Early the next morning, in the East Garden.
Yang Chen was practicing calligraphy in his room.
This was a habit he had maintained for many years—no matter how busy he was, he would practice calligraphy every morning to calm his mind.
A Fuwei came to report that the tracking from the previous day had been confirmed—it was Luo Chi’s people.
Yang Chen’s brush paused, and ink dripped onto the paper, staining it.
“This is truly outrageous! How dare they track the Young Lord!” His attendant Shuang Rui couldn’t help but voice his indignation.
“Probably, he still hasn’t let go of the matter of the Jade Pendant,” Yang Chen frowned. “Who exactly has gone missing from the Luo residence that he’s so relentless? Shuang Rui, send someone to investigate thoroughly.”
Suspicion arose in Yang Chen’s heart. He and Luo Chi were on the same side, usually without conflicting interests.
But there was one matter both of them were closely watching: the command authority over the reinforcement troops heading to the Northern Territory.
Now, with Luo Chi constantly watching him, was he truly looking for someone, or was he using that as a pretext to compete with Yang Chen for the command to the Northern Territory?
Although Shangshu Wu Xiong had said that both he and Luo Chi had been recommended, the Zhaoshu had yet to be issued.
Could there have been a change? Would only one of them be sent to lead the troops?
If that were the case…
A sense of crisis welled up in Yang Chen’s heart.
Just as he was about to leave, his stomach suddenly growled, and a sharp pain struck.
He hurried to the Gongfang.
A moment later, he vomited repeatedly.
It wasn’t just him—all the masters of the Marquis Estate had fallen victim.
Yu Shi lay pale-faced on the Ruanta, weak and listless.
Yang Xiao’s symptoms were milder, but she had also vomited several times.
Granny Zhou was puzzled—how had all the masters of the Marquis Estate developed the same symptoms overnight?
Her expression panicked, she muttered, “Hongmei, quickly fetch a physician…”
“Yes!” Hongmei hurried out of the estate and found a nearby physician.
Upon seeing the situation in the estate, the physician immediately concluded it was poisoning, but the source of the poison was unknown.
For a time, panic spread throughout the Marquis Estate.
Xiangxue stood at the courtyard gate, watching the chaos among the estate’s residents, and asked, “Miss, is this the ‘good show’ you mentioned yesterday?”
Lin Tangtang smiled faintly without answering, leisurely brewing tea inside the room.
This scene caught Lin Jiaojiao’s eye.
She wondered why Lin Tangtang was the only one in the estate unaffected.
After taking a dose of medicine, she went to the South Courtyard and whispered to the Madam of the Hou Estate.
Soon, uninvited guests arrived at the West Garden.
Hongmei led a group of people, marching in aggressively. “Miss Lin, the Madam of the Hou Estate requests your presence.”
Their intentions were clearly hostile.
Xiangxue instinctively stepped in front of Lin Tangtang.
“It’s fine. Zhong Daifu should be at the gate by now. Bring him to the South Courtyard,” Lin Tangtang whispered in Xiangxue’s ear before following Hongmei away.
Inside the room, several ladies and younger members of the Marquis Estate were gathered.
Lin Jiaojiao sat to one side.
The moment Yu Shi saw Lin Tangtang, she erupted in anger. “Lin Tangtang, how dare you!”
Lin Tangtang replied calmly, “I don’t know how I have offended you, Madam. Please enlighten me.”
“Today’s poisoning—it was your doing, wasn’t it?” Yu Shi’s shrill voice rang out.
“It wasn’t me,” Lin Tangtang shook her head, denying it.
“Then why is it that all the masters of the Marquis Estate were poisoned today, yet you remain unharmed?” Yu Shi, still pale from her stomach troubles, glared at her.
Seeing Lin Tangtang looking perfectly fine, anger and resentment surged within her.
“What, is it wrong that I wasn’t poisoned?” A cold glint flashed in Lin Tangtang’s eyes, and the curve of her lips tightened.
When there were benefits, the Marquis Estate always excluded her; when misfortune struck, they couldn’t bear to see her remain unscathed.
She continued, “Madam claims it was poisoning, but where is the evidence?”
“What evidence is needed? The facts are clear before us—you are the poisoner.” Yang Xiao, seated below Yu Shi, snorted discontentedly.
Yang Chen remained silent, watching quietly.
“Miss Yang, how impressive—with nothing but empty words and mere speculation, you wish to pin this baseless charge of poisoning on me?”
A faint anger colored Lin Tangtang’s face as her sharp, sword-like gaze fixed on Yang Xiao. “What if I said it was you who poisoned them?”
“Preposterous! Impossible!” The Madam of the Hou Estate glared at Lin Tangtang with a hostile expression.
Lin Tangtang pressed her lips tightly together. “Why is it that she can falsely accuse me, but I cannot suspect her? Just because Yang Xiao is the daughter of the Madam of the Hou Estate, does that grant her the right to arbitrarily condemn others? What use is the law then?”
“Cease your nonsense. How can you prove you didn’t administer the poison?” Seeing Lin Tangtang invoke the law, the Madam of the Hou Estate shifted her argument.
Her symptoms were the most severe, and her voice lacked its usual vigor as she spoke.
Those present nodded in agreement.
They needed an answer.
“Chunxue, please invite Zhong Daifu in.” This was the moment Lin Tangtang had been waiting for.
In her previous life, everyone in the Marquis Estate who had eaten the Yanwo Geng showed signs of poisoning. Lin Tangtang, having avoided it, escaped unharmed.
But she had still been falsely accused and harassed by the estate’s members until Zhong Daifu arrived and the truth came to light.
This time, she refused to endure such unjust treatment again.
Zhong Daifu was the most renowned physician in the capital, seldom making house calls. His presence at the Marquis Estate commanded respect from all.
After carefully checking everyone’s pulses and examining the various foods, finding nothing amiss, he asked, “In the past two days, were there any differences between Miss Lin’s diet and that of the estate?”
The Madam of the Hou Estate’s expression shifted slightly; naturally, the meals in the West Garden couldn’t compare to those in other quarters.
“There were many differences. However, yesterday, they all ate Yanwo Geng, but my young lady did not.” Xiangxue stated bluntly.
“Nonsense! The Yanwo was brought back by Xiao’er out of kindness. How can you suspect her?” The Madam of the Hou Estate instinctively defended her daughter.
“Madam of the Hou Estate, whether it is poisoned or not will be clear once tested. There’s no need to be so hasty.” Lin Tangtang interrupted Yu Shi. “What does everyone think?”
No one objected.
People are selfish; when their own safety is at stake, who would dare be careless?
In the end, Granny Zhou brought the remaining Yanwo Geng for Zhong Daifu to examine carefully.
The white silver needle turned a faint gray when dipped into the Yanwo Geng.
Yang Chen and Yu Shi’s pupils contracted.
“Impossible!” Yang Xiao covered her face, eyes wide with shock.
She hurried over to Lin Tangtang, trying to grab her. “Did you tamper with it?”
Seeing this, Xiangxue immediately drew her Ruanjian. The sharp gust of sword wind forced Yang Xiao to retreat two steps.
“How dare you! A mere servant daring to commit violence in the Marquis Estate!” Yang Chen stood up, shielding Yang Xiao behind him.
“She wasn’t committing violence; she was protecting her mistress.”
Lin Tangtang instructed Xiangxue to lower her Ruanjian and sternly questioned, “What a fine elder brother you are, Young Lord. Clearly, it was Yang Xiao’s fault, yet you vent your anger on my maid. But just now, when your fiancée was being slandered and framed by others, you remained silent. Does the word ‘justice’ even exist in this Marquis Estate?”
She stepped closer to Yang Chen step by step, the rising fury in her eyes reflected in his. “Do you know why Madam of the Hou Estate suffered the most severe symptoms this time? Because she consumed the most bird’s nest! Young Lord, you and the Marquis Estate owe me an explanation.”