Hu Li shuddered, "This soup is poisonous."

Hu Tang's mind was too clear, and she was not grateful to Jiang Rao for saving her sister. Instead, she stared at Jiang Rao with cold eyes, "This soup was served by your servants, why is it poisonous?"

Hu Tang ignored Madam Hu who was pulling her sleeve from behind to make her shut up, and looked at Jiang Rao with a frown, with a cold hint in her tone, "We have seen a lot of ways to win people's hearts."

Tang is Tang from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, Jiang Rao is the girl from the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion, and Hu Tang is confused about the current situation.

Fearing a trap, he did not dare to believe it. His tone became urgent and sounded provocative and aggressive.

Jiang Rao ignored Hu Li and Hu Tang for the time being.

"Ming Shao, send this bowl of soup to the palace doctor and let him see what the medicine in the soup is made of."

She has her priorities in mind. If the sweet soup has problems, it doesn't mean that the other dishes are good.

She took out her handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Ming Shao, "Use this handkerchief to hold the bowl. Don't be anxious. Be careful. We don't know what the poison is in the soup. Don't let the soup get on your hands."

He then called someone to clean up the soup that had spilled on the floor and checked the dishes on the table.

There is no poison in the vegetables, only in the sweet soup.

Jiang Rao glanced at the surrounding tables and only Hu Li and Hu Tang had sweet soup in front of them.

It made her a little confused.

The person who arranged the sweet soup was coming for Hu Li and Hu Tang. Or was he coming for her family?

Or, kill two birds with one stone?

Jiang Rao was extremely confused but she did not show it on her face. She quickly arranged everything before looking at the twin sisters of the Hu family.

"I will give the two girls an explanation once I find out about the soup issue."

Her voice was naturally soft, but without the slightest bit of flattery or fawning. She was neither humble nor overbearing, and her ending tone was clear and crisp. She said to Hu Li, "I've ruined the girl's sweet soup. I've asked someone to tell the kitchen to make up for it for you."

Jiang Rao had no intention of staying long. She noticed that the two sisters, Hu Li and Hu Tang, were more impulsive in character. They were snorting and seemed to have something to say.

But the two of them were about the same age as her, with very immature faces, like little tigers whose teeth had not yet grown in. They were fierce, but unfortunately they were not weaned, so they lacked the majesty.

It's quite cute.

Unfortunately, they treated her badly, and her kindness to them began and ended with courtesy, nothing more.

And she didn't have time to bother with them.

ginger

Rao blinked.

Her cheeks looked especially white and soft in the strong sunlight at noon, like cooked dumplings just fished out of hot water, making one want to poke them to see if they would sink in.

She looks soft and gullible, but her eyelashes flutter like small fans, and her clear and moist almond eyes reveal a hint of cunning.

Jiang Rao looked directly at Madam Hu who was able to hold Hu Tang back, "Madam."

Mrs. Hu had seen many secret affairs in the houses of wealthy families, and she intuitively felt that there was some hidden story behind this matter. She looked at Jiang Rao with gentleness and understanding, and did not blame her.

Even, there was a slight sense of gratitude.

Jiang Rao bowed to her and said, "Today's incident is due to your poor hospitality. I apologize to you on behalf of my parents. I want to go and see what's going on first. If there is any result, I will tell you, Madam."

Madam Hu: "Good boy, go quickly."

Jiang Rao curved her lips into a smile, then bowed gently in the direction of Hu Li and Hu Tang, showing all courtesy before turning around and leaving.

Hu Li pursed her lips. "She smiled so beautifully at mother, why didn't she smile when she looked at us?"

Hu Tang also pursed his lips, "The tone she used when speaking to the maids was gentler than when speaking to us."

Madam Hu: "The girl rushed to save you, but you didn't thank her and instead suspected her benefactor."

"Be gentle... If I were her, I would not feel relieved unless I threw the soup in your faces! You should learn some etiquette and manners when you go out."

The twin sisters turned their heads and faced Madam Hu.

Don’t listen, Tang Seng is chanting sutras.

Madam Hu: “…”

The two sisters were like naughty monkeys without the golden hoop, whispering to each other when they got together.

Hu Tang: "Was I too fierce just now?"

Hu Li: "Yes, it is true. I shouldn't be so mean to such a pretty girl."

Hu Tang: "But I thought she wanted to use the hero-saving-the-beauty tactic to get close to us."

Hu Tang: "Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Madam Hu twisted Hu Tang's ear and pulled her up, "No wonder your tone sounded wrong just now... Are you trying to get close to you by being a hero saving a beautiful girl?"

Mrs. Hu is frail and has a gentle appearance, and she never scolds anyone.

When she scolded her daughter, she was like a spicy pepper, not vague at all, "How can you flatter yourself so much? Is she trying to get you two to break the rules? Or is she trying to get you two to climb trees?"

"She is about the same age as you two, but she can help her mother to arrange banquets. Unlike you, you spend the whole day fooling around somewhere and getting all dusty."

Hu Tang escaped, covering his red ears. Madam Hu's scolding made him rebellious, so he said stubbornly, "Li'er and I are such losers, who would want to harm us?"

Madam Hu rolled her eyes at her and said, "You are quite self-aware."

The two daughters have brute strength but are simple and honest in nature, and are as stubborn as clubs.

Bangchui is also her son, so she accepts it.

Knowing that it was useless to say more at this time, Mrs. Hu did not explain further.

But she would not trouble Jiang Rao alone to investigate. She would not let off anyone who wanted to harm her girl.

Mrs. Hu thought so and knocked on Hu Tang's head with the force of a hammer, "If you are wrong, remember to put the whip on your back and admit your mistake to the girl."

“…”

Hu Tang turned his hand from rubbing his ears to rub his head.

If I had known this, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn.

…

Ming Shao found a doctor in the mansion, who tested the soup and found out that the medicine in it was a laxative.

The dose can kill infants and children, which shows the viciousness of the people who use drugs.

Ming Shao hurried to find Jiang Rao with the news.

At this moment, Jiang Rao and Yu'er were at the rockery in the backyard.

In front of him was a maid tied up with hemp ropes.

Jiang Ping, who was called to help, also squatted aside.

Jiang Ping took the purse that Yu'er had found from the maid. He held the purse embroidered with water lilies, which was so heavy that his wrist dropped. Jiang Ping pushed the purse onto the ground, opened it and looked at it, then said to Jiang Rao, "Miss, this is seventy taels of silver."

The monthly salary of a top-class maid was less than one or two taels of silver.

An ordinary little maid carrying seventy taels of silver on her was clearly telling others that there was something fishy going on with her.

Jiang Ping called Jiang Rao aside and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "When I caught her at the back door just now, I looked outside and saw a carriage waiting for her. Unfortunately, the coachman was alert, so I only questioned him a few words before he ran away."

"That maid is also very tight-lipped. She won't listen to any persuasion. No matter how hard we ask her, we can't get any information." Jiang Ping suspected, "Does the Madam have some leverage over her?"

Jiang Rao called Yu'er over and asked, "Do you recognize her?"

"I recognize this maid, her name is Yingyin, she is the maid beside the old lady." Yu'er hesitated for a moment and said, "She doesn't have a very good reputation, and her relationship with the first master, the second master, and the third master... It's all... hard to explain..."

Jiang Rao understood the hidden meaning of Yu'er's words and felt that her ears were a little dirty.

She turned around and looked at the water lily on the purse.

some

look familiar.

Jiang Rao bit her lip. She vaguely remembered something in her mind, but she was not particularly sure.

Liu loved lotus. Not only did she plant a lotus pond in her mansion, but lotus patterns could also often be seen on the hems of her clothes and skirts.

Jiang Rao thought for a long time, her long eyelashes fluttering, and gradually a guess formed in her mind.

What happened today has nothing to do with the two sisters of the Hu family.

It was Liu who wanted to harm her mother.

She had a headache for a moment.

Thinking back to the last time she met that assassin in Yecheng, she realized how difficult it was to get information from other people.

It is completely useless to use overly gentlemanly methods to deal with people who are not so gentlemanly.

Being too honest will lead to being bullied.

Tooth for tooth is best.

She took a deep breath, walked slowly back to the maid, looked down at her, sighed, turned around and said to Jiang Ping and Yu'er, "She is so pitiful."

Jiang Ping and Yu'er didn't understand what Jiang Rao meant and looked at each other in confusion.

The maid looked up at Jiang Rao with trembling eyes.

Jiang Rao lowered her body and met the maid's gaze. Her eyes were full of sympathy and pity. "Did anyone tell me that you escaped to the back door?"

The maid was trembling, her eyes were filled with horror, and she was shaking her head frantically.

"It's my aunt."

Jiang Rao stared at the maid and told a lie.

Her big, round eyes are clear, bright, clean and beautiful.

This was the first time she used this method and she was unsure about it. She was afraid that it wouldn't work, so she was a little panicked and stared at the maid without blinking.

"Auntie asked you to deliver the sweet soup. The person she wanted to harm and get rid of was you."

She said in a serious tone, "If you don't believe me, just go to the back door and take a look. The carriage that was supposed to pick you up is not here."

Since this maid is stubborn, she has to find a way to pry her mouth open.

She had almost determined that Liu was the mastermind behind this, so she didn't feel guilty when she said this. She turned her head and looked at Jiang Ping, "Jiang Ping, take this maid to the back door and let her take a look."

The maid saw that there was no one outside the door and there was no carriage that Liu had promised. Her knees went weak and she almost fell to her knees.

Jiang Rao felt sorry for her, but she helped Liu to harm her mother, so she could continue to scare her in return.

No matter how bad the evil is, Jiang Rao felt helpless. She lowered her voice and said faintly, "You help others to harm others. You think you have found a shortcut to a prosperous road, but you don't know that you have built a coffin for yourself."

Jiang Rao asked her coldly,

Do you know that poisoning General Hu's daughter and framing my mother are two crimes that warrant the death penalty? ”

The maid was so frightened by Jiang Rao's words that she trembled like a sieve. Suddenly she turned around, tears streaming down her face, and she sobbed, "Fourth Miss, it was the Madam who forced me to do this! I'll tell you everything."

…

Liu had a good lunch in her own courtyard. She was in a good mood and had a good appetite, so she didn't care much about the anger she had suffered in the morning.

Just looking at the person in the yard whom her husband had arranged to watch over her, there was some contempt in Liu's eyes.

If she had not made careful arrangements and had only relied on that useless man, the Bo Mansion that she had taken great pains to manage for so many years might have been handed over to the Fourth House's family.

Liu was waiting for something to break out at the banquet in the front hall, but she kept waiting and waiting, but no one came to report the news, and everything remained calm.

Liu couldn't help sweating on her forehead, and she vaguely felt that something was wrong.

He ordered his personal maid to go out and see what was going on outside.

Because of her anxiety, the meal she had eaten at lunch felt like a stone in her stomach, making her feel so uncomfortable that she had to take a few big gulps of tea.

Three cups of tea passed in a flash.

Liu's personal maid came back at this time.

She looked horrified, stumbled, pushed the door open, and hurriedly lifted the curtain to come in, "Madam."

Liu looked at her personal maid, tightened her fingers, her eyes full of anticipation. She wanted to hear the news that something had happened to the two girls, Hu Li and Hu Tang, and that the protective Hu family had turned the banquet upside down.

But she saw the maid rushed to her, knelt down, and said, "Today's event failed. Yingyin was arrested."

Liu's hands trembled, and the hot tea spilled all over herself. "How could she do that?"

The personal maid trembled and said she didn't know, and then told Liu that the coachman was missing.

She was obviously a little scared. She looked into Liu's eyes, panic reflected in her pupils. "Madam, what should we do if Yingyin confesses this?"

Liu was panicking and angry, but she clenched her fists and forced herself to calm down. She whispered, "It's okay. Even if this fails, I have the upper hand over you. I will never dare to tell anyone about what happened today. Nothing will happen."

…

On the other side, Yingyin knelt in front of Jiang Rao and cried, "I have a miserable life. When I was serving in the study, I was raped by the master several times. Once I was caught by the mistress, and she threatened me, saying that if I didn't help her, she would strip me naked, lock me in a pig cage and throw me into the river, and let me be reincarnated as an animal in the next life. I have no choice!"

She cried with tears streaming down her face, looking very pitiful. "Who would have thought that Liu was so vicious, she actually killed two birds with one stone, wanting to get rid of this servant and the fourth lady at the same time."

Perhaps it was because he had seen Rong Ting's troublesome face too many times, and after catching his eyes at top beauties, everything else became nothing more than clouds that he could not even notice.

Jiang Rao was not frightened by Yingyin's tears at all.

When she heard that the maid did not mention the seventy taels of silver, nor did she mention the benefits that Liu had given her, she probably knew in her heart that her words were half true and half false, and that she was glorifying herself.

He is a poor man who has no choice, but there are also hateful aspects about him.

Her eyes were calm and there was no ripple as she said, "I will explain these words to my grandfather word for word later."

The midday light suddenly dimmed, and dark clouds occasionally floated by, briefly obscuring the red sun in the sky.

Things have changed in the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion.

…

Rong Ting looked down as he thought about the scene where Jiang Rao was having a pleasant conversation with Hu Li and Hu Tang.

When he first heard it, he was just a little unhappy. But with Jiang Rao by his side, it was like a ferocious beast was appeased. His irritable temper was suppressed and he didn't even notice the unhappiness in his heart at that time.

Now, only an hour after he left her, gloom accumulated in his pupils, and the cold light accumulated became more and more.

The darkening sky cast a shadow on his broad shoulders, and the corners of his black clothes fluttered in the wind.

Huai Qing came back from outside at this time, bent down and whispered in Rong Ting's ear: "Your Highness, I have asked the maids in the mansion. Miss Jiang was not troubled by General Hu's two daughters, but..."

Rong Ting put down his chopsticks on the table, his eyes already cold, "Just what?"