Lu Baichuan could tell from his appearance that he was quite frightened. As a scholar, it was understandable that he would panic in such a situation.
He then asked in a more relaxed tone, "Mr. Kang, have you offended anyone before?"
After thinking carefully, Kang Xiucai said, "In previous years, I taught in the county town and had the most contact with the children's parents. Later, I came to the prefectural city to prepare for the exam. Apart from the few people I lived with in the courtyard, I didn't get to know anyone else. I really don't know who I offended."
During the time that Kang Xiucai was studying in the prefectural city, he basically had no contact with others. Because the exam time was tight, he spent his days either studying at the academy or returning to this small courtyard to study, and he had no time to socialize.
As for the other people living in the courtyard, they were all studying hard and would greet each other politely when they met. They were all easy to get along with and had no enemies with anyone.
That's strange. Who could hate Scholar Kang so much that they would poison him and all the people who came to offer their congratulations?
"Sir, there is no need to worry. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
Seeing that he couldn't get any useful information, Lu Baichuan decided to go look elsewhere.
Mr. Kang nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Third Master Lu. How is Yu'er? Is he feeling better?"
"He'll be fine with his mother, don't worry."
"I'm so sorry, I really didn't expect this to happen."
Kang Xiucai felt very guilty and couldn't even lift his head in front of Lu Baichuan.
"This is not your fault, sir. You need not blame yourself."
Lu Baichuan wasn't the kind of person who was unreasonable. Although he did feel sorry for his son, he couldn't blame Kang Xiucai for this. Firstly, someone had deliberately framed him, and secondly, it was his own son's craving that caused the problem. It had nothing to do with Kang Xiucai. If they were to blame Kang Xiucai for this, then it would be their fault.
Kang Xiucai forced a smile, but the look of guilt on his face wouldn't go away.
However, now is not the time to be sad and blame himself. There are still many people who came to offer their congratulations and have suffered an undeserved misfortune. He still needs to entertain them and take people to find He Jiuniang to see if she can be completely cured of the poison.
These people all had their accidents with him, and he should bear all the costs.
There was a reward for passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar, and he was currently quite well-off, so he didn't lack money to see a doctor.
Lu Baichuan continued investigating the case in the backyard when one of his men came over and brought him a small bottle, saying, "This bottle was found in the corner; it should have contained the poison powder."
His men were very careful, wearing gloves before touching the bottle. Lu Baichuan didn't take it, but simply said, "Put it away and send it to Yuyuan Hall later. Also, have you seen any suspicious people outside?"
"No, they probably drugged it and ran away. We're too late."
Lu Baichuan replied, "Not necessarily. We should keep a close eye on it. What's the point of poisoning someone if we don't see the effects with our own eyes?"
His meaning was clear: he suspected the poisoner was in this alley.
"yes."
As soon as his subordinate left, Lei Zi brought Jie Zi over. Jie Zi said, "Third Uncle, I have someone I suspect!"
Lu Baichuan did not ignore their opinions just because they were children, and said, "Tell me about it."
Jiezi and Leizi exchanged a glance and said, "It's like this. When Mr. Kang was falsely accused of cheating, many people came to mock him and watch the show. Among them was a scholar named Shi Ding, who was very arrogant and led the way in saying a lot of nasty things. That day, we happened to be visiting Mr. Kang, and when Gou'er saw this, he asked Sister Lingqin to teach that person a lesson. That person was unwilling to accept it, and when he left, his expression was quite frightening."
Lu Baichuan listened, thought carefully, and said, "But that doesn't necessarily mean he's the one who poisoned me."
Lei Zi said, "But when everyone felt unwell after drinking the tea, I saw him standing in the crowd, laughing smugly. At first, I thought he was gloating, but now I think he was probably happy that he had succeeded."
Where does he live?
"It's right in the yard next door!"
Lu Baichuan nodded and said, "Understood. You all go and help the master appease the guests. I'll go check on things."
The two children nodded and walked back. Luckily, they had eaten a full meal before leaving home that morning and hadn't tried the snacks here, otherwise they would definitely have been poisoned.
It's just a poor dog; it only had this one time when it was greedy and ended up getting poisoned.
They all sighed. If their husbands hadn't needed help, they would have gone to the clinic to stay with their younger brother.
Lu Baichuan asked around about Shi Ding and then secretly followed him to observe him.
Shi Ding's gloating was indeed too obvious. While Kang Xiucai was gloomy, he was laughing heartily in the courtyard next door. He didn't even need to ask; Lu Baichuan recognized him as soon as he arrived.
Shi Ding was talking to his servant at this moment: "That sickly fellow deserves it! Hahaha, even Heaven can't stand it! Since he's sickly, he should just stay in the county town and teach. Why did he have to compete with us for these few spots? He was clearly found guilty of cheating, yet he still made the list. It's infuriating!"
The servant beside him laughed and said, "Yes, this is what they mean by 'Heaven sees all'! That scholar Kang usually seems upright and doesn't make enemies, but in reality, he's done countless dirty things behind the scenes to cover up his cheating. Now look what's happened, he actually poisoned the people who came to congratulate him! Hahaha, he's really offended everyone!"
"Then the Fire Cloud Division is still investigating who poisoned him, but isn't it Kang Xiucai himself who poisoned him? What's the point of investigating? In my opinion, it would be best to just drag Kang Xiucai into prison for ten or eight years!"
"Who can argue with that? It's just that Kang Xiucai seems to have a close relationship with the family of the commander-in-chief of the Fire Cloud Division. They have powerful backers, so how could they possibly be arrested?"
...
Several other scholars also came over to join in the fun, each one a sour grapes, loudly mocking Kang Xiucai in the neighboring courtyard, as if they were afraid Kang Xiucai wouldn't hear them.
Lu Baichuan frowned. Judging from this, Shi Ding didn't seem to be the one who poisoned him.
Instead of making a decision immediately, he sneaked into Shi Dingzhu's room and searched it, but found no useful evidence.
He then left the courtyard, intending to go back to Kang Xiucai's courtyard to look for clues.
As soon as I entered, I saw the scholar who lived in the same courtyard as Kang Xiucai trying to leave, and he was negotiating with the people from the Huoyun Division.
"My lords, a friend of mine has also passed the imperial examination, and I wish to go and congratulate him. I would be grateful if you could do me this favor."
The scholar was very polite, holding a folding fan in his hand, and looked dignified and refined.
Lu Baichuan noticed some white marks on his slanted surface. Although it had been wiped clean, the marks were still visible.
Furthermore, there was some dried mud on the soles of the shoes. It wasn't much, but it still aroused suspicion.
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