide, so we’ll just let them search as they please!”

Mrs. Chen also chimed in, “Second Young Madame, please don’t be angry. These are orders from Second Madame, and we are simply carrying them out!”

Xie Ying stiffly twisted the handkerchief in her hand for a long moment. With a cold smile, she said, “Yes, we have nothing to hide. If you want to search it, go ahead and investigate as you see fit!”

“Excuse us, then!” Mrs. Chen said with her head dipped. Then, she turned toward the servant girls and instructed, “Search every room thoroughly. Do not forget a single corner.”

“Yes!” the servant girls answered and left.

“Shao Yao!” Xie Ying spoke up. “Go to my room to watch. Don’t let those rough people break my things. I’m afraid they can’t afford to replace them!”

Shao Yao nodded immediately. “Yes!”

Mrs. Chen’s expression remained unchanged. With a calm smile, she said, “Please don’t blame us, Second Young Madame. Once we finish searching, we will leave right away.”

Xie Ying sat in the flower room and calmed down with a cup of tea. She carefully rubbed her nails, and her expression was indifferent. There was not the slightest hint of anxiety or unease on her face.

After one cup of tea, a young servant girl ran over and reported back, “We’ve searched Second Young Madame’s room. We didn’t discover anything suspicious.”

Xie Ying looked up with a cold glance and let out a laugh.

Mrs. Chen said, “Good. Wait for the others to return. Then we will move on.”

After a while, the other servant girls returned. Similarly, they also found nothing of interest. Mrs. Chen counted her people. They were just waiting on Mrs. Xu to return so that they could continue to the next courtyard.

After a long time, Mrs. Chen grew impatient from waiting. She was about to summon a servant girl to take a look when she heard the sound of a girl crying and Mrs. Xu’s loud yelling.

Everyone was surprised and stood up.

By then, Mrs. Xu had already run in. In one hand, she was pulling on a servant girl’s clothes, and in the other, she was holding a white paper package.

The young servant girl was crying and wailing. She hunched her shoulders and didn’t dare look up.

“What is going on?” Xie Ying asked in surprise.

Mrs. Xu only looked at Mrs. Chen. “I found this in this servant girl’s room!”

She said this and passed over the paper package in her hand.

Mrs. Chen took it and opened it. Inside was a bright red powder. She pulled out a silver pin from her hair and picked at it a little. Her expression immediately changed. “Stone Flower Powder!”

“Huh?”

Everyone drew a deep breath and stepped back.

To women, this poison was as dangerous as a tiger.

Mrs. Chen looked up toward Xie Ying, her expression cold. “Second Young Madame, what do you have to say?”

Xie Ying looked at the medicine pouch in Mrs. Chen’s hand, surprised. She shook her head, alarmed. “No, it’s not possible!”

She stumbled over a step and grabbed the crying servant girl. In a hiss, she asked, “Liu’er, why do you have this? Where did you get it?”

The young woman called Liu’er fell onto her knees and bowed, thumping her head. “This is my fault. This is my wrongdoing!”

“Second Young Madame, since we have already found it, please come with us to see Second Madame!” Mrs. Chen said coldly.

“No, this is not mine! I didn’t tell her to do it. I’m not going!” Xie Ying’s eyes were wide open, and she kept backing up.

Ren Zhi’er stood to the side, her eyes glistening. She enjoyed the scene that was unfolding.

She had guessed that it was Xie Ying, the poison lady!

Liu’er crawled forward two steps, clinging to Mrs. Chen’s legs. She looked up, crying, and said, “This has nothing to do with Second Young Madame. I hate Young Madame for humiliating and beating up our Second Young Madame. She even purposefully broke Second Young Madame’s zither. I hate Young Madame, so on behalf of Second Young Madame, I secretly put the poison in her soup. Second Young Madame doesn’t know anything.”

Xie Ying was startled and hurriedly said, “Yes, yes, this has nothing to do with me. It was my lowly servant that took matters into her own hands.”

Mrs. Chen’s eyebrows shifted, and she turned her head to order a servant girl, “Go to Jinglan Pavilion and call Second Madame over here!”

“Yes!”

The young servant girl answered and left.

The room was quiet for a moment. All that could be heard was the quiet sobbing sounds of Liu’er, who was still kneeling.

Xie Ying shot her a cold glance. She hated that she’d stuck her nose into things and gotten her into this trouble.

Ren Zhi’er helped Xie Ying into a seat. “Sister, please don’t be angry. It’s the servants who aren’t mature. They don’t understand things. Once Second Madame comes, she will, naturally, clear everything up.”

But, how could Xie Ying not be angry? Even if Second Madame ended up believing her, what would everyone else think?

The servant girl was hers. She even had a past with Su Yuejiu. Everyone would think that she made her servant girl do it and let her take the fall.

Something like this couldn’t be washed clean even if she crossed the Yellow River!

After waiting a while, they finally saw Second Madame slowly entering the courtyard. She headed for the flower room, escorted by several of her servant girls and ladies.

Xie Ying immediately stood up and went out to greet her. The smile on her face was more humble than usual, but also carried the sense of being wronged. “Second Madame, you have to be the judge for me!”

Second Madame was wearing a fur and velvet coat embroidered in gold. She looked graceful and luxurious. Her smile was kind, and she stroked Xie Ying’s hand reassuringly, saying, “Don’t worry. I will get to the bottom of this.”

Mrs. Chen approached her. “Second Madame, this poison was found when we searched this servant girl’s room!”

Second Madame had a look and shook her head slightly. She turned her head to look at the kneeling servant girl. “What is your name?”

“My m-my, name is Liu’er!” The servant girl didn’t even dare to lift her head, and she stuttered as she spoke.

“This Stone Flower Powder is yours?” Second Madame’s eyes were sharp.

“Yes.”

“Who gave it to you?”

Liu’er’s face was full of panic, and she answered with her head low: “No, no one gave it to me. It was me, I went to a drug dealer and bought it.”

“Then why did you do this?” Second Madame’s voice was cold. It held power without anger. Everyone in the flower room could have heard a pin drop.

Liu’er’s head drooped lower and lower. Her nose nearly touched the ground. In a quivering voice, she said, “I thought that it was unfair to my mistress, and I wanted to retaliate against Young Madame. This had nothing to do with Second Young Madame. No one told me to do it. It was all my idea.”

Xie Ying immediately said, “Second Madame, you heard her say so. This truly has nothing to do with me.”

Second Madame nodded. “Liu’er, for conspiring to murder the mistress of the household, for acting immorally towards your masters, you are to receive a beating of thirty strikes and then be thrown out of the manor.”

Xie Ying said ruthlessly, “Second Madame, you are being too merciful. This kind of lowlife who tries to hurt her mistress should be beaten to death!”

Liu’er was paralyzed on the ground, tears and snot running. She grabbed onto Xie Ying’s skirt, sobbing and begging, “Second Young Madame, I know I was wrong, but I’ll never do it again. Please put in a good word for me—I did it all for you!”

Xie Ying immediately stepped back and reprimanded her. “Shut up! I didn’t hurt Young Madame. It was your idea, and you did it yourself. What does it have to do with me?”

“I only did it because you were wronged. I got confused and made a big mistake. Second Young Madame, we are mistress and servant, you cannot ignore me! At home I still have an elderly mother and a disabled brother. If I die, they can’t survive!” She faced Xie Ying and bowed over and over.

Xie Ying turned away, not even giving Liu’er a look.

Second Madame sighed. “Those who study the Buddha have the hardest time seeing this. The servant girl is indeed abominable, but she is loyal to her mistress. Let her live. As I said, thirty strikes with the staff, then throw her out of the manor!”

Xie Ying was so severe only because she wanted to have her name cleared and to disassociate herself from Liu’er. But hearing Second Madame say this, she realized that if she still insisted on beating Liu’er to death, then she would seem unreasonable. After all, the servant girl was one of hers, and she did do this for her.

“Since Second Madame says so, then I will spare her life. But I absolutely cannot have such a malevolent servant. So, as Second Madame says, beat her with the staff then throw her out of the manor.”

“Take her away!” Second Madame turned her head and spoke to Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen nodded and had two servant girls take Liu’er away.

Liu’er cried and called out, “Thank you, mistress, for your mercy! I know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again!”

From the courtyard, they could soon hear the smacking sounds of the wooden staff coming down on flesh and the hissing of Liu’er begging for forgiveness. It was almost like a strained cat, desperate and shrill. The people in the flower room could only listen and feel their hairs stand up. No one dared to speak.

Only after the sounds of the beating stopped, and Liu’er, who had passed out long before it ended, was being dragged away, did everyone finally breathe out a sigh.

“Since we have found out the truth, I can report back to Yuxian and Young Madame! I hope that there will not be a repeat of this kind of incident. Otherwise, both mistress and servant will be punished together!” Second Madame said calmly.

Xie Ying’s face paled. She bowed her head and said, “Yes, I did not teach them with enough discipline. I will voluntarily punish myself by withholding three month’s allowance.”

Behind her, Ren Zhi’er’s lips curled in a smirk. As if Xie Ying would miss those few dozen taels. This kind of punishment didn’t have a hint of sincerity.

Seeing Xie Ying admitting her wrongs with a good attitude, Second Madame said with relief, “Ying’er, you truly are sensible. You don’t need to be too hard on yourself. After all, it was the servant who misbehaved and reflected poorly on her mistress!”

Xie Ying lifted her arm to wipe the corner of her eye, and choked out, “Second Madame, you are brilliant! Hearing that from you, I don’t feel wronged anymore! Please put in a good word for me in front of Young Master.”

“Yes, don’t worry. Your body is still not well. Go rest! I will tell everything to Yuxian!”

Second Madame said this, taking her servant girls and ladies with her as she left.

“Goodbye, Second Madame!” Xie Ying curtsied.

Once Second Madame was gone, Xie Ying’s expression was not as humble as before. She whipped her sleeves up and sat on the chair, feeling like there was a breath stifled in her chest.

“Liu’er, that despicable girl—why didn’t we beat her to death?”

Ren Zhi’er poured out some tea with her back to Xie Ying. Hearing this, she smiled coldly. Why did she have such a hard time believing that a servant girl would dare do this kind of thing?

Turning her head back around with a humble smile on her face, she said, “It’s fortunate that the truth has been found out. Your innocence has been proven. It’s right to drive out such a deceptive servant!”

Xie Ying was lost in thought. After this incident, it was uncertain how servants in the manor would talk about her. More importantly, would Ji Yuxian’s people recognize that this had been Liu’er acting on her own?

After Second Madame went to the Cloud Pavilion to report to Ji Yuxian that she had caught the culprit behind the poisoning, she also went to the Perched Phoenix Pavilion to comfort Su Jiu.

Once Second Madame left, Su Jiu and Nanny returned to the bedroom. They saw that Chang Huan still showed no signs of waking up.

“What do you think of this, Young Miss?” Nanny poured a cup of tea for Su Jiu and set it down on the mahogany table next to the low couch.

Su Jiu sat down cross-legged with her head low, nibbling at her fingers. She said thoughtfully, “This matter is not quite so simple!”

At the start, she had suspected Xie Ying of the poisoning. Now that the culprit had been uncovered, the situation seemed more confusing.

“Hearing what Second Madame said, it seems like the one called Liu’er is just a lower rank servant girl from the Lotus Pavilion. She usually wouldn’t even have the opportunity to see Xie Ying. Why would she be so loyal to her, and even risk a possible punishment of death to use poison?” wondered Su Jiu.

Nanny watched Su Jiu’s eyes fill with amusement. She nodded and said, “Indeed, it seems to be something like that. This Liu’er is a scapegoat. There is someone behind her, giving orders.”

“If it were Xie Ying who gave the order, then she would have hidden her long ago. How could she be discovered so easily? Xie Ying wouldn’t be so stupid,” Su Jiu continued. It was precisely because of this that she felt like the situation was not so straightforward.

“Your analysis seems spot on!” Nanny praised. “The one behind all of this could be Xie Ying, but it could also be someone else. Since Liu’er has become the scapegoat, it means that whoever it was didn’t want things to get out of hand.”

“Shall I send someone to go find this Liu’er and force her to tell us who she works for?” Su Jiu asked.

Nanny shook her head. “There’s no use. Liu’er was beaten almost to death and kicked out of the manor. She still didn’t give up who she took the orders from, which means there is something even more important to her than her life. Even if you force her, there won’t be any results. On the other hand, it would expose you for trying to investigate this matter quietly, and make the other side kill Liu’er to silence her.”

Su Jiu looked away and frowned, saying, “Then, for now, we will not make a move. Instead, we’ll make plans for the long term!”

Since there was a relationship between Liu’er and this secret person, then, someday in the future, they make contact again.

Nanny nodded. “That’s right. The good thing is that, after this, that secret person, whoever it is, should quiet down and not act again so easily!”

Su Jiu’s eyes were clear. “Whoever it is, I won’t let her off!”

Nanny grabbed a handkerchief and wiped Chang Huan’s face. “Seeing Master Huan like this, I guess he will keep sleeping for several hours. I will have the servants simmer some porridge to keep at the ready.”

“Good!”

Su Jiu hadn’t slept well the night before, so she was a bit sleepy. After Nanny left, she leaned Chang Huan farther into the bed, and then cuddled onto the side of the bed and fell asleep.

Nanny prepared the porridge and brought a bowl for Su Jiu. She came in and saw that Su Jiu was fast asleep on the bed. She didn’t disturb her and stepped away with light footsteps.

It was already afternoon by the time Chang Huan woke up. He opened his eyes and saw the top of the bed and was at a brief loss. He felt weak all over, and there was a throbbing pain in his lower abdomen.

Hearing a light breathing sound beside him, he turned his head slightly and saw Su Jiu curled up at his side, her eyes closed. She was deep in sleep.

The room was very quiet. The afternoon sunlight came in through the window. The winter sun was bright yet gentle, lightly shining across her delicate face. Her eyelashes seemed to tremble. Her skin was pale, and her lips were barely open. She slept like a child.

Suddenly, Chang Huan thought back to when he’d first entered the Dragon Conqueror Gang. He’d been a weak chicken who couldn’t do anything, and he’d been bullied all the time. Back then, Su Jiu had protected him.

The first time he’d participated in a trial to enter the gang, he was part of a group of thirty going through the mountain woods together. His leg had been injured from an animal trap. The others had all looked at him with ominous glints in their eyes, greedy and hungry, wanting to eat him up. Su Jiu had injured three of them before they decided not to beat him. After that, she’d carried him for two days and two nights as they had searched for the path to leave the mountain woods.

It had been winter, with snow capping the mountains. There’d been nothing at all to eat. Starving, Su Jiu had eaten a few big mouthfuls of snow then continued to carry him.

When they’d gotten out of the mountain woods, Su Jiu’s grass sandals had worn all the way through. The blood blisters on her feet had frozen into icy knots.

Reunited with the gang, she’d settled him in then laid down to sleep. She’d slept for a day and a night. He’d protected her, not closing his own eyes as he watched her for that entire day and night.

Su Jiu was just eight. He was ten.

…

Su Jiu turned, throwing her arm over. She suddenly woke when she hit Chang Huan’s body and sat up with a grunt. She stared blankly at Chang Huan for a long moment before grinning and saying, “You’re awake?”

Chang Huan smiled. “I was not. I woke up because you hit me!”

Su Jiu giggled and wrapped her arms around Chang Huan. “Huan’er, you scared me to death!”

Chang Huan hugged her back tightly, and his voice was soft from being sick. “It’s fine now. I’m stubbornly alive. How could it be so easy to kill me?”

Su Jiu hurriedly got up to look at him. “Does it still hurt?”

Chang Huan shook his head. “After a hug from you, boss, it doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“Good!” Su Jiu caressed his head. “Are you hungry? I’ll go find something for you to eat!”

After she said this, she remembered that they were no longer at Yuhu Mountain, where food was not so scarce and hard to find. They could eat anytime.

“Look at me, I’ve slept myself dizzy and confused!” Su Jiu patted his head, got out of the bed, and put on her shoes to head outside. “Nanny made some porridge. I’ll go get some for you!”

Chang Huan wanted to call her back, but seeing her quick steps out the door, he didn’t say anything. He slowly laid back down and smelled the delicate fragrance left behind on the bedsheets. His lips widened into a small smile.

After eating the porridge, Chang Huan rested a bit more. Only at night did he seem to regain some energy.

Knowing that it was someone from the Lotus Pavilion who had poisoned him, Chang Huan frowned and said worriedly, “They didn’t succeed this time, but what if they try to hurt you again, boss?”

On the other hand, he was happy that he was the one who had drunk the chicken soup.

“From now on, I’m going to try whatever food you’re about to eat before I let you have any!” Chang Huan suddenly came up with this idea.

“Don’t make a fuss. You can still stay close to me!” Su Jiu shucked a sunflower seed and put it in Chang Huan’s mouth. “Don’t worry. From now on, we’ll be on the alert. They won’t get the chance to do anything again!”

Chang Huan chewed on the seed, and his brow furrowed in worry.

At night, Chang Huan was no longer allowed to stay over at Su Jiu’s room. He was sent to sleep next door. Nanny stayed behind and slept on the couch in the outer room.

After a dreamless night, in the next morning, Su Jiu woke up. The sky was already bright, and she could see the sunshine through the wooden window. Su Jiu squinted a bit and was just about to go back to sleep when she suddenly realized that she needed to go to Ji Yuxian’s study to practice reading. She sat up urgently and asked, “Nanny, what time is it?”

“It’s nearly nine. Why?” Nanny ran over and asked.

“I’m late! I’m late again!” Su Jiu randomly threw on some clothes, stuffed her hair into a bun, and began to run.

“Young Miss? Young Miss!” Nanny followed behind her. “You still haven’t had breakfast!”

“I’m not going to eat! I’ll just eat it all at noon. Tell Chang Huan to rest up, and I’ll be back to see him!” Su Jiu shouted as she left the courtyard.

Nanny was behind her, frowning. She was off to see her husband. Even if their marriage was fake, she shouldn’t be so careless about her image. She really left Nanny speechless.

Su Jiu ran to Cloud Pavilion. Without allowing the servants to announce her, she entered the study.