"Then wasn't she poisoned with arsenic? Or was it some other poison?"
Wei Hong, who had been following Song Xibai, couldn't help but ask at this moment.
Song Xibai shook her head.
"It is definitely arsenic."
This made everyone even more confused. If it was arsenic, why would the symptoms of poisoning be different?
Song Xibai didn't offer any explanation, but instead gave Dingxiang a wink.
"Wake her up!"
Dingxiang understood, took out her needle case, and handed it over.
Now that Song Xibai's identity is clear, everyone knows that she is the daughter of Physician Song, so she no longer needs to hide her medical skills as before.
Song Xibai took the needle case, opened it, took out the longest needle, and accurately and quickly inserted it into the philtrum of Granny Qiao.
Then, everyone saw a flash of silver light, and a few breaths later, Nanny Qiao's head was covered in quills.
She hummed in response, her brows furrowing tightly, and then slowly opened her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes and saw so many people in front of her, she instinctively tensed up, but soon she remembered what had happened before she fainted, and her eyes immediately became pitiful.
"Your Majesty, you...you're finally back."
She struggled to speak, then braced herself against the bed frame to try and get up.
But then she discovered that she couldn't muster any strength at all.
Could it be that the dosage was too high?
That's impossible!
She felt a little apprehensive, and her gaze was not as steady as usual.
Song Xibai looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked.
What was the purpose of the Prince of Lu's residence sending people into the palace?
Nanny Qiao's pupils suddenly contracted sharply, and her heart rate increased significantly in an instant.
She gave a forced smile.
"Your Highness, I don't understand what you're saying. Princess Lu sent me to the palace to serve the two young masters!"
Song Xibai sat on a small stool by the bed, looking calm and composed, without the slightest hint of a coercive or fierce demeanor.
But the calmer and more composed she was, the more flustered Granny Qiao became.
“You don’t need to pretend anymore. You poisoned yourself in an attempt to frame Wen Niang, but the truth has already been revealed. You might as well be honest and tell us everything you know. Maybe you can save your life.”
Song Xibai straightened her skirt and then spoke.
Wei Hong slammed her hand on the bed: "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, but we are not to be trifled with! Speak quickly!"
Nanny Qiao narrowed her eyes and shook her head blankly.
"What are you saying! I don't understand a word. I just drank a bowl of white fungus soup and suddenly my stomach hurt, then I fainted. After that, I don't know anything... Your Majesty, I know Wenniang is your confidante, and you want to protect her, but you don't have to shift all the blame onto me! In my current state, I'm practically on the verge of death. Even if I wanted to frame Wenniang, why would I use my own body as a raft?"
As she spoke, her eyes filled with tears and her face was full of sorrow, which was very moving.
If it were anyone else, or at any other time, Song Xibai might have believed it, but unfortunately, she didn't trust this wet nurse Qiao from the very beginning.
Song Xibai chuckled and pointed to the bowls and plates placed by the bed.
"You mean this bowl of white fungus soup?"
On the small tea table beside the bed, there was still a lot of soup left in the empty bowl, with a few pieces of white fungus floating in the semi-transparent, thick soup.
Nanny Qiao nodded: "If Your Highness does not believe me, please have someone investigate. When I entered the palace, I was only wearing one set of clothes and did not bring any other luggage. Where could I possibly have obtained poison?"
Song Xibai chuckled.
"She was poisoned and barely woke up, yet she showed no anger or hatred whatsoever. Her words were clear and logical, as if she had known I would ask this question and had prepared her answer in advance. Nanny Qiao, do you really think you've acted flawlessly?"
Nanny Qiao's heart skipped a beat.
“Since you refuse to admit it, then I will tell you one thing at a time.”
Song Xibai suddenly reached out and took the bowl.
"Crane's crest red is colorless and odorless, and it is easily soluble in water, making it difficult for ordinary people to detect. Precisely because of this, the poison takes effect without warning, leaving people with no way to judge. The food prepared in the small kitchen tastes excellent, and the palace maids usually rarely leave any leftovers, but this bowl of white fungus soup is almost half left."
The wet nurse, Qiao, forced a smile and explained, "That's because I didn't have an appetite, so I ate little."
"Is that so?" Song Xibai curled the corners of her lips. "It wasn't left behind intentionally so that people could find the source of the poison?"
Nanny Qiao's face turned several shades paler.
Song Xibai handed the bowl to Wei Hong and then said.
"I've already described the symptoms of arsenic poisoning: abdominal pain, headache, vomiting, and so on. But there's a certain amount of time between ingesting the poison and its effects taking hold. The little palace maid who brought the food said you vomited blood immediately after eating it. I didn't know that arsenic poisoning could take effect so quickly."
Her speech was unhurried and gentle, like the tinkling of a spring. Each sentence she spoke cleared up everyone's doubts and caused Nanny Qiao's expression to change again.
"Moreover, the symptoms of poisoning are different. Look, you've vomited so much blood." Song Xibai pointed to the bed board, bedding, and floor. "Tsk tsk, with such symptoms, an ordinary person would have died on the spot, but you are still alive."
Nanny Qiao trembled all over.
"That...that's because Miss Dingxiang treated me in time."
"You seem to know quite a bit."
Song Xibai's expression suddenly turned cold.
"Knowing that Dingxiang was there, you dared to take the risk, right? And you were worried that she would be too late if the poison took effect, so you pretended to be poisoned beforehand and sent a maid to fetch her. Am I right?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Fangqi couldn't hold back any longer and asked in surprise and anger.
"She's faking it?!"
"It wasn't exactly an act; she really did drink arsenic. But fearing that Dingxiang would arrive too late, she took another medicine beforehand and vomited immediately after finishing the white fungus soup. There was blood all over the floor, and the little palace maid was terrified. She rushed to call for help and didn't notice anything else."
"But people are always afraid of death deep down. She was afraid that the poison of arsenic was too strong, so she only managed to drink a little more than half of the white fungus soup. Since she had already eaten very little, and then vomited up most of it, the amount of poison that actually entered her body was only a very small amount."
"However, with such a small dose, it would be impossible to cause such alarming symptoms and vomiting blood; at most, one would only experience abdominal pain for a few days. Isn't this contradictory?"
Song Xibai turned to look at the others.
Granny Fangqi stared blankly ahead, her eyes unfocused, lost in thought.
Wei Hong admired her master to the extreme.
"Your Majesty, you are so clever! You know so much just as you get back."
Song Xibai waved his hand and turned his gaze to Dingxiang.
She knew Dingxiang well. If Nanny Qiao was really seriously poisoned, she wouldn't be so leisurely! She would have performed bloodletting to treat the poison immediately, instead of just using a few needles to make a show of it.
This shows that Nanny Qiao's poisoning was not severe to begin with!
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