Chapter 6 What's in the Soup
Seeing Jiang Lan's expression change, Qing'er couldn't help but stop and asked nervously, "Is the Second Miss feeling unwell?"
"It's okay." Jiang Lan shook her head and her expression returned to normal.
Qing'er heaved a sigh of relief and walked over to place the ginger soup in front of Jiang Lan. "Second Miss, drink it while it's hot. Be careful not to let it get cold later."
Jiang Lan put down the book in her hand, picked up the spoon and slowly scooped the ginger soup from the bowl, and asked casually, "How old are you this year?"
Qing'er felt inexplicably nervous, not understanding Jiang Lan's intention in asking this question. She replied cautiously, "Second Miss, I'm seventeen..."
Jiang Lan asked casually, "How long have you been in the mansion?"
Qing'er was unsure and became increasingly nervous, "Replying to the Second Miss, I came to the mansion when I was eight years old..."
"Almost ten years." Jiang Lan muttered to herself and continued, "Then how long have you been serving mother?"
Qing'er felt increasingly uneasy, and replied guiltily, "I can't remember..."
"You must have served for quite a long time then." Jiang Lan changed the subject and asked, "Are you close to Bi'er?"
When Qing'er heard Bi'er, she was so scared that she trembled all over. Although she was not very clear about how Bi'er left the mansion, she had about 80% clear about it. When Tanxiang came to take her to meet the lady this morning, she knew everything.
"Second Miss..." Qing'er paused nervously, "This servant and Bi'er are not familiar with each other."
Jiang Lan scooped up a spoonful of ginger soup and smelled it, and Qing'er's face turned pale with guilt.
"What did you add to this?"
Qing'er was so frightened that she trembled and said incoherently, "I...I didn't..."
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked," Jiang Lan calmly recited these six words. "Do you know what they mean?"
Qing'er shook her head palely.
Jiang Lan sighed and said, "You should understand what it means to cross a river and then destroy the bridge, or to abandon the donkey after it has done its work."
Qing'er nodded palely.
Jiang Lan put down the spoon, turned around and looked at Qing'er and said, "If I'm gone, do you think mother will still keep you? Won't she be worried that one day you'll let something slip?" Qing'er felt a chill on her back, and her face turned even paler. Jiang Lan stood up with one hand on the table and whispered in Qing'er's ear, "Only the dead have the strictest tongues."
This one sentence frightened Qing'er so much that she lost her soul and collapsed to the ground.
Jiang Lan sat back on the stool and saw Qing'er pursing her lips tightly, refusing to confess. It seemed as if Zhang still had a fatal weakness. She said, "Even if you are not afraid of death, are your family members not afraid?"
This sentence completely broke Qing'er's psychological defenses. She knelt down in front of Jiang Lan and kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "Second Miss, save me. I won't dare to do that again..."
Jiang Lan raised her finger and pointed at the bowl of ginger soup. "What's added to it?"
Qing'er cried and shook her head, refusing to say anything.
Jiang Lan sighed and said, "I know what you're afraid of, but as long as I'm alive, you're still useful, and Mother won't do anything to you or your family. But if I die, your own life will definitely be in jeopardy. As for your family, it depends on whether Mother thinks they can keep their mouths shut."
Qing'er was at a loss, looking at Jiang Lan with tears in her eyes, "Then what does the Second Miss say I should do?"
"Get up first." Jiang Lan reached out and helped Qing'er up, saying softly, "Are you willing to listen to me?"
Qing'er nodded hesitantly, "Then what does the Second Young Lady want me to do..."
Jiang Lan smiled softly. "You don't have to do anything. Just make my symptoms sound more serious so that Mother will believe that I'm getting weaker and weaker."
Qing'er was puzzled at first and then worried: "What if someone finds out?"
A sly glint flashed in Jiang Lan's eyes. "That depends on whether you're willing to help me." She cast her gaze towards the bowl of ginger soup. "If I knew what was added to it, I could certainly make it look more like the real thing."
Qing'er hesitated for a while, then asked hesitantly, "If I help the Second Miss, can the Second Miss guarantee that I will be fine?"
Jiang Lan said: "If I die, no one can help you."
Qing'er thought about it again, and when she raised her head, she looked determined, "Okay, I'll help the second lady." After that, she took out a paper bag from her arms and placed it in front of Jiang Lan. Jiang Lan opened the paper bag, which contained a white medicinal powder, which was added to the ginger soup.
She leaned in to smell it, but she was not a doctor and had no knowledge of medicine, so she couldn't tell whether it was poison or medicine. However, it was definitely not the kind of poison that would kill her instantly. Her health had not improved over the years, but had become increasingly weak. It must be because of this thing.
They added it little by little to her tea and food, slowly poisoning her to death, and no one would suspect anything, they would just think that she had always been weak and sickly and died of illness.
"When was this given to you?"
Qing'er hesitated for a moment, and Jiang Lan answered for her, "I guess it was given to you today." Qing'er nodded silently.
Before, Bier was in charge of Jiang Lan's food and daily life. After Bier left, Qing'er took her place. Before, Zhang was busy with Jiang Yao's marriage and had no time to take care of Jiang Lan. After the wedding, Zhang must wipe out the roots, so she asked Qing'er to take over Bier's task to send Jiang Lan to the underworld, and she would definitely increase the dosage to make her die sooner.
The fact was just as Jiang Lan guessed. This time, Zhang had Qing'er take twice the dosage than before, so that she could die quickly and get rid of the hatred in her heart.
After dinner, Qing'er quietly came to Zhang's residence again and reported that Jiang Lan caught a cold last night. She put medicine in the ginger soup, and Jiang Lan drank it all.
Zhang was very satisfied and rewarded Qing'er with a bag of silver.
After returning, Qing'er informed Jiang Lan.
The next day, after Jiang Cheng went out to court, Qing'er came to Zhang again to report that Jiang Lan was ill in bed and wanted to see a doctor.
"Didn't the master ask her to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors? Then let her reflect on it." Zhang sneered, narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, and the fierce look in her eyes made Qing'er shudder. The subtext was self-evident. Anyone who dared to ask a doctor for Jiang Lan was going against her. It would be better if that sickly girl died sooner.
After Qing'er left, Zhang instructed Tanxiang, "Since you're sick, eat something light. Go tell the kitchen later that the Second Young Lady can only drink porridge these days and not eat any meat."
When Qing'er came back, Jiang Lan was still lying in bed, really "bedridden".
She waited until noon before getting out of bed and walking around. She asked Gui'er to support her and took a slow walk in the yard. Then she asked someone to bring out a recliner and put it in the yard, and she lay on it to bask in the sun as usual.
After an unknown amount of time, the rustling of leaves was heard outside the courtyard wall.
Along with the rustling sound came a nonchalant voice, like that of a dandy young man from some wealthy family.
The voice was very close, as if it was right next to her.
Jiang Lan was startled and suddenly opened her eyes.
The face in the backlight above her head was reflected in her eyes.
She stared at the face blankly for a second, two seconds, and finally came to her senses. She almost jumped up from the chair, staring at the face vigilantly, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
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