Chapter 280 Who is the mastermind?

Dou Wenyi took out a bottle of pills from her sleeve and handed it over, "Take two pills, mix them with rice wine, and then have the old lady take them."

Pei Siyan nodded solemnly.

The two then split up.

When Duke Wen learned that the Crown Prince had brought over the "Little Divine Doctor's" Nine-Turn Heart-Protecting Pill, he hurriedly served her at her bedside and helped her take the medicine.

Pei Siyan stood aside, finding the scene particularly jarring—if he were truly filial, how could Old Madam Wen have been so easily poisoned?

After an incense stick had burned, the imperial physician took her pulse again, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Little Fairy Doctor's medicine is truly a miraculous elixir! The old lady's heartbeat is much stronger than before; perhaps there really is a chance for a turnaround..."

Before the words were finished, the Wen family members looked towards the sickbed upon hearing the sound. Duke Wen exclaimed in disbelief, "Really?"

"Imperial Physician, why aren't you writing a prescription yet?" Madam Fan urged anxiously.

The imperial physician looked grim, his heart filled with growing unease. Everyone said that the Emperor disliked the Wen family, but he treated this mother-in-law with great courtesy, not only sending them to the Duke of Wen's mansion every seven days to examine her pulse, but also frequently bestowing upon her various rare treasures and precious medicinal herbs.

Actually, the imperial physicians had visited the Wen family just three days ago; the old lady's illness was truly too strange...

Now the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, but Madam Wen is his own maternal grandmother. Who would dare to plot against her at this critical juncture?

I'm afraid the waters here are too deep!

Thinking of this, the imperial physician broke out in a cold sweat and mumbled, "Right now, all I can do is prescribe a medicine to see if it can induce vomiting. If she can vomit, there's still a glimmer of hope. However, whether the old lady can pull through is uncertain. I'm afraid it might damage her lungs and internal organs, which would be dangerous..."

Last night, they didn't even dare to prescribe any emetics, because the old lady was too weak, and the slightest mistake could make the emetics fatal!

The imperial physician sighed helplessly, "If we could invite Little Fairy Doctor, perhaps Old Madam Wen could pull through this!"

However, the whereabouts of Little Fairy Doctor remain a mystery, Emperor Muzong lost feeling in both legs, and the Crown Prince issued a proclamation to the world to search for Doctor Ge and Little Fairy Doctor, but to no avail.

Now, could it be that Madam Wen has such a tremendous opportunity?

Wen Yannian, the second master of the Wen family, caught a key word and asked in a cold voice, "Why did you induce vomiting? Did the old lady eat something she shouldn't have?"

Madam Qi, the second wife, frowned slightly. "What are you saying? Could it be that the old lady was poisoned?"

Lady Fan, the wife of the Duke of Wen, suddenly changed her expression and became furious. "What do you mean by that, second sister-in-law? The people who serve the old lady are all people we know well. What heartless person would dare to lay a hand on the old lady?"

Wen Jingchu lowered her eyes, subconsciously averting her gaze, and did not interrupt.

The imperial physician was alarmed. He wiped the sweat from his brow and cautiously said, "Perhaps we ate something that has an incompatible chemistry..."

Pei Siyan took in their expressions, words, and actions, his voice sharp and cold, "Alright, the prescription for inducing vomiting will be discontinued for now. The Imperial City Guard has found Little Fairy Doctor's whereabouts, and I have sent someone to fetch her; she is on her way."

"We'll discuss the specific treatment plan once the little doctor arrives."

Wen Jingchu's heart skipped a beat, and she shivered in horror.

If things come to light, how will her two daughters and son face the world...?

Just then, Dou Wenyi, having changed his clothes and sporting an ordinary-looking male face, entered under Lie Feng's guidance, with Sun Siqi following closely behind.

The imperial physician, upon seeing the newcomer, exclaimed as if he had seen a savior, "Little Fairy Doctor, you've finally arrived..."

The crowd parted to make way for her, and Dou Wenyi nodded slightly without saying a word. She quickened her pace and headed straight for the sickbed in the inner room.

Sun Siqi bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, we are about to perform acupuncture to remove the poison from Madam Wen. We need to be calm during the acupuncture, so please wait outside."

After Sun Siqi finished speaking, he turned around and went into the inner room.

Pei Siyan raised his hand, and a group of fierce-looking guards rushed in and began to chase people away.

The imperial physicians went out first, because they all knew that Little Fairy Doctor didn't like people watching her treat patients.

Wen Jingchu was shocked to find that so many guards had quietly appeared at the Duke of Wen's residence. Her heart pounded in her chest. She looked at the Duke of Wen with resentment and pleaded tearfully, "Brother, we have to leave two of us here, don't we? If something happens to Mother, we can't leave all our children without her..."

Madam Fan frowned. "The old lady is blessed with good fortune. Why are you saying such discouraging things? She's just sick, isn't she? Her health hasn't been very good for the past two years, but she's still doing just fine."

Lady Qi retorted, "The imperial physicians just said that Mother had an upset stomach... Could it be poisoning?"

Wen Jingchu felt flustered, her face turning pale, and she stammered.

"What nonsense are you talking about? She's clearly sick. Her meals are all prepared separately in the small kitchen, and the people who serve her know her inside and out. Who would dare to poison her!"

"I think the imperial physicians are just not skilled enough and are trying to fool us with some random excuses."

She wanted to change the subject, hoping that no one would notice these trivial details.

But then I ran into my second sister-in-law, that dim-witted idiot, who kept making a racket.

Pei Siyan suddenly turned around and said sternly, "Duke Wen, I have already sent someone to invite Lord Shen from the Ministry of Justice to come and investigate the case of my grandmother's poisoning."

The Wen family members stood there, stunned.

Duke Wen's pupils constricted sharply. "Crown Prince, what do you mean?"

Pei Siyan's face was filled with boundless rage. "Old Madam Wen was poisoned and murdered. Wasn't the imperial physician's statement clear enough? Until the case is thoroughly investigated, all members of the Wen family must remain in the Wisteria Garden and are not allowed to enter or leave."

——

Inside the room, Dou Wenyi closed the medical record, her doubts growing stronger.

She pondered for a moment, then called in Qin, the old lady's long-time servant.

Dou Wenyi's eyes were clear and bright. "Granny Qin, the old lady's pain started last October when she fell on her way back from the Great Xiangguo Temple. It's been intermittent and hasn't completely healed since, has it?"

Granny Qin nodded.

"The old lady has been a kind person all her life, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. She has never done anything wrong. She has been offering several lamps in the temple for many years. Do you know for whom she is offering them, and do you know the reason why?"

This matter involved the Wen family's secrets, so she dared not reply.

"Now that things have come to this, do you want the old lady to die, or do you want to save her?"

Upon hearing her words, Granny Qin paused, her face turning slightly pale.

Under her coercion, she finally answered truthfully, "Young lady, gentle and refined."

Dou Wenyi's face turned frosty; the Wen family's entanglement was deeper than she had imagined.

However, saving lives is like putting out a fire; the longer it is delayed, the greater the danger becomes.

We can't afford to delay any longer!

After carefully taking her pulse, she spoke slowly and deliberately, "I will first use the Nine Needles of Rejuvenation to force out the toxins. After her condition stabilizes, I will use the Thirteen Needles of Ghosts to completely remove the evil spirits!"

"What?"

Sun Siqi's face almost cracked. "You've mastered both of these complex acupuncture techniques?"