Chapter 19: Poisoned

Su Niang had already come in holding the prayer beads, and suddenly she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Old Lady, this is a prayer bead blessed by a high monk of Fahua Temple, which the Empress Dowager always wore!

The Empress Dowager's belongings—how could Old Lady Shen not recognize them?

She excitedly stood up, ran her hand over the prayer beads in the box, and the flesh on her cheeks trembled.

Ning Yatou actually managed to obtain such a meaningful and precious item for her—she showed such filial piety, yet I punished her and said such harsh words...

"Where is Ning Jieer?"

"You said you wouldn't see her, and she has already left."

The old lady has already regretted it.

Su Niang hesitated a moment, then said: "Just now I saw the maid beside the young lady supporting her; she was walking unsteadily, as if her foot were injured."

"What? How did her foot get injured?"

Su Niang shook her head: "I didn't have a chance to ask."

Old Lady Shen slapped her thigh hard, guilt peaking instantly: "She went to get the prayer beads for me, such a big matter, yet no one told me—it must be that girl keeping it secret, wanting to give me a surprise, not saying anything even though she was injured, while I..."

"I scolded her and even hit her—do you think she would hate me?"

Su Niang comforted: "The young lady has always been close to you; how could she hate you? She is sensible and will understand your good intentions."

Old Lady Shen pressed her forehead, remorseful: "I could have spoken nicely with her, yet I chose to scold and beat her—I am truly muddle-headed!"

In the morning, Lady Yang avoided Lady Liu and came to complain to her, and she was truly furious half to death: first, she was angry that Shen Shuangning was lawless, putting the Duke's Manor in danger; second, she was angry that they all kept it from her, not taking her seriously.

Originally she had wanted to use this to punish Lady Liu as the matriarch, but Ning Yatou could cause trouble right under her nose—how could Lady Liu be a mother? Yet given the current situation, how could the old lady dare to move against Lady Liu?

If Ning Yatou found out that her mother had also been punished, she would surely turn her heart away from this old lady.

By the way, Lady Yang...

Old Lady Shen slapped the table: "It's all Lady Yang stirring up trouble—how could I have fallen for her schemes!"

Old Lady Shen is not truly muddle-headed; her tricks in the inner chambers are all she has left—just now she was furious, which made her act muddle-headed.

Now her mind has turned the corner.

If she and the main branch become estranged, the one who would be happiest is Lady Yang.

Old Lady Shen's face suddenly darkened.

She had always known Lady Yang was troublesome, but out of pity for Lady Yang and her daughter's situation, she mostly turned a blind eye, even indulging them somewhat.

Know that she treats the third branch with deliberate favoritism.

She never expected that this woman would truly treat her as muddle-headed, and one day use her as a pawn!

"Go tell Lady Yang that she no longer needs to come to the Hall of Virtue and Benevolence to pay respects!"

Su Niang saw that the old lady had moved to anger; Lady Yang truly was clever but ended up being outwitted by her own cleverness.

She answered yes, then immediately asked: "... What about Ning Jieer's side?"

The old lady glanced at the box holding the prayer beads, feeling ashamed for the first time. After thinking, she said: "First go to the Hall of Skillful Hands to summon a physician, then prepare some things Ning Yatou likes to eat, and I'll go see her."

On this side, Lady Yang received the old lady's warning, and she looked weakly at Su Niang, feigning innocence: "May I ask what I have done wrong, for the ancestress to bear a grudge against me?"

Lady Yang's thoughts were transparent to Su Niang; previously she only thought that as long as Lady Yang wasn't excessive, she would go along with her, but she ought not to have hurt the feelings of the old lady and Ning Yatou.

Su Niang looked at Lady Yang's gaze, which was somewhat indifferent, and spoke bluntly: "The ancestress usually treats you generously, giving priority to your third branch in everything; you know she dotes on Ning Jieer most, so how could you drive a wedge between them? We are one family—why must you do this?"

It's precisely because the ancestress favors Shen Shuangning that she does this!

Lady Yang roared in her heart.

Yet on her face she looked on the verge of tears, pitiful: "How could the ancestress think this of me? Was it the elder brother's wife who said something? Clearly it is Ning Jieer who is wrong, yet the elder brother and his wife indulge her—I am also doing this for the good of the Duke's Manor!"

"You're not doing it for the Duke's Manor, but for yourself and your own daughter." Su Niang said bluntly.

Lady Yang's expression twitched for a moment, she lifted her bloodshot eyes and looked at her: "I am acting for myself and for my daughter—is that wrong?"

Lady Yang slowly rose from her chair and questioned: "Did I incite Ning Jieer to speak recklessly in the sage's presence, or did I make the ancestress scold Ning Jieer? I merely stated a fact that no one dared to speak of—why is everyone blaming me?"

"Is it because the third branch has no male heirs that you bully us like this?"

If the old lady truly had deep affection with Shen Shuangning as grandmother and granddaughter, how could she turn her heart away over just a sentence or two?

Or is it not because the old lady herself feels guilty, regarding the Duke's Manor as paramount in her eyes; clearly she is a ruthless person inside, yet she pretends to be a virtuous mother—if Shen Shuangning were not the eldest branch's legitimate daughter, would the old lady be so careful in maintaining the grandmother-granddaughter bond?

She dare not let Shen Shuangning perceive her internal ledger of gains and losses, thus she dumped the whole blame onto the third branch, making them the villains.

Lady Yang clutched her chest, tears streaming down in strands, as if utterly wronged.

Su Niang saw her crying to the point of being unable to catch her breath, feeling somewhat overwhelmed: "No one is bullying you."

"Mother!"

Shen Ling heard that Shen Shuangning had been punished, just returned from her, and didn't expect the third branch to also suffer misfortune—what is all this?

Upon seeing Shen Ling, Lady Yang burst into even louder tears.

How did she end up giving birth only to a daughter? If Shen Ling were a son, she would have someone to rely on in the future—there would be no need for such scheming, no need to be a villain.

"Mother, please don't cry."

Shen Ling saw Su Niang here and knew that the grandmother had sent her to say something.

She didn't know what had happened, but seeing her mother cry so heartbroken, tears also spilled unbidden, and so mother and daughter embraced while crying, looking all the more pitiful.

Su Niang never imagined that merely passing on a message would develop like this; Lady Yang is indeed difficult to deal with.

Su Niang, out of the corner of her eye, saw several heads peeking in from outside, and quickly signaled the maid beside her to drive them away.

Those servants also don't know how much they heard; if this gets out, with each person having a mouth, who knows what it will turn into.

Lady Yang cried: "If the ancestress despises the third branch, then we might as well split the household!"

Both Su Niang and Shen Ling were startled.

"Mother..."

"Madam, you must absolutely not! The ancestress is also muddle-headed with anger—don't act rashly." Su Niang hurriedly soothed.

If the Yang clan really split from the Duke's Manor, wouldn't the Duke's Manor's backbone be poked broken?

The Yang clan seemed to have made up its mind, looking determined to go to war, and Su Niang couldn't restrain her, breaking into a sweat.

"Quickly go invite the Senior Madam."

Shen Shuangning still didn't know what had happened over at the Third House.

She sat in the chair, a female doctor from Wonderful Hands Hall was treating her injuries.

Wonderful Hands Hall is the best medical clinic in Jingcheng, specializing in treating officials' families; the consultation fees are high, with just the visit costing fifty taels, which ordinary households cannot afford.

Actually, Shen Shuangning's injury isn't serious; resting ten days or half a month would heal it, so there's no need to call a doctor from Wonderful Hands Hall.

But hearing A Heng say it was requested by the old lady, Shen Shuangning also acquiesced.

Looking at the delicate-faced girl before her, who was only a few years older, her gaze grew a bit more scrutinizing.

A woman practicing medicine is rare, especially such a young woman. Moreover, she comes from the not-so-ordinary Wonderful Hands Hall, which is certainly worth pondering.

The person who came was Mu Yu, who had previously untied the Yiluo Fragrance for her, though Shen Shuangning didn't remember her.

Mu Yu pretended not to notice Shen Shuangning's probing look, simply doing what a doctor should: first treating her hand injury, then her foot injury.

"Fourth Miss, walk around a bit." Mu Yu lowered her rolled-up sleeves and stood to the side.

Shen Shuangning cautiously took two steps, found it didn't hurt, glanced at her in surprise, then boldly walked a circle around the room and jumped in place.

"All better?" Shen Shuangning felt it was miraculous, her pretty face breaking into a smile.

Wonderful Hands Hall truly lives up to its name, bringing back the spring with its skillful hands.

A Heng beamed with joy, repeatedly thanking Mu Yu: "Thank you, miss! Thank you, miss!"

She really couldn't call that face "doctor".

"Don't get too excited just yet." Mu Yu said with a cold face, "The leg injury is just a minor issue; if the poison inside Fourth Miss's body isn't dispelled soon, she will surely die within five years."

Upon hearing this, both A Heng and Shen Shuangning turned deathly pale.

A Heng was merely frightened, but Shen Shuangning knew that in her previous life she was destined to die young.

She had always thought it was because she helped Xiao Jingyuan block an arrow, contracting the cold poison, but in this life she hasn't blocked an arrow for anyone, her body is healthy—how could she have been poisoned?

Could this doctor be trying to cheat her out of money?

A flicker of doubt crossed her eyes, and she asked, "How could there be poison in my body?"

Doubt outweighed surprise.

Mu Yu said calmly, "I don't know that either. I only know that Fourth Miss has been poisoned with an extremely rare toxin that, once inside the body, can dissolve into the bone marrow, lurking like a ghost and hard to detect; the victim shows no difference from a normal person, but when the toxin erupts it can cause instant death, bleeding from the seven orifices."

Shen Shuangning's heart jolted; in her previous life she had indeed died suddenly, and that also happened within five years.

Finally, Mu Yu added, "If Fourth Miss doesn't believe me, she can try pressing her own crown point to see if it hurts."

Following Mu Yu's indicated spot, Shen Shuangning gave it a light press and immediately broke out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Mu Yu immediately pressed her meridians, then pricked her fingertip with a needle; shortly after, a drop of dark blood was squeezed out.

Seeing this, Shen Shuangning half-believed.

But she still didn't understand how she had been poisoned.

"Fortunately, Fourth Miss's poisoning is not deep—only about half a month—and there is still a way to reverse it." Mu Yu placed her fingertips on Shen Shuangning's pulse, her expression grave, and said, "Fourth Miss, why don't you consider whether you might have ingested something by mistake half a month ago?"

Shen Shuangning paused; half a month ago she had secretly gone to Drunken Cloud Pavilion with Shen Er, and then she had been given medicine.

Could it have been then?

Zhai Ji certainly doesn't do that kind of thing just once or twice; he'll inevitably run into a couple of tough nuts, yet there's not a whisper of wind outside—likely he uses poison to silence people.

Thinking about it, it's not impossible; it fits Zhai Ji's ruthless and vicious style perfectly.

Shen Shuangning naturally wouldn't tell Mu Yu about this, only anxiously asking, "Does this poison have an antidote?"

Mu Yu said, "Yes."

Shen Shuangning thought the antidote must surely be with Zhai Ji; if she asked him for it, she would expose herself.

Then Zhai Ji could use this to manipulate the Duke's Manor, a small sedan would carry her into the residence, and whether she became the principal wife or a concubine would be up to him—except that Zhai Ji's lower half is impure, making his wife unfortunate, and she would also have to tolerate his male companions.

Shen Shuangning shivered.

Such days are worse than spending them at Prince Yan's Manor.

More importantly, if she married Zhai Ji, the Duke's Manor's affairs would be beyond her reach.

Mu Yu looked at the young lady's extremely poor complexion, her lips devoid of color, and wondered if she had frightened her too much.

But once the words are out, they can't easily be taken back.

Thus Mu Yu coughed lightly twice and said, "Although there is a way to detoxify, this poison is extremely vicious; Fourth Miss is a young lady of noble birth, and if she doesn't want to harm her foundation, she must spend some time gradually removing it."

As long as she doesn't have to come into contact with Zhai Ji, Shen Shuangning is willing to do anything.

"How long will it take?" she asked.

Mu Yu said, "Forty-nine days."

Shen Shuangning fell silent.

Mu Yu knew she didn't trust her that quickly, so she picked up her medicine box, prepared to leave, and said, "I am Mu; Fourth Miss, when you've made up your mind, come find me at Wonderful Hands Hall. Farewell."

As she reached the door, Shen Shuangning hurriedly said, "Please, Doctor Mu, first keep this matter concealed for me."

Mu Yu nodded, and upon stepping out she happened to meet Old Madam Shen coming this way, so she stopped to greet her.

The old lady hadn't realized she was the doctor summoned from Wonderful Hands Hall until she saw the medicine box at her side, then she suddenly understood.

So young, yet a female doctor—could she cure her granddaughter?

At that moment, Shen Shuangning personally went over to welcome the old lady inside.

"Grandmother, look, I'm all better."

The old lady looked at Mu Yu with newfound respect, and had Su Niang pay an extra ten taels of silver.

Mu Yu bade farewell, left the Shen Manor, and boarded the carriage waiting beside the alley.

Su Chen sat inside, leisurely brewing tea, lifted eyes and glanced at her: "How is it?"

Mu Yu casually set down the medicine box, crossed her legs, took out a small mirror, and, looking in it, tidied her hair, saying: "When I, Miss, go out, when have I ever missed? Within three days, she will surely come to find me."

The black blood expelled from Shen Shuangning's body was Xiao Jingyuan's.

The Young Master Xiao has gathered a hundred poisons within himself, so she is not considered deceitful.