poisoning
After the group left the villa, Madam Bai was restless. She usually went to the Buddhist hall every day to read the Buddhist scriptures, but today she felt weak and powerless. After thinking it over, Madam Bai asked the steward to summon the remaining servants from the villa.
Soon, the courtyard in front of the main hall was filled with more than twenty people.
Looking around, all the people there were former servants of the Dou family. Those who had worked in the villas were only doing menial tasks such as sweeping and cleaning, and tending to the flower garden. None of the people who had served Lin Xu and Dou Yanxun closely on a daily basis remained.
Bai snorted coldly, her gaze sharpening as she looked at the crowd. Those who remained were clearly of no use…
As she was pondering this, An Chan whispered, "Now that the villa is empty, why don't you send these people away, Madam? It would save you some expenses..."
Upon hearing this, Bai felt even more agitated.
An Chan is just a stupid fool! She's only pretty and has a good figure, and seems like she'll be easy to raise. Even if we forced her on Da Lang, she'd probably just be at Feng Shi's mercy. In the end, the only one we have at our disposal is Fu Lian... but unfortunately, he'll be useless in the future too.
Madam Bai sighed, about to scold the self-righteous An Chan, when an old woman's voice rang out from outside the door, "Madam, something bad has happened! It's the eldest son's family..."
Before she could finish speaking, Bai's heart leaped into her throat. What happened to the eldest son's family? Wasn't Zhou Lang still on duty?
But then the beaded curtain was lifted, and Zhao, the old nanny who usually served Madam Feng, walked in. Her face was filled with panic, and without bothering to dress formally, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Madam, please go and see! The eldest young mistress... she took the medicine... and now it looks like..."
Granny Zhao could barely speak, clearly she was terrified and confused.
Madam Bai's face turned ashen. She immediately rushed over. Although she was not yet fifty, she had spent her days in luxury in the inner quarters, and she couldn't help but pant after walking just a few steps. Fuzhen was out on business, accompanied only by Anchan, who was timid and frightened. She helped Madam Bai walk towards Lingbo Garden.
As soon as she entered the main hall, Bai was shocked by the scene before her and couldn't help but stumble.
Feng Daizhu collapsed onto the hibiscus couch, her face ashen, with blood trickling from her lips, and at her feet lay a mess of overturned teacups.
Bai shouted angrily, "Go and fetch a doctor right now!" Then she turned to the little maid kneeling on the floor and asked, "What did she drink?"
Xiang'er, fearing that Madam Bai would take her anger out on her, couldn't help but weep repeatedly:
"Reporting to Madam, this servant has no idea. This tea was ordered to be served by you, and I simply did as you instructed. I did not poison you!"
Bai felt a headache coming on and coldly ordered the two maids she had brought with her, "Slap them!"
The two old women were incredibly strong. Upon hearing this, they revealed their ferocious nature and slapped Xiang'er's face several times, causing it to swell up instantly.
"What use are you if you can't even protect your own master! Drag you out!"
Since Madam Bai didn't call for a stop, the two nannies naturally didn't dare to neglect their duties. They dragged and pulled Xiang'er into the courtyard, and for a moment, the crisp sound of slaps could be heard continuously.
With tears streaming down her face, Granny Zhao said tremblingly, "We've already sent someone to fetch a doctor, but we don't know when he'll arrive..."
Bai glanced again at the broken porcelain cup and tea dregs on the floor. "What medicine was added to this tea? The color is so dark."
An Chan had a cousin who ran a clinic, and having grown up surrounded by medicine, she had some knowledge of medical principles. After examining the residue closely, she exclaimed in surprise, "Madam, this seems to have been laced with arsenic..."
Bai's face instantly contorted with rage!
Arsenic is a forbidden drug and is extremely poisonous. It is colorless and odorless and can kill a person in a short time. Feng Daizhu has become very bold. Where did she get the arsenic from, and why did she want to take poison?
Looking out the window, she saw that dusk was approaching. Even if she rushed to fetch a doctor, she didn't know when he would arrive... But if there was any further delay, Feng Daizhu's life might be in danger...
After a moment's thought, Madam Bai turned and ordered, "Go and fetch two buckets of sewage. Force-feed it down her throat!"
These words caused an uproar. Excrement… such filthy and disgusting stuff! How could Feng Daizhu, a lady of high status, drink such filthy and repulsive things…?
Granny Zhao was about to speak when Bai glared at her fiercely. "What are you standing there for? If you wait any longer, she'll be dead!"
No one dared to delay any longer, and a servant quickly went to the latrine and brought back two large buckets of excrement.
They were still hesitant, but seeing Bai's ashen face and resolute expression, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and pry open Feng Daizhu's unconscious mouth, pouring spoonfuls of fecal water down her throat.
"Wow--"
The hall, which had been filled with the fragrance of sandalwood, was instantly filled with a foul stench. Feng Daizhu, whose eyes had been tightly closed just moments before, was forced to drink two large spoonfuls of excrement and immediately began to vomit. Granny Zhao felt a pang of pity, but for Feng Daizhu's life, she could only watch helplessly as she drank a few more mouthfuls.
Arsenic is extremely toxic, but fortunately she discovered it in time, otherwise Feng Daizhu would probably have died long ago.
Many of the servants who usually served in Lingbo Garden couldn't bear to watch.
After a while, Feng Daizhu gradually opened her eyes. Her eyes were vacant, and she looked completely lost, as if she had lost her soul. Her face was covered in filth, and she was nowhere to be seen the bright and elegant woman she once was.
Granny Zhao was heartbroken and held her mistress in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
Bai turned her head away and said coldly:
"Take her downstairs and clean her up. When the doctor arrives, we mustn't embarrass the Dou family."
When the summoned doctor finally arrived, Feng Daizhu had already changed and was lying on the couch, her face still deathly pale. The doctor examined Feng Daizhu's pulse through the bamboo curtain, his pupils immediately dilating in shock. He then looked at Feng Daizhu's bluish fingertips and hurriedly said:
"Young Madam must have accidentally ingested arsenic. Now that the poison has entered her body, if it had been discovered any later, the consequences would have been unimaginable..." After saying this, he ordered people to quickly prepare a large amount of raw egg whites and honey to detoxify Feng Daizhu.
The doctor, who had decades of experience, was now sweating profusely. As he flipped through his medical books, he shook his head and sighed, "However, even if the young mistress's life is saved today, her internal organs are now filled with poison, and I'm afraid—"
Bai gave the doctor a cold look.
The doctor wiped his sweat again and lowered his voice, "...I'm afraid he won't be able to walk in the future."
Such a sudden incident at home enraged even the usually composed Madam Bai. After seeing the doctor off, she looked at the servants kneeling in the Lingbo Garden and said fiercely, "How could the eldest son's household have arsenic? You all better confess! Otherwise, you'll be the next ones to be slapped!"
Xiang'er was beaten by the two nannies for several hours. Before dark, her face was already flushed red, and she fainted and lost consciousness.
Upon hearing this, everyone shuddered and dared not utter a sound.
After a long silence, Granny Zhao, head bowed, her voice trembling, tears streaming down her face, said, "Madam, this arsenic was obtained by this old servant... This old servant deserves to die... I only thought of poisoning rats because there have been rats in the mansion recently... This old servant doesn't know how the young mistress found this packet of arsenic... The young mistress must have accidentally ingested it... This old servant deserves to die..."
Veins bulged on Bai's forehead, and anger burned clearly in his eyes.
"Accidental ingestion? I think she's deliberately trying to kill herself! This young mistress is tired of her good life and wants to create such a huge scandal for the Dou family. What, have I mistreated her in the past?"
She pointed at the crowd one by one, then roared uncontrollably, "Tell me, all of you—what have I, Bai Qiuxia, ever done to wrong her that she would threaten to kill herself?"
The only one who could understand Feng Daizhu's actions was Granny Zhao, who silently shed tears.
She couldn't, she couldn't reveal that secret. If she did, Feng Daizhu wouldn't be able to survive in the Dou family anymore, and she'd lose all face... She had indeed hidden that packet of arsenic... But she was useless; she couldn't even poison him...
Granny Zhao was filled with regret. She was the only one in the household who knew of Feng Daizhu's deep sorrow after her successive childbirths, and also knew that Feng Daizhu still couldn't forget Dou Yanxun. Seeing this, she was terrified. Having failed to poison Lin Xu last time, after much deliberation, she decided to resort to this drastic measure to prevent future trouble—
She thought that once Dou Yanxun was eliminated, the eldest young mistress would be able to live a peaceful life.
On the day Chen Ge'er celebrated his one-month birthday, the mansion was a chaotic place. She had originally planned to seize the opportunity to strike, but in the end, she was too afraid. She hid the small packet of medicine powder that she had finally obtained in the courtyard, but unexpectedly, the young mistress discovered it... and even more unexpectedly... she decided to end her own life...
Granny Zhao knelt on the ground, shaking her head and sobbing uncontrollably. Madam Bai's eyes were filled with disgust. "Take her away."
.
With the bright moon hanging low, Lin Xu looked at the courtyard and inner quarters that he had finally managed to tidy up and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
This was their first night in Laining, living in the magistrate's residence.
The Laining Official Residence is located in a bustling downtown area, surrounded by ancient locust and osmanthus trees, their branches adorned with golden blossoms that fill the air with a sweet fragrance. The ancient locust trees droop their blossoms, a tapestry of gold and silver, creating a refreshing and vibrant scene. The entire complex is naturally much larger than the former villa, with the official residence in the front and the private residence in the back. The east and west courtyards are separated by a rear garden, featuring an octagonal pavilion, a rockery made of craggy rocks, and a carp pond overflowing with lotus flowers…
Everything you'd find in a typical courtyard is here, and there's nothing lacking; the courtyard is even quite elegantly decorated.
But since there were only a few of them, even including the servants, there were still quite a few empty rooms. Living here felt rather spacious.
Xue Tuan'er, however, was not shy at all. After a day of traveling, she had slept peacefully in Rong Wei's arms. Now, she was full of energy and running around happily in the yard.
The previous magistrate, surnamed Guo, retired and returned to his hometown before even completing a year in office. The magistrate before that, though in his prime, suffered a family tragedy before his term was over, and had to leave in a state of mourning... and so on...
Lin Xu flipped through the yellowed county annals in his hand, and couldn't help but feel worried.
Is the feng shui of Laining a bit bad...?
Otherwise, why would all the county magistrates have left before their terms were completed?
Unaware of her thoughts, Xue Tuan ran over and circled around her. When she ignored him, Xue Tuan stuck out his tongue and licked her fingers.
She was deep in thought when a pair of black leather boots suddenly appeared in her field of vision, and then the fluffy snowball disappeared.
She looked up and saw Dou Yanxun holding Xue Tuan in his arms. He had changed into casual clothes, wearing a light gray straight-legged dress with dark patterns, and was looking at her with a smile in his eyes.
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