You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 189 Who exactly ordered you to do this?

"what?"

Everyone was taken aback, and Liang Jiang even stood up abruptly: "Wasn't everything fine just now?"

Guanqi said with a mournful face, "Just now, after I fed him the medicine, he suddenly reacted, his body convulsed, he vomited a mouthful of black blood, and he immediately died."

Madam Liang was shocked: "How is that possible? He's always been taking this prescription!"

Gu Xizhi and Liang Jiang dared not delay. They immediately got up and ran to Lao Qian's room to check. Then, with sullen faces, they came out and stopped Consort Xie from going in to check.

"The person is gone, beyond saving."

Lady Liang asked incredulously, "Why? Why did this happen?"

“It’s not a problem with the prescription,” Liang Jiang said with absolute certainty, “someone has poisoned the medicine!”

"Poisoning?" Madam Liang exclaimed in shock. "Who would dare to do such a thing?"

Consort Xie was also furious: "This is outrageous! They've actually dared to trespass on my Prince Pingxi's property!"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened: "Old Qian has followed me through thick and thin for so long, loyal to me without reservation. I never expected him to suffer such a cruel fate. Investigate for me! I refuse to believe we can't find the person who poisoned me. I will tear her to pieces!"

Jian Shuyan gently comforted her from the side, "Your Highness, please don't be too sad. I believe that the Prince will definitely find the murderer and avenge him."

Gu Xizhi immediately ordered all relevant personnel to be summoned. The used medicine bowls, the ox-horn strainer, the medicine pot, and even the water used to boil the medicine were all inspected one by one.

The medicine was put into the medicine bowl.

The remaining dregs in the medicine pot are non-toxic.

The servant in charge of brewing the medicine said tremblingly, "I brewed this medicine myself, guarding it closely, and brought it over personally after it was ready."

The maid who was taking care of Lao Qian knelt on the ground and denied it outright: "I am innocent. After the medicine was brought over, I immediately fed it to Lao Qian with a cow horn. The medicine bowl never left my sight from beginning to end. I would never poison him."

Gu Xizhi coldly questioned, "I have already instructed you to do your utmost and not to be negligent or slack, lest you give others an opportunity to take advantage of you. Are you sure that others did not have a chance to drug you from beginning to end?"

If you honestly confess, at most it will be a matter of negligence. But if I investigate, it will be considered harboring a murderer, the same crime.”

The servant was immediately frightened, his eyes darting away, unable to look directly at the servant.

Gu Xizhi walked straight to the servant and stopped, bowed slightly, and said a sentence in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

The servant was clearly taken aback, and his expression became flustered.

Gu Xizhi straightened up and slowly dusted off her sleeves: "Aren't you going to confess?"

The servant was so frightened that he immediately confessed: "I confess, I confess! After I filtered out the dregs of the medicine, I heard a thud outside the courtyard. I looked up abruptly and saw that someone had left behind two silver ingots."

I didn't think much of it at the time, afraid someone else would snatch them first, so I put down my medicine, ran over, picked up the two silver ingots, and came back. I was only gone for a short while.

"Didn't you see anyone suspicious at the time?"

The servant hesitated for a moment, then raised his face and pointed directly at Yu Shu: "I picked up the silver and was afraid of being seen, so I looked around in a panic. I saw a figure flash by and hurriedly left. It seemed to be this young lady."

Liang Jiang looked at Yu Shu: "Where did you go just now? Do you have something to say?"

Yu Shu's face turned pale, and she stammered, "This servant did go to the kitchen once and passed by, but this servant never touched the medicine bowl from beginning to end. It wasn't this servant."

Liang Jiang narrowed her eyes slightly: "Who ordered you to do this?"

Yu Shu still tried to defend herself: "I have no grudge against him, why would I harm him?"

Liang Jiang's expression suddenly hardened, and she raised her voice: "Who exactly ordered you to do this?"

"No."

Jian Shuyan advised, "Old Qian is the most trusted person in the Empress Dowager's inner circle. If you confess honestly, the Empress Dowager might spare your life."

Yu Shu hesitated, then raised her hand and pointed at Liang Jiang.

Everyone turned their surprised gazes to Liang Jiang. Liang Jiang's eyes narrowed, her expression revealing a deep meaning.

Yu Shu opened her mouth but said nothing, and then put her hand down.

Gu Xizhi and Liang Jiang exchanged a glance, then waved their hands, and Lady Liang, Consort Xie, and the others withdrew. Liang Jiang then sneered and said, "That person wanted you to poison me and then frame me, didn't they?"

Yu Shu remained silent.

"You still have a shred of conscience left. Although, even if you did tell, no one would believe you."

Do you know what the prince said to the servant boy who was boiling the medicine just now, that made him confess so readily?

Yu Shu shook her head: "This servant only knows that the servant is talking nonsense. Is Your Highness perhaps trying to scare him?"

Liang Jiang coldly said, "The prince only told him that there were two experts lying in ambush in Lao Qian's room, waiting for the maid to make a move. She would not poison someone under someone else's nose."

Therefore, the poison could only have been administered by the servant halfway through the journey.

"So, the princess was prepared all along."

“That’s right. I originally wanted to test whether you were the one who leaked Lao Qian’s whereabouts, but I didn’t expect you to choose this method to silence him.”

Yu Shu's expression turned even more unpleasant: "Has the princess been suspecting me all along?"

"Yes," Liang Jiang readily admitted.

Yu Shu smiled bitterly: "After returning from Xiliang, I knew that I had been exposed. The princess was on guard against me at every turn."

"You're quite perceptive," Liang Jiang said sarcastically. "How did you know?"

Yu Shu gently bit her lower lip: "There's a saying that goes, 'A guilty conscience needs no accuser.' Ever since I betrayed you, I've been living in fear every day, and I've become sensitive to every glance you give me."

After returning from Xiliang, I sensed that you no longer trusted me as much as before. To test you, I confessed to Yuhua about the secret edict from the King of Xiliang, and Yuhua told me the truth.

You gave the secret decree to both of us for only two reasons: one, to divert Tong Shouliang's attention; and two, to test me.

Liang Jiang nodded frankly: "That's right."

"Was it me who left that secret letter exposing the Prince of Pingxi, which aroused your suspicion?"

“Even earlier, when you deliberately overfed the myna that Tong Shouliang brought to Huyan Chao, the prince had already become suspicious.”

"Your Highness is very astute."

"Why did you choose to expose us only after we left Xiliang?"

"Because I don't want to betray you. I want you to leave Xiliang safely."

Liang Jiang chuckled: "Now that things have come to this, why are you still putting on this act? All of this is just your master's doing. He wants to use me to get rid of Huyan Chao, doesn't he?"

Yu Shu remained silent.

This undoubtedly confirms Liang Jiang's speculation.

"When exactly did you begin to betray me?"

"After arriving in the capital."

"for money?"

Yu Shu shook her head.

"He's threatening you?"

Yu Shu shook her head again.

"Not for fame or fortune, not under duress, so it's simply to take revenge on this princess?"

Yu Shu bit her lower lip tightly: "My life was given to me by the princess. You carried me out of a pile of dead bodies. Your kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain."

"Then why did you betray me?" Liang Jiang questioned.

Yu Shu raised her face: "This servant will not betray the princess. He promised me that he would never harm the princess."

(End of this chapter)