Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

Qiu Tong could not hide her fear and opened her mouth to scream.

But Jia Lian grabbed her and his strong hands easily pinched her cheeks, making her unable to make a sound.

Qiu Tong was desperate, and for a moment she thought that Jia Lian thought she was trying to harm him, so he wanted to kill her.

Having finally snapped out of her fear, Qiu Tong saw that although Jia Lian's face was gloomy, he did not show any signs of rage. She wanted to explain, but unfortunately, her mouth was being pinched and she could not say a word.

"My lord, she dared to poison you! Kill her!"

Aqin was also shocked by the sudden scene. Seeing that Jia Lian had controlled Qiu Tong in time and had not made a scene, she turned around, picked up her sword from the shelf, and asked Jia Lian if he would execute the maid who had plotted against him.

Jia Lian glanced at her, said nothing, and looked down at Qiu Tong, who was like a chick in his hands.

"From now on, obey my orders. If you utter even one more word, you will die. If you understand, nod."

Having been back in the capital for so many days, Jia Lian revealed for the first time the ruthlessness and killing intent he had honed on the battlefield, frightening Qiu Tong so much that she could only nod in agreement with Jia Lian's words.

Jia Lian then released her mouth. "Are you sure Yang Cuiyun gave this to you?"

"Yes, yes, it's her, she gave it to me personally... Second Master, you must..."

"Shut up."

Qiu Tong tried to explain, but Jia Lian interrupted her, so she could only lean nervously against him... Jia Lian was still holding the back of her neck, so she dared not move, fearing that the fierce woman next to her would misunderstand and stab her to death.

Jia Lian's murderous intent was already strong. He knew Qiu Tong quite well, so he believed that she was not lying.

He truly didn't expect that woman would actually dare to attack him. Ha, she really doesn't know what's good for her!

At the same time, he thought to himself, "As expected, self-interest can be very powerful..."

This is why Jia Lian instructed Wang Xifeng and others to be careful with their food and drink; not everyone in the world can clearly weigh the risks of life and death.

As long as there are enough benefits, there will always be people willing to take the risk!

What a brilliant plan! Once he dies, Jia She will only have one son, Jia Cong. Even if the family is unwilling, they will have no choice but to let Jia Cong inherit the title. Then, one by one, these insignificant illegitimate sons will be able to become the heirs of the Rongguo Mansion. As long as they outlive all the elders above them, they will become the undisputed figures in the Jia family!

The stakes involved are high enough, but the other party doesn't consider the possibility of success or the possibility of not being caught after success! Any failure would be enough to kill them.

Perhaps this is a matter of wishful thinking. History is full of examples of the weak defeating the strong, of those who took desperate risks to achieve victory…

If Yang was truly behind this, Jia Lian genuinely admired that woman. At least her decisiveness and ruthlessness were qualities that women like Madam Xing and Qiu Tong could never match.

Unfortunately, the other party was unaware of his vigilance.

Since returning, Jia Lian has not eaten anything of unknown origin here, so anyone who tries to poison him is doomed to die.

Right now, she's probably anxiously waiting outside the courtyard for a signal from inside the house, and perhaps there's more than one person there...

Thinking of this, Jia Lian beckoned to Aqin and whispered in her ear, "Go out through the back door quietly and call out..."

Ah Qin listened carefully to Jia Lian's instructions, nodded, left her sword with Jia Lian, and then slipped away through the back door as instructed.

Jia Lian calculated that the time was almost up before releasing Qiu Tong. "Now, do as I say. If I catch the mastermind behind this, I can spare your life. But if you make a single mistake, or if I fail to catch the person, you won't live to see tomorrow."

Qiu Tong covered her neck, now completely devoid of any desire to seduce Jia Lian, only filled with fear. Upon hearing this, she quickly nodded, indicating that she was willing to obey.

A moment later, Qiu Tong let out a scream that pierced the roof:

"Oh no, Second Master! Second Master has been poisoned..."

She immediately flung open the door and rushed out.

Aqi, who had deliberately stood a little further away from the door, suddenly changed her expression and, disregarding Qiutong, rushed into the room to check...

Just as Qiu Tong rushed out of the house and reached the middle of the yard, she saw a woman rushing over from around the corner.

It was Yang.

She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Second Master, Second Master... he's been poisoned! It's terrifying, so terrifying...!"

Qiu Tong looked terrified and spoke incoherently.

A surge of intense joy flashed in Madam Yang's eyes, but then she saw that Qiu Tong's voice had already attracted some people out, so she quickly said to her, "Did you poison the Second Master? This is a capital offense! You'd better run, run to a place where no one is around..."

Yang was certain that Qiu Tong, who was completely disoriented at this moment, was definitely not thinking clearly.

Sure enough, Qiu Tong immediately broke free from her, muttering, "No, I don't want to die, I don't want to die..."

Then I ran towards the gate.

Madam Yang frowned slightly, but didn't pay much attention. At this moment, Madam Xing appeared.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Madam...! Qiu Tong, Qiu Tong murdered Lian'er! She poisoned the soup she sent to Lian'er..."

"What??"

Madam Xing was shocked and rushed over immediately.

The other servants were also terrified by Yang's words. Second Master Lian really was poisoned?! What a disaster! Wouldn't this cause chaos?! Qiu Tong, how could she? How dare she…

But everyone heard Qiu Tong's scream and saw her stumble and run away, which made everyone's hearts sink.

Not only is Master Lian the eldest son of the family, but he is also a fourth-rank official. If he is murdered at home, others may not be able to say anything, but these servants will not be able to escape the consequences. Even if they don't die, they will be severely punished!

Madam Xing had no time to verify anything; she hurriedly climbed the steps and was about to barge into Jia Lian's room.

But then, Jia Lian, holding a sword, calmly walked out of the room.

Madam Xing and her entourage were all stunned, unable to understand what was going on.

Only Yang's expression changed drastically upon seeing this...

"First Madam~"

Jia Lian glanced coldly at the group of people below, giving Yang Shi a special look. Seeing that she could barely stand, he was greatly disappointed. He then turned and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Madam Xing.

Madam Xing subconsciously touched the back of her head and asked, "Lian'er, what exactly happened? I heard you were poisoned?"

"I wasn't poisoned, but someone did try to poison me."

Before Madam Xing and the others could even catch their breath, their expressions changed drastically again: Had someone really poisoned Second Master Lian?

"Who dares to do such a lawless and heinous thing... Is it really Qiu Tong?" Madam Xing just couldn't believe that Qiu Tong, that maid, would dare to plot against Jia Lian. What would she gain from it?

The maids and servants also had this question: Could it be that because Jia Lian had stopped getting along with Qiu Tong in private, Qiu Tong held a grudge and wanted to poison Jia Lian?

Jia Lian did not respond to Madam Xing's words, because Aqi had already brought out a chair from the room, and Jia Lian sat down without being polite.

He ordered Aqi to bring out the bowl of poison, then pointed and said, "This is the bowl of poisoned ginseng soup, and it was indeed brought by Qiutong."

Madam Xing's face contorted with rage, and she immediately shouted, "Go and bring back Qiu Tong, that treacherous servant who has betrayed her master!!"

The old women were about to leave to carry out their orders when Jia Lian waved his hand, saying, "Madam, there's no need to rush. Qiu Tong should be back soon."

Others did not understand her meaning. Yang, who was already leaning against a maid in the courtyard to barely stand, looked even paler.

Sure enough, Jia Lian's merciless gaze was already fixed on her.

Completely at a loss for what to do, all she could hear in her deafening ears was Jia Lian's cold, seemingly deadly voice:

"Don't worry about Qiutong for now. I'm quite curious, however, how did Auntie know that this ginseng soup was poisonous?"

Madam Yang forced a smile and said, "Young master, you are joking. How would I know if the ginseng soup is poisonous or not? But if you say it is poisonous, then it is naturally poisonous."

"Really? But I just heard my own ears as Auntie told the First Madam that I was poisoned by Qiu Tong, and that it was put in the soup she brought over. Could it be that Auntie knew all along that the soup was poisoned?"

When everyone saw Jia Lian suddenly turn his attention to Yang, they all looked over.

In fact, many people saw Yang's reaction just now, but they didn't have time to make the connection.

None of them were fools. At this moment, listening to Jia Lian's words, they all knew that Jia Lian suspected that Yang Shi had done it.

Madam Xing immediately turned around and stared at her, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She couldn't believe that this woman, who was so subservient to her and always tried to please her, would dare to do something so earth-shattering!

Poisoning Jia Lian? That's something she wouldn't even consider!

However, she knew Yang's thoughts better than the old women, and she did indeed remember that Yang seemed to have said something like that just now...

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Madam Yang's heart sank to the bottom of the sea, yet she still tried to argue, "Young master, you've wronged me! I only came to check on things after hearing Qiu Tong's voice. How could I know if you've been poisoned? I only heard it from Qiu Tong..."

"Oh, really? Well, Auntie's legs are quite nimble; she was the first to run over from so far away."

After Jia Lian finished speaking, he ignored Yang Shi, who was speechless with grievances, and looked towards the courtyard gate.

Sure enough, a short while later, Aqin walked back quickly. Behind her, Zhang Yong, Zhao Sheng, and others were escorting a middle-aged man who had obviously been beaten up.

Upon seeing this, Yang could no longer hold on and sat down on the ground.

She was truly desperate.

Just now she was thinking that if her brother could kill Qiu Tong, who had run away, as promised, then they would still have a sliver of hope to survive.

Because she was, after all, Jia She's official concubine, even if Jia Lian suspected her, he could not kill her on that grounds.

But at this moment, it is clear that the older brother has not succeeded. Not only has he failed, but he has also been captured!

At the same time, he began to feel an immense fear of Jia Lian.

She had just been wondering why Qiu Tong acted that way when Jia Lian was alright...

So it turns out, it was all to lure out her brother, no, to lure out the person behind her!

How could Jia Lian, who was known for his playfulness and lust, have become so shrewd and calculating?

She had originally planned that if Jia Lian was truly poisoned, Qiu Tong would definitely kill him. She planned to wait for Qiu Tong to run out in a panic, and then her brother, who was already hiding in the shadows, would silence her.

For example, she could be forced to commit suicide by hitting her head against a wall, thus creating a phenomenon of suicide out of fear of punishment.

Of course, she also had many plans to clean up the mess. For example, she had already come up with a reason for Qiu Tong's motive: that Qiu Tong harbored resentment towards Jia Lian for his heartlessness and ingratitude. She knew all the outrageous things Jia Lian had done in the courtyard.

Even that year, it was she who sent someone to report to Jia She when Jia Lian was beaten, which is why Jia She was able to accurately catch Jia Lian who stole from Mei Shi!

Unfortunately, despite Jia She's great anger that time, he still didn't kill Jia Lian...

Please remember the original domain name of this book: _wap.