Chapter 106: Quivering With Fear
Notes:
Biluochun (碧螺春) – a type of high quality tea
Zumu (祖母) – paternal grandmother
Lao Furen was shocked, and Luo Mama quickly served her a cup of tea: "Lao Furen please calm yourself."
Lao Furen involuntarily pointed to Li Wei Yang: "What is going on?!"
Li Wei Yang revealed a puzzled expression: "Old lady, the weather has turned warmer in the past few days, the big sister loves to be beautiful, and often dressed lightly, I am afraid this has lured poisonous bugs..."
Lao Furen couldn't help but frowned: "What bugs are this powerful! That all her hair is gone!"
When they looked at each other, they both then looked towards the inner room. Li Chang Le drank the calming paste and laid there like a dead person. Li Wei Yang lowered her eyes, this poison causes one to itch uncontrollably. In the end, the intestines would rot and die; indeed, it was really vicious. Now, Li Chang Le managed to sleep but once she wakes up, she will begin to itch uncontrollably again.
Jiang Yue Lan looked at the black sand on the sandalwood road: "Hurry and go find the ropes, later when your Xiaojie wakes up and if she still wants to itch, tie her up first! Do not let her make a ruckus!"
Li Wei Yang glanced at Li Chang Le’s blurred flesh on her head and face, and couldn’t help but let out a sigh, saying: "Eldest sister loves her beautiful appearance the most. Now it is ..." Punishment well-deserved.
Jiang Yue Lan looked at the direction of her glance. Li Chang Le’s alluring face was now stained with blood and it seemed like she had leprosy. It was scratched to the point of being unrecognizable, especially around those beautiful eyes, they almost looked rotten. She shifted her face, there is a hint of fear in her heart, the once beautiful Li Chang Le now has a face that is frightening. She used to be a fairy but after this, she is a demon. Even if she can survive, she would be better off dead than alive.
Li Xiao Ran hurriedly rushed in from the courtyard. When he saw the scene in the room, he was suddenly stunned. Jiang Yue Lan tried to open her mouth several times but was scared by his expression.
Li Wei Yang watched from afar, sneered, not knowing what her father felt in the heart.
"Lao Ye, I have sent someone to ask for the physician!" Jiang Yue Lan stood there for a long while before she dared to open her mouth and speak. As the matriarch of the household, she is responsible for Li Chang Le! She couldn’t have believed that it has only been a few months since she married into the family and this kind of things had already happened at home, it was too incredulous!
"Summoned the physician?? No! We can’t call for the physician!" Li Xiao Ran looked pale. “With her ghost-like appearance now --- If this gets spread out ..."
How could Jiang Yue Lan not have known?! Li Chang Le and Tuoba Zhen had an arranged marriage. If the Third Prince finds out that Li Chang Le’s beautiful face looked like this after her injury, everything will be finished! Even if Tuoba Zhen is still willing to marry her, how can such a face sustain the favor of her husband! In Li Xiao Ran’s heart, he earnestly hoped that Li Chang Le died. This would turn out better, if she survives, he was afraid he would lose face! However, Jiang Yue Lan could not let him do this, because if Li Chang Le died, the Duke’s (Guogong) Furen will not let her live! Thinking of what her father and stepmother warned her, Jiang Yue Lan felt that her scalps were becoming numb. She had only one thought, Li Chang Le couldn’t die, she lives, then she had one more card in her hand! If she dies, she will have no shield left!
Thinking of this, Jiang Yue Lan said worriedly: "Lao Ye, the Duke’s furen said she will come in two days. If by that time ... I am afraid she will cause trouble."
Li Xiao Ran has long been tired of the Jiang family’s intimidation, he coldly said: "So?!"
Jiang Yue Lan softly said: "Master, we are all in-laws, we are bounded together for good or ill, why should we cause a scene?"
Li Xiao Ran’s face was clouded and was uncertain for a long while. Unsure of what he thought of, he frowned, “Forget it, call the physician!”
Li Wei Yang had already asked Tan Shi to bring the child back. At this moment, she stood next to Lao Furen, and her expression looked exactly like Lao Furen, burdened with worries.
Physician Wang finally arrived in half an hour, and he did not dare to delay for a moment and immediately went forth to check on Li Chang Le’s pulse. Ten to twenty minutes have already passed before he turned his head back: "Prime Minister, your noble miss has signs of poisoning."
How could it be poison again! Li Xiao Ran angrily voiced: "What kind of place has the household become! Someone gets poisoned once in a few days! Who did this?!"
Physician Wang was caught off guard, but he knew the less he knew about the elite family’s affairs, the better off he will be, he laughed: “The key now is not to pursue responsibility, but to think about how to cure Da Xiaojie.”
Li Xiao Ran said: "What are the ways?"
Physician Wang muttered to oneself and then spoke: "Prime Minister Li, my main field of practice is internal medicine and chronic disease, I have not done any research in poison, in my opinion, it would be better to hurry and seek the Lu Gong from last time!"
Lao Furen grabbed Li Wei Yang’s hand: “Wei Yang, where does Lu Gong live?”
Li Wei Yang whispered: "The place, Wei Yang do know of, but Lu Gong’s temperament is unpredictable, and his whereabouts are uncertain. Even if we find him, I’m afraid he will not be able to cure Dajie in time."
Li Xiao Ran’s face showed urgency: "Don't say anymore, go find the person first!"
At this time, suddenly there was an uproar outside. Li Wei Yang narrowed her eyes and watched a yatou rushed in: "Lao Ye, someone outside said that he is fourth young master of the Jiang family, he said he brought Physician Lu here ..."
Jiang Nan? Li Xiao Ran heard and then said: "Let him come in!"
The yatou quickly retreated, but not too long after, Jiang Nan, who was tall and built, stepped in. A low-browed old man pleasing to the eyes followed right behind him. Li Wei Yang saw the old man behind him and couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows. It was really Lu Gong.
Li Wei Yang looked around and didn’t see any trace of Li Chang Le’s Liu Mama. She immediately guessed who invited Jiang Nan over. She couldn’t help but look at him coldly, and their glances clashed right into each other at this moment. Jiang Nan stared at her, turned and bowed to Li Xiao Ran: "Uncle."
Even though Da Furen was no longer there, the relationship between the Jiangs and Li Xiao Ran will never change. Especially in court, the two flesh are linked together even if their bones are broken, which is why Li Xiao Ran cannot easily make a move unless he can make a clear distinction; otherwise, he will have to be governed by the Jiangs. When Jiang Nan walked in front of him, Li Xiao Ran’s face actually showed a warm smile and he patted his shoulder and said: “The last time I saw you, you were still a few years old, now you’ve grown this big."
Such an affectionate look, not a single trace of his abhorrence towards the Jiangs could be seen.
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly, Li Xiao Ran was neither a frank person, nor a sycophant. He was just a practical person, having been in court for more than ten years, he was cautious and was also good at catering to the emperor. He would never go against the Jiangs, even if they spit on his face, he could also bear it, not to mention the things Da Furen have done in the past. In his eyes, it is nothing but conflicts within the household, and it cannot affect the overall situation. But this didn’t mean that he and the Jiangs are as friendly as a family. At this point, Li Wei Yang must show some admiration for Li Xiao Ran. This middle-aged man seemed like a tortoise but he was not as open-minded as his face tells. His abhorrence towards the Jiangs was built from a long time ago. Perhaps, she should also learn from, this skill to bear patiently. Just when Li Wei Yang was pondering upon this, she heard Jiang Nan anxiously saying: "I heard that my cousin is unwell. I specially brought Lu Gong over, hoping it wouldn’t be too late."
Li Xiao Ran quickly said: "That's good, that’s good, I was going to send someone to summon! Lu Gong, please save my little girl!" Just before, he was still feeling upset, now he showed the façade of a benevolent father. His face changing ability was quicker than flipping through a book.
Lu Gong immediately said: "Let me go and see." He went over to Li Chang Le, carefully looked at her for a long time, and suddenly turned around and said: "This … is a very powerful type of poison!"
No one dared to make a sound, Jiang Nan frowned: "What is going on?! How can she have scratched her face into this?!"
Lu Gong shook his head and said: "I have been to Southern Xinjiang once. This poison seemed to have been passed on from there. Once one is poisoned, the itchiness is incomparable, one will continue to itch until the intestines are rotten. Strictly speaking, anyone who died from this poison, was not poisoned to death and instead scratched oneself to death. In this case, you are clever to have tied her hands and feet with something. If not, I am afraid by now ......"
Jiang Nan looked back and stared at Li Wei Yang in a disgusting manner. Li Wei Yang casually looked back at him without a single trace of guilt. This poison came from your Jiangs, now they should know what it means to be harmed from one’s own evil deeds. They dared to poison Min Zhi, then they should have prepared for retaliation. So only the state officials can set fire, the commoners can’t alight the fire and thus, naturally they would be burned by the fire. Jiang Nan saw that she was not afraid of him. His eyes grew colder and fiercer and then sighed. Why did they provoke such an omen? Now it has become endless. He turned his head to Lu Gong: “Is there a way? ”
Lu Gong nodded and said: "Fortunately, I have a bottle of hundred-flower pills on me, which can cure the world's strangest poison." Afterwards, he searched himself for a long time before he found a porcelain bottle and poured out a lilac-colored pill. He passed it to Tan Xiang and said, "Liquefy it and let your Xiaojie take it.”
Li Wei Yang stared at the porcelain bottle in Lu Gong’s hands. Lu Gong quickly said: "I only have this one pill left, it was left to me by my master ..." He was so anxious that he spoke of his master, Li Wei Yang narrowed her eyes at him and stayed silent.
Lu Gong was shook by her expression and then said: "Quick, let Da Xiaojie take this!"
Tan Xiang hurriedly left to prepare the medicine, and then with the help of others, she served Li Chang Le the medicine.
Li Wei Yang's gaze swept passed Jiang Nan and Lu Gong, and she couldn't help but pursed her lips. It seemed like Min De was right, this Lu Gong was indeed odd. She thought about it and suddenly waved towards Zhao Yue. After Zhao Yue listened to her instructions, she showed a smile on her lips and then quickly left. After a while, she walked in with a pot of tea and said softly: "Xiaojie, Nubi has prepared the best Biluochun, which I will serve to Lu Gong." Then she smiled and walked towards Lu Gong's side as if she wanted to pour him a cup of tea. But before she reached the table, she deliberately tripped herself as her whole body fell over. The pot of hot tea was about to splash onto Lu Gong, but Lu Gong was agile as he took one step back, Zhao Yue’s kettle still splattered towards him. Lu Gong a very old man and should but he dexterously caught it.
Jiang Nan’s face showed signs of anxiousness. He immediately looked at Li Wei Yang, but saw her eyes fell onto Lao Furen. The two were whispering, as if they didn't see it. That was when he let out a sigh and immediately gave Jiang Tian a warning.
Zhao Yue embarrassingly said: "Physician Lu, I am truly sorry."
Lu Gong smiled bitterly and said: "It doesn't matter." He didn't know if Li Wei Yang had just seen it, but this yatou’s skills was too agile, he reacted subconsciously.
Over there, Li Chang Le has completely become quiet, and no longer scratched everywhere. Everyone was relieved while Li Wei Yang sneered in her heart. Once Li Chang Le wakes up and sees herself in the mirror, she would be angered to insanity. Compared to watching Li Chang Le’s death, she deeply felt that that moment would be much more entertaining …...
At this time, Jiang Nan calmly said: "How did she get poisoned?!"
Li Xiao Ran glanced at him: "I will get to the bottom of this."
Coldness flashed across Jiang Nan’s handsome face, and he smilingly said: “Uncle, I have to report back to my zumu (paternal grandmother).”
That is to say, if he does not get an answer, he will not leave.
Li Xiao Ran frowned and said: "Tan Xiang, tell us what Xiaojie has eaten for the past few days?"
Tan Xiang trembled with fear and almost couldn't speak. At this time, a figure flashed past the crowd, yet it was a middle-aged woman dressed simply with a tall and slim stature and a thin face. She said to Li Xiao Ran: "Lao Ye. Da Xiaojie’s meals are all handled by Zhou Mama and must go through various rounds of inspections, so there would be no mistakes. Thus, Nubi suspect the problem is not on the meals.”
Li Xiao Ran looked at her in disbelief, Jiang Nan loudly voiced: "Liu Mama, according to you, where did the problem arise from?"
Liu Mama raised her eyes and looked around in the room. Her eyes stopped on everyone’s face for a moment, and everyone’s heart raced a little faster. She continued to say: “I’m afraid the problem is the setup of this room. The furnishings, incense, or even the headwear and clothing supplied by the household." In fact, she didn’t say that these things were also all examined by Zhou Mama meticulously, and there was nothing wrong with them. But in the past few days, Zhou Mama was not there and although the food was checked by her, she was not an expert in poison, and there were a lot of new things in the room, so they might want to reexamine these things.
Li Wei Yang looked at Liu Mama and slowly said: “Liu Mama is saying that someone in our household wants to hurt Dajie?”
Liu Mam faintly said: "San Xiaojie, Nubi do not dare to say that it’s people in this household, but Nubi dare to say that the thing used to hurt Da Xiaojie is still in this house. We just have to check each place carefully and then we will know.”
This Liu Mama is a character. Li Wei Yang began to understand why Li Chang Le began to use her brains after returning back, she had a strategist right beside her.
Jiang Nan coldly urged: "I ask that uncle do my cousin justice."
Li Xiao Ran’s eyes circled around his face, and then he looked at Lao Furen who had her head down as she sipped her tea. When he saw Lao Furen’s incomprehensible nod, he said: “Chang Le is my biological daughter, now that this happened to her, I am the one that feels the most pain. So of course, I will not let her murderer go unpunished."
Jiang Nan looked at Li Wei Yang. He was certain that this murderer was not only in the household, but was also calmly talking to Lao Furen. She really had the guts, it was comparable to when he killed people like flies on the. He sneered and said: "Liu Mama, you will handle everything."
Liu Mama bowed her head: "Nubi will definitely find the murderer who harmed Da Xiaojie!" After that, she gestured towards a few yatous and began to search through the house.
Si Yiniang disgustedly looked at Li Chang Le lying there, she said to Li Chang Xiao: "Let's go, this room is full of bad luck!"
Li Changxiao is a bit worried: "If we leave now, I am afraid it won’t be good."
Si Yiniang really didn't want to smell the disgusting scent of blood, she said: "Go, there’s nothing to fear!"
However, once she turned around, she heard Jiang Nan say: "I am sorry, no one in this room can leave! Not until the murderer has been caught!"
Li Xiao Ran's expression didn’t look too good, he said: "How can you be sure that the murderer is someone in this room?!"
Jiang Nan respectfully said: "Uncle, the murderer has hurt the cousin with such a cruel method. Of course, that person must bear a deep grudge against her. Because of this, since the person has harmed her, this person would naturally wants to see the results!"
Li Wei Yang smiled, cruel and frenzied, she was very fond of these words, but these words used to describe her were inappropriate. They should be used to describe the Jiangs and Li Chang Le since they could even harm Min Zhi, then what she did was was too fitting! She was simply giving them a taste of their own medicine!
Jiang Nan looked at Li Wei Yang from afar, but in her face, he couldn't see the slightest sign of tension, as if there was not a single bit of guilt in her heart nor was there any anxiousness of being caught. Si Yiniang couldn’t help but say: "Jiang Shaoye, what do you mean by this! Are you saying that we have harmed Da Xiaojie?”
Jiang Nan snorted and said: "Not certain as of yet!"
Si Yiniang unjustly looked to Li Xiao Ran: "Lao Ye!"
Li Xiao Ran didn’t feel like being tender towards her and angrily said: "Okay, no one can leave! Until we get to the bottom of this!"
Si Yiniang began to envy Liu Yiniang who was ill; whoever gets pulled into this, whoever will be lucked out.
"Lao Ye." Liu Mama held a tray, on the tray was the peony head oil that Li Chang Le have used, she raised her voice, "Nubi has already checked the things in the house, most of the things are used on a daily basis. Only this bottle of peony head oil was from not too long ago."
Li Xiao Ran frowned and said: "Is there a problem with this head oil?"
Liu Mama said: "Some poison can’t be easily detected. If Lao Ye wants to verify, why don’t we instruct someone to test it."
Li Xiao Ran nodded. He was about to order someone to go when he heard Jiang Nan spoke: "No need!" He said, he casually grabbed a yatou, the yatou let out a shriek, and before she could resist, he had already poured the entire bottle of peony head oil into her mouth.
Lao Furen couldn’t help but angrily said: "This is not edible, what are you doing!”
Jiang Nan dropped the trembling yatou and raised his eyebrows: "Old lady, I’ve lost my etiquettes, but this peony head oil is made with peony and sesame oil. Normally, people won’t die eating this, if it is not poisonous, this girl would naturally be unharmed ---"
Li Wei Yang reminded him coldly: "This is our yatou, not a kitten nor a dog."
Jiang Nan smiled, there was no mercy on his handsome face and instead he showed the pride and arrogance of the Jiangs: "A yatou that can't protect her master, what use does she have!"
Everyone's face turned ugly, but no one dared to say anything. Li Xiao Ran smiled coldly and opened his mouth to say: "The generals of Wuwei are getting more and more grandiose." His tone sounded calm, but Li Wei Yang could hear the tumultuous wind and rain from within. Jiang Nan certainly knew that his behavior was very arrogant, but he was not afraid at all: "Cousin’s life is naturally much more important than these people! If she suffered harm, I don’t how I will explain to my grandmother and my father! I earnestly ask for uncle and Li Lao Furen’s forgiveness!"
A ferocious Li Xiao Ran’s face flashed across face, but ultimately, it turned into a forced smile. A junior, at the Li household dared to be this arrogant, this meant that the Jiangs were domineering and aggressive, but the same, such people easily exposed their weakness to his eyes. Jiang Nan is so disrespectful to him, what about in front of the emperor? The Jiangs have always been careful but they didn’t expect that their true intentions have been exposed by their new generation.
At this time, the young yatou screamed and began to roll and scratch on the ground. Everyone watched with horror as she repeated the same movement as Li Chang Le. It was obviously the same poison, and everyone was stunned. Everyone was frightened to the point of speechless. Only Li Wei Yang loudly voiced: "Lu Gong, are you going to watch as your patient dies in front of your eyes?"
Lu Gong suddenly became startled, and quickly told the people to grab the yatou, and then said: "I have no more pills, but I can use other methods to slowly find another cure that will not let her lose her life but ---" Of course, this yatou would have to suffer a lot. He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone knew what to expect. The yatou was quickly carried out, and the room was quiet like a cemetery.
Jiang Nan slowly said: "It seems like the problem lies in this bottle of peony head oil."
Tan Xiang’s was almost mute, she frantically said: “This was sent over by the steward ten days ago. Xiaojie liked it a lot and used it every day—” She thought of herself touching the oil every day, but she was lucky and didn’t get poisoned. She felt like a survivor of a disaster, in fact, she wouldn’t have been poisoned, because she after touching only a bit, she would wash it with water. As for Li Chang Le, she was poisoned because her scalp bathed in the oil six hours each day. If her scalps were accidentally exposed, then the spreading of the poison speeds up.
"If the head oil was used externally, the toxicity wouldn’t be this severe, it takes a long time to take effect." Lu Gong explained to everyone.
Jiang Nan’s voice carried a hint of coldness: “Who is it that sent this nonsense over!”
Li Xiao Ran angered: "Call the steward!"
Jiang Yue Lan's face turned white every passing second, her body was almost crumbling, she bit her teeth: "I instructed the steward to send this year's peony head oil over!"
The expressions on everyone’s faces have showed disbelief. Peony sesame oil from the new furen?! How is this possible!
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Translator: Erie
Editor: Erie
Next: Chapter 106 Part 2
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