The Grand Secretary has no heir? His concubine gives birth to triplets.

Lu Yi responded and was about to leave when she suddenly stopped.

"Miss, that maid also recited a poem."

"What poem?"

Luyi thought for a moment and said softly, "The rain outside the green gauze window is like silk."

With a snap, Xue Lingyi's silver scissors cut nothing.

She looked up, her face drained of color.

"What did you say?"

Startled by her expression, Lüyi quickly said, "It's that line of poetry, 'Outside the green gauze window...'"

"Let her in!"

Xue Lingyi stood up abruptly, and the silver scissors in her hand hit the edge of the table and bounced off, spilling the medicinal herbs all over the table.

She didn't care about anything else, pointing to the door, "Go quickly!"

When Lianhua was led into the warm pavilion, her legs almost went weak.

The most respectable place she had ever been to in her life was the Songhe Garden of the Pei family mansion; the threshold of the Minister's mansion almost tripped her up.

He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed deeply.

When Xue Lingyi asked, he finally finished reciting the entire poem, his tongue tied in knots.

"Rain falls like silk outside the green gauze window, I sit alone... alone at dusk, who knows?"

"In my next life... I wish... I wish to be a lotus root in a pond, so that even if the root is broken, the threads will still connect us."

Xue Lingyi pressed her hand to her chest, her fingers gripping her clothes inch by inch.

She cursed those last two sentences for three whole months!

They criticized the person who wrote the poem for lacking taste and for wasting a precious resource.

They criticized her for being capable of writing lines like "A thousand mountains covered in snow at dusk, reflecting on a cold quilt," instead choosing to use such rubbish words to mock herself.

The person who wrote this poem had his entire family executed a year ago.

She didn't even get to see the body.

Xue Lingyi's eyes suddenly reddened, and her throat felt like it was filled with damp cotton.

"Where is the person who taught you this poem now?!"

Lianhua lay prostrate on the ground and honestly replied, "In the woodshed in the outer courtyard of the Pei residence."

"Someone died at Songhe Garden yesterday, and Miss was there, so she must know something about it."

"Sister Suyue is dead. Cuiping publicly identified Guo'er, saying that Suyue was poisoned because she drank the tea that Guo'er poured."

"The Prime Minister has already ordered her to be locked up."

As Lianhua spoke, her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"If we can't clear our names today, Guo'er might... might not survive."

Xue Lingyi's heart skipped a beat.

Her temples throbbed, and she involuntarily clenched her fingers, asking for details of what had happened.

A moment later, she took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and placed it in Lotus's hand.

"Here you go! Don't tell anyone you were here when you get back!"

Lotus accepted the bracelet with both hands, but before she could even thank him, Green Ripple led her out.

The warm room quieted down.

Xue Lingyi stood by the window for a long time, her fingers tightening little by little, leaving red marks on her palms.

Shunshun, are you really still alive?

"Green Ripples".

"This servant is here."

"Go to the storeroom and fetch two bolts of Shu brocade, choose a pattern suitable for the old lady, and prepare my acupuncture medicine box."

Green Ripple was taken aback: "Miss, what are you going to do...?"

"The matriarch of the Pei family was frightened yesterday, and as a junior, it is my duty to visit her."

"I studied medicine with my master in Jiangnan for a few years, so I can help soothe the old lady's nerves."

After saying that, Xue Lingyi changed into a brightly colored jacket and skirt and boarded the carriage.

Pei Residence.

The old lady was sitting on the couch eating walnut milk when she heard that Xue Lingyi had arrived. Her eyes lit up and she immediately shoved the porcelain cup into Li Mama's hand.

"Quick, help me lie down!"

Granny Li was taken aback: "The Old Madam?"

"What are you standing there for? I was so frightened yesterday, shouldn't I be a little weak?"

"Where's the forehead band? Bring me the dark blue one embroidered with the character '福' (fortune). Also, put some tea on my face, so I don't look too healthy."

Granny Li suppressed a laugh and quickly took out a headband to tie it on for her.

The old lady leaned back on the couch, her hand on her forehead, and cleared her throat.

"Ouch……"

This was the scene that Xue Lingyi saw when she entered the room.

The old lady had a ruddy complexion and a strong voice, but she insisted on pretending to be extremely frightened.

Xue Lingyi knew what was going on, but she didn't show it on her face.

"Lingyi greets the Old Madam. Yesterday, a sudden incident occurred at the manor, and I was so frightened that I left my seat. After returning home, I became increasingly uneasy, so I came to visit you today."

The old lady exclaimed "Ouch!" again.

"Good child, it's kind of you to have this thought. Yesterday's scene almost scared me to death, let alone you young girls."

I didn't sleep well last night; my head is throbbing and my heart is racing.

Xue Lingyi approached and said gently:

"When Lingyi was in Jiangnan, she studied medicine under a female physician for several years. If you trust her, Madam, why don't you let Lingyi take your pulse?"

The old lady was just wondering how to keep the person, and upon hearing this, she immediately extended her wrist.

Xue Lingyi sat on the embroidered stool and placed three fingers on the old lady's wrist for pulse.

The pulse is steady and strong, and the stomach qi is sufficient; everything is fine.

She deliberately frowned.

"Has the matriarch been experiencing frequent bloating in her sides lately? Are you having many dreams at night? Does she have a bitter taste in her mouth upon waking?"

The old lady nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. I dreamt all night last night, and when I woke up, my tongue tasted bitter."

Granny Li lowered her head and her shoulders trembled slightly.

Xue Lingyi pretended not to see it.

"The old lady is in good health, but she has been worrying too much, which has caused stagnation of liver qi. Yesterday she was also frightened, which has disrupted her qi flow, causing her headache and palpitations."

The old lady hurriedly asked, "Is there any way to ease the situation?"

"You can use ginger-separated moxibustion."

Xue Lingyi opened the medicine box and took out slices of old ginger and moxa wool.

"Moxibustion on Neiguan, Shenmen, and Zusanli acupoints can calm the mind and regulate Qi."

The old lady readily agreed, beaming with joy, "Then I'll trouble you."

The maid brought over a small stool, and Lüyi washed her hands to prepare mugwort.

Xue Lingyi moved skillfully, first wiping the acupoints with a warm cloth, then covering them with ginger slices, and finally lighting the moxa cone.

The old lady squinted her eyes and sighed contentedly.

"Your method is good; it's much better than those bitter medicines."

Xue Lingyi smiled faintly.

"My master practiced medicine in Jiangnan for many years, and was most skilled in acupuncture and detoxification."

"Your medical skills are limited; you can only treat minor ailments."

As she said this, she seemed to suddenly remember something.

"Speaking of which, the maid named Suyue yesterday was spitting out black blood and had spasms in her throat. The onset was also very sudden, so she was most likely poisoned."

"I wonder if the prefecture has conducted a thorough investigation?"

The old lady's smile faded slightly.

"Yan'er found the murderer last night and locked him up."

Xue Lingyi looked up, her expression perfectly timed with surprise. "So fast?"

The old lady looked displeased.

"The evidence is conclusive. It was the maid who poured the tea who poisoned her. Su Yue died because she drank the tea she poured."

Xue Lingyi did not refute, and her tone remained gentle:

"Poison is not like salt in the kitchen, which you can just grab a handful of."

The room suddenly fell silent.

The old lady's brows slowly furrowed.

Xue Lingyi said worriedly, "If an ordinary maid can easily obtain potent poison, wouldn't there be some left in the manor?"

"If the poison is hidden in the Pei residence, and it can kill Su Yue today, could it accidentally harm someone else tomorrow?"

The old lady's expression changed instantly.

She could be indifferent to the life or death of a maid, but she could not be indifferent to the safety of the entire Pei household, especially Pei Yan.

"Yesterday's birthday banquet was attended by many distinguished guests. It's truly strange that someone would poison a maid."

Xue Lingyi paused for a moment, feeling increasingly uneasy the more she thought about it.

"What if the poison wasn't originally intended for Su Yue?"

"If it was for the sake of the Old Madam or the Prime Minister, it was just a coincidence that Su Yue drank it..."

The old lady's face turned deathly pale, her body trembled, and the moxa stick on the ginger slice almost tipped over.

Xue Lingyi reacted quickly and firmly supported him.

"Be careful, Madam."

The old lady no longer had the intention of feigning illness.

"Then, what should we do?"

Xue Lingyi smiled and said, "I have some knowledge of toxicology. If Your Majesty has not yet dealt with the murderer, I would like to ask you a few questions to see if I can find out the source of the poison."

The old lady's breathing became heavier.

Seeing that she was both polite and courageous, and was willing to solve the Pei family's urgent problem, he became more and more satisfied.

"Granny Li, go and tell them! Bring that maid from the woodshed to Songhe Garden!"

Just now.

Cuiping, carrying a bowl of dark, murky medicine, and accompanied by three burly, rough-looking women, arrived at the woodshed.

Jiang Guo'er narrowed her eyes, and when she saw who it was, her heart sank.

This doesn't seem like they're here to ask questions.

Cuiping glanced down at her from her high vantage point, a cold smile slowly creeping onto her lips.

"Little sister Guo'er, don't blame your older sister. Blame yourself... why did you have to pour that extra cup of tea?"

"Your Excellency is merciful; he will grant you a bowl of medicine."

"Come on, just force it down her throat!"