When she returned to the room, it had been fifteen minutes.
Seeing her mother lying peacefully on the bed, like a person in a vegetative state, silent, not laughing, not crying, not making a sound, it truly made her heart ache.
Zhao Jiaqi gently patted the person who was crying like a child on the bed and said, "Mother needs quiet here, let's go out!"
Although she said that, she was also anxious in her heart. The top priority now was to find the antidote. Regardless of whether Qi Xuan was sure about the poison, this was currently the only solution.
Fearing that Fan Zehao would not understand her meaning, she tightened her grip on his shoulder. The latter was sad, but his reason was still intact.
Receiving the signal from his wife, he no longer dwelled in sorrow. He got up, wiped his tears with his sleeve, turned, and instructed his mother's personal maid, "Take good care of my mother. If you need anything, just find the steward. Everything in the mansion is focused on my mother right now."
Xiao Xing curtsied and replied with a "yes," then lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Seeing this, Fan Zehao and Zhao Jiaqi left his mother's bedroom and returned to their own courtyard. While washing up, Zhao Jiaqi told him about Qi Xuan's diagnosis and the matters he had reminded them of.
Upon hearing that his mother was not ill but had been poisoned, Fan Zehao felt a surge of bitterness and sweetness in his chest. The taste of blood in his throat reminded him that his mother's great revenge had yet to be avenged, the spy had not been caught, and he had to restrain his temper.
"Husband, Uncle Qi has provided a prescription for an antidote. One of the ingredients is Snow Silkworm, a treasure of Snow Country, kept by the Snow Emperor. To obtain this ingredient, we must go to Snow Country!"
Fan Zehao thought of Snow Country, a place where winter lasted for half the year. It was extremely cold and difficult to travel there.
He said, "You stay to take care of our mother, catch the spy, trace back to the mastermind, and I will go to Snow Country to meet the Snow Emperor. No matter the cost, I will definitely bring back the Snow Silkworm!"
Zhao Jiaqi felt that she should go on this trip. The inner city could not be left without him. If anything happened in the inner city, she would be at a loss.
"Husband, I will go to Snow Country this time. You stay and hold the fort. I feel that my mother's poisoning is not simple. You are needed here!"
Fan Zehao shook his head slightly, "It doesn't matter who stays in the inner city between us!"
He extended his five fingers and slowly clenched them into a fist, his eyes sharp, and said, "Your position in the inner city is the same as mine. You can mobilize the army just the same, and all the civil officials in the city fear you. When I leave, I will give you the military seal, and the entire inner city will be under your command. No matter what happens to me, you must protect yourself and our home!"
Hearing this, Zhao Jiaqi's heart fluttered, always feeling a sense of unease.
She was very nervous and hesitant, as if this task on her shoulders was extremely heavy.
"Husband, let me go. I just don't feel grounded and uneasy in my heart!"
Fan Zehao refused outright, his decision unquestionable. "This is settled. You stay, I will go!"
With that, he stopped talking nonsense with her!
After washing up, he changed into clean clothes, ate a simple meal, and left with a few special soldiers!
Xiao Ce watched the departing figure, his heart full of worry.
"He is leaving alone with only about ten people. I don't know if this journey will be safe!"
Zhao Jiaqi was also unsure. When traveling, bringing too many people would attract attention, and bringing too few would make her feel insecure.
"Chief, please dispatch a small team to secretly protect the Prince. For future correspondence, use the font I gave you. Remember to send someone to notify the Prince!"
Just in case, all communication this time was changed to simplified Chinese characters. This way, even if the enemy saw the characters, it would be difficult to guess what was written!
The Chief cupped his hands and quickly turned to leave.
On the other side, Xiao Ce was a little confused after hearing this.
"What font? Has the Princess studied other fonts?"
When did this happen? How could he not know!
Zhao Jiaqi smiled slightly, saying nothing.
Within two days, the news of the Regent's return to the mansion and subsequent departure spread throughout the entire inner city. The common people in the inner city were also discussing the matter of the old madam's critical illness, and they were all praying for her recovery.
Zhao Jiaqi was not interested in these matters at all. Instead, she sent people to secretly investigate everyone in the mansion, including those closest to them.
At this moment, she dared not trust anyone and did not know whom to trust.
Almost all the servants in the Prince's mansion had been there since the mansion was established. In all these years, there had never been a traitor.
And choosing the time after the war to poison her mother-in-law, who was in the rear, whether there was any connection was still unknown.
In the evening, she went to Songhe Garden again and saw her haggard father-in-law still guarding his wife's side, taking meticulous care of her. Even small tasks like wiping her body, he insisted on doing himself, not entrusting them to others.
Seeing her arrive, Fan He seemed like a soulless person and said in a low voice, "If I had known someone would poison your mother's food, I would never have let your mother eat the dishes prepared by the servants. Your mother's illness is my fault; I didn't take good care of her!"
Seeing her father-in-law age by ten years in an instant, his white hair almost completely white, and at this moment blaming himself for not personally cooking for his wife!
This scene deeply affected her. Zhao Jiaqi comforted him, "If someone wanted to poison Mother, they wouldn't necessarily have to put poison in the food and tea. Perhaps the poison was sprinkled on the vegetables when buying them, who knows?"
"Or on clothes, or on the rim of the teacup, or even by soaking Mother's clothes in poisoned water, who knows. Father, you don't need to blame yourself."
She listed a series of possibilities. Even Qi Xuan didn't know how her mother was poisoned, let alone her!
However, tomorrow she would need to discuss thoroughly with Qi Xuan how her mother was poisoned. If necessary, she would test each of the possibilities she mentioned to see where the error occurred.
Inside the room, only Fan He's troubled sighs could be heard.
Outside the room, the wind raged.
In the dark night, it was impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, and the stars shyly refused to show themselves.
Zhao Jiaqi felt a little cold, tightened the cloak around her, and muttered, "It looks like it's going to snow tomorrow. I wonder where he has reached!"
Su Ya, listening to the Princess's murmurs, couldn't help but tremble slightly as she held the lantern. "This year's snow is a bit later than last year's, but timely snow heralds a good harvest, a good omen. His Lordship will surely return safely from his journey to find medicinal herbs. Madam, please do not worry too much and take care of yourself!"
If Madam collapsed, this Prince's mansion would completely lose its backbone.
The County Princess and the two young masters were still young. Whether they could support this Prince's mansion was a question, but at present, Madam was their backbone. With her here, the mansion would not fall into chaos.