After things stabilized, Lu Baichuan stopped taking charge of the Heavenly Prison and instead let Cheng Meng hand it over to others. In theory, it was just a matter of guarding the gate and not letting outsiders in, which was an easy job, since Dongting didn't dare to cause too much trouble at the moment.
But who knew that those people wouldn't target the Third Prince of Dongting, but instead turned their attention to Zhuo Jiayu.
He Jiuniang insisted on keeping Zhuo Jiayu inside, partly to teach Zhuo Jiayu a lesson and partly to expose the big fish behind the Zhuo family. However, she did not expect that the big fish behind the Zhuo family would be so patient and have not made a move for so long.
Now that Zhuo Jiayu has suddenly run into trouble, it remains to be seen who exactly was behind it.
However, He Jiuniang had some guesses in her heart, but she couldn't be sure yet.
She put down her embroidery and told Yao to do as she pleased before following Hui'er outside, asking as she went, "Do you know what's going on with Zhuo Jiayu now?"
"The messenger said that luckily it was discovered early, and they immediately fed him the antidote pills that the lady had left behind. He is still alive, but it was a highly poisonous substance, and his condition is not good."
Hui'er told him everything she knew, and He Jiuniang nodded and said, "In this situation, someone should inform Bai Chuan. Send someone to stop him. It's late at night, don't let him run back and forth. I can handle it."
Hui'er nodded and hurried off to do so, while He Jiuniang rode her horse alone to the prison.
"Sister-in-law, you've finally arrived! Quickly, see if there's any hope for her!"
The speaker was a young general named Liang Jun, who was replacing Lu Baichuan in guarding the prison. He addressed He Jiuniang as "sister-in-law."
While speaking, he personally took He Jiuniang to see Zhuo Jiayu. After discovering that she had been poisoned, Zhuo Jiayu was taken to a room alone. After being given an antidote, she did not die immediately, but fell into a coma.
"What exactly is going on?"
While examining Zhuo Jiayu, He Jiuniang began acupuncture to detoxify her, and at the same time, she did not forget to find out the details of the matter.
Liang Jun said with a guilty look, "Someone bribed the jailer who delivered the food, and the food given to Zhuo Jiayu and Xinran was poisoned. Zhuo Jiayu ate it first and showed signs of poisoning, but it was Xinran who discovered it. When we found the jailer, he had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment. However, I have sent people to investigate his family. I hope we can find some information. Alas, this was really my oversight. I never thought that my own people would betray me."
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and remembered that He Jiuniang had left some antidote pills in the prison in case something happened to the Third Prince. He quickly had someone bring them to Zhuo Jiayu and gave them to her, which saved her life.
If Zhuo Jiayu really dies in prison, then we're in real big trouble!
He Jiuniang seized upon the crucial information and asked, "Is only the food in their cell poisoned? Is the Third Prince alright?"
"Yes, I had someone check immediately, and there was nothing wrong with the Third Prince's food."
Liang Jun nodded, his face full of lingering fear. If the Third Prince had eaten him, and the person who was gone had become the Third Prince, then his responsibility would have been even greater!
He had indeed become somewhat complacent after things had been peaceful lately, thinking that everyone here was one of his own and that nothing would happen. Who would have thought that something like this would happen right under his nose? He was truly slapped in the face.
He Jiuniang nodded, which meant that the other party did not want the lives of the Third Prince of Dongting and Xinran, but simply wanted Zhuo Jiayu's life. It just so happened that Xinran was in the same cell as Zhuo Jiayu and thus received a poisoned meal.
He Jiuniang clicked her tongue in disbelief. How pitiful.
However, Xinran did make a contribution in this matter. I don't know what she was thinking. Logically speaking, if Zhuo Jiayu had really died, it would have been helpful to them, but she chose to call for help immediately and barely saved Zhuo Jiayu's life.
"Strengthen security. From now on, you must personally inspect all food before it is delivered. Also, make sure the guards who deliver the food are not carrying any drugs. You can't see into someone's heart; you never know when someone might bribe the person you trust most."
He Jiuniang wasn't too angry, but Liang Jun's dereliction of duty was a fact, and she still had to remind him. If something like this happened again in the future, he might not be so lucky.
"yes!"
Liang Jun agreed, and then personally led his men to investigate.
He Jiuniang sighed as she looked at Zhuo Jiayu, who was still unconscious on the bed. She was really unlucky; she had to come and save her rival's life in the middle of the night. If Zhuo Jiayu hadn't gotten into trouble in prison, she wouldn't have bothered with her.
But Zhuo Jiayu got into trouble in prison, and it was she who insisted on keeping him in jail. If something really happened, she would have to take the blame.
Or, let Lu Baichuan carry it.
In other words, these people were targeting the couple, hoping to make Lu Baichuan a controversial figure in the court, put pressure on the Crown Prince, and seize Lu Baichuan's power.
In this way, it's really hard to tell whether this was done by someone from the Eastern Court or by someone in the court who sees Lu Baichuan as a thorn in their side.
With the prison guard committing suicide, the trail is basically gone. If the other party dared to do this, they must have been well-prepared and wouldn't let them find anything out by looking at the prison guard's family.
But when Liang Jun said he would send someone to investigate, she did not stop him, after all, the proper procedures still had to be followed.
Zhuo Jiayu's condition was still quite serious. The other party really wanted to kill her, using the highly poisonous arsenic. If it hadn't been discovered early and the antidote hadn't been taken in time, she would probably have been hard by the time He Jiuniang arrived.
The toxins spread rapidly, eroding Zhuo Jiayu's internal organs. Even if the toxins are expelled, she will need to be nourished with medicine for a period of time. At that time, the Duke of Mu's mansion and the civil and military officials will definitely seize on this point.
Anyway, He Jiuniang is in trouble now.
But she wasn't worried at all. She was confident she could cure him, and Zhuo Jiayu's murder meant that the people behind it were panicking. She believed that it wouldn't be long before another big fish would take the bait.
Furthermore, Zhuo Jiayu is not innocent at all. Through this incident, this young lady should see things more clearly, otherwise she will really think she is living in a golden palace.
"Sister-in-law, such a big thing has happened, should we go to the Duke of Mu's mansion to tell them?"
The junior jailer couldn't help but ask, "Zhuo Jiayu's crime doesn't warrant death. Now that she's in this state, isn't it necessary to let her family know?"
Maybe I can see him one last time...
He Jiuniang nodded casually: "Okay, then go and tell them, but they are not allowed to visit. Tell them to behave if they want their daughter to live. Tell them that Zhuo Jiayu is not in any danger."
"Huh? If we don't allow visits, won't this matter get even more serious?"
The jailers were somewhat frightened, feeling that the consequences were beyond their ability to bear.
At the same time, he was also puzzled, not understanding why He Jiuniang always insisted on opposing the Duke of Mu's mansion. If it weren't for that, this incident wouldn't have happened.
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