Chapter 790 - 792: Finally Solved at the Root
In the first month after babies are born, they basically just eat, sleep, and cry while soiling their diapers. So, even if the children are sluggish and sleep more than normal, it can be difficult to detect.
The twins showed the same symptoms as Bai Ruozhu, being lethargic and excessively sleepy. Given that infants’ vision is not fully developed, the poison affecting their sight wouldn’t be easily detected either.
Indeed, the twins and Bai Ruozhu were poisoned with the same toxin, and the twins were poisoned first.
Bai Ruozhu finally realized why she was in such a hurry to assist Yu Hongxiu in giving birth and, because of the sudden discovery of Deng Shi and the midwife’s conspiracy, she overlooked this. Or rather, she never imagined that Yu Hongxiu would get poisoned, especially a poison aimed at her unborn babies.
Of course, the poison wasn’t administered on that day. It had been administered to the unborn babies beforehand and Bai Ruozhu got infected when she was injured by the scissors used to cut the umbilical cord.
However, this poison acts slowly, and because it is brought from the womb, it mutates a little. Thus, Bai Ruozhu didn’t detect it until the poison began to act.
The person who poisoned them is wicked! This poison carried out from the womb can be cured within a month after birth. But if it’s left longer than a month, it’s much harder to cure. Not only would the child end up blind as they grow, but they would also have a short life. It’s extremely hard to realize that such a small child has been poisoned.
If Bai Ruozhu hadn’t also been poisoned quickly, even if she took the baby’s pulse, it might have been hard to discover the poison.
Was it Deng Shi’s doing? But Bai Ruozhu felt it unlikely. If she had already poisoned them, why would she go to such lengths to mess with Yu Hongxiu’s delivery?
So, if it wasn’t Deng Shi, who was it in the Xie Residence?
"Ruozhu, what’s wrong? The children are ok, right?" Yu Hongxiu asked anxiously.
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "It’s nothing. I just had a little stomachache, no need to worry."
Telling Yu Hongxiu wouldn’t help, and it might just worry her and affect her postnatal recovery. It’s better to discuss this with Mr. Xie.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hongxiu heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You really scared me."
Understanding her daughter much better, Lin Ping’er felt that Bai Ruozhu was definitely hiding something. But since Bai Ruozhu didn’t want Yu Hongxiu to know, she decided to ask her when they returned home.
Bai Ruozhu chatted with Yu Hongxiu for a while, reminding her of some matters to pay attention to during her postpartum confinement, then said goodbye with her mother.
As they left Yu Hongxiu’s yard, Lin Ping’er couldn’t help but ask, "Ruozhu, are you hiding something?"
Bai Ruozhu held her mother’s hand and said, "Let’s find Mr. Xie and talk about it together."
Luckily, they bumped into Mr. Xie on their way to the front yard. Bai Ruozhu didn’t hold back and told him about the poison affecting the children even before they were born. Hearing this, Mr. Xie was taken aback, and Lin Ping’er was also frightened, constantly asking, "The children will be ok, won’t they?"
"If it hadn’t been detected, it would be hard to treat after their first month. It’s lucky the poison was transmitted to me, so I found out," said Bai Ruozhu.
On hearing this, Lin Ping’er anxiously asked, "How could it have been transmitted to you?"
"Mother, you forgot I got pricked by the same scissors used to cut the babies’ umbilical cord," Bai Ruozhu replied.
Mr. Xie quickly bowed to Bai Ruozhu and said, "I’m really sorry for the trouble, Ruozhu. Please, you have to save Hongxiu and the two children. I, Xie Dun, will never forget this kindness."
Bai Ruozhu pretended to support Mr. Xie and said, "You’re my uncle’s master, and Sister Hongxiu is my good friend. It’s my duty, but since Sister Hongxiu is still recovering, we should keep this from her to prevent her from worrying and falling ill."
"Yes, yes, that’s what we should do." Pleasing Bai Ruozhu with a grateful smile, Mr. Xie agreed.
"I will treat the children, but you should also look into your household. The poison didn’t appear in a day or two. If there are still hidden dangers around, Sister Hongxiu and the babies will still be at risk. I don’t think it was Deng Shi. Otherwise, she would not need to go to such lengths to cause trouble during Sister Hongxiu’s delivery," Bai Ruozhu instructed.
Mr. Xie’s mood fell; before he even became an officer, such a big event had occurred in his home. How would he manage in the future? He had shortcomings in managing his household.
"It’s also possible Deng Shi wanted to harm Sister Hongxiu, but you should be careful with others, such as Deng Jiayin. She might have felt that you wronged her, and think Sister Hongxiu stole her husband. She might be holding a grudge," Bai Ruozhu added.
"This..." Mr. Xie reddened with embarrassment. He thought Bai Ruozhu didn’t know about the incident that year.
Without lingering, Bai Ruozhu took her mother and left. Now that the situation with the children was clear, it would be easier to prepare the antidote. However, there was one rare ingredient, so she had to ask the Commerce Association for assistance.
Thinking about this, she asked her mother to go home first, and she herself went to the Commerce Association. There, Lin Zhenghui conveniently sent her a message saying Princess Diao Bin didn’t go for her connubial visit. The Emperor made a county princess into a real princess for Chengshui Country to marry. But Zhou Jue flatly refused, saying that considering his status, he should at least marry a bona fide princess, otherwise it would mean that Danliang Country was insulting Chengshui Country.
In the end, Emperor Wuning, Tang Yin, refused. The Chengshui Country’s diplomatic corps left in a hurry, and it can be said that they left in bad faith. People in the court guessed that Chengshui Country would fall out with Danliang Country. They thought the Emperor was too soft-hearted and didn’t prioritize the country’s affairs.
After reading the secret letter, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but curl her lips in disdain. How is it that the Emperor was too soft-hearted? Just because he didn’t sacrifice his sister for the so-called peace, and didn’t make Danliang Country lose face in front of the world, thus making Danliang seem afraid of Chengshui, he was not a good Emperor? These are utter nonsense. If a country’s peace and prosperity can only be achieved by sacrificing a lady, everything would merely be an illusion, and couldn’t last for long.
She sincerely felt happy for Princess Diao Bin. The princess has a caring Royal Brother, which is indeed rare. Not every emperor can do the same.
Bai Ruozhu also had a better opinion of Emperor Wuning because of this news.
"The material you are looking for has not been found," the secret letter ended.
This was Bai Ruozhu’s and Lin Zhenghui’s agreed code. ’Material’ referred to Elder Shougu. There was still no news about Elder Shougu. Could he have returned to Miaojiang?
Bai Ruozhu felt it was pointless to think about this now, so she decided to leave a letter asking the Commerce Association to find medicinal materials for her. Her proposal about brand taxes had given her some minor fame in the Commerce Association, so when she mentioned it to the manager in Beiyu City, he immediately set to it enthusiastically.
A couple of days later, the medicinal materials were found and brought to Bai Ruozhu. She tested the medicines and finally developed the antidote. She took advantage of her visit to Yu Hongxiu and showed the antidote to Mr. Xie. Then she gave the antidote to the children secretly, without notifying Yu Hongxiu.
After feeding them the antidote, she heaved a sigh of relief. When she looked up, she saw their wet nurse hiding in a corner, watching her with suspicion and anger in her eyes...