The old madam's summer cold never improved. She took one dose of medicine after another, but her condition worsened. Doctors were changed repeatedly, yet none could cure her, and she was eventually bedridden.
Seeing that his mother could no longer get out of bed, Xiao Zhen immediately sent someone with his calling card to summon an imperial physician to examine the old madam. After the physician's examination, he hesitated to speak.
"Imperial Physician, what is wrong with my mother?" Xiao Zhen inquired.
"This… it's hard to say. The old madam is advanced in age," the physician said, sitting by the desk and writing a prescription. "Her pulse is very strange. The symptoms resemble a summer cold, but the pulse does not. I need to consider this carefully."
"This… if it's not a summer cold, could it be heatstroke?"
The imperial physician sighed, shaking his head, but said nothing further. He lowered his head and continued writing the prescription. Ying Xue, meanwhile, carefully observed everyone in the room, looking for any unusual expressions.
"Father, don't worry. Grandmother will be fine," Xiao Man said gently, comforting him. "Imperial Physician, what exactly is wrong with my grandmother? If it's a summer cold, why hasn't the medicine worked? Instead, she's gotten worse, and she can't even get out of bed these past two days."
"Yes, Grandmother can't get out of bed, so she won't be able to attend the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. The banquet is in two days." The fourth young lady, being young, was concerned about the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet. Without the old madam accompanying her, she feared she wouldn't be able to enter the palace.
The old madam struggled to sit up, but she was too weak and lay back down. The imperial physician glanced at the old madam, then at Xiao Zhen.
"General, the old madam is likely poisoned."
"Poisoned!" Everyone was shocked. The old madam wasn't suffering from a summer cold but was poisoned!
Xiao Man had a maid help her to the bedside. "Grandmother, don't worry, the imperial physician will surely find a way."
The old madam found it difficult even to speak. Her courtyard was well-guarded, her food was extremely carefully prepared, and she had Granny Shen attending her. It was impossible for her to be poisoned. Her gaze swept around the room, searching. "Granny Shen…"
"Granny? Do you mean Granny Xu?"
The old madam moved her lips. "Granny Shen…" Su Dan Novel Network
"Granny Xu, come quickly, what is Grandmother saying?"
Granny Xu leaned close to the old madam's mouth and listened for a while. "She says Granny Shen."
"What? Granny Shen poisoned the old madam?" the second young lady immediately exclaimed. "Where is Granny Shen? Find that old hag quickly! She has served Grandmother for many years and earned her trust. How dare she poison Grandmother!"
The old madam's eyes widened. She had meant to call for Granny Shen, not accuse her of poisoning. She shot a resentful glance at the second young lady, who didn't notice her at all.
Xiao Ling, however, realized what was happening and quickly asked, "Does Grandmother wish to find Granny Shen?"
The old madam nodded quickly. The second young lady breathed a sigh of relief. "So, she wanted to find Granny Shen. I thought she was accusing Granny Shen of poisoning. That's good. Where is Granny Shen? She usually brews Grandmother's medicine. Is she in the small kitchen?"
The maid went to the small kitchen to look for her, but she wasn't there. She then went to Granny Shen's room. Upon opening the door, she saw Granny Shen hanging from the beam, motionless, and immediately screamed.
Xiao Zhen was inquiring about the specifics with the imperial physician, asking if there was a cure. If his mother hadn't been sick for so long and the medicine hadn't worked, he might not have even suspected anything. As they were talking, he heard a scream from outside.
Xiao Zhen felt a sense of unease and strode out. "What happened?"
"I don't know. The scream came from outside."
At that moment, a maid stumbled in from outside. "Bad news, bad news! Granny Shen has hanged herself."
Upon hearing this, the old madam gasped and fainted. The others looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
"Why would Granny Shen hang herself all of a sudden? Could it be that she really poisoned Grandmother?" the second young lady interjected at the opportune moment.
Xiao Zhen was silent for a moment. "Someone, go and search her room."
The steward immediately led people to search Granny Shen's room. They found many bottles and jars. Xiao Zhen's brows furrowed as he looked at them. "Where did these come from?"
"Reporting to the General, they were found in a hidden compartment inside Granny Shen's wardrobe."
Xiao Zhen looked at the imperial physician, who quickly stepped forward to examine them. Upon seeing them, he was terrified. "General, these… these are all poisons."
The imperial physician opened a few of the bottles and then took out one. "This medicine is quite vicious. It's called 'Autumn Serenity.' The symptoms of those poisoned by it are similar to a summer cold. It is likely the old madam was poisoned by this."
"So, Grandmother's illness was indeed poisoning, and Granny Shen administered it?" Xiao Man asked in surprise. "But Granny Shen has served Grandmother for many years. They had no enmity. Why would she poison Grandmother?"
"Eldest Young Lady, people's hearts are treacherous. Who knows why this old hag poisoned the old madam? The urgent matter is to find the antidote and save the old madam," the third concubine immediately said.
"I find this matter rather suspicious. Granny Shen has been with the old madam for many years. How could she suddenly poison her? Perhaps someone framed her?" the fourth concubine, speaking for the first time in a while, said.
"Speaking of which, this reminds me of something else," the second young lady said slowly. "Some time ago, Eldest Sister and Fourth Sister were weak and did not recover for a long time. The doctors said it was due to weakness. Later, they inexplicably recovered. However, Eldest Sister's health remains fluctuating. Could she also have been poisoned?"
Lin Concubine's eyelids twitched. Xiao Man's weakness in the past was due to the poison she administered. Fourth Young Lady's weakness was retaliation from the Eldest Young Lady, who had poisoned her. If this matter were investigated, both she and Fourth Young Lady would be in trouble!
"Perhaps it was this old hag who secretly did it!"
Xiao Zhen's face darkened. If the young ladies of the household were poisoned by this old hag, whose orders was she following? Xiao Zhen's gaze fell upon the unconscious woman on the bed. In the past, he would have thought it a frame-up, but after so many incidents, he felt his own mother was capable of such cruelty.
"Can the antidote be found?"
"If there is a poison, there must be an antidote. Uncle Lu, why don't we thoroughly search Granny Shen's room again? Don't overlook any suspicious places."
"Yes, Eldest Young Lady."
The steward led people to search the room again, this time not even sparing the floor. They indeed found something. Beneath Granny Shen's bed, under a loose floorboard, was a small chest filled with bottles and jars. These turned out to be antidotes.
The imperial physician searched for the antidote to Autumn Serenity and administered it to the old madam. Xiao Zhen then instructed him to keep silent and sent him away with a bag of silver.