Chapter 26: Drugs
Cui Fufeng had come over from the backyard and asked, "Have you found anything, County Master?"
Qian Deng turned around and gestured to Meng Lanxi: "I thought there were broken medicine jars at the scene, so I asked Mr. Meng to come over and check what medicine it was."
When Shangluo heard the word "medicine", his hands trembled and all the paper money in his hand fell out.
Qiandeng glanced at him and couldn't help but remember that he had a strange expression when the fire broke out last night.
She lifted her skirt and walked into the fire scene. When she dismissed the others, she gestured for Shangluo to stay first: "Shangluo, wait a moment."
Shangluo stopped in fear and stood among the ruins, not daring to move.
In the raging fire, the medicinal residue had long since turned into ashes. Although the collapsed and charred beams and pillars had been carried away, the ground was still in a mess, with the medicinal residue mixed with various ashes, making it quite messy.
Meng Lanxi, dressed in clean white, searched the rubble for medicinal residue. There were two medicine jars at the scene, and he first checked the wrapped one, then looked up at Shangluo.
Shangluo shrank his body, his face turned pale with fear and panic, and he didn't dare to look up and look at him.
Cui Fufeng knew they had a problem immediately and asked in a deep voice, "Where did this medicine come from? Does Lord Meng know the details?"
Meng Lanxi pushed aside the clumped medicinal residue and said, "Although I haven't handled this medicine, looking at all the herbs inside, it's exactly the same as the prescription I wrote the other day."
"What is the prescription and what disease does it treat?"
Meng Lanxi didn't answer, but turned to Shangluo and asked, "What do you think?"
Everyone's eyes immediately focused on Shangluo.
He was panicked and took a step back. He looked at the medicine residue that had been burned to charcoal ash and then at Qiandeng. His eyes reddened and he couldn't help but burst into tears again. "It's...it's the prescription that Brother Lanxi wrote for me the day before yesterday. I went to get the medicine and gave it to Brother Jingning..."
Ling Tianshui was impatient with his hesitation and said directly, "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything that happened yesterday in detail. Don't hide or omit anything!"
Shang Luo was so frightened and anxious after being yelled at, that he blurted out everything like a bamboo tube pouring out beans: "It was, it was the day when Yang Huaijiang was selected as a candidate for the County Lady's husband. I learned from Sister Liuli that Yang Huaijiang bullied the County Lady and the maids in the mansion, and even... he even lingered in brothels and taverns. He was a complete villain!"
Qiandeng and the other two were naturally aware of these things. Although Meng Lanxi didn't know, which of the young men in the backyard had a good impression of Yang Huaijiang?
"I was very angry and sad at the time... The County Master's sister was so kind, but that bastard Yang Huaijiang showed off his power as soon as he entered the mansion and said he wanted to kick us all out! I didn't want to go home. I, I really wanted to stay by the County Master's side..."
Seeing him sobbing and confessing, Cui Fufeng looked at Meng Lanxi and asked slowly, "Then you went to Meng Lanxi and wanted to harm Yang Huaijiang?"
Shang Luo wiped his tears and said, "I hate Yang Huaijiang, but he is a relative of the county lady, and his mother is her aunt. Maybe the county lady will really choose Yang Huaijiang because of their kinship? I... I just think, wasn't his face bruised by the county lady's beating? But the county lady was in a hurry to choose a son-in-law because her lady's funeral was about to begin. Even if he had a good chance of winning, the county lady would not leave so many young men in the backyard and let a man with a bruised face lead the funeral for her lady, right?"
Cui Fufeng understood: "So, these medicinal residues are medicine that is not good for wounds?"
Meng Lanxi nodded and said, "Shangluo came to see me that day and said exactly the same thing."
"Brother Lanxi, I know you're knowledgeable about pharmacology. I have a friend who... he was recently injured, but the scar isn't deep or large. It should scab over in a few days. I wanted to ask him if there's anything that could cause the wound to fester."
Meng Lanxi, who was feeding the rabbit, was a little surprised when Shangluo asked this strange question: "Something that festered the wound?"
"Yes, that's right... I mean, if my friend had scars all over his body, it would be so ugly, especially the kind that wouldn't heal for a year or two, and his skin would be rotten. No girl would want to marry him, right?"
Meng Lanxi pondered for a moment and smiled faintly: "That's true. So, Shangluo, what do you mean?"
Shangluo felt guilty and stammered, "That's right, I'd like to ask Brother Lanxi for a prescription. Write down the things my friend shouldn't touch that will cause scars to fester. I want him to be careful and pay attention, so he doesn't get disfigured in the future and no one will like him!"
"Oh... Since I'm your friend, I must do my best." Meng Lanxi leisurely fed the rabbit, washed her hands, took the pen and ink on the table, thought for a moment, picked up the pen and wrote a list and handed it to him.
"The medicines listed in this prescription will have no effect on ordinary people if taken or touched. However, if your friend is injured, please be very careful. Otherwise, the wound will swell and fester in ten days to half a month, or even a year to two months, and he will be unable to show his face to others."
After saying that, he waved and sent Shangluo out the door, his face still with a calm and clear smile: "I hope your friend will be careful everywhere and never touch these drugs."
"Now it seems that all the medicines in this medicine bag have been verified one by one with the prescription I wrote that day. All the medicines match." Meng Lanxi told Qiandeng in detail what happened that day, and then said, "I hope the county lady will forgive me. Although this medicine may be harmful to the wound, it will not harm the body."
He was a smart man, so how could he not know what tricks Shangluo was trying to play.
Qiandeng also knew that he was happy to pretend to know nothing and cooperate with Shangluo to put on a small show to cause some trouble for Yang Huaijiang, the annoying newcomer.
But now that the palace has caught fire and people have died, these little private schemes and calculations have become insignificant. Qian Deng pursed his lips slightly and said nothing.
Cui Fufeng then asked Shangluo, "Then, you took the prescription and prepared the medicine, and gave it to Shi Jingning?"
Shangluo stammered, "It's... because of him that I had the chance to enter the kitchen. I, I didn't have the chance to drug anyone else..."
The medicine was prepared, but when Shangluo held the medicine package, he felt like he was holding a hot potato.
After wandering around the kitchen stealthily for a while, he really couldn't find an opportunity to take action. He couldn't mix the medicine into the soup, and he had no idea which food would be delivered to Gu Tengzhai.
Seeing that the work in the kitchen was done and the cooks locked the door and went to rest, Shangluo was helpless and gritted his teeth and stomped his feet and went straight to Liuhua Mountain House.
"Brother Jingning! Are you there?"
Shi Jingning's younger siblings often wrote with Shangluo. When they saw him coming, they came up to him and called Shangluo "brother", and the place suddenly became lively with chatter.
"Stop making trouble, stop making trouble. I have something to do with your brother. Go out and play first!"
Shangluo took out a few candies and sent them away. Seeing Shi Jingning in the inner room, carving something with a carving knife, he rushed over, climbed onto his shoulders, and smiled flatteringly: "Brother Jingning, I want to discuss something with you..."
Shi Jingning was not paying attention and his hand trembled, causing the tip of the carving knife to scratch a scar on his left index finger, and blood immediately oozed out.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Brother Jingning, are you okay?"
"It's okay, it's just a minor wound." Shi Jingning put down the carving knife and pressed his bleeding finger.
The small jade piece in his hand was already half-formed, revealing the round and cute outline of the rabbit, which was full of naivety. However, the blood beads oozing from his fingertips stained the bright white rabbit, which was a shocking sight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com