Zhao's expression turned serious as she began to examine the furnishings of the room.
Seeing through her plan, Li Shiyue said, "I live in Chengyu Pavilion. Madam can go there herself. If there is anything inappropriate, please feel free to speak up."
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao raised an eyebrow and looked at Chunling: "Come with me. You know which of these things your daughter has been exposed to, right?"
Chunling looked at Li Shiyue, received her consent, and nodded to Zhao Shi: "Okay."
Li Shiyue's lips trembled slightly, and her face turned deathly pale in an instant, her beautiful face evoking pity.
"Don't be afraid, there will definitely be a result."
Xu Yunci's voice was deep, and his warm, gentle hand landed on her shoulder, gradually calming her uneasy mind.
A moment later, Zhao came out of the inner room carrying an incense burner, with the remaining half of the incense stick inside held in her hand.
"May I ask you, young lady, where do these spices come from?"
Li Shiyue remained silent, staring at Zhao Shi: "Are you sure there's something wrong with these spices?"
Zhao nodded, glancing at Xu Yunci as he placed the spice in his palm: "The ingredients in this incense are very precious; I suspect it's not an ordinary item. However, an additional fragrance has been added—oleander."
“Oleander? Isn’t that something you can see everywhere?” Lian Dong asked, somewhat puzzled. If she remembered correctly, there was a small oleander grove in the Duke’s mansion’s garden.
"It is common, but the stems, leaves and petals of oleander are poisonous. It has a faint smell, but if you smell it for a long time, it will make you drowsy."
Zhao's expression became more cautious, even more serious than before: "I was too naive. Oleander alone is not enough to make the young lady so sleepy."
She took out the incense burner as well, and used a handkerchief to lift the bronze burner.
Chunling was puzzled and leaned closer to look carefully: "Why is the inside of this bronze furnace so dirty? I remember it was just taken from the storeroom."
Li Shiyue looked up at Xu Yunci, and the two walked over. After examining the bronze censer in Zhao's hand, they found it to be just as Chunling had said.
The bronze incense burner has a rich, lustrous exterior, indicating that it has only been used recently. However, after the inner walls of the incense burner were emptied of incense ash, the contrast between the ash-covered inner walls and the dark, unpainted upper surface was striking.
Seeing Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue looking over, Zhao shook her head: "I don't know what this is. I only saw it in a medical book. There is a special herb in the deep mountains and forests. It looks no different from wild grass, but its branches and leaves are full of slow-acting poison."
"If the substance containing that herb comes into contact with the skin, or is accidentally ingested or inhaled, the user will gradually fall into a coma within six months... However, that herb has a very obvious characteristic: it will turn any object it comes into contact with black."
Zhao paused after that, and even if she didn't say it aloud, everyone else could guess what she meant.
"How long have you been sleeping like this, young lady?"
Chunling hurriedly said, "Since the beginning of the month, Miss has often complained of being sleepy. At that time, the old lady even teased Miss that she had been neglecting her rest because she was embroidering the wedding dress."
"Is there any way to resolve this?" Xu Yunci's voice was cold, his eyes filled with suppressed anger.
Madam Zhao nodded: "It will take a few days to prepare the medicine. This is the first time I've ever seen this before."
"Alright, you can stay here for the next few days. Just let me know if you need anything." Xu Yunci called out to the door, and Chang Shun hurriedly ran in.
"Clean up the courtyard behind Chengyu Pavilion, and buy whatever is needed."
Xu Yunci looked at Zhao Shi, who curtsied and then followed Chang Shun and Lian Dong out with the things in her hands.
Chunling, who remained inside the house, looked at Li Shiyue, but Li Shiyue's gaze was fixed on the ground. She could only glance at Xu Yunci before retreating to stand guard under the eaves.
Li Shiyue hadn't said a word until suddenly she seemed to remember something and grabbed Xu Yunci's hand: "Grandmother also used that incense, she used it about ten days before me!"
Yes, lately when she went to Shousong Hall, she always heard Granny Chang say that Old Madam Xu was still asleep. At that time, she even said to Madam Yang that it was rare for Old Madam Xu to sleep better.
"This incense was sent from the Pixiang Palace; it's the same kind of incense my cousin often sends out of the palace."
After Li Shiyue finished speaking, her legs went weak. If Xu Yunci hadn't been quick to reach out, she would have fallen to the ground.
"Don't be afraid, let's go to Grandma's now and let Zhao Shi take a look at her too."
Xu Yunci was also uneasy. It was the Pixiang Palace again. Could it be a coincidence?
“Okay.” Li Shiyue looked up, hurriedly put on her cloak, and headed straight for Shousong Hall with Xu Yunci.
Granny Chang came out from inside and saw Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue coming together. She was puzzled: "At this hour—oh dear, what's wrong with Miss?"
As night fell, only the faint light from under the eaves illuminated the scene. When Li Shiyue approached, Granny Chang noticed that Li Shiyue's face was pale and she rushed over to grab her sleeve in terror.
"Where is Grandmother? Is Grandmother here, Granny?"
Granny Chang glanced at Xu Yunci with suspicion. Although Xu Yunci appeared calmer, the anxiety in her eyes was no less than that of Li Shiyue.
With a sense of caution, Granny Chang's expression also became more serious: "The old lady is here, what's going on?"
As she spoke, she led the two inside. Li Shiyue disregarded her usual manners and walked quickly, leaving only her back to Granny Chang.
As Granny Chang was wondering, Xu Yunci quickly walked in. Watching their hurried figures, she murmured, "What are they doing?"
Suddenly his expression changed, and he slapped himself with both hands: "Oh no, could it be that the two of them are arguing?"
Before she could even enter the house, she saw two more figures at the gate. Upon closer inspection, Chang Shun looked very familiar, but there was another figure she had never seen before.
"Grandma, have the young master and Miss Cousin gone inside?"
Granny Chang nodded: "You just went in, why are you in such a hurry? And who is this gentleman?"
Chang Shun pulled Chang Mama aside and said, "Grandma, I'll explain to you later. If it's too late, it might be too late."
As he spoke, Chang Shun hurriedly led Zhao Shi forward: "Please trouble you, Grandma, to lead this person inside. This is someone invited by the young master."
Although Chang Shun was a bit carefree, he was very clear about what he should and shouldn't do. Granny Chang understood this, and although she didn't understand, she still led Zhao Shi inside.
Inside the house, Old Madam Xu, wearing an outer coat, leaned against the warm couch. When she saw someone else come in, including a stranger, she felt a little curious.
She looked tired, glanced at him, and then looked away: "What's wrong? You came all this way so late at night, and your eyes are red. Did Erlang bully you?"
Li Shiyue glanced at Xu Yunci and grasped Old Madam Xu's hand: "My cousin has found a new doctor who is very good at treating illnesses. I was thinking, why don't we treat you as well? Is that alright?"
Her smile was somewhat forced. Old Madam Xu glanced at Xu Yunci but didn't say anything: "Alright, let's see then. In the end, we'll both be eating that bitter medicine together."
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