In the evening, Lu Yu went to the county magistrate's room to inform him of her discoveries for the day, placing the yellow pine cake and the ground aconite powder before him.
"My lord, this package contains aconite, and the yellow pine cake is also made with aconite. If you don't believe me, you can ask other doctors to examine it."
"You saw that servant leaving Zhao Ran's room?" The magistrate's face turned ashen with anger, his laughter a mask for his fury. "This Zhao Ran, she's good! To dare tamper with me for fame and fortune, and that Chen Qi too!"
"Guards! Bring the town mayor, the deputy mayor, Doctor Zhao, and a servant named A'er!"
Chen Qi was the first to arrive. She had never met Lu Yu before, but she recognized the people in the mansion and those brought by the magistrate. Seeing Lu Yu staring at her, a bad premonition arose within her.
"May I ask what business the county magistrate has calling upon me so late?" Chen Qi bowed to the magistrate, feigning composure.
"You may rise. We will wait until everyone has arrived."
Hearing the magistrate's words, Chen Qi grew more flustered. She stood to the side, her brow furrowed. Suddenly, she remembered Zhao Ran mentioning Lu Yu to her. Realization dawned, and she instantly looked up, fixing her gaze directly on Lu Yu.
Lu Yu noticed her stare and did not flinch. She merely offered a slight smile, her eyes brimming with mockery.
"This commoner, Zhao Ran, greets the esteemed county magistrate."
"Your... your servant A'er greets the lord." A'er, experiencing such a grand occasion for the first time, stammered incoherently, her entire body trembling.
"You are A'er?" The magistrate ignored Zhao Ran, who was still kneeling, treating her as if she were invisible. He turned his attention to A'er instead.
"Yes," A'er's voice trembled so much that her original tone was unrecognizable. She knelt on the ground, a cold sweat breaking out all over her body.
When she entered, she had already seen Lu Yu standing beside the county magistrate. She had seen Lu Yu's appearance earlier that afternoon and naturally recognized her before Zhao Ran did.
"Why are you so nervous? Have you done something you regret!" The magistrate's voice suddenly rose. Seeing A'er flinch from fear and then collapse onto the ground, he chuckled again. "What are you afraid of? Even Doctor Zhao isn't afraid, so why should you be?"
Zhao Ran also sensed something was amiss. She secretly glanced at Chen Qi, who was standing nearby, and then followed Chen Qi's line of sight to Lu Yu standing above. She looked as if she had been struck by lightning, her eyes widening in terror, her pupils dilating. Her neck was stiff and unmoving.
"Doctor Zhao! What's wrong?" The magistrate seemed to notice Zhao Ran kneeling on the side for the first time. "You are a doctor, after all. If your neck is not well, you should treat it quickly. Don't wait until it's completely ruined and beyond repair."
This pointed remark was understood by everyone present.
Chen Qi turned, about to speak, but was stopped by the magistrate's wave. "Whatever you have to say, say it later. Town Mayor Zheng hasn't arrived yet."
As he spoke, Zheng Yu strode in from the doorway. "This subordinate apologizes for being late. I beg the county magistrate's forgiveness."
Upon hearing that the magistrate wished to see him, Zheng Yu knew Lu Yu had succeeded. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
"Since everyone is here, let's discuss this."
"Zhao Ran, do you recognize this medicine?" The magistrate threw the medicine packet on the table beside Zhao Ran, his tone devoid of warmth.
Zhao Ran tremblingly opened the medicine packet and, with a pretense of examination, brought it to her nose to smell.
"My lord! This, this is oleander!" Zhao Ran knew the matter had been exposed and could only feign ignorance, pretending her medical skills were insufficient to distinguish between oleander and aconite. However, she forgot that it was her own prescription that had cured the magistrate.
"Oleander?" The magistrate was amused to the point of anger. "Zhao Ran, as a doctor, you cannot distinguish the most basic of medicines?"
"Doctor Lu, please explain it to her!" The magistrate was too lazy to argue with Zhao Ran and directly handed the matter over to Lu Yu. From today's events, she knew Lu Yu would leave Zhao Ran speechless.
"Yes." Lu Yu bowed to the magistrate and then walked in front of Zhao Ran. "Doctor Zhao, this is aconite. Aconite powder is yellowish-gray and is a relatively common medicine. Even my young apprentice knows this."
"Aconite has a pungent, bitter taste and causes a numbing sensation on the tongue. Why don't you try it?"
As Lu Yu spoke, she bent down and placed a small porcelain bottle before Zhao Ran. "This is the real oleander juice. If Doctor Zhao wishes to prove her medical skills, then drink it. After all, you have the antidote."
Seeing Zhao Ran remain still, Zheng Yu cooperatively signaled his subordinates to restrain Zhao Ran, pry open her mouth, and prepare to force-feed her.
"I don't have an antidote for oleander!" As the liquid in the porcelain bottle was about to enter her mouth, Zhao Ran let out an unimaginable scream, a sound forced from her throat with all her might, sharp and unpleasant.
Zheng Yu signaled his subordinates to step back. Wu Ji obeyed and retreated behind Zheng Yu.
"Lu Yu! You deserve to die!" Zhao Ran gritted her teeth, the veins on her neck bulging as if about to explode. She glared at Lu Yu with fury.
She knew that the moment she uttered these words, it was over. Everything was over.
"Zhao Ran, are you still not telling the truth?" Lu Yu, having achieved her objective, retreated to the magistrate's side.
Zhao Ran gritted her teeth and confessed, taking all the blame upon herself. After all, her own life was more important.
Lu Yu was somewhat surprised that she didn't implicate the town mayor. Could there be other unknown secrets behind this?
Seeing Zhao Ran finish confessing everything, A'er, who was beside her, was already in a state of mental collapse, feeling as though she were on the brink of death.
However, before she could speak, Chen Qi could no longer wait and spoke first.
"You scoundrel! Your mother is healthy, and you have siblings at home. How could you do this despicable thing with Zhao Ran? Do you know this is a capital offense!"
A'er jolted at these words and repeatedly pleaded, "My lord! I beg you to spare my life. I was blinded by greed and listened to Zhao Ran's wicked words! I betrayed you, the town mayor, and the deputy mayor, but I beg you to spare my life!"
A'er's head struck the ground with a thudding sound. Soon, blood stained the ground.
The magistrate frowned, looking at her. "Stop banging your head."
"Zhao Ran, are you sure this matter was entirely orchestrated by you? That you incited A'er?" The magistrate glanced at Chen Qi, then turned his gaze back to Zhao Ran.
"Yes! This commoner wanted to quickly gain fame, so I made a wrong decision. But, but this commoner already knows her guilt." Zhao Ran's only thought now was to have her punishment reduced.