Chapter 673 - 675: Poisoned
Chapter 673: Chapter 675: Poisoned
"But the mushrooms today were all carefully selected." Lichun’s face fell. "There’s no way the cooks here would fail to recognize a poisonous bolete, is there?"
After they had settled in, the kitchen had been completely reorganized.
Lists of what was edible and what wasn’t had already been distributed.
The kitchen staff were all veteran servants who had been with the family for years; they would never make such a mistake.
"It was likely mixed in with the others and added by accident. Otherwise, the symptoms wouldn’t be this mild," the old doctor said, stroking his beard. "This sort of thing happens frequently around here. You must be exceptionally careful in the future."
Ancient Wen Heng asked, "Then what is the remedy? Will there be any lasting effects on her body?"
"The effects aren’t serious. Madam is very lucky; the symptoms suggest the dose of toxin was low. I’ll write a prescription for a few doses of medicine. Madam should drink plenty of water and can also eat some egg whites. It should clear up in a couple of days."
Ancient Wen Heng sent someone to follow the doctor and fetch the medicine, then turned to Jin Qianqian and urged her to drink as much water as she could.
"Doctor, wait," Jin Qianqian said, urging Ancient Wen Heng. "Hurry and take someone to check on the children! We all ate the same meal."
"That’s right! Doctor, you can’t leave yet. Two children ate with us."
Ancient Wen Heng’s expression changed drastically. He shot up and headed for the door. "Quick! Go see how the two young masters are doing!"
Fortunately, the two boys had been placed in the same courtyard to make looking after them easier. At that moment, Ancient Wen Heng couldn’t care less about his composure; he broke into a run, leading the way.
The maids all followed. The old doctor was carried between two servants, one on his left and one on his right, as they all rushed toward the young masters’ courtyard.
Ancient Wen Heng arrived at his sons’ courtyard, out of breath. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw them sitting and playing, completely fine.
When Gu Ben Can saw Ancient Wen Heng arrive, he dropped the wooden puppet in his hand and rushed over to hug his leg. "Daddy, come play with us!"
Ancient Wen Heng scooped the boy up into his arms with one hand, trying his best to keep his expression natural. "What are you two playing?"
Gu Benluo held up a broken wooden puppet. "I’m helping my little brother put the missing arms back on. Dad, why are you here now? Is something wrong?"
Ancient Wen Heng walked over and felt his forehead, then carefully examined both boys’ complexions. After confirming they were fine, he asked the nanny standing nearby, "Have the young masters shown any unusual behavior?"
The nanny beside them shook her head. "The two young masters have been playing here ever since they returned from their meal. There’s been nothing out of the ordinary."
Just then, the doctor was helped inside. Ancient Wen Heng immediately said, "Check the children’s pulses first."
The old doctor had already figured out the situation on his way over. Without a word, he took Gu Benluo’s hand. A moment later, he announced, "This young master’s pulse is stable. He’s fine."
Ancient Wen Heng, still holding Gu Ben Can, held out his younger son’s little hand. After another examination, the result was the same: nothing was wrong.
"But we all ate together today." Ancient Wen Heng held out his own hand, and the old doctor checked his pulse as well.
"Then she must have eaten something that the rest of you did not," the old doctor said. "You will have to investigate that on your own."
The old doctor didn’t like prying into the affairs of the inner residence; it was all too easy to get oneself entangled.
Ancient Wen Heng had Xu Dawang, who had followed him over, send someone to escort the doctor out, pay his fee, and have the prescription filled.
He entrusted the two children to the maids and nannies, then hurried back to the main courtyard.
"Go investigate," he said to Lichun and Xu Dawang, who were waiting outside the door. "Find out everything the Madam ate today. I want a thorough investigation."
’His household had always been secure.’ At this moment, Ancient Wen Heng couldn’t help but suspect foul play.
’This estate is so large, the servants we brought with us couldn’t possibly fill every position. We had to hire a new batch here.’
’Having just arrived, it’s unlikely I have any enemies. The only person I’ve offended is the former Inspector General.’
’Could this be the work of one of his loyal retainers, blaming everything on me and scheming this revenge?’
When Jin Qianqian saw him enter, she immediately asked in an urgent voice, "How are they? Are the children alright?"
She had wanted to rush over with him, but her heart was pounding and her limbs felt weak. Afraid she would just get in the doctor’s way, she had forced herself to stay behind.
"They’re both fine." Seeing her pale face, Ancient Wen Heng helped her sit down. "You might have accidentally eaten something. I’ve already sent people to investigate."
Jin Qianqian said, "I ate the same things as you today at home. The only exception was the meal at the Liang Mansion."
If that were the case, the issue certainly didn’t originate in their own residence. A problem at the governor’s mansion would be a far more serious matter.
Just as they were wondering how to investigate, the gatekeeper rushed to find Xu Dawang.
"Housekeeper Xu, a steward from the governor’s mansion says he has urgent business with Mr. Gu."
Xu Dawang said, "Take him to the side hall first. I’ll go see what it is."
’Mr. Gu is in no mood to deal with such matters right now.’ Xu Dawang just wanted to send the man away.
He had just reached the side hall when he saw the man waiting anxiously at the door. "Housekeeper Xu, my madam sent me. There is something of great importance to report to Mr. Gu."
"Several of the ladies who were guests at the governor’s mansion today have shown symptoms of mild poisoning. My madam sent me to advise you to have a doctor take a look."
Xu Dawang’s mind went blank. So that’s where the problem had come from.
「Governor’s Mansion」
Mrs. Liang He stared with a cold expression at the servants kneeling in the courtyard. ’To think someone still managed to infiltrate my household.’
"Don’t tell me those poisonous mushrooms fell in by accident."
She wasn’t a fool. The culprit hadn’t aimed to kill, which meant it likely wasn’t an external political enemy. That narrowed down the list of suspects considerably.
’If I find out who it is... whoever dared to scheme behind my back, whoever dared to embarrass me like this, will have to face my wrath.’
"If you confess honestly, I can still grant you a quick death."
"Otherwise, I would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free."
The kneeling servants’ faces all turned pale. If they were kicked out of the governor’s mansion, they would have no way to survive.
And now, from the sound of their madam’s tone, if the culprit wasn’t found today, whether any of them would be allowed to live was another question entirely.
When no one spoke up, Mrs. Liang He waved over some guards. "Take them all away and interrogate them separately. I permit you to use torture."
"This is, after all, the grave crime of attempting to harm an official’s wife. Even if you were merely implicated, you still deserve to die."
"I refuse to believe that with so many of you, not one person noticed anything. Since you’re all covering for each other, then you can all suffer the consequences together!"
Just as the guards were about to drag them away, someone spoke up. "Madam, this servant has something to say! I... I don’t know if what I saw will be helpful."