Suspect

The person Lin Yan asked Zhou Qi to recommend was Zhang Bai.

After Zhang Bai returned to Beijing with Lin Yan and others, Lin Yi sent him to the Chumeng Academy in the capital. Most of the students there were around ten years old, which was very suitable for him.

But Lin Yan didn't expect that Zhang Bai was not an ordinary child. He liked to use poison and was only interested in poison. He was too weird and the children in the academy didn't like to get close to him.

One day, a child in the academy stole the poison he developed. After the child touched it, his whole body was covered with rashes. His parents came to his house to ask for an explanation.

Lin Yi gave them the antidote and apologized to them, and the matter was settled. The other party did not say anything more because of Lin Yi's identity.

But since then, the children in the academy dared not get close to Zhang Bai. Due to Lin Yi's identity, the head teacher of the academy also tactfully said that Zhang Bai was not suitable for the academy.

Zhang Bai is also a hot-tempered person and refuses to go to the academy. Lin Yi and the others have never taken care of such a stubborn child.

Zhang Bai was obviously not suitable for the academy, so they opened up a piece of land in the mansion for Zhang Bai to concentrate on studying poison techniques, and Lin Yize personally taught him.

Lin Yan would visit Lao Zhao every month and tell him about Zhang Bai's situation. Lao Zhao would smile and say, "This child, like Ningning, is a bit like me."

"Just spoil them. What's wrong with them being like this? One is as stubborn as you, and the other likes to save people just like you." Lin Yan held his forehead helplessly.

She was helpless to take care of the old man and the two children, and could only act as an errand girl to deliver messages for the master and his disciples every month.

At first it was only Zhang Bai, but later when Aning knew that Lin Yan was going to visit his master, he also pestered her to deliver messages, really treating her as an errand boy.

However, Lin Yan did not pay attention to Lao Zhao's advice. He said to Lin Yan earnestly: "Zhang Bai is different from ordinary children. You must teach him carefully and don't let him go astray."

Lin Yan felt that Old Zhao was being too suspicious. No matter how different Zhang Bai was from ordinary children, he was still just a child. How could he go astray? The child looked quite upright.

Zhang Bai has always been thinking about avenging his father. Lin Yan and the others knew this. They said that they would wait for the right time for him to take revenge personally, but in reality they felt that he was too young and just hoped that he would grow up well. They, the adults, would take care of the revenge.

But Zhang Bai felt that he had the ability to avenge his father and he was no longer a child.

When Lin Yan and Lin Yi were discussing the matter of the Empress Dowager, Zhang Bai listened to the whole process. When they were thinking about who to send, Zhang Bai stood up.

He expressed his thoughts, "Doesn't the Empress Dowager want the Zhou family to send someone to him? I'll go, I can be a spy."

Lin Yi rejected Zhang Bai's proposal without thinking, "No, it's too dangerous."

"Brother Lin Yi, just let me go. The Empress Dowager has a close relationship with the person behind the scenes. She is half my enemy. If I go, it can be regarded as revenge for my father." Zhang Bai refused to give up.

No one in the room was so quiet, no one spoke again, Lin Yi frowned, obviously not wanting to listen to Zhang Bai's fart.

Zhang Bai continued, "My poison skills are second only to my master, and no one else can be better than me. If the Empress Dowager is impressed by my skills, it is not impossible for her to trust me. Besides, among us, I am the only one who has never appeared in front of them."

No one spoke. Just when Zhang Bai thought he was going to fail, Lin Yan suddenly said, "I think this method is feasible."

Zhang Bai's eyes lit up instantly, "Really? Sister Lin Yan understands me."

"Who said you haven't shown up? Zhao Qing kept chasing you when you were in Wenzhou. Isn't he a human being? Many people saw you during the days you went to the academy," Lin Yi refuted Zhang Bai.

She turned to look at Lin Yan with a puzzled look on her face, "Sister, why are you playing tricks with him? He is still a child, how can you let him take risks."

"So, among those present, who has the medical skills to go, and who has the identity to go?" Lin Yan asked.

Zhou Ningning: "Zhang Bai is not good at medicine, he is obviously good at poison."

Zhang Bai argued: "Mr. Zhou was targeted by the Empress Dowager because of his poison skills. She might want the child to be able to use poison rather than medicine."

"No, it's too dangerous. You're still a child." That was all Lin Yi could say.

"So what if I'm a child? When I was ten years old, I could beat ten strong men at once." Lin Yan touched Zhang Bai's head, "I believe Xiaobai can do it."

Lin Yi: "Sister, how can he compare with you? This kid can't fight or resist anything except using poison. He has no way to die when he encounters danger. If he is discovered, he will be finished."

"I think so too. Look how eloquent Xiaobai is when he argues with us. He must be able to hide himself well." Tang Yuelin also agreed that Zhang Bai should go and began to persuade Lin Yi.

"Alin, why are you trying to persuade me? It will be very dangerous if Xiaobai is exposed," Lin Yi went crazy.

Zhang Bai: "I have a lot of poison, and I can escape at the critical moment."

"Why are you running away? There are so many people in the palace. If you are really exposed, where will you run to?" Lin Yi retorted.

At first, Tang Yuelin also thought that Zhang Bai was still young and it was too dangerous for him to confront the Empress Dowager alone. But for a moment, she seemed to see Zhang Bai as a person, a person who indirectly caused chaos in the entire capital in his previous life.

In the previous life, there was always a man by the Empress Dowager's side, with his face covered by a mask. People around him called him Lord Baimu. It was said that he was a famous doctor that the Empress Dowager found among the people.

It was this Lord Baimu who single-handedly poisoned the Queen, Zhou Ningning, and drove His Majesty completely insane.

He also pushed the blame onto Dr. Zhao, causing His Majesty to suspect the Regent, who was thrown into prison and died suddenly there.

Tang Yuelin had only met Lord Baimu once, but she inexplicably felt that he looked like Zhang Bai for a moment.

But Tang Yuelin never thought that these two people might be the same person. After all, the Lord Baimu she met was tall and always had a gloomy feeling about him, while Zhang Bai was just a lively little kid.

Tang Yuelin only felt that Zhang Bai was like Lord Bai Mu for a moment, and there was no other similarity. However, this also made her feel that Zhang Bai might really be able to gain the trust of the Empress Dowager.

"Who else disagrees with Xiao Bai going?" Lin Yan glanced at everyone present.

Except for Lin Yi, no one else dared to speak. Zhou Ningning wanted to say that she could do it too, as she was not incapable of disguising herself. However, when she met her elder sister's gaze, Zhou Ningning instantly wilted.

Not to mention Song Yizhou, he would never refute Lin Yan, so in the end only Lin Yi disagreed.

Lin Yan finally said, "In that case, let Xiao Bai go."

Then he paused and said: "As for Xiao Bai's life, I will send people to guard around the palace. At the critical moment, Xiao Bai will use poison and cooperate with the people outside to rescue him."

This was the final result of everyone's discussion, making Zhang Bai the hostage given by the Zhou family to the Empress Dowager.

As for how to make the empress dowager believe that Zhang Bai is from the Zhou family, it is very simple. After all, the Zhou family is far away and the empress dowager cannot know the situation of the Zhou family clearly. She only knows that there are several children in the Zhou family, but she knows nothing about their appearance and life.

In this generation, there is no child in the Zhou family who can carry on the family's reputation. However, in order to prevent the Zhou family's century-old foundation from collapsing, Zhou Qi has always announced to the outside world that the Zhou family has several outstanding children who can take on important responsibilities in the future. The Empress Dowager also came up with this plan after hearing the rumors.

Lin Yan first sent someone to send Zhang Bai to Wenzhou, and then asked Zhou Qi to reply to the Empress Dowager, asking her people to go to Wenzhou to pick him up, so that the Empress Dowager would trust him a little more.

The night before Zhang Bai left the capital, everyone stood together to see him off.

Since Zhang Bai came to Beijing, except for the few days he stayed in the academy, Lin Yi taught Zhang Bai every day and had long regarded him as his own younger brother.

Now he was the saddest one and refused to come out to see him off.

Zhang Bai was not afraid of this unknown thing, but excited. He could finally do something big.

Before leaving, Zhou Ningning casually asked, "Xiao Bai, do you want to change your name when you go to the Zhou family? To Zhou Bai?"

Zhang Bai thought about it seriously and shook his head, "I want to be called Zhou Baimu. My father said that when he was naming me, he was always struggling over whether the name should be related to cypress or poplar. Now it's just right, so I'll call me Zhou Baimu."

"Good name!" Zhou Ningning applauded.

Everyone watched Zhang Bai leave, but Tang Yuelin, who was in a corner where no one was paying attention, turned pale. As she watched Zhang Bai's figure walking away, her figure gradually overlapped with the back of Lord Baimu. She murmured in her heart, "How could it be Baimu? He is actually Lord Baimu. Then..."

Zhou Ningning noticed that something was wrong with Tang Yuelin and asked worriedly, "Sister Tang, what's wrong with you? Why is your face so pale?"

Lin Yi, who had been hiding behind, heard it and hurried out to support Tang Yuelin, "Alin, are you feeling unwell?"

"It's okay, maybe my period is coming soon." Tang Yuelin deliberately covered her stomach, "I want to go back to my room and rest."

"Okay." Lin Yi was so anxious at the moment that he completely forgot that Tang Yuelin's period had ended long ago. He was only worried that Tang Yuelin was not feeling well.

Lin Yan looked at the backs of Lin Yi and the other man as they left, with even more confusion in her eyes. If she was not mistaken, Tang Yuelin's expression turned worse when Zhang Bai said he wanted to call Zhou Baimu.

When Zhou Ningning found that something was wrong with Tang Yuelin, she took her pulse and muttered softly: "Strange, Sister Tang's pulse is strong and powerful, it doesn't look like she is about to have her period."

Hearing Zhou Ningning's mumbling, Lin Yan suddenly turned his head to look at her and asked, "What did you say just now?"

Zhou Ningning immediately repeated it.

Lin Yan frowned slightly. After sending Zhou Ningning back home, he returned to his own yard and looked towards the direction of Lin Yi's yard, as if thinking about something.

She always felt that there seemed to be something unusual about this Miss Tang. Something flashed through her mind, but she couldn't grasp it.

Lin Yi helped Tang Yuelin into the dormitory. Seeing that her palms were cold, he rubbed her hands and blew on them, then asked worriedly, "Why are your hands so cold?"

As he was about to get the hot water bottle, Tang Yuelin stopped him, "Maybe you are not wearing enough. Don't bother. It will be much better when you go back to the house."

Seeing that Tang Yuelin's complexion looked a little better, Lin Yi smiled dotingly: "You, you, it's so cold now, and you're still wearing so little."

Suddenly I remembered something, "Oh, didn't Arlin's period just end? Why did she just now..."

Tang Yuelin felt a little nervous, "Maybe I suddenly felt unwell just now and forgot about it."

The Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, who usually observed suspects carefully when interrogating them, didn't think much about his wife at all and only cared about her health.