Chapter 16 Poisoning
"You flatter me, sir," Ye Wanning said. "I am far inferior to you."
"Oh? Is that so?" Pei Zhi said, "Then how about we go all out?"
"What do you want to bet, sir?" Ye Wanning asked.
"Let's bet on this." Pei Zhi took out a beautiful jade pendant from his pocket and placed it on the table. "This is a family heirloom jade pendant, priceless. If you win, it's yours."
Ye Wanning picked up the beautiful jade, which had the character "Pei" engraved on it. It was indeed a fine piece.
"What if I lose?" Ye Wanning asked.
“If you lose, tell me your name and which family you belong to,” Pei Zhi said.
Ye Wanning found it amusing; this person was indeed trying to investigate her background.
“Okay,” Ye Wanning said, “I’ll bet with you.”
She took a small jade pendant from her bosom and placed it on the table: "This is my bet."
The jade pendant was left to her by her mother. Although it was not large, the jade was of excellent quality, and its value was naturally not low.
Pei Zhi looked at the jade pendant, a slight surprise in his heart, but he smiled and said, "Good."
The two began dealing the cards. The stakes were extremely high, and everyone around them held their breath, watching them with intense tension.
Ye Wanning's hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from excitement. She hadn't encountered such an evenly matched opponent in a long time.
In the end, Ye Wanning had a straight flush, while Pei Zhi had a bomb. Ye Wanning lost.
"It seems I've won," Pei Zhi said with a smile.
Ye Wanning sighed, "It is indeed the gentleman's superior skill."
Pei Zhidao said, "A bet's a bet. Now, can you tell me your name and family background?"
Pei Zhi looked at her, and Ye Wanning smiled, "My name is Ning Ye. As for my family background, I have nothing to say."
Pei Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "You're cheating."
“I didn’t renege on my promise,” Ye Wanning said. “I only told you my name, not my family background.”
Pei Zhi looked at her, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes: "You little rascal, you're quite clever."
"You flatter me, sir," Ye Wanning said. "Since I've lost, I won't disturb your game any longer. Farewell."
As she spoke, she began to stand up.
"Wait," Pei Zhi called out to her, handing her the jade pendant. "This is for you."
Ye Wanning was taken aback: "Sir, what is this...?"
"Consider it making friends," Pei Zhi said. "My name is Pei Zhi. We can have tea together sometime."
Ye Wanning looked at him and understood that he was telling her that he had guessed her identity.
"Thank you, sir." Ye Wanning accepted the jade pendant. "I will definitely return it when I have the opportunity."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left.
Watching her retreating figure, Pei Zhi's lips curled into a smile. This Ye Wanning is truly interesting.
Back at the Marquis's residence, Ye Wanning put the jade pendant in a drawer, her mind preoccupied with Pei Zhi's intentions. Why did he help her? And why did he befriend her? Did he also want to use her?
Ye Wanning couldn't understand it, but she knew that Pei Zhi was definitely not a simple person. She had to be careful when dealing with him in the future.
When Minister Ye heard that Ye Wanning was ill, he was extremely anxious and immediately sent someone to fetch a doctor.
The doctor arrived quickly, took Ye Wanning's pulse, and frowned.
"Doctor, how is my daughter?" Minister Ye asked anxiously.
"Reporting to Master, the Second Miss has been poisoned," the doctor said.
"Poisoned?" Minister Ye and Chun Tao were both dumbfounded. "How could they be poisoned?"
"This poison causes chronic poisoning. Small doses won't cause immediate symptoms, but long-term use will damage the heart and eventually lead to death," the doctor said. "Judging from the young lady's condition, she has likely been taking it for some time."
Minister Ye trembled with rage: "Who dared to poison my daughter?"
"Father, don't be angry," Ye Wanning said weakly. "Maybe it was just an accident."
"An accident? What a coincidence!" Minister Ye said. "Imperial Physician, can you identify what kind of poison it is?"
“Yes,” the doctor said. “This poison is called ‘Muscle-Softening Powder,’ and it’s usually taken by mixing it with food or water.”
Minister Ye immediately gave the order: "Someone! Summon the old woman from Hongye Pavilion who is in charge of delivering meals! And summon all the servants in the manor who are responsible for purchasing!"
The servants quickly brought those people over. The woman responsible for delivering meals to Hongye Ting was an old woman named Wang Ma. When she saw Minister Ye's angry appearance, she trembled with fear.
"Wang Ma," Minister Ye asked coldly, "did you add anything to the food you sent to the Second Miss?"
"No...no," Wang Ma stammered.
"How dare you argue like this!" Minister Ye said. "The imperial physician has already determined that the Second Miss was poisoned by 'Muscle-Softening Powder,' which is usually added to food!"
Wang Ma was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a thud: "Master, spare me! I didn't!"
"Who else could it be but you?" Minister Ye said. "Besides you, who else could bring food to the Second Miss?"
“I…I…I…I don’t know…” Wang Ma said.
Chuntao suddenly said, "Master, I know!"
"Who is it?" Minister Ye asked.
"It was Aunt Liu!" Chun Tao said. "A few days ago, I saw Aunt Liu secretly give Aunt Wang a small paper packet. She said something, but I didn't pay attention at the time. Now it seems she must have poisoned it!"
Aunt Liu was Zhou's maidservant, and she usually cooked in the kitchen.
Minister Ye's face darkened further: "You, get over here!"
Soon, Liu Ma was brought in. When she saw Wang Ma kneeling on the ground, her heart skipped a beat, but she still tried to remain calm on the surface.
"Master, what brings you here?" asked Aunt Liu.
"Liu Ma, did you give Wang Ma anything?" Minister Ye asked.
"No...no," said Aunt Liu.
"You still dare to say you didn't?" Chun Tao said. "I saw it! You gave Wang Ma a small paper packet!"
“I…I just gave her some snacks,” said Aunt Liu.
"Snacks?" Minister Ye asked. "What kind of snacks do you need to secretly give out? Search everything in your room!"
The servants quickly searched Liu Ma's room and found a packet of white powder. The imperial physician smelled it: "My lord, this is 'Muscle Softening Powder'."
Minister Ye kicked the table in anger: "Liu Ma! How dare you! You actually poisoned the Second Miss! Who ordered you to do it?!"
Liu Ma was startled and quickly looked towards Zhou Shi's courtyard, hesitating to speak.
"What? You're afraid to speak?" Minister Ye said. "If you speak, I might spare your life. If you don't, I'll kill you right now!"
Ye Wanning knew that further hesitation was useless. She had witnessed firsthand how ruthless Zhou was, so she simply said, "It was...it was Madam! Madam told me to do this! She said the Second Miss was too much of an eyesore and asked me to find a way to get rid of her!"
"Zhou!" Minister Ye roared, his body trembling with rage. "I never imagined she could be so vicious!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com