Han Zhongyu and the others were completely unaware of this. Even Zhou Yi'an did not expect that she had such a powerful assassin by her side, and she politely offered them a good meal and drinks.
Xuanyuan Che was used to fine food and was quite delicate. If he saw a dish that didn't suit his taste, he simply wouldn't eat it. He waited listlessly for Xie Yushu and the others, occasionally making comments about which dish was ugly or cooked incorrectly.
Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu weren't so pretentious. After all, Zhou Yi'an was the only son of the Grand Tutor's mansion, so how could the chefs in his mansion be too bad? It was probably just that Xuan Yuanche was throwing a tantrum and refusing to eat because he didn't like someone else!
One thing at a time. Although they knew Zhou Yi'an was on Chu Pin's side before, what he was doing now was indeed worthy of recognition and support. Therefore, Xie Yushu and Han Zhongyu were very respectful and would try any dish that Zhou Yi'an introduced.
After sampling a few dishes and drinking a few sips of wine, Han Zhongyu finally picked up a steamed bun from his bowl to eat.
As she watched him pick up the steamed bun, her heart pounded in her chest. She was both excited and scared. She was excited because she was about to succeed and would soon be able to become a concubine. She was scared because it was her first time killing someone, and she was afraid that Han Zhongyu would become a ghost and come back to haunt her for revenge.
Even now, she still hasn't realized what the consequences of Han Zhongyu's death will be. Instead, she's afraid of all sorts of things. You might as well say she's afraid of the clueless one, because you have no idea what she'll do next!
Just as Han Zhongyu was about to bite into the steamed bun, Xie Yushu suddenly found the red dot very annoying. She reached out, took Han Zhongyu's steamed bun off, plucked off the red dot, and threw it into the small wooden bucket next to the table.
Han Zhongyu looked at Xie Yushu with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong?"
Xie Yushu shook her head
"Nothing much, I just didn't like this red dot. Who knows what they used to dye it red? It looked awkward. Well, this looks much better, right?"
After Xie Yushu finished speaking, she returned the steamed bun with a tear in it to Han Zhongyu.
Han Zhongyu took a delicious bite and nodded.
"tasty!"
Even though Xuan Yuanche didn't usually eat, he took a steamed bun and handed it to Xie Yushu.
"I want to eat too! Plucking this unsightly red dot off for me."
Although Xie Yushu was annoyed by his childishness, she took his steamed bun, plucked off the red dot, and threw it away.
Just as Ru thought his plan was about to succeed, Xie Yushu ruined it. Ru glared at Xie Yushu fiercely and could only look for another opportunity.
Perhaps it was divine intervention, for before Ruyi could find another opportunity, a mouse scurried into the small wooden bucket. The small wooden bucket was originally used by the maids serving at the table to collect leftovers. The meal had only just begun, and inside were the two red-spotted steamed buns that Xie Yushu had thrown away.
The little mouse went in and ate the two steamed buns clean. As you can imagine, the medicine meant for the human was used on such a tiny bit of the mouse. The unfortunate mouse screamed in agony as soon as it finished eating, then a trickle of black blood flowed from the corner of its mouth, and it kicked its legs!
Nanxing, who was standing guard nearby, exclaimed in surprise.
"This steamed bun is poisonous!"
This shout startled everyone, and they hurriedly checked themselves to see if they felt unwell anywhere!
Zhou Yi'an was even more shocked
"How could there be poison? Someone, close the gate! Don't let a single fly out until the source of the poison is found!"
Ruyi, who was still looking for a second chance to strike, was startled. She never expected that a dead rat would interfere and make people discover the poison so quickly. Ruyi was now afraid that she would be discovered to have poisoned the animals and lose her life.
If Han Zhongyu were dead, there would be no way to verify the story, so she wouldn't be afraid. But Han Zhongyu is still alive, and he is still an official of the imperial court. If she were to kill an official of the imperial court, even if she didn't succeed, she would still have to go to jail!
Ruyi was blinded by the status of a concubine; she wasn't really stupid. When the matter was exposed, she finally panicked.
He unconsciously wiped his hands on his clothes, and his face turned deathly pale with fright.
Nanxing immediately noticed her unusual behavior and pulled her out of the room.
"There's something wrong with her; she keeps wiping her hands on her clothes!"
Zhou Yi'an looked on in disbelief when she saw that it was Ruyi who had been pulled out.
"Ruyi? It really is you!"
Whose side are you on? Where did you get this poison? Who are you trying to harm?
If it were a professional, they would definitely deny it to the death, but Ruyi was just a young girl who wanted to be a concubine and didn't know any tricks of the trade. When Zhou Yi'an asked, she subconsciously answered...
"Young Master, I... I'm your man! I... I didn't mean to harm anyone, I didn't know."
Seeing that she was giving irrelevant and incoherent answers, Zhou Yi'an had someone grab her fingers to examine them.
How convenient! It just so happened that the coroner from the government office was having a banquet there. The coroner's skills weren't limited to examining corpses; he could also detect poisons. Seeing that someone had poisoned the banquet, he volunteered to go and take a look. With just one glance, he came to a conclusion: the poison was arsenic, which was fatal upon contact with blood and there was no cure.
After she finished speaking, everyone broke out in a cold sweat. Zhou Yi'an was so angry that she kicked Ruyi to the ground.
"You wretch, who ordered you to do this? Speak up now!"
Ruyi dared not say who it was, but simply lowered her head and sobbed.
"I didn't know it was arsenic. I just thought the color was nice, so I pinched it. I probably wasn't paying attention, and some got into the steamed bun. Young master, please forgive me this time!"
Seeing that she was still trying to deny it, Zhou Yi'an directly ordered the guards to search her body. They found nothing on her, so they searched her room and, sure enough, found a packet of brown powder.
After the coroner examined it, it was confirmed to be arsenic.
Seeing this, Xie Yushu was curious and wanted to come over and take a look. She had never seen this legendary poison that could kill on contact with blood before, and it was quite an eye-opener for her.
Upon discovering that arsenic had been found in Ruyi's room, Zhou Yi'an directly addressed Ruyi.
"I'll give you another chance. Who sent you to hide by my side? Who are you trying to poison today?"
If you confess, I might spare your life. If you don't, you can eat the rest of this poison!
"I always keep my word. Think it through before you speak."
Zhou Yi'an was indeed the most powerful person in the Grand Tutor's mansion, a fact that Ruyi was well aware of. She only wanted to be a concubine, not die, and immediately confessed.
"Young master, I'll talk, I'll talk! Please don't kill me! I'm only sixteen! I haven't lived enough yet!"
Seeing her crying and getting nowhere, Zhou Yi'an scolded her.
"Just tell me who ordered you? Who did that person tell you to harm?"
Ruyi glanced at Zhou Yi'an, lowered her head, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Yes, it is Madam. Madam said that I should find an opportunity to give this medicine to Lord Han. Lord Han killed my uncle, and Madam wants to avenge my uncle."
"Young Master, I only like you and want to stay by your side to serve you. Madam said that if I succeed in my mission, she will make me your concubine. I did all this to stay by your side, Young Master, please have mercy!"
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