"Is that so?" Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow. "Then why didn't Doctor Li show up today? Is it just a coincidence?"
Granny Wu's face fell, and she quickly went to the inner room, took out a porcelain bottle, and poured out the last pill.
"This is what the old lady used today."
The imperial physician wrapped the pill in a handkerchief and tested it with a silver needle.
"As expected, it's poisonous! The arsenic powder is ground so finely and kneaded into the pill that it's almost invisible to the naked eye. It's clearly meticulously made!"
"Fortunately, the old lady only used two pills. If she had used this one as well, even a celestial being couldn't have saved her."
Granny Wu's eyes widened, and her astonishment seemed genuine.
“Dr. Li always sends five bottles at a time.” She took out the remaining unopened bottles: “Test these too.”
The imperial physicians tried them one by one and shook their heads: "The rest are all fine."
Granny Wu was taken aback: "What's going on?"
“It’s very simple,” Jiang Wan said. “Someone knew exactly how much medicine the old lady needed and calculated that she would use up the bottle today, so they tampered with the last three pills.”
She picked up the last pill, her eyes flashing.
“According to the original dosage, the old lady should have used up this bottle of medicine today and then suffered from the poisoning. The remaining few bottles of Baoxin Pills are not poisonous, so even if they are tested, they will not be able to find out that the problem is with the medicine. At that time, there will really be no way to prove it.”
Granny Wu realized what was happening and couldn't help but curse, "What a vicious scheme!"
"The details of my grandmother's medication were known only to her personal servants and Doctor Li."
Jiang Wan glanced at Song Lin with a smile in her eyes.
"You can ask Dr. Li who he revealed these things to, which gave that person the opportunity to come up with this plan."
Song Lin clenched his fists tightly, his face drained of color, and his eyes glared at Jiang Wan with resentment.
He took a few steps back and gestured to Bi Yuan with his eyes.
"By the way, I heard that Doctor Li went out of the city to make house calls today, and he should be back by now," Jiang Wan said. "To be on the safe side, I just had Cai Die take the guards from the manor to the clinic. Doctor Li will be here soon."
Song Lin's face turned pale.
Doctor Li was an old friend of the matriarch, and he couldn't bribe him. He could only try to get information out of her by pretending to chat with her, and from that he learned about the dosage of the medicine she was taking.
When Doctor Li came to deliver the medicine that day, he used the excuse that Gu was feeling unwell in her chest to buy two bottles of heart-protecting pills from Doctor Li.
Medicines from the same clinic have the same appearance and packaging.
He sent someone to buy expensive arsenic and made three poisonous heart-protecting pills, which he then put in a bottle. He also calculated the amount of medicine the matriarch of the family needed, and figured that by today, she should only have three pills left in her bottle. So, during the morning greetings, he replaced the bottle of poisonous medicine on the table in Luhetang with the bottle of poisonous medicine.
The two bottles of medicine look exactly the same, and no one can tell the difference between them.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he deliberately sent Doctor Li away early in the morning.
Despite all the planning, the matriarch of the family did not use up all the medicine, and there was one pill left!
Dr. Li couldn't possibly keep it a secret for him; once the truth was revealed, everyone would quickly suspect him...
Song Lin's palms were ice-cold and trembling uncontrollably.
If it were any other day, things would be fine. But now the General's Mansion is only left with women, children, and the sick and disabled. Even if the matter is exposed, what can they do to him?
But now that Pei Xuan is here, things have become more complicated.
Song Lin's heart pounded like a drum. He could only secretly give Bi Yuan a wink, signaling him to quickly evacuate the general's mansion and preferably leave the capital.
The poisoning accusation can still be denied, but if Bi Yuan's identity is discovered, then they are truly doomed.
Bi Yuan understood and quietly withdrew.
Meanwhile, the guards arrived with Doctor Li.
Song Lin's face turned ashen. Just as he was about to bite the bullet and deal with the situation, a maid's joyful cry suddenly came from inside the room.
"That's wonderful! The old lady is awake!"
Song Lin was taken aback, then quickly followed the others into the house.
Lifting the curtain, the old lady on the bed looked pale and weak, her breath barely touching her face.
But he was perfectly lucid and spotted Pei Xuan in the crowd at a glance.
"Your Highness has gone to great lengths."
The old lady coughed twice and said weakly, "I can still manage. There's no need to trouble the head of the Imperial Hospital. It's already late, and it wouldn't be good to disturb His Majesty and the Empress."
Pei Xuan nodded, signaling the imperial physician to step forward and take his pulse.
The imperial physician took her pulse, his expression growing increasingly puzzled. After a long while, he said, "Your Highness, the old lady's condition has stabilized. As long as she rests well, she should be out of danger."
Pei Xuan raised an eyebrow and gave the old lady a meaningful look: "Fortunately, it was a close call. You should rest well."
Song Lin, who was behind him, was even more astonished.
Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well that although the amount of arsenic was small, its toxicity was extremely potent. Let alone three pills, even just a little bit would be enough to kill a person.
How come this old hag is alright?
This...how is this possible!
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