Qingping Xuan was as bright as day, with many lamps lit in the courtyard.
Two wet nurses unearthed an oil-paper packet from the flower pots by the corridor. Inside was a pill, a poison.
Tong Qiao's eyes turned red with excitement, his body trembling uncontrollably, "Li Man'er, what else do you have to say?"
Consort Cui's face was as dark as water, her gaze fixed on Li Man'er, yet she said nothing. Family shame should not be aired, and Consort Cui did not wish to offend either the Ninth Prince or the Rongguo Mansion. She did not believe Li Man'er dared to poison her father, but if this accusation were pinned on Li Man'er, it would be the Li family's sin.
Consort Cui's gaze unconsciously turned towards the Ninth Prince. If the Ninth Prince was the force behind this matter, then a devastating disaster awaited the Li family.
However, Qi Yihan remained silent, as if he were merely a spectator, and all of this had nothing to do with him.
Guo Shi, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief, asked tremblingly, "Eldest Miss, why must you do this? The Marquis has treated you not badly. If you have any grievances, they are with me."
She seemed to say nothing, yet she said everything.
Li Zhaor felt so angry that she wanted to fight Li Man'er to the death. If it weren't for Guo Shi holding her back, and if the Ninth Prince weren't present, she truly wanted to rush forward.
The maids of Qingping Xuan were trembling, not understanding how a poisonous pill had appeared in the courtyard. Who had deliberately planted it to frame their young lady?
The crime of patricide was too grave. If their young lady died, they would likely all perish.
"I suppose you won't believe me if I say this pill isn't poison, will you?" Li Man'er walked up to Tong Qiao, then looked at the pill in the wet nurse's hand. "Where did you find this? It's made to look quite convincing, but why do I feel it's not poison?"
Consort Cui said, "Since Imperial Physician Duan and the others are here, please invite them over to examine this medicine."
Qi Yihan waved his hand, and A Qi went to fetch them. Such errands were always his job.
Soon, Duan Xu and two other imperial physicians arrived. The three hurried to pay their respects to the Ninth Prince, but Qi Yihan stopped them.
"Duan Xu, come and examine this medicine. Tell me what it is."
"Yes." Duan Xu stepped forward and carefully began to examine the oil-paper packet. He first observed its form, then identified its taste. While pondering, he passed the medicine to the other two imperial physicians, and they all studied it together.
After much deliberation, Duan Xu finally reached a conclusion. They did not know the name of this medicine, but it contained over thirty kinds of herbs, and more than half of them were poisonous.
"Your Highness, this medicine is indeed poison."
Upon hearing this, the reactions in the courtyard varied.
"What else do you have to say?" Tong Qiao seemed to see a glimmer of hope. His life would soon return to peace, and no one would mock him for marrying a poisoness anymore.
Li Man'er approached the pill and said softly, "Imperial Physician Duan, if this medicine is taken, it doesn't necessarily mean death, does it!"
Duan Xu quickly replied, "Miss Li, this is indeed poison. It contains snake venom and Hundred Soul Grass, highly toxic substances."
"If I eat it, and I don't die?"
"Impossible." Duan Xu was a scholar, and he hated most for others to question him. "This is the result verified by myself and the other two imperial physicians. Miss Li, you should not act rashly, lest you harm yourself and others."
Tong Qiao also understood, "Li Man'er, are you trying to commit suicide to escape punishment?"
Li Man'er ignored him and asked again, "Can you prove that the poison my father was afflicted with is this one?"
Duan Xu thought for a moment, then shook his head. "This poison pill is too potent. Whoever takes this pill will succumb to the poison instantly." The implication was that if Li Shu had been poisoned by this, he wouldn't be alive now.
"So, this pill is not the same as the poison my father was afflicted with."
"Yes."
Li Man'er cast a provocative glance at Tong Qiao, who, his mind reeling, immediately said, "What does this prove? The poison was found in your courtyard after all."
Li Man'er snatched the pill from Duan Xu's hand and said, "I told you, this is not poison."
Guo Shi, thinking of something, immediately stepped forward and questioned, "How can you prove it?"
Zi Yan, Lu Yi, and several other maids were on the verge of tears. "Young lady, you must not do anything foolish!"
Wet Nurse Wang, fearing they would interfere, directly escorted them to the side rooms and confined them.
Li Man'er looked at Guo Shi with a half-smile. "Mother, your words at this moment sound as if you were in cahoots with the Young Master."
"Nonsense." Guo Shi's face was extremely ugly. "I am worried about the Marquis and was eager for verification."
Li Man'er offered the pill to her. "Why don't you try it? Perhaps you'll reach a conclusion." She genuinely wanted to grab Guo Shi's chin and force the pill down her throat, to poison her to death.
But her goal was never as simple as killing Guo Shi.
"What do you want to do?" Guo Shi retreated two steps warily. "The Ninth Prince is here, and you dare to be so reckless in front of him? Did you harm the Marquis and now want to harm me? You have great courage."
Li Zhaor, skilled at acting, immediately knelt before Li Man'er. "Sister, whatever mistakes were made, they were all mine. Please don't do anything foolish."
"Why don't you try it?" Li Man'er again offered the pill to Li Zhaor, scaring her so much that her face turned ashen, and she sat down on the ground.
Li Man'er giggled, a bright and happy smile on her face, making many people momentarily dazed.
"I said, this is not poison." After saying that, she put the pill into her mouth and made a swallowing motion.
Everyone was stunned. Tong Qiao was dumbfounded, Duan Xu exclaimed she was mad, Consort Cui's eyes held complex emotions, while only Guo Shi and Li Zhaor looked gleeful.
It wasn't that they couldn't restrain themselves, but they were simply too happy. The happiness came too suddenly to be contained. Li Man'er sought her own death, and they couldn't be blamed for it.
However, after waiting for a long while, they saw Li Man'er still standing there, perfectly fine. Her complexion was good, and she showed no signs of pain, as if what she had swallowed was not poison, but a bean.
Duan Xu and the other two imperial physicians were astonished. They quickly stepped forward to check her pulse. "Miss, forgive my presumption."
Li Man'er extended her hand. Duan Xu felt her pulse and exclaimed repeatedly, "Incredible! That medicine is not poison. This is wrong! Why is your pulse still so strong and steady? Did you not take it at all? Where is the medicine?"
"I told you it wasn't poison, and you didn't believe me. You lack skill and haven't mastered medicine yet, yet you blame others!"
"I lack skill?" Duan Xu's beard seemed to bristle with anger. "Very well, very well. I haven't yet had the honor of asking the Eldest Miss, what would you consider mastering medicine?"
Li Man'er said calmly, "An elder like you can't even cure my father's poison. Do you still have the qualifications to ask this?"
"If I cannot cure it, can you, Miss?"
"Of course!"
Duan Xu laughed again. "Then please, Miss, cure the Marquis's poison and enlighten us old fogies."
Li Man'er only said, "If I cure this poison, what will you do?"
"I will kneel and kowtow to become your disciple, and I will not go back on my word."