Chapter 680 Personally Visiting to Treat the Illness

The Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce is located in a quiet alley behind the bustling city center.

Cheng Wanwan followed Grandpa He to the Chamber of Commerce, where someone immediately arranged a courtyard for her to stay temporarily. Grandpa He told her to rest for a while before discussing business.

She had traveled all the way here in order to finish the battle quickly, so she had no intention of resting.

Therefore, Old Master He had no choice but to quickly call in the butler under his command who was in charge of following up on the matter to report.

"For the past seven or eight days, the poisoned person's condition has neither worsened nor improved; they're only being kept stable by the medicine prescribed by the doctor. I took it upon myself to find a doctor whose ancestors were imperial physicians to examine the pulse. That doctor also diagnosed it as arsenic poisoning, but the toxicity wasn't high, so there was no immediate danger to their life. However, this poison damages the body, gradually eroding the internal organs, and the poisoned person will slowly become a cripple..."

Cheng Wanwan had read the relevant information and was well aware of the toxicity of arsenic. It has no self-healing properties and requires medication to help detoxify it; otherwise, it will cause devastating damage to the body.

She said slowly, "After dividing the poisoned people in Yangzhou into three categories according to the severity of their illness, report the specific data to me."

The steward nodded and immediately picked up the booklet to look through it. After a while, he came over and said, "A total of 113 people have been poisoned. 85 people have mild symptoms of abdominal pain and diarrhea, 21 people have moderate symptoms of bloody stools and fainting, and 7 people have severe symptoms of extremely low body temperature, are bedridden, and occasionally have blurred consciousness... I have summarized that the more crayfish a person eats, the more severe their symptoms become."

Cheng Wanwan stood up: "Then let's go to the home of the most seriously ill patient."

Old Master He hurriedly said, "Sui Shuren has just arrived in Yangzhou City. Let her rest for another night and deal with this matter..."

Zhao Ergou chimed in, "Mother, you should rest. I'll go in your place."

“The longer I rest, the more dangerous it becomes for them. This is a matter of life and death, and we can’t afford to delay.” Cheng Wanwan straightened her slightly wrinkled collar. “Let’s go, lead the way.”

Steward He led the way, arranging a discreet carriage, and the group rode to a quiet residential area in Yangzhou.

The people living here are all wealthy families. The mansions have four or five courtyards, and although the main gate is somewhat understated, you can still see the luxury and exquisite details.

Butler He stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The door opened a crack, and the person who opened it jumped out as soon as he saw Butler He, shouting, "What are you doing here every day? Are you trying to see if our master is dead or not? If our master is really dead, your He family will be in deep trouble..."

Housekeeper He was thoroughly scolded. He visited patients every day to keep track of their conditions and was scolded every day. He had become used to being scolded.

Old Master He couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped forward: "How is your master doing? May we come in to visit him?"

"Oh, isn't this Mr. He?" the gatekeeper sneered. "Mr. He fled Yangzhou after the incident, but I didn't expect him to dare to come back. We have already reported this to the authorities, and they will definitely give our master justice! Also, our master is not dead. We don't need Mr. He's hypocritical visit. Please leave!"

He turned and went inside, preparing to close the door.

Cheng Wanwan stepped forward and said calmly, "I am from Suishu Village in Dahe Town. I wonder if your master would like to see me?"

The doorman paused for a moment, looking Cheng Wanwan up and down as if trying to confirm her identity.

Cheng Wanwan didn't want to waste time on unnecessary things, so she handed over the token at her waist: "You may not recognize it because you're not worldly, but I suppose your master knows what it is."

The gatekeeper carefully took the token. It was a solid gold plaque, quite heavy, with four characters engraved on it: "Third-Rank Lady".

Holding the token, he turned and hurriedly ran inside.

A moment later, he came out of the courtyard, returned the token, and then made a respectful gesture: "Please come in."

Cheng Wanwan stepped inside, followed closely by Zhao Ergou, then Old Master He and Butler He, and Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi followed behind.

The mansion features artificial hills, gardens, pavilions, and waterside terraces, all elegant and stylish, clearly the residence of a wealthy person. However, because it belongs to a businessman, certain decorations and layouts can only use prescribed styles and colors; otherwise, it could be even more luxurious.

As she approached the entrance of the residence, a woman of about forty years old came out to greet her: "I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly, Lady Sui Shu..."

The woman looked haggard and disheveled, her hair hastily pulled back, clearly having just finished dressing at home, which explained her late arrival.

Cheng Wanwan helped her up: "Madam Zeng, please take me to see your husband."

As soon as her husband was mentioned, Madam Zeng began to weep: "Nine days ago, my husband hosted a dinner for four or five friends at the Ao Xia Restaurant in Yangzhou. He ordered ten plates of braised Ao Xia in oil. His friends don't like strong flavors, and nine out of the ten plates ended up in his stomach. He started vomiting right after eating, and we rushed back to have a doctor examine him and prescribe medicine. So many days have passed, and he hasn't gotten any better..."

He ate nine plates in one go; no wonder Master Zeng had the most severe symptoms among all the poisoners.

Cheng Wanwan followed Madam Zeng inside. Just as they reached the doorway of Master Zeng's inner room, an elderly woman in her sixties rushed out and began berating Cheng Wanwan: "You're that damned Consort Sui, aren't you? It's all because you raised poisonous creatures that my son was poisoned and is now bedridden! You raised poisonous creatures, fine, but why did you have to put them on the dinner table to sell for money? Are you crazy for money?! Just name your price, I'll give you anything, as long as you give me back my healthy son..."

The old woman cursed loudly and then burst into tears.

"Mother, this is Lady Sui!" Madam Zeng quickly grabbed her mother-in-law. "Lady Sui, a third-rank official, is a court lady personally appointed by the Emperor. We cannot be disrespectful..."

"My son is dying, what right do I have to be polite!" The old woman glared angrily at Cheng Wanwan and Old Master He. "You've made so much money through dishonest means, you'll get your comeuppance sooner or later..."

"Cough cough!" A weak cough came from the inner room. "I told you, this has nothing to do with Sui Shuren, and nothing to do with Lao He. It's just that I ate too much... cough cough cough! This crayfish isn't a monster, it's a delicacy. I want to eat it again when I get better, but I can't eat so much at once, I have to take it easy..."

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

So this person is a big fan of crayfish.

She spoke slowly, “The old lady is right. Crayfish are indeed poisonous, but they are not poisonous themselves. They were poisoned during farming. It was my mismanagement that led to these poisonous crayfish ending up on the dinner table. I apologize to the old lady and Madam Zeng. I have also brought medicine to help Second Master Zeng remove the remaining poison.”

She bowed at a 90-degree angle, showing her utmost sincerity.

The old lady was somewhat taken aback.

She truly hadn't expected that a woman of the third rank in the imperial court would actually set aside her pride and admit her mistake, which made her seem somewhat unreasonable.

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.

Madam Zeng was overjoyed: "Sui Shuren's medicine must be a miracle drug, please come inside quickly."

Cheng Wanwan stepped into the inner room, and as soon as she entered, she smelled a strong, pungent smell of Chinese medicine.