Jiang Zhenlin had a strong grip, which made Lin Qingwan dizzy. She struggled a couple of times, but Jiang Zhenlin grabbed her by the neck instead.
With her slender neck so thin it could be grasped in one hand, and her thumb pressing against her Adam's apple, Lin Qingwan struggled to breathe, her cheeks instantly turning red from the lack of blood flow.
The two locked eyes; one was burning with reason, the other deep and calm.
Jiang Yanwan stared intently at Jiang Zhenlin's fingers, her breath catching in her throat, hoping he would squeeze harder, ideally crushing Lin Qingwan's throat.
With her dead, all of today's troubles can be put to rest.
Lin Qingwan's clear eyes filled with terror, "Jiang Zhenlin."
"You...you want to kill me?"
This was the first time she had called Jiang Zhenlin by his name. Ever since he kicked her on the first day she returned to the mansion, she had only spoken of Young Master Jiang, not her younger brother.
A hoarse, almost broken voice struck Jiang Zhenlin's heart like a muffled drumbeat, and his frenzied gaze momentarily calmed. He saw Lin Qingwan's beautiful features slowly turn red and purple under his touch, her pupils seemingly about to dilate from suffocation.
In that instant, the thought of the bamboo dragonfly Gao Peng had given him that evening struck him like a hammer blow to his heart. He gasped for breath, loosening his grip on Lin Qingwan's neck slightly.
Lin Qingwan was like a fish out of water, gulping down air.
Jiang Zhenlin blinked and noticed that her hands, which were gripping his, were as cold as snow, and her pale lips had turned purple.
He disliked Lin Qingwan, but he never really thought about killing her.
Just then, Jiang Su's footsteps came from behind the screen. Jiang Yanwan immediately rushed over, "Alin, let go! No matter what, Qingwan is your sister. You'll strangle her if you keep doing this."
Jiang Zhenlin had already released most of his strength when Jiang Yanwan suddenly hugged him, leaving him somewhat bewildered.
Jiang Su looked haggard, his gaze icy cold. He smelled the alcohol on Jiang Zhenlin and said, "Drag the young master outside to sober up. Don't disturb the madam here."
Jiang Zhenlin forgot to struggle and only asked anxiously, "Father, when will Mother wake up?"
Jiang Su ignored him. As he was being carried out by the servants, he pointed at Lin Qingwan and said, "She has ulterior motives and poisoned Mother. We can't let her get away with this!"
Lin Qingwan clutched her neck, still reeling from the darkness of being shrouded in death, when she was once again locked onto by Jiang Su's gaze, which was as vast as a thousand troops.
The next second, the medicated oil rolled to her feet, and Jiang Su's eyes flashed coldly, "Is it your medicated oil?"
Lin Qingwan's eyes were pure black as she took a deep breath. "It was bestowed upon me by Prince Jing."
Jiang Yanwan's breath hitched, her heartstrings nearly snapping. "Qingwan, last time you said you didn't keep the ointment the prince gave you."
Lin Qingwan stated frankly, "Later, my father returned the gifts that the prince had given me the first time to Ningsi Courtyard."
Jiang Yanwan pursed her lips, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.
She only asked Granny Lai to change the dressing, intending to cause Lin Qingwan's skin to fester. Little did she know that she would give it to her mother!
What's even more terrifying is that she only changed the ointment; Granny Lai didn't know which medicated oil it was! Logically speaking, the toxicity of the medicated oil had nothing to do with her, but she understood the look in the physician's eyes just now—the poison in the medicated oil was the kind she had asked to have prepared.
Jiang Yanwan didn't have time to figure out what had happened, and what was more important right now was to establish Lin Qingwan's guilt.
She said in a deep voice, "Qingwan, be careful what you say! How could something bestowed by the Prince be poisonous?"
"Moreover, Qiu Hong and Rong Ma both said that you used it yourself. The medicine was in Father's study before, and you used the medicine that you brought back yourself."
“I know you don’t want to kill your mother, but it has already happened. Running away won’t solve the problem. Just tell the truth.”
"Father will certainly handle this impartially."
Jiang Yanwan, maintaining her airs of a young lady, patiently coaxed her, then in just a few words accused her of framing the prince.
Lin Qingwan pursed her lips, looking as if she was really making a decision.
Jiang Yanwan took two steps closer. "The things brought back from outside are not as meticulous as those in the Prime Minister's residence. Perhaps there are one or two medicines that are not suitable for Mother. If you tell me, the physician in the residence can also find the right medicine to treat the poison."
"My mother's safety is the most important thing right now."
Lin Qingwan slightly raised her eyelids. "My stuff isn't poisonous."
Jiang Yanwan seemed very disappointed.
Seeing this, Jiang Su's expression turned gloomy, and a dangerous storm was brewing in his deep, dark eyes. However, he was still able to hold back and did not say a harsh word to Lin Qingwan, nor did he assume that she was the one who did it, like Jiang Yanwan and Jiang Zhenlin did.
For Lin Qingwan, this was already a rare opportunity.
Jiang Yanwan steeled herself and said impatiently, "My mother is a bit strict with you, but she really means well."
“I know you are unhappy that your mother chose Hu Erlang as your husband without ever asking you.”
"But there's still room for negotiation, why are you..."
Everyone in the manor had heard about this, and now that Jiang Yanwan had brought it up, Lin Qingwan's motives were even stronger.
Lin Qingwan patiently waited for her to finish speaking. The hesitation in her expression vanished, and she said calmly, "Father has already promised that I will discuss this matter with Mother again."
“Even if my father doesn’t agree, I don’t need to risk poisoning my mother for such a small matter.”
Jiang Yanwan was unaware that Jiang Su had made a promise to Lin Qingwan, and was speechless for a moment.
Jiang Su stared intently at Lin Qingwan, his expression grim and scrutinizing. "Then how do you explain that the medicinal oil you used was poisonous?"
Lin Qingwan picked up the medicinal oil and smelled it. "Qiu Hong used it on me a few days ago and didn't find any poison."
Qiu Hong testified, "Miss Qingwan used to use medicated oil, which was brought over by Mu Xue. When she went to the kitchen to get food, I would rub the oil on her, and that's how I smelled the medicated oil."
She turned back and let Qiu Hong smell it, then said, "I've wanted to give this to my mother for a long time, but I wasn't sure if it was the right medicine for her, so when the doctor prescribed medicine for me a while ago, I specifically asked about it."
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