Chapter 24 A single needle to the throat! Madam, your tea is poisoned!
Su Wanqing followed Xiao Cui as they walked through the Lu family's courtyard.
She walked slowly.
My gaze swept calmly across the covered walkways, the carved beams and painted rafters, the artificial hills and flowing water.
Every detail showcases the family's heritage and power.
However, beneath this profound foundation, Su Wanqing also sensed a hint of decline.
The red paint on the pillars has peeled off, revealing the natural color of the wood.
Withered yellow weeds grew in the crevices of the artificial rockery.
The Lu family is like a giant that appears glamorous on the outside but is already beginning to decay inside.
“Young Madam,” Xiao Cui said in a low voice, turning slightly to the side as she spoke quickly, “The old lady is the eldest in the family and the old master’s biological mother. She is a Buddhist and usually chants scriptures in her own courtyard, rarely getting involved in affairs. In short, you must be very careful. The old lady’s most favored person is Miss Song.”
Su Wanqing did not stop walking, only giving a faint "hmm".
This little Cui is quite clever.
A slap and a bottle of ointment were enough to make her understand who the real master she could rely on was.
Soon, a quiet courtyard came into view.
The courtyard gate was open, revealing several ancient pine and cypress trees. A faint sandalwood scent filled the air, creating a sense of solemn tranquility.
Songhetang.
The old lady's residence.
Xiao Cui stopped at the door and bowed, saying, "Young Madam, please go in by yourself. I will wait outside."
Su Wanqing nodded and went inside alone.
As soon as she entered the main hall, she sensed that something was wrong.
The room was warm and cozy, filled with the gentle fragrance of incense.
In the main seat sat an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a dark brown brocade jacket, her eyes closed as she twirled a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
He has a kind and benevolent face, and seems to be indifferent to worldly affairs.
This must be the matriarch of the Lu family.
However, Liu Yuzhen and Song Tingyu were sitting prominently on either side of her.
Liu Yuzhen still wore that gentle and friendly fake smile.
Song Tingyu, with her head bowed and eyes lowered, brewed tea for the old lady with an elegant demeanor. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she was the rightful granddaughter-in-law of the family.
The moment Su Wanqing stepped in, three pairs of eyes shot towards her simultaneously.
The dock is set up, and all that's left is for her, the "prisoner."
"Wanqing is here." Liu Yuzhen spoke first, greeting her warmly, "Come and sit down. The old lady has been talking about you several times, saying she wants to meet our Lu family's new daughter-in-law."
She emphasized the words "new bride" with a harsh tone.
Su Wanqing stepped forward and respectfully curtsied to the old lady in the main seat.
"Granddaughter-in-law Su Wanqing greets her grandmother."
The old lady opened her eyes.
Those eyes weren't cloudy; instead, they shone with a sharp light that could see right through people's hearts.
She looked Su Wanqing up and down without saying a word, only giving a noncommittal "hmm" through her nose before closing her eyes again and continuing to twirl the prayer beads.
This is a silent show of force.
Su Wanqing didn't care at all and sat down on the embroidered stool that the servants had brought over.
"Wanqing, don't mind her. That's just how the old lady is. She's used to being quiet and abstinent, and doesn't like to talk much." Liu Yuzhen smiled and smoothed things over, then changed the subject, "You just came from the northern frontier, are you getting used to it? The capital is not like your countryside, there are many rules, you'll have to learn them slowly."
"Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I will study hard." Su Wanqing's reply was impeccable.
At this moment, Song Tingyu walked over gracefully, carrying a freshly brewed cup of tea.
"Miss Su, please have some tea."
She handed the teacup to Su Wanqing with a polite smile on her face.
"This is Junshan Silver Needle tea that I specially found for the old lady. It has a calming and soothing effect. You should try some to soothe your throat."
She called her "Miss Su".
She is neither "elder sister-in-law" nor "young mistress".
The degree of intimacy or distance in the way they address each other is clearly stated.
Su Wanqing took the teacup.
In the white jade cup, tender yellow tea buds stand upright, floating up and down.
The soup is clear and bright, with a pleasant aroma.
"Tingyu is such a thoughtful child," Liu Yuzhen exclaimed from the side. "She knows that the old lady likes to drink tea, so she specially went to learn the art of tea. Look at her skills, they are so smooth and flowing, even better than those master tea masters in the teahouses."
"Auntie, you flatter me. I only know a little bit about this, and I hope that Grandma will enjoy her drink," Song Tingyu said modestly, but her eyes held a provocative glint as she stared directly at Su Wanqing.
"What does Miss Su think of this tea?"
The first round of confrontation has begun.
They used their proud status and upbringing to highlight her "vulgarity".
Su Wanqing did not answer immediately.
She brought the teacup to her nose, took a light sniff, and then sipped it.
The tea soup is sweet, mellow, and refreshing upon tasting.
She put down her teacup, met Song Tingyu's superior gaze, and spoke calmly.
"The tea is good tea."
Song Tingyu smiled.
“It’s a pity,” Su Wanqing’s voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone’s ears.
"It was ruined by water."
The smile on Song Tingyu's face froze instantly.
Liu Yuzhen's face also darkened.
Even the old lady, who had been resting with her eyes closed, paused for a moment while fiddling with her prayer beads.
"What do you mean by that?" Song Tingyu's tone was cold. "Do you think I don't even know how to choose the right water for brewing tea?"
“Miss Song has chosen good water, it must be spring water from Yuquan Mountain this morning,” Su Wanqing said calmly.
"However, the water was overboiled."
"Junshan Yinzhen is an unfermented yellow tea with tender buds, which is most susceptible to damage from boiling water. It needs to be brewed with water at 80 degrees Celsius to fully release its aroma and flavor. If the water temperature is too high, the tea soup will become pungent and lose its most precious freshness and sweetness. When I just tasted it, I felt that the tea flavor was abundant but lacked freshness, which I think is the reason."
She spoke slowly and deliberately, her tone calm, yet every word was precious.
Song Tingyu's face instantly turned red and white.
She never expected that a country bumpkin would know these things!
Moreover, it's exactly the same!
In an effort to impress the old lady, she did boil the water until it was boiling, pursuing a visually "ethereal" effect, but she neglected the impact on the tea itself.
"It's nothing but fallacies and heresies." Liu Yuzhen snorted coldly, trying to salvage the situation. "Country folks are used to drinking coarse tea; how could they tell the difference between good and bad?"
“Auntie is right.” Su Wanqing followed her words. “We country folk don’t really know anything about tea ceremony. We only know that a thing should have its own original flavor. If you use the right water, the tea will be sweet and mellow. If you use the wrong water, even the best tea will not taste its true flavor.”
She paused, her gaze sweeping over Song Tingyu.
"The same principle applies to being a person."
A double entendre.
This is a veiled criticism of Song Tingyu, implying that she has lost her true self.
Song Tingyu was so angry that her knuckles turned white, but she couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.
"Well said. To be a good person, you must stay true to yourself."
The old lady, who had been silent all along, suddenly opened her eyes and said something.
She looked at Su Wanqing with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.
Liu Yuzhen and Song Tingyu's expressions turned even uglier.
Song Tingyu's eyes darted around, and seeing the blooming red plum blossoms outside the window, she came up with another plan.
"The red plum blossoms are blooming beautifully this year. Grandma, inspired by the scenery, I'll compose a poem for you to add to the joy."
She stood up, walked to the window, and began to recite:
"A sparse branch stands tall against the cold wind, a touch of vermilion shines proudly amidst the snow. Do not worry that there are no friends on the road ahead, for the fragrance of nature will fill the world."
The poem is conventional and the artistic conception is quite elegant. It praises the plum blossoms and also subtly expresses the poet's spirit of not being afraid of difficulties.
"Excellent, excellent poem!" Liu Yuzhen immediately clapped her hands in praise. "Tingyu is truly a talented woman."
Song Tingyu smiled shyly, then turned her gaze back to Su Wanqing: "Miss Su grew up in the northern frontier, so you must be used to seeing even more magnificent snow scenes. Would you be so kind as to broaden our horizons as well?"
This is the second round of attacks.
From tea ceremony to poetry.
They were convinced that a country girl who couldn't even get enough to eat could never know how to compose poetry.
Su Wanqing looked at her and smiled.
"Miss Song flatters me too much. I'm just a rough man, barely literate, how could I possibly write poetry?"
Upon hearing this, Song Tingyu and Liu Yuzhen both revealed a smug look of "I knew it" on their faces.
“However,” Su Wanqing’s gaze also fell on the red plum blossoms outside the window, and she said leisurely, “Although I can’t write poetry, I have heard the schoolteacher in our village recite a poem. I think that is the real plum blossom.”
She paused, then read aloud, word by word, in a clear and penetrating voice:
"The wind and rain send spring away, and the flying snow welcomes spring. The cliff is already a hundred feet of ice, but the flower branches are still beautiful."
These four lines alone instantly changed the atmosphere of the room.
The self-pity and pretentious arrogance in Song Tingyu's poem instantly become childish scribbles and are not worth mentioning in the face of this magnificent and grand artistic conception.
Su Wanqing did not stop and continued reading:
"She is beautiful but does not vie for spring's favor; she only heralds its arrival. When the mountain flowers are in full bloom, she smiles among them."
After the poem was finished, the room fell into a deathly silence.
Liu Yuzhen and Song Tingyu were completely stunned.
They never imagined that Su Wanqing could utter such magnificent and profound words!
This poem describes more than just plum blossoms.
It is also a noble quality of not competing with other flowers for beauty, but only to herald the arrival of spring.
In comparison, Song Tingyu's line, "Don't worry about having no friends on the road ahead," seems so petty.
"What a wonderful line, 'She is beautiful but does not vie for spring's favor; she only announces its arrival.'"
The old lady murmured repeatedly, and the look in her eyes as she looked at Su Wanqing had completely changed.
There was shock, admiration, and a hint of respect that she herself was unaware of.
At this extremely delicate moment, the old lady suddenly coughed violently.
She clutched her chest with one hand and braced herself against the table with the other, coughing so hard she could hardly breathe, her face turning bright red and then purple.
"Grandma! Grandma, what's wrong?"
"Madam!"
Song Tingyu and Liu Yuzhen panicked and hurriedly patted her back to help her catch her breath.
"Quick! Go and call Dr. Zhang!" Liu Yuzhen shouted shrilly at the door.
"Don't touch her!"
A clear and calm voice prevailed over all the panic.
It is Su Wanqing.
She stepped forward, supported the swaying old lady, and ordered in a deep voice, "Have the old lady lie down, unbutton her collar, and keep the air circulating."
"What do you think you are! Get out of my way! If anything happens to the old lady, I'll skin you alive!" Liu Yuzhen shouted angrily, reaching out to push her.
"If you want her dead, then keep making noise."
Su Wanqing gave her a cold glance, the chill in her eyes freezing Liu Yuzhen in mid-air.
Su Wanqing ignored her and quickly took the old lady's wrist.
Observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.
In her previous life, she was a top-notch military doctor, proficient in both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine.
She could tell the old lady's symptoms at a glance.
"His face is flushed, his breathing is rapid, and his pulse is wiry, rapid, and forceful." Su Wanqing diagnosed while calmly analyzing, "It's not an old ailment, but rather liver fire rising upwards, causing shortness of breath to attack the heart."
She suddenly looked up, her gaze sharp as lightning, and shot towards Song Tingyu.
"What kind of tea did you give the old lady just now?"
"It's...it's Junshan Silver Needle tea." Song Tingyu felt guilty under her gaze and stammered in response.
"Nonsense!" Su Wanqing retorted sharply. "Junshan Yinzhen tea is cooling in nature, how could it possibly cause liver fire! What did you add to the tea?"
"I...I didn't..." Song Tingyu's eyes began to dart away.
"The old lady has been a devout Buddhist for many years and eats a light diet, but she is weak and suffers from cold uterus. This Junshan Silver Needle tea is not suitable for her. You chose this tea to show off your tea ceremony skills. And fearing that the tea was too cooling and would make the old lady uncomfortable, you cleverly added warm dried ginger slices and red dates to the tea, hoping to neutralize its cooling properties, is that right?"
Song Tingyu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and she looked at Su Wanqing as if she had seen a ghost.
How...how could she know?
Only she knows the truth about this!
"you……"
"Foolish!" Su Wanqing didn't give her a chance to explain. "It's true that the old lady is weak, but the recent dry weather has caused her to have internal heat and stagnation. Your few slices of dried ginger and red dates were like adding fuel to the fire, completely igniting the stagnation in her body! Coupled with her emotional agitation just now, her blood rushed to her head, which led to the dangerous situation we are in now!"
These words left Liu Yuzhen speechless.
She looked at Song Tingyu, whose face was deathly pale, and then at the old lady who was having difficulty breathing. She finally realized that what Su Wanqing said was probably true.
"Then... what do we do now?" Liu Yuzhen panicked completely.
Su Wanqing didn't answer her, but shouted to Xiao Cui, who was cowering in the doorway, "Go and get me a sewing needle and a candlestick, quick!"
Xiao Cui was so frightened by the scene that her legs went weak, but upon hearing Su Wan-qing's order, she still scrambled off.
Soon, the needle and candlestick were brought.
Su Wanqing heated the sewing needle over the candle flame, held the old lady's hand with one hand, and with the other hand, she held the needle and, without the slightest hesitation, pierced the "Zhongchong" acupoint on the tip of the old lady's middle finger.
"What are you doing!" Liu Yuzhen screamed.
Su Wanqing moved with lightning speed, giving her no chance to stop him.
One needle was inserted.
A drop of dark purple blood gushed from the needle tip.
Almost simultaneously, the old lady's rapid breathing suddenly stopped, and then she exhaled a long, deep breath.
The alarming purplish-red color on her face faded visibly, and her tense body slowly relaxed.
She opened her eyes; though still weak, her gaze had regained its clarity.
Just then, Dr. Zhang, the family doctor, came running in, panting, carrying his medicine kit.
He was also stunned by the sight before him, and quickly stepped forward to examine the old lady.
After a long while, he raised his head and looked at Su Wanqing with an incredulous expression.
"And who is this...and who is this? The old lady's condition has stabilized. It was truly dangerous just now. Fortunately, someone performed bloodletting to relieve the old lady's internal heat in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable. This technique...is professional, truly professional!"
Dr. Zhang's words were like a resounding slap in the face to Liu Yuzhen and Song Tingyu.
The truth has come out.
It wasn't Su Wanqing being silly.
It was Song Tingyu's cleverness that almost cost the old lady her life.
The one who saved the old lady was none other than Su Wanqing, the country girl they looked down upon the most.
The old lady leaned against the soft pillows, looking at Su Wanqing with a complicated expression.
This granddaughter-in-law, whom she had never taken seriously, defeated Song Tingyu's arrogance within a short hour, first with tea ceremony and poetry.
Then, when her life was hanging by a thread, he used his miraculous medical skills to pull her back from the brink of death.
This temperament, this talent, this courage...
She's not some country bumpkin at all.
It is clearly a piece of unpolished jade covered in dust, yet it holds an astonishing brilliance within.
"Yuzhen, Tingyu," the old lady spoke slowly, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable authority, "You may both leave now. I am tired."
"grandmother……"
"mom……"
Liu Yuzhen and Song Tingyu wanted to say something, but when they met the old lady's all-knowing eyes, they could only reluctantly shut their mouths, bow, and leave.
As they passed by Su Wanqing, their eyes were filled with barely suppressed resentment and malice.
Su Wanqing's counterattack has only just begun.
Only Su Wanqing and the old lady remained in the room.
The air was deathly silent.
After a long silence, the old lady spoke again, staring at Su Wanqing and asking, word by word:
"Who exactly are you?"
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