Upon hearing this, Physician Li rose from beside Lin Miaoxin and used a silver needle to probe the half-eaten bowl of white porridge.
Everyone saw him frown, remain silent for a moment in front of the silver needles, and then scoop up some white porridge with a spoon and sniff it.
"There is definitely something wrong with this congee."
Song Ruoan held her breath, her heart leaping into her throat: "Imperial Physician, I knew the poison was in this porridge!"
Physician Li shook his head: "It contains croton, which can cause diarrhea and severe abdominal pain, which corresponds to Miss Lin's symptoms, but it is not poison."
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, plummeted once more. She murmured in disbelief, "How is this possible?"
"If there was no poison, why would Lin Miaoxin suddenly vomit blood? This definitely wasn't caused by croton oil!"
Upon hearing this, He Yunze sneered and stared intently at Song Xizhi's face.
Everyone at the scene might be deceived by Song Xizhi and unable to find the real culprit, but he had already seen Song Xizhi's true colors.
He couldn't think of anyone else with such despicable methods besides Song Xizhi. This must have been done by Song Xizhi!
"Vicious people are always resorting to such tricks. Perhaps this croton is just a trigger to cause other problems, making Miss Lin bleed from all seven orifices, with the aim of ruining Ruo'an and the Marquis's mansion! I've seen far too many things like this!"
After saying this, He Yunze knelt on one knee before the Marquis of Anding, his expression resolute:
"Father! Today is my promotion banquet, but such a thing has happened. I beg you to start with this bowl of white porridge and thoroughly investigate the mastermind behind it. Find out how many people handled this bowl of white porridge today!"
Song Ruoan heard half of it, then felt a buzzing in her head, and hurriedly tried to stop He Yunce from saying the next thing: "Husband..."
But He Yunze ignored the warning and continued, "Go and investigate how many people from the Marquis's mansion have recently gone to the pharmacy to buy croton seeds and other medicines. Follow the clues to find the real culprit who put the croton seeds in and caused Miss Lin's poisoning."
Song Ruoan tried to pull He Yunce back for a long time, but to no avail. After listening to what he said, her heart sank and she felt like she was suffocating.
He Yunze slowly stood up and patted her hand reassuringly: "Don't be nervous, I will definitely find the real culprit."
Song Ruoan forced a smile and said, "But my husband, I think this matter has nothing to do with porridge. We should investigate in other directions."
He Yunze looked directly at Song Xizhi, raised his voice, and adopted a businesslike attitude:
“Song Xizhi handled this bowl of congee, and her sudden apology is particularly unusual. Although she is my sister-in-law, gentlemen, rest assured, I, He, will put aside my family ties for the greater good and will never bend the law for personal gain.”
The officials and their wives, who had been silently watching the farce unfold before them, had gloomy faces and their impressions of the Marquis of Anding's mansion were not good.
But now, hearing He Yunze's composure in the face of danger, and his impassioned and righteous words, their impression of He Yunze has improved considerably.
Even Prime Minister Lin, who was holding Lin Miaoxin tightly, felt his anger subside considerably upon hearing He Yunce's methodical words:
"Whether the real culprit comes from the Marquis's residence or anywhere else, as long as the truth is found, I will not let him go!"
He Yunze nodded emphatically: "Lord Lin, rest assured, the Marquis's mansion will not protect any guilty person!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan turned pale.
Marquis Anding had been put in such a predicament that he had no choice but to follow He Yunze's instructions and investigate. He summoned his trusted guard and asked, "Have you found the maid who delivered the white porridge?"
"Bring the person up."
The maid was brought before the crowd in a disheveled state. The people present were all high-ranking officials and nobles, all with gloomy faces. Feeling the solemn atmosphere, she was so frightened that her face turned pale and her whole body trembled.
Before anyone could speak, Song Xizhi cut straight to the point: "Aren't you going to tell me?"
"It was the congee you sent that caused the Prime Minister's daughter to become like this. Do you know that this is a capital offense!"
Upon hearing this, the young maidservant, believing that the porridge she had brought had killed Lin Miaoxin, was so frightened she nearly fainted. She frantically kowtowed to the Marquis of Anding, vomiting up everything in her vomit.
"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me! It was all the second young mistress's orders that made me do it!"
"The second young mistress told me to deliver the congee to the eldest young mistress. I had no idea this congee would kill people! I knew nothing about it!"
As soon as the maid finished speaking, everyone present widened their eyes and looked in Song Ruoan's direction. Seeing her swaying figure, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
He Yunze felt as if the taut string in his mind snapped in an instant, and the blood in his body cooled down instantly.
"Impossible! You maid are talking nonsense! Who told you to tell such a lie? Confess the truth!"
The maid kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "I didn't lie! I didn't lie! The Madam told me to put the medicine in, but I was scared, so I only put in half. The medicine packet is still in my room! I have no idea what kind of medicine it is!"
At that moment, the guard reported, "My lord, a packet of croton powder was indeed found in the maid's room."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xin suddenly realized: "So, when Lin Miaoxin suddenly had abdominal pain, Song Ruoan had the medicine to treat it. I thought it was because of her superb medical skills, but I didn't expect her to be prepared."
Song Xizhi's body swayed violently, almost falling to the ground, a tear welling up in his eye.
"The maid brought this bowl of plain porridge, originally for me... but because I had argued with Miss Lin, and seeing that she looked pale, I didn't want to cause trouble at the Marquis's flower-viewing banquet, so I gave her the porridge, but who knew..."
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