Chapter 188 Misfortunes Never Come Alone
When did this happen?
Donggua thought for a moment and replied, "About four days ago."
Ah Jiu frowned. "What are they coming back for?"
Donggua bit her lip, looking somewhat hesitant. "They said they wanted to come back and live with us, but we kicked them out."
Another child added, "Chen San and the others said that after they left, they originally wanted to go to Linzhou Prefecture to take a boat. But they didn't have any money, and there were too many of them, so they couldn't get on the boat. So they just stayed in Linzhou Prefecture to make a living."
"But after drifting along, I couldn't even get a decent meal. I even had a relapse of the poison once."
"So they want to come back and live with us."
"However, without the Grand Madam's permission, we dare not keep them."
"Then they left."
Donggua frowned, as if he had thought of something, before saying, "There were eleven of them when they left, but only five came back. Two of them were injured."
"I guess something must have happened to them outside, which is why they wanted to come back."
Ajiu's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
Eleven people left, five returned, and two were injured.
Where did the remaining six people go?
Is he dead? Or are they separated?
If they had gone through hardships and genuinely wanted to come back, then why were they so easily driven away?
Shouldn't they just shamelessly cling to their place and stay?
If their real purpose in returning wasn't to come back, but to poison the people here, then everything makes sense.
I returned four days ago, and the timing matches up.
After they returned, the people here started to collectively fall ill with the poison.
Ah Jiu was basically certain that Chen San and his group had returned to poison her. As for who had sent them, she would have to find them and question them carefully.
"Where did Chen San and the others go after they left? Does any of you know?"
The two shook their heads. "They didn't say, and we didn't ask."
Ajiu was somewhat disappointed.
Just then, Donggua spoke up: "We can help find their whereabouts."
“Alright.” Ajiu thought for a moment and didn’t refuse. “Those of you who haven’t been poisoned yet, let Doctor Mu take a look at you later. If there’s no problem, then try to find out where Chen San and the others are.”
“I’ve found it. I’ll tell the Grand Madam and have her reward you.”
Upon hearing this, Donggua quickly waved his hand, "We don't want any reward. We are already very grateful to the Grand Madam for taking us in. We are happy to be able to do something for her."
Another child nodded and said, "Yes, we don't want a reward. Chen San and his gang dared to poison us. Even if you don't say anything, we'll settle the score with them later."
Upon hearing this, Ajiu quickly reminded him, "If you find them, don't kill them. I still have questions to ask them."
Both of them hesitated. What if they encountered resistance and had no choice but to fight to the death?
Ah Jiu also thought of this, so he added, "Keeping them alive is important, but your safety is more important. Besides, aren't there five of them? If necessary, we only need to ensure that one of them survives."
"At worst, Dr. Mu is a highly skilled doctor. As long as they have a breath left, they can be brought back and treated by Dr. Mu."
This time, the two of them agreed without hesitation.
After asking the questions, Ajiu had a general understanding of the ins and outs of the matter.
After confirming that all the children except the two who had died earlier were safe, Ajiu quickly returned to the city and reported the matter to Min Qiaoshi.
After listening to Ajiu's report, Madam Min Qiao couldn't help but frown.
Without a doubt, people had noticed the children ever since they moved to the village.
Suddenly, such a large group of children appeared, whom she had brought back from Jiangnan. Although she had tried her best to cover up the children's origins along the way, it seemed to have little effect.
Those who should be doubting still are.
They're still targeting what they need to target.
I just don't know who did it this time, or what their purpose was.
However, it seems unlikely that he could escape those seeking revenge for the Lu family.
Just as Madam Min Qiao was pondering the mastermind behind the poisoning incident, Wei Jia arrived at Songhe Hall, supported by two maids.
Yang An also came along.
Seeing the solemn expressions on their faces, Madam Min Qiao felt a sense of foreboding.
"What happened?"
Shouldn't Yang An be at the estate supervising the craftsmen building the hot spring resort?
Wei Jia gestured to Yang An, "You speak."
Yang An didn't dare to delay and quickly said, "Madam, something has happened at the hot spring resort."
"The construction process went smoothly at first, but problems have been occurring frequently since a few days ago."
"First, two craftsmen had their legs broken by falling rocks. Then, a poisoning incident occurred, causing more than twenty people to suffer from abdominal pain and diarrhea. Later, a craftsman fell down the mountain and died while working."
“Yesterday, some people started a disturbance, saying that the place was haunted and construction should stop there, and inciting everyone to leave.”
Madam Min frowned slightly. "Have you investigated everything thoroughly? Is there anything suspicious?"
Yang An frowned and said, "Everything was done intentionally."
"The two men whose legs were broken by the stone did so because someone tampered with their carrying pole. The pole broke in the middle after they had only carried the stone a few steps."
"The poisoning incident was also deliberate. Someone bribed the cook to put laxatives in the soup."
"Afterwards, when we looked for him, the cook had long since disappeared."
"The one who fell off the mountain and died was pushed off by someone. But there were several people there at the time, and no one could say for sure who pushed him off."
"In the end, those people insisted that the person had fallen accidentally."
"But I asked around, and the person who fell to his death was a very steady and careful person. It's practically impossible for him to carelessly fall to his death."
"That's why many people believed it when someone caused trouble or went on strike."
"The construction project has now been halted."
At this point, Yang An looked ashamed and blamed himself, saying, "It's all because I didn't manage those craftsmen well, which caused so much trouble. Now, the construction work on the manor can't continue. I've let down the Grand Madam and Miss Weijia's trust!"
Madam Min frowned deeply. The child's poisoning was still unresolved, and now this trouble was brewing at the hot spring resort.
This is truly a double whammy!
Wei Jia and Yang An were aware of the child's poisoning. In fact, the person who came to the Marquis's residence to report the situation was arranged by Yang An.
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao instructed, "I have already instructed Ajiu to take a few children to investigate the whereabouts of Chen San and the others regarding the poisoning of the children on the estate. Weijia, you should also give the order to the people on the estate and in the shops to keep an eye out for them."
"Pass on my message: if you find the person, I will reward you handsomely."
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