From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

It was just an assessment, how could it endanger my life?

Could there be a trap involved...?

Chen Shi looked at the two glasses of wine, lost in thought.

Perhaps neither cup was poisoned; the reason for saying this was merely to test his loyalty.

That's right, this round of testing is about loyalty!

There are two cups of wine, one poisoned and one not. You and your master each have one. If you drink the first cup, you'll know whether the other one is poisoned or not, and your master won't be in danger.

To put it bluntly, it's a test of whether someone has the courage to risk their life for their master in times of crisis.

This is what is known as loyalty.

That being the case.

Next, Chen Shi will make his choice.

As long as he chooses first, he can pass this round of assessment.

"Oh! Right, I almost forgot!"

Just then, the little maid in green slapped her forehead and said with a smile.

"You might think I'm lying, that neither of these glasses is actually poisoned. So before we proceed, we need to verify it first."

As she spoke, the maid clapped her hands, and a servant brought over a large yellow dog.

The maidservant brought over two cups of wine, which tipped over, the wine dripping down in a thin stream. The yellow dog, clearly a heavy drinker, immediately tilted its head back and opened its mouth.

In the blink of an eye, most of the two glasses of wine had gone into its mouth, and then it smacked its lips, looking as if it still wanted more.

The maid smiled and put the two empty cups back.

Waaaaah!

Just two breaths later, the big yellow dog, which had been full of energy just moments before, suddenly convulsed, then collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices and dying.

"The dog is dead!"

Gu Hanying gasped in surprise, her face filled with horror.

Chen Shi looked at the dead yellow dog and his brows furrowed instantly.

Is the alcohol really poisonous?

Based on the dog's previous behavior, it didn't seem like it had taken any medication beforehand. If it were a slow-acting poison, the onset time would be difficult to predict, and it would be easy to give itself away.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Shi looked at the wine cups and wine pot on the table.

The maid did this to make them believe the wine was poisoned, but during the test, to avoid causing any deaths, she had to ensure the wine wasn't poisoned.

Therefore, the only option left was to tamper with the wine vessels.

However, since the maid did not change the wine cup after feeding the dog, the possibility of poisoning by the wine cup can be ruled out.

If that's the case, then all that's left is the wine jug.

Could this be a Yin-Yang pot, with a control mechanism that can dispense either poisonous or non-poisonous wine?

"Oh, by the way, please have Manager Chen pour these next two glasses himself."

Just as I was thinking of this, the little maidservant said with a smile.

Chen Shi's eyes widened instantly, his face showing astonishment.

Let him pour it himself; he doesn't know the mechanism, what if he accidentally spills poisoned wine!

Does that mean the wine pot is also fine?

"No way..."

If there are no problems, then it must be an issue with the beverage.

Chen Shi's expression instantly turned serious.

Does this mean that we really have to gamble with our lives?

Is it not just a test of loyalty, but also a test of luck?

After all, the position of chief steward of the Marquis's mansion is of great importance, and he often encounters various life-or-death problems, and sometimes luck also plays a crucial role.

Thinking about this, Chen Shi hesitated for a moment.

The position of chief steward is indeed important, but is it worth risking his life for?

"Is it necessary to drink this wine to complete the assessment?"

Gu Hanying suddenly looked up and stared at the green-clad maid with a serious expression.

"Actually, it's Steward Chen who has to drink a cup."

The young maidservant, still smiling, offered another explanation.

"I see."

Gu Hanying nodded, a resolute look in her eyes.

Then, he stepped toward the stone table.

"Fourth Miss!"

Just as Gu Hanying was about to pick up the wine pot, Chen Shi flashed over and grabbed her wrist.

"You are of noble birth; how can you personally risk your life?"

"……I."

Gu Hanying looked at Chen Shi and instantly realized what was going on.

She risked her life to help Chen Shi taste the wine; if someone with ulterior motives saw this, wouldn't they suspect the relationship between them?

A sudden panic gripped him, and he couldn't help but glance at the green-clad maidservant beside him.

The young maid was also watching them, tilting her head slightly, a hint of confusion flashing across her face.

However, she was just a maidservant, and from the old lady's courtyard at that. She didn't have much contact with other courtyards, so she probably didn't know about Gu Hanying's situation.

So I haven't thought about it in that direction for the time being.

"Let your subordinates handle this risky task."

Just as Gu Hanying was in a daze, Chen Shi raised a pot of wine, poured it into his mouth with the spout pointing down in a long stream.

"Excellent wine!"

Chen Shi took a large gulp, let out a sigh of praise, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and slammed the wine pot down on the stone table.

"you……"

Seeing Chen Shi drink the wine, Gu Hanying turned pale with fright and looked extremely anxious.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

"Fourth Miss, please don't panic. I'm fine for now."

Chen Shi waved his hand to comfort Gu Hanying.

You must not show him any more concern, or you'll really be exposed.

Gu Hanying understood this principle, but when she thought of Chen Shi's life being in danger, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Manager Chen is indeed a man of great character!"

The little maid in green exclaimed in admiration, and Chen Shi gave her a thumbs up.

"Is this wine poisoned? And what's the antidote?!"

Gu Hanying looked anxious, pointed at the wine pot that Chen Shi had drunk from, and shouted at the little maid.

Chen Shi felt relieved. Judging from Gouzi's condition just now, it was an extremely potent poison, and it was probably too late to administer the antidote now.

In fact, if he had drunk poisoned wine, he should have already shown some symptoms by now.

But he felt nothing.

In other words, he was lucky and didn't get the poisoned wine.

Or perhaps, neither of the two jugs of wine was poisoned to begin with.

"Miss, there's no need to worry. These two jugs of wine are actually not poisoned."

The test was over, so the maidservant no longer needed to hide it. Seeing Gu Hanying's anxiety, she quickly waved her hand and said something.

"Not poisonous..."

Gu Hanying breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the dog whose body was still beside her, her expression filled with confusion.

"How did that dog die?"

"Actually, it can't be said that it's completely non-toxic. It's just that if you put several kinds of medicine into two separate pots of wine, it's fine to drink them separately. But if you mix them together, then it's highly poisonous."

"So that's how it is!"

Gu Hanying's eyes widened in genuine surprise.

Chen Shi nodded with a slight pursed lip, having learned something new.

He had considered all sorts of possibilities, but this was the one thing he hadn't thought of.

It must be said that the Marquis's residence is very meticulous in its work.

"Since Steward Chen was the first to drink the 'poisoned wine,' he has passed this test. Come back with me to see Steward Hua."

"it is good."

Chen Shi nodded, glanced at Gu Hanying, and left with the green-clad maid.

Gu Hanying sat down on the bench in the pavilion, feeling a little weak. She looked at the two jugs of wine on the stone table, pouted angrily, and almost scared her to death.

A moment later, they returned to the side hall.

The others have returned, but this time one person is missing – a senior manager.

Yes, as a seasoned veteran, I can easily see through the tricks of the first round, but in this second round, I simply don't have the courage to fight to the death.

Even so, it only eliminated one.

Including Chen Shi, there are now four people left!