"No objections. Zheng Yu also hopes to catch the culprit who administered the poison as soon as possible. We ask Deputy Town Head Chen to be diligent," Zheng Yu emphasized the word "Deputy," making Chen Qi's face turn ashen with anger.
Indeed, Zheng Yu had already guessed who was behind today's events. Chen Qi had finally shed her pretense of being indecisive and weak, and from now on, the two would be in direct opposition.
After saying this, Zheng Yu paid no attention to the others in the room. She turned and strode out, entering her original courtyard under the care of Qin Ze's subordinates.
It seemed she would have to stay here for the next few days and could not return to the manor. Her father and Yi'er would surely be worried. Now, she could only place her hopes on sisters Lu Yu. As for Chen Qi investigating this case, it would be good enough if she didn't harm her or add fuel to the fire.
Since the male academy officially began enrolling students, she hadn't had a proper conversation with Yi'er. She didn't know if he could adapt. She had also promised him that she would definitely get Yi Tong's agreement for their relationship, but before she could even get that agreement, she was trapped here, waiting to be rescued.
Once she was out, she would immediately seek their marriage and be with you, not apart for a moment.
Zheng Yu spent the entire afternoon lost in thought in the room, but one thing became even clearer: she had to be with Gu Yi, and she had to gain everyone's blessings.
Now, whenever she thought about when she would be able to see Gu Yi, and how scared and worried Gu Yi would be upon hearing this news, her heart felt as if it were being twisted.
She wasn't worried about her reputation or her life at all, because she believed in Lu Yu, whose medical skills were superb, in Gu Yi Tong, who was sharp-tongued but kind-hearted and resourceful, and also in Wu Shao, Lu Yu's young disciple who seemed lively and unreliable but was actually sincere to everyone.
She believed they would help her turn the tables.
Chen Qi's scheme would not succeed because she and Zhao Ran were solitary individuals cooperating for their own benefit, while she and her companions were sisters who genuinely protected each other.
As long as there was an entanglement of interests, there would definitely be a breakthrough.
The series of events, including the county magistrate's poisoning and the town head's imprisonment, had not spread. Not a single person in the manor went out at that time, not even Zhao Ran.
Qin Ze had originally intended to ask Zhao Ran for the prescription. However, Zhao Ran, citing that the county magistrate was still in critical condition and she wished to personally attend to him, had no intention of leaving. Naturally, she would be the one to prepare the medicine, and the prescription was not given to anyone.
The next morning, Gu Yi habitually waited at the entrance of the academy for Zheng Yu to meet him, but Zheng Yu never appeared.
"Yi'er, let's go inside. Isn't the county magistrate supposed to visit these two days? Perhaps Town Head Zheng is too busy to come."
It was very cold outside today, and the sky was overcast, likely signaling impending snow. The north wind was biting, making one's face stiff. Yet, Gu Yi was still waiting at the entrance.
"Too busy?" Gu Yi mumbled upon hearing Shen Xuan's words.
"Why don't you go in first? It's too cold outside. If you catch a cold, Town Head Zheng will be heartbroken." Shen Xuan pulled Gu Yi's arm and led him into the room at the entrance.
Yesterday, Zheng Yu had already found a way to secretly send a message to Lu Yu, meticulously describing all the events that had transpired.
Lu Yu and Gu Yi Tong discussed and decided not to tell Gu Yi yet, to avoid upsetting him.
Last night, Lu Yu had told Shen Xuan about this series of events, hoping that Shen Xuan could keep Gu Yi stable for these few days and prevent him from discovering the truth.
Shen Xuan looked at Gu Yi's thin and dejected back as he walked towards the stool, feeling a pang of sympathy.
The entire morning passed, and Gu Yi ultimately did not get to see Zheng Yu.
"Xuan'er, you have a class soon. You should go ahead. You don't need to stay here with me. She might just be too busy to come."
"Alright, I'll go then."
Gu Yi sat on the stool, fidgeting with his fingers, his brows furrowed. For some reason today, he felt a sense of unease.
"Master, I'm back. The guards at the prefectural office are very strict, and it's airtight. I couldn't find any opportunity to get in. However, I squatted by the entrance and saw the garbage they discarded, so I went to rummage through it."
Wu Shao said, pulling a large bundle from behind him with effort.
"You brought back all their garbage?" Gu Yi Tong was stunned, looking at the bag of items.
"Did no one see you when you took these things?" Lu Yu was more concerned that this might be a trap.
"Of course not. I grew up in the village, and I've done such things many times as a child, much like stealing fruit." Wu Shao raised his eyebrows proudly, then looked at Gu Yi Tong with a hint of disdain.
"Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to take it all at once. I moved it bit by bit."
The three quickly opened the bag. Inside were discarded handkerchiefs and clothing, likely belonging to the county magistrate. These items were stained with the county magistrate's vomit, sticky and gooey, making Gu Yi Tong wrinkle her nose in disgust.
Further down, they found some discarded pastries. The group immediately became serious.
The pastries had not been eaten yet. They were likely thrown out this morning and had already become quite hard, their shapes largely unchanged.
The group roughly sorted them into categories based on their appearance and smell.
"Lu Yu, there are four types of pastries here. Quickly come and see if there's anything wrong." Gu Yi Tong quickly beckoned Lu Yu.
"Only four types?" Lu Yu seemed a bit puzzled. She remembered Zheng Yu mentioning to her a few days ago that she wanted to prepare five portions of pastries, as it was auspicious. Yet, there were only four here.
"Stop looking! I've checked them all, and there are no overlaps with these styles. Come over and take a look first."
Lu Yu walked over and carefully examined each one, but found nothing amiss. "These pastries are all fine."
"Fine? Does that mean the poison isn't in the pastries?"
"No, it should be in the pastries that weren't taken out," Lu Yu shook her head, speaking with certainty.
"If you ask me, you don't need to investigate where the poison is. If you find it's in the pastries, wouldn't that further implicate Zheng Yu as the prime suspect? Moreover, Zheng Yu already told us in her letter that the county magistrate was poisoned by oleander."
"It's not necessarily so," Lu Yu frowned, contemplating the series of events.
Oleander was considered a potent poison in ancient times, causing death within fifteen minutes. In this world, Lu Yu had consulted medical texts, and there were no recorded cases of recovery to date.
It wasn't that she didn't believe Zhao Ran might have the capability. The main point was that she had taken over at a critical moment, and according to Zheng Yu, the time given to her was very short. How could she save the county magistrate's life in such a short period?
Lu Yu set the pastries aside and returned to the discarded garbage, observing it closely.
The vomit stains indicated that Zhao Ran had been very hurried during the process of inducing vomiting, and the county magistrate was still unconscious, having vomited a lot.
It was a pity it wasn't modern times; otherwise, it could have been detected through laboratory analysis.
Gu Yi Tong watched as Lu Yu picked up the vomit-stained clothes again, fanning the air with her fan to ward off the smell with a look of mixed emotions.
"What a shame, I can't smell anything," Lu Yu sighed powerlessly, squatting there.
Gu Yi Tong's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. "You call this nothing? You! You!"
Lu Yu ignored the startled Gu Yi Tong and squatted there, lost in thought.
Suddenly, she stood up, turned to the table, picked up a brush, and wrote a letter, asking Wu Shao to deliver it to Wuji.
"Did you find something?" Gu Yi Tong, seeing Lu Yu sitting on a chair, pressing her temples, thought Lu Yu had found a clue.
"No."
The two words left Gu Yi Tong speechless, and she sighed, also sitting on the stool in contemplation.
Zheng Yu was in the room drawing a small portrait of Gu Yi when she heard a tapping sound on the window, two short taps followed by one long one, the secret signal she had arranged with Wuji. She quickly put down her brush, went to the window, pushed it open a crack, and saw a letter inserted into the gap.