Volume 1, Spring Lock in the Garden, Chapter 16: The Knife Forces the Locust Flower
Ruan Bi rushed to the toilet, her fingers pressing against her throat, feeling itchy and wanting to vomit. Suddenly, she remembered that she was under house arrest, had no freedom, and no powerful backers. This time, the drug was put in her food, and the locust flower was obvious. She was careful and only managed to avoid it. If the drug was put in her tea next time, wouldn't it be impossible to guard against?
I've been in this time and space for over three months now, having traveled from a thousand years ago. Initially, I was just running away and doing nothing. I only perked up a little after being placed under house arrest, but that was only to avoid being bullied by people like Tang Pozi and to regain my freedom as soon as possible. I've completely lost the decisiveness I had in the workplace. In the end, it's all my own problem. I'm unwilling to integrate into this world, so I'm just taking it one step at a time, seeking temporary peace.
The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Now, not only have they lost their freedom, but their lives are also in danger.
Thinking of this, Ruan Bi returned to her desk and sat down. After pondering for a moment, she pressed her fingers to her throat and vomited the food she had just eaten into a lacquered dish, covering it with a handkerchief. She had been starving for several days and had vomited until bile came out; she was very weak, but because of a strong will in her heart, she didn't collapse. She went to the wardrobe, found two shawls and a handkerchief, placed them on the bed, then took a porcelain pillow and went to the door, whispering, "Huaihua, come in."
"Miss, what do you need me for?" Huaihua asked as she walked in.
Before she could stand still, Ruan Bi stabbed her hard on the back of the head with the magnetic pillow. Huaihua cried out and collapsed to the ground.
Ruan Bi quickly went to the door and untied the rope. Then she took a shawl and tied the locust flower tightly, stuffed her mouth with a handkerchief, and then splashed her with cold water from the teapot.
Huaihua slowly woke up, still a little dazed at first. But when she realized her hands and feet were bound, she turned pale with fright and struggled desperately, making muffled noises. Ruan Bi picked up the paper cutter from the table, slowly walked over to her, and squatted down. She held the blade up to Huaihua's face. Huaihua trembled with fear, too scared to move, and just stared at Ruan Bi with wide, terrified eyes.
“Take a good look, this is the food you brought me tonight.” Ruan Bi lifted the handkerchief on the lacquered tray and pointed to the vomit.
Huaihua, who had initially held onto a sliver of hope, paled even further upon hearing her words, her eyes pleading for mercy.
"What do you think I should do with you?" Ruan Bi casually brandished the razor blade, making a cut on her face. Blood immediately seeped out, congealed into beads, and fell to the ground. "How about I cut the flesh off your face piece by piece?"
Huaihua trembled all over, tears streaming down her face, and she shook her head desperately.
"Is this alright?" Ruan Bi said, while stabbing her calf with a knife.
Huaihua was in so much pain that she was drenched in cold sweat and shook her head desperately.
Seeing that she was about to collapse if things continued like this, Ruan Bi drew her sword and said, "I can spare you, but you must tell me who ordered you."
Huaihua nodded vigorously. Although she was usually arrogant, it was because she felt that Ruan Bi was powerless and had no one to support her when she was bullied. Now that she had witnessed Ruan Bi's ruthlessness, she was terrified and only wished that Ruan Bi would release her as soon as possible. She would do anything, not only to reveal the mastermind, but also to reveal her parents.
"I'm taking out my handkerchief now, but if you dare to make a sound, I'll stab you once; if you make two sounds, I'll stab you twice. Do you understand?"
Huaihua nodded vigorously again, and Ruanbi then removed the cloth stuffed in her mouth. She begged in a trembling voice, "Miss... have mercy."
Ruan Bi twirled the blade and said, "Whether I spare you or not depends on how clearly and thoroughly you explain yourself."
Looking at the snow-white blade, Huaihua stammered, "Miss, it's not Huaihua's fault. It was that old hag who instructed me to put the poison in your food..."
Ruan Bi frowned and interrupted her: "Which old hag? What's her surname and given name? Which courtyard does she live in?"
Huaihua shook her head and said, "She said her surname was Sun, but I don't know which courtyard she's from."
What benefits did she promise you?
Huaihua hesitated for a moment, then shrank back and said in a voice that was as low as it could go, "She gave me ten taels of silver and said that after the job was done, I would be transferred to work in the Third Miss's courtyard."
"What kind of medicine did she give you?"
“She said this medicine won’t kill anyone, it will just make you sick for a while.” Seeing Ruan Bi’s sullen face, thinking that she didn’t believe her, Huaihua quickly said, “Miss, what Huaihua said is the truth, I dare not deceive you. You are the mistress, Huaihua would never dare to harm you, that would be sent to the government to be beheaded.”
Ruan Bi sneered and said, "So, what you're doing now isn't considered harm, but rather well-intentioned?"
Huaihua lowered her head, not daring to look at her, and kept saying, "Miss, Huaihua was wrong, please forgive me this time."
Ruan Bi thought for a moment, then pointed to the vomit in the lacquer tray and said, "Eat this, and I'll spare you."
Huaihua looked at her in disbelief and shook her head subconsciously.
Ruan Bi was too lazy to talk to her anymore. She grabbed her hair, forced her to lean back, and shoved the vomit into her mouth. Huaihua struggled desperately, but she was tied up and couldn't resist Ruan Bi. The vomit gradually slid into her stomach. She was both scared and nauseous, and slumped to the ground like a lump of mud.
Ruan Bi released her, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and said, "Your life now depends on the effectiveness of this medicine."
The locust blossoms lay prostrate on the ground, sobbing softly.
"Where did you put the medicine that Granny Sun gave you?"
"In...my...pocket."
Ruan Bi took out a small packet of brown powder from her purse, brought it to her nose and smelled it. The smell was slightly fishy. She thought to herself, no wonder she put it in the food. Putting it in the tea would be too obvious.
"Did Granny Sun tell you how long it takes for this medicine to take effect?"
Huaihua sobbed, "They said it would take at the fastest three days, and at the slowest five days."
Ruan Bi calculated the days and said, "Alright, go tell her tomorrow that I'm sick." As she spoke, she untied Huaihua, still holding the paper cutter in her hand. Huaihua was seventeen years old and had done manual labor since she was a child. She was strong and healthy, and if a fight broke out, she wouldn't be able to beat her in an empty-handed fight.
However, she was overthinking it. After all, Huaihua was just a seventeen-year-old girl, skilled at cursing and throwing tantrums. If she really encountered someone like Ruan Bi who would directly draw blood with a knife, she would be terrified. Now, with just one glance from Ruan Bi, her legs trembled, and she wouldn't dare to lay a hand on her.
"You can leave now. Call Tea Girl in."
Upon hearing this, Huaihua felt greatly relieved and quickly turned and ran away.
A moment later, Tea Girl timidly entered, keeping a distance from Ruan Bi, and asked hesitantly, "Did you call me for something, Miss?"
Ruan Bi took out two hundred coins from her purse and handed them to Cha Mei, saying, "Go to the kitchen and get me a plate of snacks. I threw up everything I ate earlier and I'm starving now."
Tea Girl responded, stepped forward to take the money, then hurriedly retreated, fleeing the house as if escaping. Judging from her appearance, she had most likely heard some commotion in the inner room. Ruan Bi hadn't intended to hide it from her and the old woman anyway; as the saying goes, reward the good and punish the evil, kindness and severity go hand in hand, and gentle words alone wouldn't be enough to subdue them.
Ruan Bi then called in the hot water bottle and asked her to sit down.
The old woman's face remained unchanged, but her legs trembled as she sat down, and she asked in an exceptionally respectful voice, "What do you need me for, young lady?"
"Do we have a Granny Sun in our household?"
Granny Tang thought for a moment and said, "There are two Granny Suns in the mansion. One is the dowry maid of the Second Madam, and the other is from the Old Madam's courtyard. I wonder which Granny Sun you are asking about?"
Ruan Bi recalled that Huaihua had mentioned the Third Miss earlier, and wondered if she was the Second Madam's dowry. But why would she want to harm her? "Grandma Tang, I have something to ask you. If you are willing to tell me, then tell me directly. If you don't want to tell me, then so be it."
The old woman said, "Please ask, young lady, this old woman dares not hide anything."
Ruan Bi asked, "Have you ever heard that I have a grudge against the Second Madam and the Third Miss?"
“No,” Granny Tang said without hesitation. “The girl used to be very gentle, kind to everyone, and never made enemies.”
Ruan Bi laughed and said, "Why does Mother-in-law need to say nice things? Don't I know my own personality? I wasn't gentle at all; I was just cowardly and afraid of trouble."
The old woman was a little embarrassed and said, "I'm not trying to be nice, but when the girl was young, she was willing to back down, which was a good thing. Now that she's grown up, she knows how to be tactful, which is even better."
"Grandma has such a silver tongue," Ruan Bi asked, fiddling with the paper cutter beside her. "So tell me, was my handling of the locust flowers a good thing or a bad thing?"
"That little slut Huaihua, you should have dealt with her long ago. She's a heartless wretch who even dared to harm her master. It's only because you're kind-hearted that you spared her life. In my opinion, you should have reported her to the Madam and sent her directly to the authorities." At this moment, Granny Tang only wanted to protect herself and quickly distance herself from the situation.
Ruan Bi gave a cool laugh and said, "Isn't this giving you a chance, Mother-in-law?"
Granny Tang felt a chill run down her spine. She had overheard a bit of what was going on outside and was thinking of telling the First Madam the next day. This way, she could both get rid of the locust flowers and curry favor with the First Madam—killing two birds with one stone. The First Madam and the Second Madam had previously fought over the position of head of the Ruan family and had a long-standing feud. They would surely be delighted to hear this news and would undoubtedly offer a reward.
After hesitating for a moment, Granny Tang said, "If the young lady hasn't given any instructions, how dare this old woman make a decision on her own?"
Ruan Bi glanced at her sideways and asked, "So, Grandma is going to do as I say?"
Tang Pozi understood what she meant and quickly replied, "This old woman is here to serve you, young lady, so of course I will listen to you."
"Alright, Granny Tang, you are the person I trust most in the east wing of Liaoyuan now. Rest assured, I will save the opportunity to receive the reward for you, but you must wait a few days so that I can see what effect the medicine has and who is behind it all."
The night was long and arduous, and the old woman was somewhat reluctant, but seeing the paper cutter that Ruan Bi was playing with in her hand, and recalling Ruan Bi's earlier methods, she felt a sense of apprehension and nodded, saying, "I will follow your orders, Miss."
Ruan Bi nodded and said, "Mother-in-law, ever since I was placed under house arrest, you have been the only one who has treated me the best. I will remember your kindness."
She rarely said such things, and when she did, she spoke with deep emotion. The old woman felt relieved, and her initial reluctance vanished.
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