Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

"No, it's too late; the palace is already under lockdown."

Jiang Fulu replied anxiously, then gasped for breath and reassured her, "Miss, please don't worry. The messenger hasn't left yet. This old servant will go and fetch him right away."

Lin Wantang was anxious and quickly signaled to go and inform them.

A short while later, as she moved into the main hall, Jiang Fulu also led two men dressed as servants into the hall.

Exempting them from formalities, one of them bowed and said, "Young Miss, Master returned to the manor at 7 PM. He drank two cups of tea to ease the effects of the alcohol, and when he asked the servants to help him wash up, he suddenly felt extremely weak and dizzy. After resting for a while, he did not feel better; in fact, he vomited blood!"

"I didn't dare to make a fuss, so I summoned the physician in the manor to examine my pulse, but the pulse was normal and I didn't find anything unusual."

Lin Wantang curled her fingers in surprise. Weren't these symptoms almost identical to Wei Wujiu's?

She rubbed her temples, forcing herself to calm down, before getting up and asking carefully, "How is Father feeling? Is it a high fever or...?"

"Miss, the master doesn't have a high fever; on the contrary, his body temperature is ice-cold!"

It's exactly the same again.

That means it can't possibly be just a coincidence.

Lin Wantang's face darkened instantly. Unable to speak much with the servants, she asked Jiang Fulu to take her away to rest and return to the mansion early the next morning. But just as the two servants were about to leave, she noticed a person behind her with his head down and his eyes and eyebrows covered.

It's Jiang Sijiu.

"The one in the back, stay," Lin Wantang said.

Jiang Sijiu stopped in response, and Jiang Fulu and the servant also withdrew.

With no one else in the hall, Jiang Sijiu, with her keen hearing, stepped forward and whispered, "Miss, it's poisoning."

"Yes, the governor's symptoms are the same as my father's, so poisoning is the only possibility." Lin Wantang's worried expression turned even colder: "But the problem is, what kind of poison? It's not shown on the medical records."

The medical records don't reveal any clues, only some strange symptoms. Whether the condition will worsen or become fatal remains unknown, leaving us helpless in finding a cure.

Furthermore, in the heavily guarded palace, Wei Wujiu and Lin Rucong are both important officials in the court. Who would want to poison them? And why drag Lin Rucong into it? Is it to create a false impression, or... to kill two birds with one stone?

But what is the necessity of doing it this way?

If it were only Wei Wujiu who was poisoned, Lin Wantang would immediately conclude that it was Shen Huai'an without any deduction. But with Lin Rucong added, if the real culprit behind the poisoning is still Shen Huai'an, then what is he trying to do?

Using a poison that could be used without anyone noticing, Wei Wujiu and Lin Rucong were poisoned to death. In that court, there were still many people who opposed Shen Huai'an. Moreover, Lin Rucong had never taken sides and posed no threat to Shen Huai'an at all.

No matter how you look at it, there's a problem.

Lin Wantang was also confused, unable to figure it out and feeling anxious. Finally, she gritted her teeth and cleared her mind of doubts for the time being, and said to Jiang Sijiu, "I will handle these things, and they have nothing to do with you."

"Lin Qinglian has been exposed and defeated. Your sister and the child in her womb will be safe and sound. Keep these silver notes and find an opportunity to reunite with your sister. Live a good life from now on."

As she spoke, Lin Wantang took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve and handed them over.

Jiang Sijiu hesitated for a moment, then took the silver note, but said, "The matter of poisoning is no small thing. Perhaps I can still be of some use. Let me stay and help you first. Once you are safe and sound, I will go to find my sister."

Lin Wantang was preoccupied with figuring out how to detoxify and who was behind it all, so she didn't have time to think about anything else. She didn't try to comfort Jiang Sijiu, but nodded slightly and said, "Alright, after you leave the palace tomorrow, try to find Li Jinzhi, the Commander Li."

Wei Wujiu once said that his junior brother had learned a wide range of things, and knew a little about everything, including medicine, but he never saw Li Jinzhi treat or save anyone.

Even a dead horse can be brought back to life. What if Li Jinzhi, who secretly enjoys playing around and has a penchant for probing the unusual, knows or has heard of a strange poison?

Once you know what kind of poison it is, you'll find a way to detoxify it.

Otherwise, with hundreds of drugs available, almost all of which contain different levels of toxicity, how could one treat them haphazardly?

Lin Wantang gave detailed instructions, which Jiang Sijiu noted down before leaving. Jiang Fulu then came in, looking anxious and worried, saying, "Miss, this old servant just had someone inquire about it. The Grand Tutor ate very little at the palace banquet, barely touching his chopsticks, and only drank a few cups of wine..."

"Wine?" Lin Wantang's heart skipped a beat. Wei Wujiu had also drunk two cups of wine at the palace banquet. Could the poison have been put in the wine?

Jiang Fulu noticed her doubts and added, "But we can't investigate. All the utensils and porcelain cups used at the palace banquet have been cleaned one by one and taken away by the Imperial Household Department for storage. Besides..."

He then revealed that he had previously discovered that Li Fuhai had secretly ordered someone to alter a batch of silver bowls and chopsticks.

Lin Wantang closed her eyes and took a deep breath: "That's it. If it was intentional poisoning at the palace banquet, the altered silver bowls and chopsticks wouldn't be detected, and all the utensils and porcelain cups were washed afterwards..."

Where are we supposed to find evidence of poisoning? We can only accept our fate.

Jiang Fulu also realized this, and his face was full of worry and anger.

Lin Wantang narrowed her cold eyes and shook her head slightly: "Not necessarily. We must not let this matter leak out. If anyone asks tomorrow why the Grand Tutor's Mansion sent someone into the palace late at night, just say that my father is worried about me returning home to prepare for my marriage."

"Make sure everyone in Chen Tingxuan keeps their mouths shut. This time, we'll... play it by ear."

Jiang Fulu was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Lin Wantang would not only remain calm in the face of danger but also have a well-thought-out plan. He nodded repeatedly in agreement, secretly admiring her. She was indeed an extraordinary woman, worthy of being the one the adults had their eye on.

After settling everything in, Lin Wantang went to the study. A faint fragrance wafted in the air, and Wei Wujiu finally fell into a deeper sleep.

She didn't let anyone disturb him any further. She took off her outer robe, put on only her inner garment, and came to the bedside. She tucked him in and gazed at his peaceful sleeping face.

His eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and his heroic features had lost their usual aloofness. Due to the inexplicable poison in his body, he had become somewhat sickly, but not haggard. He was like a lion or tiger in a slumber, ready to show his fangs and claws at any moment.

"I'll make you feel better..."

Lin Wantang took a deep breath and then felt his hand under the covers to take his pulse.

The pulse was still normal.

What exactly is this strange poison?

Filled with doubt, Lin Wantang went to the cabinet and found another quilt, intending to spread it on the floor next to the soft couch and make a makeshift bed for the night. Otherwise, she couldn't feel at ease leaving him alone here.

As she was making the bed, lost in thought, she suddenly felt an arm encircle her waist. Startled, Lin Wantang felt a dizzying sensation, and before she could react, Wei Wujiu had dragged her onto the bed and pinned her down—