Hu Rui kept the news of Xie Jingyan being poisoned from him and confined him in her courtyard.
If she wanted to take the opportunity to kill him, she could easily pin the blame on someone else.
A perfect move: killing with a borrowed knife.
And it was the knife Xie Jingyan himself had handed over!
“Ju Hong, go quickly and urge them! Just say the Eldest Young Master isn’t feeling well!”
Ju Hong immediately stood, packed up the food tray, and climbed out the window.
“Boom ”
Thunder roared repeatedly, making ears ring.
Hu Rui sat in the dark, draped in an outer coat, holding a small white porcelain bottle in her hand.
Beside her, Granny Zhang whispered: “Now is the perfect moment. If we miss this chance, we may not get another so good.”
Hu Rui’s face was indistinct in the darkness, but her hesitation could be heard in her voice:
“But it feels too smooth… as if some trap is waiting for me to fall into it…”
Granny Zhang hesitated as well: “If you feel that way, then…”
“No!”
Hu Rui’s voice suddenly rose.
“I’ve waited seven years. Back then, Hong’er was still a child, and I could patiently look for opportunities.
Now Hong’er has entered official service. I don’t have another seven years to wait!
Granny, quietly, go call that girl Hua Ling over for me.”
A sharp bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Hu Rui’s cruel expression.
“Boom ”
The thunder masked the sound of the door opening.
Ping’an was leaning against the foot of the bed, dozing.
A petite figure silently slipped into the room, tiptoeing behind the screen.
Ping’an silently opened his eyes in the dark.
The thunder continued; he wasn’t asleep, just resting his eyes.
In the occasional flash of lightning, he saw someone approaching, carrying something.
Hua Ling’s chest heaved violently, as if she had a wild boar stuffed under her clothes, charging uncontrollably.
The Madam’s threats and inducements still rang in her ears.
Thinking of her family’s miserable situation, she gritted her teeth and carefully set down the tray.
She picked up a small bowl from it and tiptoed step by step to the bed.
Just as she lifted the bed curtain, a thick bolt of lightning flashed through the window, illuminating the small space in front of her.
Right in front of a pair of cold, piercing eyes.
“Boom!!!”
“Ah!!!”
The deafening thunder drowned out her scream.
Ping’an’s eyes were sharp and his hands faster than lightning. He clamped a hand over Hua Ling’s mouth, pressed her head down heavily against the side of the bed.
“What are you doing?”
Hua Ling was terrified; her mind went blank, leaving only soft, whimpering cries.
Ping’an gritted his teeth. “Speak! Who sent you?!”
Hua Ling shook all over. “No… no one…”
Her teeth chattered as she sobbed, “I came on my own. The Eldest Young Master’s medicinal soup was ready; I was just bringing it.”
Ping’an then noticed a strong bitter smell of herbs in the air.
The small bowl she had carried earlier was now shattered on the floor.
Ping’an loosened his grip slightly: “If you’re delivering medicine, then deliver it! Why sneak around?!”
Hua Ling, tears streaming, choked out: “I I heard the Eldest Young Master must rest quietly, and I didn’t dare disturb him… so I thought… I’d come quietly… sob sob sob…”
Ping’an’s brows furrowed in irritation. He picked her up and tossed her to the side: “Enough! Quiet, or you’ll disturb the Eldest Young Master’s rest.”
Hua Ling scrambled into a corner, tightly covering her mouth to stifle her cries.
Ping’an lit a candle and saw the tray was empty, then turned to her: “Any more?”
Hua Ling quickly nodded.
Ping’an tilted his head: “Go get it.”
Hua Ling immediately scrambled up and dashed out without looking back.
Ping’an squinted, took a silver needle from his sleeve, and dipped it into the pool of medicine on the ground.
No discoloration…
The medicine was non-toxic.
He had been worrying for nothing.
Ping’an put away the needle and turned to look at the Eldest Young Master.
“Wake up quickly, Eldest Young Master… we’re really in a den of danger right now…”
Hua Ling pressed her hands against the table; her inner clothes were soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly to her body.
Her ears were ringing.
Why her…
Heaven is unfair!
There were four of them, so why did the Madam single her out for this task?!
Her mother had recently given birth to her younger brother, and the family was poor. She could only work to help support them.
She chose to come to the General’s mansion because she had heard the Madam was kind and gentle to servants…
All lies!
Lies!
The Madam actually wanted to kill the Eldest Young Master! And frame the Eldest Young Madam for it!
And her life contract was still in the Madam’s hands.
If she refused, not only would she be sold off, but even her parents and newborn brother would secretly be executed by the Madam.
Hua Ling wiped her tears and took a deep breath.
The Madam promised that even if something happened to her, her family would be treated well.
She had to succeed or die.
She took the small white porcelain bottle, poured out the powder, dissolved it in a tiny bit of water, and carefully applied the poison to the rim of the bowl.
When the medicinal soup was poured in, she was extremely careful, making sure none touched the rim.
The surface of the soup did not touch the poisoned area.
This way, only when the mouth touched the rim would the poison enter.
Testing the soup alone would reveal nothing.
She took a deep breath, placed the bowl on the tray, and prepared to leave.
Amid the thunder, faint sounds could be heard.
Her heart pounded like a drum as she set the tray down and moved to the window.
The clashing of armor became clearer.
The General, with two deputy generals clad in armor, was charging into the courtyard through the storm.
The people had not yet arrived, but the voices reached first: “Yan’er?!”
The General’s voice was booming like a bell, cutting through the rain.
Lights were lit in the main house.
Granny Zhang opened the door, her hands trembling, her voice sharp: “G-General?!”
Hu Rui, wearing only her inner clothes, ran barefoot to the door and nearly collided with the drenched, cold General.
“General, how how did you return so soon? Weren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow evening…”
The General’s face was grave: “What happened to Yan’er?”
Hu Rui’s face turned pale. She didn’t understand how the General knew: “Yan’er…”
She quickly dropped to her knees, lowering her head to hide her panic, and blurted out a plea: “It’s all my fault for not taking proper care… I didn’t expect…
I didn’t expect Yu Mu’an would dare to poison Yan’er! She has been locked in the ancestral hall by me, waiting for the General to deal with her personally.”
The General’s face was anxious: “I asked, how is Yan’er?!”
Hu Rui hurriedly looked up at the General, eyes brimming with tears:
“I did not slack off. Yan’er is resting in the side room. I was just about to send Granny Zhang to the kitchen to check if the medicine was ready…”
Granny Zhang understood and quickly saluted: “General, this old servant will go to the kitchen immediately…”
The General strode toward the side room.
Hu Rui clenched her fists and looked at Granny Zhang, full of anxiety, silently mouthing:
Go stop Hua Ling!