He Zhiran had already analyzed the situation when he heard the report from Granny Chen.
The two maidservants were poisoned by drinking water, and there was a high possibility that the porridge on their table was also poisoned. It was very likely that someone had poisoned the well.
"Mother, where does the water in the small kitchen come from?"
"It comes from the well behind our courtyard."
Without much thought, He Zhiran quickly walked towards the location of the well.
As soon as she brought up a bucket of water, she lightly touched it with her fingers, then rubbed her fingertips and carefully sniffed the odor.
Everyone watched He Zhiran's almost seamless actions, holding their breaths.
It wasn't until she placed the wooden bucket aside that Old Lady Mo asked, "Is the water poisoned?"
He Zhiran looked extremely serious and said, "The poison comes from this well."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Mo immediately frowned.
Although the Marquis's Mansion was about to face an unjust disaster, she, as the mistress of the household, still maintained her authority.
"Someone, go investigate immediately. I want to know who is behind this poisoning."
The maidservants in the courtyard immediately took action, and not long after, someone came to report.
"Old Lady, Granny Liu hanged herself in her room."
Old Lady Mo, followed by the masters of the household, walked towards the servants' quarters.
They saw Granny Liu's lifeless body hanging from the beam, already dead.
Old Lady Mo ordered them to take down Granny Liu's body.
Upon seeing everything in front of her, He Zhiran's first reaction was that Granny Liu was most likely driven to suicide out of fear.
If that were the case, the person behind it must be an enemy of the Marquis's Mansion.
In the historical records, besides the Emperor's fear of the Mo family, there was no mention of anyone else holding a grudge against them.
However, since the Emperor had already planned to exile the Mo family, there was no need for someone to come and poison them.
So, who could be the person behind this?
Just as she was wondering, Old Lady Mo had already displayed her authority as the mistress of the household and ordered someone to search Granny Liu's body and her residence.
There was nothing on Granny Liu's body except a few copper coins.
However, a small paper packet was found in a corner of her bedding.
The servants brought the small paper packet to Old Lady Mo.
Old Lady Mo took the small paper packet and carefully opened it in front of everyone.
The packet was empty, but the residue of a white powder on the paper indicated that it once contained some kind of medicine.
If it were in the past, Old Lady Mo would definitely have called for a doctor to examine it.
However, tonight was different. Mo Jiuye was beaten so badly last night that they couldn't even bring a doctor. It would be futile to call for one now.
Just as she was contemplating how to handle the situation, He Zhiran stepped forward.
"Mother, I have learned some medical skills. Why don't you let me take a look?"
Old Lady Mo looked at He Zhiran, hesitated for a moment, and then handed the small paper packet to her.
"This is likely poison. Be careful."
He Zhiran took the small paper packet, first sniffed it under her nose, then rubbed a bit on her fingertips.
Then, she looked up at Old Lady Mo and said, "Mother, this is the poison that was thrown into the well."
Old Lady Mo clenched her fists upon hearing the words. "Liu, who served by my side when she was young, I always thought I treated her well. Why would she do such a thing?"
"Mother, there must be someone behind Liu, manipulating her," He Zhiran interjected, reminding her.
"Who could hate the Mo family so much as to orchestrate this?" Old Lady Mo couldn't figure out who was behind it all.
However, she was well aware that the Duke's Manor was currently overwhelmed with its own troubles and had no energy to investigate such matters.
Old Lady Mo sighed. "Let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it with Jiuye later."
Meanwhile, everyone cast grateful glances towards He Zhiran.
"Younger Sister Jiuye, thanks to you discovering the poison in the porridge in time, we, the entire family, have been saved," the eldest sister-in-law expressed her gratitude first.
"Yes, thanks to Younger Sister Jiuye, we managed to escape this disaster."
"Younger Sister Jiuye, thank you from the bottom of my heart."
"Younger Sister Jiuye, you're truly amazing."
"..."
He Zhiran did what she did out of sincerity and had no intention of seeking gratitude. Seeing her sisters-in-law genuinely thanking her, she smiled and said, "We are all family, sisters-in-law. No need to be so polite."
Old Lady Mo looked at her daughters-in-law, who were still unaware of the taste of worry, and said sternly, "Younger Sister Jiuye is right. We are all family. If you feel grateful, show it through your actions in the future."
Seeing her mother-in-law speak with seriousness, the sisters-in-law quickly fell silent.
Old Lady Mo surveyed the room. "First, dispose of Liu's body, then fetch water from the wells in the other courtyards and prepare breakfast again."
Her intention was that if they were to be exiled today, it would be difficult to have a good meal in the future, so they must eat well this time.
The servants promptly carried out her orders.
Old Lady Mo led the women back to the reception hall.
"How did your preparations go from last night?" Old Lady Mo inquired while the servants were preparing breakfast again.
"Mother, as Younger Sister Jiuye instructed, I sewed a pocket in my undergarment and wrapped silver bills in cotton before putting them inside," one of the sisters-in-law replied.
"Mother, I have prepared mine as well."
"Mine is ready too."
The eight sisters-in-law expressed that they had all made the necessary preparations.
Old Lady Mo nodded. "That's good. In case anything happens, all of you must be clever."
Mo Hanyue, who was inherently naive, couldn't understand what her mother and sisters-in-law were talking about.
"Mother, sisters-in-law, what are you preparing?" Mo Hanyue asked.
Old Lady Mo glanced at her innocent daughter but couldn't bring herself to reveal the truth.
"Hanyue, as a young girl, you don't need to worry about everything," she said.
Mo Hanyue felt a bit aggrieved, but she could also tell that her mother wasn't in a good mood today. In order to avoid angering her, she could only remain silent.
Soon, the servants brought the freshly prepared breakfast.
After He Zhiran inspected it and confirmed it was safe, everyone began to eat.
However, there was a peculiar atmosphere during this meal.
Everyone seemed gloomy, as if they were having their last meal in life.
He Zhiran didn't say much either, quickly finished a bowl of porridge, and then got up.
"Mother, I will bring some food back to my husband."
She was a bit anxious to see Mo Jiuye now, after all, she still didn't know who was behind the scenes instructing Liu Pozhi to poison.
Perhaps she could find the answer from Mo Jiuye.
Back in the bridal chamber, Mo Jiuye was still lying there in the same position.
When he saw He Zhiran return, he asked, "Anything happening outside?"
He Zhiran placed the food on the table not far from the bed.
"There isn't much happening outside, but someone poisoned the well in my mother's courtyard. Fortunately, I discovered it in time. Otherwise, everyone's lives in the mansion would have been at stake."
