Jiang Huai had made preparations in advance, and An Guangbai arrived quickly.
Fortunately, Master Song's injury was not serious, and he received timely treatment, which also suppressed the toxicity.
The giant snake was caught by several servants and its head was chopped off on the spot.
After the chaos, the city lord's pent-up anger finally erupted:
"Sun Chan! What exactly did you prepare?! How did the Giant Serpent end up in your box?! Do you know how dangerous this whole situation is?!"
He roared, and Sun Chan's face turned pale. She fell off the table and knelt on the ground, refusing to get up.
When I looked up again, my face was covered in tears.
"No, no... that's not how it is. There was clearly only a Guanyin statue in the box. I don't know why it turned out like this. I didn't do it."
Her weak explanation was utterly unconvincing.
The city lord's wife also snorted coldly, saying with a look of disappointment:
"Sun Chan, Master Song is a distinguished guest of the City Lord's Mansion! What are you doing!"
Sun Chan shook her head frantically, unable to find any more words to defend herself.
No matter how she explained it, to others it was just an excuse.
Just as she was crying and didn't know how to start the conversation, Wuyou suddenly shouted, "Grandmother! What does this have to do with Mother? What we prepared was clearly a Guanyin statue. I saw Mother put it in the box with my own eyes. Someone wanted to frame us and harm Master Song, so they deliberately replaced our Guanyin statue with a giant snake! Are we fools? Why would we give such a thing in front of Master Song?"
Wuyou was agitated, waving his hands around and the veins on his forehead were very prominent. He was so angry that he was about to lose his mind, and he looked like he wanted to eat people.
The city lord's wife was stunned when she saw Wuyou's fierce expression for the first time.
"Wuyou, calm down! This isn't the place for you to act unreasonably!"
"Where have I been unreasonable? This is a malicious frame-up! Someone wants to make my mother and me leave a bad impression on Master Song! I'm defending my innocence, what's wrong with that?"
Wuyou's eyes were red, and she spoke those words through gritted teeth the whole time.
The city lord's wife also calmed down and fell into deep thought.
Her heart was still with Wuyou. "Husband, Master Song, Wuyou was just angry and lost his temper, but what he said makes some sense. This matter is no small thing. Let's not judge him so easily. Why don't we investigate it more carefully?"
Gu Jiangli sat down in the corner, her red lips curling into a cold laugh.
The sneer wasn't loud, but it was enough to draw everyone's attention to her.
The city lord's wife already disliked her, and seeing her mocking expression only made her angrier: "What are you laughing at? Just say what you have to say!"
Gu Jiangli raised his eyes, looking coldly at the city lord's wife, and then said:
"Can't I laugh? I laugh at how amazing some people are at crying wolf."
"What do you mean? Stop beating around the bush!"
“Madam, is it difficult to investigate this matter? The Giant Serpent is no ordinary creature. At least, you can't find this kind of venomous snake in the City Lord's Mansion or other ordinary households. It lives in remote mountain forests, is solitary, and is not suitable for being kept as a pet. It is not sold in the market. The fact that this snake appeared in the City Lord's Mansion means that someone went up the mountain to catch it.”
Master Song's hands were already bandaged. After listening to the back-and-forth conversation among the group, he said in a deep voice:
“The First Madam is right. The Giant Serpent is not an ordinary venomous creature; it only likes to live in damp mountain forests. The fact that it appeared in the gift box sent by the Second Madam proves that someone from the City Lord’s Mansion went to the mountains to find this snake. The nearest mountain to the City Lord’s Mansion is a day’s journey round trip. In other words, if we investigate carefully, we can find out who from the City Lord’s Mansion has been away from the mansion for an extended period of time these past few days, and we will most likely be able to find out who found this snake.”
The city lord's wife suppressed her anger.
Since Master Song had spoken, she naturally had no choice but to agree, "Yes, Master Song is right, this method is indeed effective."
But when she turned her head, she saw Sun Chan kneeling on the ground, trembling, and Wuyou, who looked like she had swallowed a fly and could no longer muster any courage.
Gu Jiangli laughed again: "Now that Madam knows the solution, why do Sun Chan and Wuyou look so upset? They've been recounting their innocence, but why aren't they happy at all about this method that could clear their names? Could it be that they're feeling guilty?"
Wuyou roared, "You're talking nonsense! Who's feeling guilty?"
Gu Jiangli said calmly, "You and your mother. Especially your mother, she can barely lift her head, can't you see that?"
Wuyou turned to look at Sun Chan.
Sun Chan indeed shrank back and didn't utter a word.
Gu Jiangli's face remained sarcastic: "You were so adamant about your innocence just now, but now you can't say a word? That's right, the records of people leaving the manor are all with the steward. With just a quick look, we can find out whose servants have been out of the manor for more than half a day in the last two days. If we ask them more carefully, we can find out where these people went, who they met, and who can testify to their actions."
"With just a few simple steps, we can find out whose servant brought this snake. The wicked should indeed feel guilty."
"If you ask me, you might as well just admit it yourself, and save the city lord and his wife some trouble."
After Gu Jiangli finished speaking, Wuyou became even more resentful, her teeth grinding together as if she wanted to rush up and give Gu Jiangli a couple of punches.
Driven by rage, he clenched his fists and took two steps toward Gu Jiangli.
But before he could reach Gu Jiangli, a woman's remorseful voice came from behind him.
"Lord! Madam! It was my fault. I failed to stop the Second Madam and Young Master Wuyou's scheme. It was Young Master Wuyou who ordered me to go up the mountain to find the poisonous snake. As a servant, I had no choice but to obey!"
Wuyou stared wide-eyed, turning her head in utter shock.
Hongxiu knelt on the ground, crying and begging for forgiveness.
Sun Chan's eyes were also filled with disbelief. She grabbed Hongxiu's shoulder and yelled, "Hongxiu! What are you saying!"
She never expected that Hongxiu would reveal everything without asking any questions at this time.
Hongxiu kept her head down, completely unmoved by Sun Chan's shouts.
"Second Madam, please admit your mistake! It was you and Young Master Wuyou who were dissatisfied with Master Song's decision. You thought Master Song was blind, so you planned to make a fool of him today! I have tried to persuade you again and again, but you just won't listen to me."
"You even sent me up the mountain to find the most venomous snake, intending to kill Master Song directly!"
"It was because I couldn't bear to do such a rebellious thing that I chose the giant snake, which is poisonous but not fatal, to try and fool them."
"Second Madam, a simple investigation would easily lead back to me. Since things have come to this, what are you and Young Master Wuyou still doing? Just confess!"
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