Wuji, seeing Zheng Yu take the letter from the shadows, left with peace of mind.
Gu Yi waited at the academy all day. Even during the afternoon class, he was distracted, constantly hitting wrong notes. The students could tell Gu Yi was in a bad mood.
The two walked out of the academy. Unusually, Lu Yu and Gu Yitong did not come to pick them up today. Gu Yi was entirely focused on Zheng Yu and naturally didn't notice this.
"Xuan'er, I've been restless today, I have a feeling something is going to happen. I want to go to Zheng Mansion first."
Shen Xuan was startled by his words and quickly stopped him, using a joke to cover her guilt. "Yi'er, you miss your Miss Zheng so much after just one day that you have to go see her?"
"No, I just have a feeling I need to go, otherwise I won't be at ease." Gu Yi shook his head, his furrowed brow hadn't relaxed all day.
"What's there to be uneasy about? She's the town mayor, can anyone harm her?" Shen Xuan tightly held Gu Yi's arm.
"But..."
"No 'buts', let's go back. Perhaps Mayor Zheng will come to see you tomorrow." Shen Xuan paused again, afraid Gu Yi still wouldn't be persuaded, and continued, "Besides, have you forgotten Miss Gu? If she knew you secretly went to Mayor Zheng's house, she would definitely be even angrier."
"She might even prevent the two of you from being together because of it."
While Shen Xuan was continuously persuading Gu Yi, Zheng Yu was also diligently writing a letter.
After finishing the letter, she handed it to Wuji again. Wuji took Zheng Yu's letter and yesterday's Huangsong cake and gave them to a few people.
"Miss Lu, this Huangsong cake is indeed poisoned. After yesterday's inspection, Doctor Zhao took it to his room, saying he wanted to study it. This is a small piece that I secretly took before Doctor Zhao took it away yesterday."
Wuji was not allowed to leave, as his assistance would be needed to deliver the results if they were found soon.
"The county magistrate is awake?" Lu Yu looked at the letter from Zheng Yu, her doubts deepening.
"That's right, the county magistrate woke up at noon. I also heard that after drinking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Zhao last night, the magistrate woke up once already." Wuji stated truthfully.
Lu Yu walked to the pastries, first sniffing them with her nose, then gently cutting a small slice with a knife to compare the changes inside and out.
"Wu Shao, go buy some Huangsong cake."
Wu Shao was honest and bought two catties of Huangsong cake. She was so out of breath by the time she reached the medical hall that she could barely speak.
"Why... why did you buy so much?" Gu Yitong saw the bag in Wu Shao's hand and looked at her in disbelief.
Lu Yu also looked over, equally stunned by the pastries in Wu Shao's hand.
Seeing them all staring at her blankly, Wu Shao replied a little sheepishly, "That pastry shop only had these Huangsong cakes left. The owner said if I bought them all, he would charge me half a catty less. I thought Master Shi liked to eat pastries, so I bought them to show my filial piety to Master Shi."
Wu Shao didn't think much of it and answered with a smile.
"You can put them there first." Lu Yu took only one from the bag, letting Wu Shao place the rest on a table nearby.
"As expected! It is as I suspected." After a series of actions, Lu Yu went to the basin to wash her hands.
"As expected of what?" Gu Yitong and Wu Shao were both confused.
"The medicine in here is not oleander at all. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Asarum."
"Asarum? Is that also poison?"
"Asarum contains some toxins, but its toxicity is not very high. Only when the dosage is large will there be poisoning reactions. And from Wuji's description just now, the magistrate waking up so quickly makes me even more certain it's Asarum."
"Although not fatal, its symptoms are very similar to oleander poisoning."
"I understand!" Gu Yitong pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood and flung her fan open.
"It's Chen Qi's collaboration with Zhao Ran. Chen Qi needs this opportunity to earn merit and frame Zheng Yu. She found someone to save the county magistrate, and the magistrate will surely recommend her. In this way, the position of town mayor will be hers."
"And Zhao Ran needs this opportunity to expand his reputation and show that his medical skills are unmatched. They both take what they need and help each other."
Gu Yitong's words pierced through the scheme, but one thing remained unclear.
"Logically, the two have no connection. How did they suddenly collaborate? They wouldn't dare to voice such petty thoughts to unfamiliar people, especially Chen Qi. If she were reported by others, this would be a serious crime."
As soon as Gu Yitong said this, Lu Yu remembered that it was Zhao Ran who appeared at the critical moment of the blood paternity test. Did she have a connection with both of them?
Saving Zheng Yu was paramount for now. Lu Yu temporarily put aside this doubt, walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote down her findings for Zheng Yu.
After finishing, she handed it to Wuji, emphasizing repeatedly that it must be handed to Zheng Yu personally, as the contents of this letter were very important.
After Wuji left, Lu Yu also tidied up her things and prepared to go to Gu Yitong's house to pick up Shen Xuan.
"Master! These pastries!" Wu Shao saw the pastries still on the table, grabbed one, and shouted towards Lu Yu's departing back.
"Don't want them anymore, your Master Shi doesn't like to eat them." Lu Yu looked back at the pastries in Wu Shao's hand and smiled with some difficulty.
"How can Master Shi not like to eat them! I saw Master Shi eating Huangsong cake that day." Wu Shao shook her head, her face full of disapproval.
"Oh dear! Wu Shao! Come back quickly, your Master is in a hurry to go back." Gu Yitong stepped forward, put her arm around Wu Shao's shoulder, and brought Wu Shao back.
"Lu Yu, you go quickly. Brother-in-law is still at my house accompanying Yi'er. I'll be back later too."
Lu Yu nodded and turned to leave.