Quick Transmigration: Kitten's Healing Handbook - Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Raccoon Dog! To Combat! 12
Liuli returned to her small cat bed in the kitchen, and just happened to see Mu Wanyin’s maid sneaking into the kitchen. Liuli was a little puzzled. Why was there no one in the kitchen?
Mu Wanyin’s maid was obviously here to continue poisoning Zhou Qingyan, but even Mafeisan isn’t something you can take continuously without consequence. Seeing the maid take out a medicine packet and nervously look around, Liuli, after thinking for a moment, knocked a wine cup to the floor while the maid wasn’t paying attention.
The crisp sound of the shattered wine cup startled the maid, causing her to put away the medicine packet. Without even checking what happened, she hurried away.
Back in his study, Zhou Qingyan rubbed his temples wearily. He just wanted to gain the support of some ministers at court through marriage; why did he end up with two big problems?
Soon, Mo Shu’s voice sounded from outside the door: “My Lord, your subordinate has something to report. ”
“Come in. ”
“My Lord, your subordinate has caught the person who went to the kitchen to administer the medicine. It was the Princess Consort’s dowry maid. The medicine was also found on her, but it doesn’t seem to be poison; it’s Mafeisan. Doesn’t this seem unreasonable? Your subordinate is worried that we may have alerted the enemy. ”
Zhou Qingyan took the medicine packet presented by Mo Shu, opened it, and looked. Whether it was the color or the smell, it should be Mafeisan.
According to Qi Yu, Mu Wanyin intended to poison him, but the medicine was switched, and Mu Wanyin is still in the dark, thinking the packet contains poison.
“A servant’s knowledge is limited. If you can’t get anything out of her, dispose of her.
Find a shadow guard with a similar build to the maid, disguise him as her, replace the medicine in the packet with flour, and have the shadow guard take it back to Mu Wanyin, saying that the poisoning was successful. ”
Mo Shu, remembering seeing the raccoon dog knock over the cup to scare the maid from his hiding place, felt that it wasn’t accidental. But if it wasn’t accidental, then was the cat a spirit…
He decided against bothering the Prince with such an absurd idea, took the medicine packet Zhou Qingyan handed back, and said, “Your subordinate will take care of it. ”
Dowry maids usually have a close relationship with their mistress. Although Mu Wanyin felt that her maid seemed different after she returned, a young lady’s experience is limited, and she clearly didn’t think that her maid had been replaced.
Mu Wanyin merely thought that letting this maid do such a dangerous thing created some distance between them, but fortunately, everything went smoothly.
It wasn’t until her return visit that Mu Wanyin saw Zhou Qingyan. Was it her imagination, or was his complexion paler than before? Is the slow-acting poison so immediate in its effects?
She hadn’t seen Zhou Qingyan for several days, and she thought he had discovered her poisoning attempt, making her very apprehensive. But judging by the effects, he hadn’t discovered it, had he?
Mu Wanyin thought that Zhou Qingyan was busy with the Prince’s Mansion relocation, and his discomfort from the medicine made it reasonable that he hadn’t gone to the backyard.
This was good. If she couldn’t have his favor, then neither could Concubine Qi.
Zhou Qingyan and Mu Wanyin rode in the same carriage, carrying valuable return gifts to the Chancellor’s Mansion.
Along the way, Zhou Qingyan closed his eyes and rested. Mu Wanyin didn’t dare to initiate conversation; after all, she felt guilty about what she had done.
Upon arriving at the Chancellor’s Mansion, Zhou Qingyan presented the return gifts. Minister Mu obviously instigated the poisoning, but just as the wedding had been outwardly proper, his return visit with Mu Wanyin was also very well-performed.
Since Minister Mu wanted to poison him, he had clearly refused to support him and was still on the Crown Prince’s side. Zhou Qingyan didn’t bother trying to probe Minister Mu’s attitude.
When he sits on that throne, he will settle accounts with them.
During lunch, Zhou Qingyan ate very little. He didn’t touch the rice in his bowl, only eating a few dishes that Minister Mu and Mu Wanyin had touched. When Minister Mu offered a toast, he used his sleeve to conceal his actions, letting the wine seep into the inside of his shirt sleeve, leaving no trace visible from the outside.
“My Lord, is the food not to your liking? ”
“Minister Mu’s food is delicious, but my appetite has been poor these past two days. Perhaps the relocation is too much trouble; I’ve had little appetite. ”
“Relocation is indeed full of trivial matters. Now that the Princess Consort is the mistress of the house, she should help My Lord share some of the burden. ”
“Newlyweds should enjoy their lives. My Lord can handle these trivial matters. ”
“Since My Lord is busy with the relocation, I won’t keep you any longer. ”
As Zhou Qingyan got up to take Mu Wanyin back to the Prince’s Mansion, Mu Wanyin softly said, “My Lord, my servant and my father will not know when we will meet again. I would like to speak with my father for a few more words. ”
“Very well. I’ll wait for you by the carriage. ”
After Zhou Qingyan left, Mu Wanyin sent all the servants outside to wait and, her heart pounding, wrung her sleeves, saying, “Father, do you think the Prince has discovered that I poisoned him? I’m so scared. ”
Minister Mu patted Mu Wanyin’s hand to comfort her. “The Third Prince’s attitude today doesn’t seem to indicate that he knows about your poisoning. Don’t worry, daughter. Even if the Third Prince knew you poisoned him, he wouldn’t hurt you. As long as Father remains Chancellor, you are valuable to him.
Leave everything to me. Just be a good Princess Consort. If you have any difficulties in Nanzhou City, let your personal maid take the jade pendant I gave you to the shopkeeper at Laixiang Restaurant, and the message will be sent back. ”
Mu Wanyin felt slightly relieved. After all, as a young lady, she had never thought that one day she would be so far from home, making her feel very insecure.
“Go. Don’t keep the Prince waiting too long. ”
Seeing Mu Wanyin’s slightly reddened eyes, Zhou Qingyan offered a false comfort: “Once you are in your fiefdom, Princess Consort, if you miss your father, you can return home to visit your family. ”
Mu Wanyin knew this wasn’t realistic, whether it was the long journey or Zhou Qingyan’s awkward position. “Thank you, My Lord, for your consideration. I will follow my husband after marriage, and My Lord is also my closest person. I will help My Lord manage the backyard. ”
“Good. ”
Zhou Qingyan didn’t want to waste his breath on empty pleasantries with Mu Wanyin, so he abruptly ended the conversation and picked up the official documents Mo Shu had brought. He had been looking at them before Mu Wanyin left, so the action wasn’t out of place; he simply refused to continue chatting with Mu Wanyin.
Back at the Prince’s Mansion, Zhou Qingyan went straight to his study. With the move imminent, he was very busy. Besides arranging for people to inventory the items to be moved, arrange carriages, plan the route, and ensure they had the necessary travel permits and dry food for the journey, while he didn’t need to do it personally, he needed to arrange it, monitor the progress, and attend to many small details.
He also needed to arrange for one of his deputy commanders to help maintain morale in the Kyoto military camp. This person must not betray him halfway. He trusted the loyalty of his generals at this moment, but who could guarantee what might happen in the future?
He also needed to take an elite soldier unit to serve as his private guard in his fiefdom. The Emperor had not reclaimed his military power, which was tacit approval, but how many and which people he took was something he needed to consider carefully.