Wei Anjun stood next to Su Luo and pushed the things to Su Luo.

"Mrs. Su Luo, whether it's hush money or something else, it's all yours now."

Su Luo sat down, preparing to go to sleep, wearing only her undergarments.

"We shouldn't accept undeserved rewards. Master Xu will pay for the old lady's medical treatment. Aunt Wei, you should take these things back."

Seeing that Su Luo remained unmoved, Wei Anjun grew impatient. She was just a village woman; as long as she offered enough, she wasn't afraid Su Luo wouldn't be tempted.

Realizing this, Wei Anjun immediately took off the jade pendant and headdress she was wearing and gave them all to Su Luo.

"Madam Su, this is all I have left. After you have prescribed the antidote for the old lady tomorrow, return to Yongle County. With your intelligence, even if you know something, please keep it a secret."

Su Luo sneered inwardly; things were indeed much as she had imagined.

How could Ah Yan, a mere maidservant who helped with washing and grooming, have poisoned the old lady for so many years? There must have been someone covering for her, and that person must be someone influential in the household.

If it weren't for the last thing Ayan said when she was dragged away, Wei Anjun wouldn't have been in such a hurry to bribe Su Luo.

As long as those two people go back and act as if this never happened, Wei Anjun can still be the mistress of the Xu family mansion. Anyway, that old woman won't live for many more years.

It's just that she's spending a little money now. If Xu Hongkuo finds out her jewelry is missing, she can say she gave it to the poor.

Maybe Xu Hongkuo will find her kind-hearted and love her even more; she's already come up with an excuse.

“Aunt Wei, Doctor Du and I will never say anything that shouldn’t be said. Please take these things away.”

Whether Su Niangzi understood the meaning behind her words or not, Wei Anjun began to suspect that Su Luo was deliberately pretending to be stupid.

"Madam Su, please accept this. This amount of silver is enough for you to buy several acres of land in the countryside."

When she finished speaking, Wei Anjun deliberately emphasized the last syllable.

“My family owns hundreds of acres of fertile land, and I don’t care if I say I don’t want it. If Aunt Wei insists on leaving these with me, then I will hand them over to Lord Xu for disposal tomorrow.”

As for why you gave me these valuables, you should explain that to Lord Xu yourself.

Wei Anjun had never seen anyone as stubborn as Su Luo. She wrapped the things in cloth and said angrily, "You really don't know what's good for you."

Looking at the door that Wei Anjun had slammed shut, he realized that simply getting rid of Ayan wouldn't be enough to cure the old lady's illness.

The governor's backyard, with only two women, was able to turn into chaos.

Men in this era typically had multiple wives and concubines, which made Su Luo even more disgusted with marriage.

...

The next morning, Su Luo and Du Xiuyuan prepared to go out to get the medicine for the old lady. They felt more at ease buying it themselves these past two days.

"Lady Su, are you going out too?"

Xu Hongkuo changed into his official robes at the entrance, preparing to go to the yamen.

"Yes, we'll go get the medicine for the old lady ourselves."

After thinking it over, Su Luo walked over to Xu Hongkuo and whispered something to him.

"Lord Xu, the poison that the old lady is suffering from will only take effect after the toxins have accumulated to a certain level."

It wasn't that she was constantly suffering from headaches and weakness; Ah Yan had used very, very little poison. To kill the old lady, it would take at least another year.

The only thing that could cause the old lady so much pain is someone deliberately guiding and accelerating the movement of toxins in her body, such as through a medicinal catalyst or fragrance.

"Sir, please think carefully about what Ayan said when she was taken away. Investigate it thoroughly, otherwise, after Doctor Du and I leave, who knows what might happen to the old lady."

Even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. Xu Hongkuo's dignified face showed a slight panic. He seemed to be a step behind Su Luo, an outsider, in understanding what was going on in his family.

"Madam Su, I...you all go ahead and get busy."

Without getting into the carriage, Xu Hongkuo returned to the mansion, his wide sleeves billowing, his steps dejected, his aged shoulders and neck unable to conceal his disappointment.

"Lady Su, I wonder if the person I'm thinking of is the same one you're thinking of?"

Du Xiuyuan and Su Luo addressed the Xu family mansion.

"Let those involved in the situation resolve their own issues; we should simply remain detached observers."

After saying that, the two headed out onto the street.

Wei Anjun has always been seen as a filial and sensible person, and she went to serve Old Madam Xu early this morning.

Xu Hongkuo was supposed to be in the yamen, but who would have thought he would turn back to the courtyard and go straight to Wei Anjun's room.

He was very familiar with this room. Although he didn't sleep here often, Wei Anjun and he shared a common hobby: reading.

Standing in front of this bookshelf, I ran my fingers over the books and noticed that many crevices hadn't been cleaned properly and were filled with dust.

If you are a regular reader, books won't look like this. Xu Hongkuo's finger stopped on a pharmacology book.

The book's wear and tear was immediately apparent. Wei Anjun had once told him that she needed to learn some medical principles in order to help the old lady improve her health.

But has she used these medical principles for the right purposes?

Xu Hongkuo opened the book and found many small notes tucked inside. After reading them, he knew that Wei Anjun had really put a lot of effort into studying it.

However, Xu Hongkuo soon saw the record of Bloodwort Grass. These three words were marked by Wei Anjun with a pen, so she really knew about this poison.

Looking at what was written on the note, it said that Achyranthes bidentata promotes blood circulation and can also be used to make incense.

Xu Hongkuo's pupils contracted slightly, and combined with what Su Luo had told him about his mother's illness, the veins on his hand holding the book bulged, revealing the raging anger in his heart.

When Su Luo and Du Xiuyuan returned from buying medicine, the door to the hall was tightly closed. Inside, they could hear not only Xu Hongkuo's angry roars but also Wei Anjun's aggrieved sobs.

"Lady Su!" Du Xiuyuan called out to Su Luo.

"Let's go, let's go brew our medicine."

A servant from the Xu household took them to buy the medicine, and the servant also paid for the herbs.

The servant prepared two medicine pots for the two of them. Du Xiuyuan brewed medicine to detoxify the old lady, while Su Luo prepared a new medicine.

Inside the hall, Xu Hongkuo tossed the incense burner from the old lady's room in front of Wei Anjun.

"Tell me, where is the incense ash inside?"

Wei Anjun was startled by Xu Hongkuo's sudden action. Xu Hongkuo was usually stern and never smiled, but he never lost his temper with her.

"My lord, the incense ash had been sitting for too long, so I had someone throw it away. I am truly not the person you claim to be who harmed my aunt. Please do not listen to the instigation of others and wrong me."

Madam Xu sat in the main seat, and Granny Yu poured her a glass of water. After being poisoned, she no longer wanted to drink tea.

"Hmph! Is the incense ash too old, or are you trying to destroy the evidence? Do you think you can rest easy after Ayan was arrested? Don't you know whether I have wronged you or not?"