Chapter 808 - 810 Showing off in front of an Expert_1
Bai Ruozhu, standing at an angle where she could not see the maid’s expression, sniffed the air, and suddenly her eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Nanny, don’t drink!"
Unfortunately, the old lady Meng had already taken a sip of the tea. She froze and was so angry she almost smashed the teacup, but then she raised her hand and carefully placed the cup back on the table.
Wang Miaoshuang watched the old lady drink the tea, a triumphant glimmer flashing in her eyes, but her satisfaction lasted only a second. The old lady spit out the tea onto the floor, with such force as if she were spitting at Wang Miaoshuang.
Shuxin hurriedly fetched some clean water for the old lady to rinse her mouth, while Nanny Lu, infuriated, rushed over and kicked the maid who served the tea, demanding, "Who sent you? What did you add to the tea?"
The maid trembled on the floor, stammering, "This servant doesn’t know, I truly don’t know."
Wang Miaoshuang’s glance towards Bai Ruozhu was filled with resentment; it was her again, ruining Wang’s plot!
"What is this fuss about, as if the tea could be poisoned?" Wang Miaoshuang feigned ignorance and asked.
Bai Ruozhu snorted coldly, "Some people do not believe I am a true doctor, it seems they are unaware of my medical skills. I dare not boast, but to try to use drugs in my presence is simply foolish." She said, lifting her chin proudly and giving Wang Miaoshuang a challenging look, "Just by smell, I can detect the drug that causes temporary unconsciousness."
"Oh really, knocking out this old wife and then calling someone to cure me, all the while checking on Jinxia? Wang Miaoshuang, what a clever scheme!" The old lady Meng’s hand trembled with anger, and she did not mince her words, directly calling out Wang Miaoshuang by name.
"Mother, why would you say that? That maid is not from my yard, and besides, don’t believe Bai Ruozhu just because she yells. How can her nose be so sharp; she’s not a dog." Wang Miaoshuang retorted sarcastically.
Bai Ruozhu did not stoop to her level but glanced at the tea on the table and said, "This is simple. Why not find a cat or dog to try the tea and see if there’s something wrong with it?"
The old lady nodded and immediately arranged for it. Soon, Shuxin found a white cat in the yard and poured a small part of the tea from the cup for the cat to drink. Indeed, not long after, the cat collapsed to the ground with a thud, as if asleep, and remained unresponsive no matter how much Shuxin prodded it with her toe.
"Take good care of the cat and keep observing if there is any other problem; this is an attempt at murder! Nanny Lu, go find the city lord and have him decide for me," the old lady ordered.
Wang Miaoshuang’s face changed, and she glared at the maid crying on the floor, then through gritted teeth said, "For daring to plot against the old lady, she cannot be let off lightly. Drag her away and give her twenty heavy blows!"
"Hold on!" the old lady called out, stopping her, "The person hasn’t been properly interrogated. What’s the rush?"
Wang Miaoshuang had no choice but to stop there, while Bai Ruozhu signaled to Shuxin with her eyes to keep an eye on the tea on the table, not to let anyone take advantage of the situation. Sure enough, after a short while, the maid lying on the ground suddenly jumped up, rushing towards the teacup on the table, but Shuxin was prepared, and with a swing, she slapped the maid, which dumbfounded her.
Bai Ruozhu stepped forward and kicked the maid’s knee, eliciting a scream from her. The maid collapsed to the ground again, crying and clutching her knee.
"Keep up the act and it won’t just be a leg that gets broken!" Bai Ruozhu said sternly. She would not be polite to anyone who dared to harm the people she cared about. As for Wang Miaoshuang, it was time to settle their scores that day.
Bai Ruozhu, for the sake of the bigger picture, had not wanted to clash too severely with Wang Miaoshuang, but now that Wang had dared to poison the old lady, this was something Bai could not forgive!
Finally, Meng Liangshen was summoned back home, his face ominous and terrible, and upon entering the Yard, he said, "This Residence is truly in chaos. Madam, how exactly do you manage this household, to let a servant plot against your mother-in-law?"
If Meng Liangshen had directly asked whether it was Wang Miaoshuang’s doing, she could have dodged the question or claimed Meng Liangshen was accusing her falsely, but Meng Liangshen criticized her lack of strict household management instead. Her gaze shifted slightly, and in the end, she could only grit her teeth and say, "I have been negligent in my management, please, my Lord, punish me."
Meng Liangshen snorted coldly, "This is not the first or second time. Last time, such messy rumors could be spread outside the Residence, causing me to lose all face in the City. Now, someone even dares to harm the old Madam; it’s complete chaos. Enough, let’s not waste words. I’ll temporarily hand over the management of the Residence to the second wife!"
The second wife also attended the banquet, but since Meng Jinxia was not a concubine-born daughter of the second branch, she did not join in the excitement. Moreover, seeing Wang Miaoshuang’s conspiracy, she especially stayed away. Otherwise, she would have been overjoyed upon hearing this.
"My Lord, how can you..." Wang Miaoshuang’s eyes widened in anger, but unfortunately, Meng Liangshen had no intention of giving her another glance, his face stern as he said, "Haven’t you always been lax in managing the household? Don’t you deserve punishment?"
Wang Miaoshuang was left speechless, and unable to say anything at the moment, she had no choice but to hand over the steward’s medallion and keys under Meng Liangshen’s fierce glare.
"This maid will be handed over to me for interrogation; we must find out who is behind this," said Meng Liangshen through clenched teeth.
The old Madam told him about the cat’s testing of the tea and its subsequent fainting, deepening the gravity of Meng Liangshen’s countenance. He turned to Bai Ruozhu and bowed, "Ruozhu, I truly can’t thank you enough for today. If not for you, the old Madam might have indeed been harmed. To have such events occur within this Residence truly chills my heart."
Bai Ruozhu returned his bow, "City Lord, you are too polite. Grandmother has been so kind to me; it’s only right that I did what I could."
Meng Liangshen did not continue with the public investigation; an open and conspicuous interrogation would only further disgrace the Meng Residence. Bai Ruozhu too understood this principle and promptly mentioned she needed to return home to care for her children, leaving early.
The old Madam, fearing that Bai Ruozhu might be targeted again, had Nanny Lu personally escort her to the Main Gate.
When Bai Ruozhu arrived home, Jiang Yichun had returned to the Yard, playing with Dengdeng, while her parents were in the Main house talking. Aunt Lin and Sister Zhang were looking after Niuniu and Rongrong, teaching them simple sewing tasks.
For a moment, she felt sentimental, thinking how good it was to be home. Her family had once been very poor and even now could not compare with the splendor of the Meng Residence; it was unlikely her family could ever catch up, no matter how hard they worked. But there was peace and warmth in her home; something no amount of gold could buy.
Jiang Yichun noticed Bai Ruozhu’s gaze and smiled slightly, "Why are you standing there like an idiot? Why don’t you hurry over?"
Bai Ruozhu snapped back to reality, a sweet smile spreading across her face as she quickly walked towards her husband and son.
"You look truly beautiful today!" Jiang Yichun whispered into her ear.
He had left early in the morning and had not seen Bai Ruozhu dressed up for the banquet. Now that he saw her, he was instantly smitten.
Bai Ruozhu pushed him playfully, her face blushing as she said, "Stop it, I should go talk to Dad and Mom first."