Sheng Li drank the powder with a frantic gulp, then grabbed the water pitcher on the table and drank, not minding the taste at all.
Without a word of farewell, she fled at top speed.
Before Tao Lengshuang could say anything, two hidden guards quietly followed Sheng Li.
Tao Lengshuang let out a cold snort, her eyes sharp. If the Black Hand could use Sheng Li to scheme against her, she would use Sheng Li to scheme against the Black Hand in return.
"Doctor!"
At this moment, a hidden guard returned and reported, "Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou stopped Sheng Li, pulling and tugging at her, asking Sheng Li to help them."
Upon hearing this, Tao Lengshuang walked out of her home and saw what the hidden guard had described. Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou had blocked Sheng Li's path, begging Sheng Li to bestow some charity upon them, saying they could help her do many things. The greed in their eyes was almost tangible.
Sheng Li, eager to return and attend to her business, pushed Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou away, but she couldn't budge them. She cursed them fiercely.
Tao Lengshuang was happy to watch the spectacle, but she wondered what the Tao family was planning. She didn't believe the Tao family merely wanted to pester Sheng Li.
Was it for treatment, or did they want to treat the illness and scheme against her to get a large sum of money?
She leaned towards the latter, but how could the Tao family guarantee that Sheng Li would agree to their unreasonable demands?
Could it be that the Black Hand had done something else?
With this thought, she quickly walked up to Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou, her smile chilling, "Who in your Tao family is helping you this time?"
As soon as she appeared, Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou scattered like mice encountering a cat, darting far away. This gave Sheng Li the opportunity to escape these two rascals.
Seeing Sheng Li walk away, Tao Lengshuang glanced at Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou, "Do you want me to repeat myself?"
The moment Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou saw Tao Lengshuang, they felt intense pain. They shook their heads vigorously, "No, no."
Tao Lengshuang didn't want to stand in the heavy snow for too long, so she gestured for them to speak quickly.
Tao Lao Er and Tao Da Gou exchanged a look, then scurried away as if pursued by demons.
Tao Lengshuang was not in a hurry. She turned back into the main hall. There were hidden guards monitoring the Tao family. Since the hidden guards had not returned, it meant they were following the clues. She just needed to wait a bit longer.
Just as Tao Lengshuang had suspected, the hidden guards were indeed following the clues and had found the person who had met with the maid.
The person who met the maid was none other than A Jin.
After listening to the maid's report, A Jin's face turned sinister. "Tao Lengshuang is truly capable, to have provoked the Tao family. It's also your fault for being useless."
The maid, no longer arrogant as she was in front of the Tao family, knelt on the ground in panic, "Please spare this servant, manager. It is my fault for not handling the matter properly."
A Jin cursed her as useless but didn't truly harm the maid. "Hurry up with the Tao family. Resolve Tao Lengshuang as soon as possible. She must not be allowed to live, understand?"
The maid repeatedly agreed, breathing a sigh of relief. Once she dealt with Tao Lengshuang, the manager would surely take her as a concubine, and then she would have all the wealth and status she desired.
A Jin gave the maid a few more instructions, glanced around vigilantly, and then got into a nearby carriage, unaware that a hidden guard was quietly following him.
The hidden guard followed A Jin's carriage through winding paths, out of Lotus Town and into Dongdu. The carriage then stopped in front of the gate of a two-courtyard residence on the west side of Dongdu.
A Jin got out of the carriage, cautiously looked around, and then pushed open the gate to enter. He went directly to the courtyard next to the main courtyard.
Seeing the middle-aged man sitting in the place of honor, he immediately became obsequious, bowing and scraping as he said, "My apologies for keeping you waiting, I am late."
The middle-aged man had a long scar on his right cheek. Coupled with his fierce expression, he could scare the timid to death.
"How did the matter go?"
A Jin shook his head, indicating that it hadn't gone well, and shifted the blame. "To be honest, ever since Tao Lengshuang changed, she has become increasingly difficult to deal with. I even suspect she might have been replaced."
"But she was always being watched by A Qing, so there's no possibility of her being replaced. However, I can't understand why her transformation is so drastic."
It was also A Qing's incompetence, for failing to keep a good watch on Tao Lengshuang and for exposing himself, that led to his death at the hands of his master. He didn't even leave a complete corpse behind.
The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and then whispered something to A Jin, "Do you remember? If you fail to complete this matter, you will bring your head to see me."
A Jin first flattered him, then promised to handle the matter properly.
The middle-aged man waved his hand, dismissing A Jin.
A Jin bowed and retreated. However, the hidden guard, concealed in the shadows, did not follow A Jin. He remained in place, watching the middle-aged man, wanting to see if he would meet anyone or do anything.
But the middle-aged man never left the residence.
Not daring to give up easily, the hidden guard used a special method to transmit a message to his companion.
Upon receiving the message, his companion reported the matter to Tao Lengshuang.
Tao Lengshuang was reading Mo Lingxi's letter when she heard this. She now understood the Black Hand's scheme and intentions. She had to admit, they were worthy of being called the Black Hand; to prevent her from exposing them, they used layers upon layers of hierarchical methods to protect themselves.
Did the Black Hand really think that by using such methods, she wouldn't be able to find out who he was?
"Doctor, my companion did not overhear A Jin and that person discussing their scheme. I fear it might be detrimental to you." the hidden guard said.
Tao Lengshuang was also a little worried about this matter, her brow furrowing slightly. "The Black Hand has a scheme, and I have a countermeasure."
She glanced at the continuously falling snow outside and asked the hidden guard for a favor. This time, she hoped the Black Hand would like the grand gift she was sending him.
The hidden guard assured her he would handle it and asked Tao Lengshuang to be careful recently.
Tao Lengshuang squeezed her slightly tired brow, agreeing to be more careful, and inquired about Sheng Li's situation.
The hidden guard's eyes showed disgust, and his tone was light. "She went back and had a quarrel with A Jin, asking him to help her. But A Jin ignored her, and still is ignoring her. It's estimated he wants to make Sheng Li wait."
Tao Lengshuang thought for a moment and understood A Jin's intentions. Now, the only person Sheng Li could rely on was A Jin. Therefore, A Jin intended to make Sheng Li wait appropriately, so that he could further use her to scheme against her.
"No need to worry for now. Sheng Li will continue to cause trouble. When Sheng Li causes more trouble, we will simply add fuel to the fire."
The hidden guard responded with an "Yes" and retreated.
Tao Lengshuang continued to read the letter in her hand, her mood slightly improved. Mo Lingxi could not return for the time being; he and Zi Cheng had reached a distant city.
Mo Lingxi told her not to worry about his identity being exposed, as he had made arrangements for that. As for Sheng Li, there was even less to worry about. She couldn't stir up much trouble, at most, she would be used by the Black Hand to scheme against her and General Sheng's couple.
The letter also stated that he had already identified several suspicious individuals, investigating from both General Sheng and Madam Sheng's sides, but further investigation was needed to determine who the Black Hand was.
At the end of the letter, he urged Tao Lengshuang and Xiao Feng to be careful, to take care of themselves, and to let the hidden guards handle any matters. If the hidden guards couldn't handle something, they should inform him. He did not mention his own situation at all.
After finishing the letter, Tao Lengshuang carefully folded it and put it away, pondering over a matter.