The old madam narrowed her eyes. "You don't know?"
Xiao Man shook her head, her face full of sincerity. "Granddaughter doesn't know. Grandmother, who is the young lady my brother is speaking of? What is her character, her temperament, her family background?"
Seeing Xiao Man's naive expression, the old madam was greatly perplexed. Had she guessed wrong? Did Xiao Man not know about this matter at all? No, this little slut was lying! Chu Qingge was her close friend, often coming to visit her, how could she possibly not know!
He Qingyi secretly glanced at Xiao Man. Xiao Man's expression was too innocent. If she hadn't personally heard Xiao Man ask the General to propose, she would have believed what Xiao Man said.
"I don't care if you know or not, I have only one thing to say," the old madam said slowly. "The Chu family's young lady is not worthy of Luo'er! She can't even cross the threshold of my General's Mansion!"
"So, brother wants to marry Sister Chu," Xiao Man said, as if suddenly enlightened. "Sister Chu is indeed excellent."
"Excellent? Where is she excellent? She doesn't look like a young lady at all, how can she be excellent!" The old madam was infuriated. She looked at Xiao Man's pale face as if she didn't see it. " I will never agree to this matter. In a few days, your Sister Mei'er will be coming to the General's Mansion. Do you understand what I mean?"
Xiao Man shook her head, her breathing growing rough. She clutched her chest with one hand, appearing to be in great distress.
He Qingyi felt that Xiao Man's condition was not right. "Old Madam, please let the eldest young lady get up first. I think the eldest young lady seems unwell."
"Unwell? Who is she putting on this act for?" the old madam reprimanded. "As her grandmother, I can't even let her kneel for a while?"
He Qingyi frowned. This Old Madam Xiao did not seem like a reckless person. The eldest young lady Xiao's face was as pale as paper, couldn't she see it? If something happened to Xiao Man, would she benefit? After all, Xiao Man was the legitimate eldest daughter of the General's Mansion, and Xiao Luo's own sister!
"Old Madam, the eldest young lady looks..."
"Enough, Qingyi, you don't know. She's always been good at pretending. She relies on her father's doting to be lawless. Just the other day, she took her anger out on Third Sister..."
He Qingyi's face changed drastically. Her fingers trembled as she pointed at Xiao Man. "Old... Old Madam..." Su Dan Novel Network
The old madam turned to look at Xiao Man, only to see her face turn green, her lips purple, her hands clutching her chest as if in extreme discomfort. The old madam was about to scold Xiao Man, telling her to stop pretending, when she saw Xiao Man spit out a mouthful of black blood and her body go limp as she collapsed.
"Miss!"
Xiang Xue was anxious and hurried to check on Xiao Man. Xiao Man lay on the ground, black blood flowing from the corner of her mouth. Her eyes stared fixedly at the old madam. The old madam felt as if something was stuck in her throat. Seeing Xiao Man's terrifying appearance, she instinctively reached for the censer on the table!
She had to get rid of the censer quickly. Just as she picked up the censer, a figure swiftly entered from outside. Who else could it be but Xiao Zhen?!
"Man'er!" Xiao Zhen had heard that Xiao Man had been summoned to the main courtyard by the old madam for nearly two hours. Worried that the old madam would make things difficult for Xiao Man, he came to check. Upon seeing her, he found Xiao Man spitting black blood, lying on the ground, her body ice-cold, with no trace of warmth.
"Doctor, quickly call a doctor." Xiao Zhen picked up Xiao Man, appearing somewhat flustered and at a loss.
"General, place the eldest young lady on the soft couch and quickly send for the imperial physician," He Qingyi quickly stepped forward to help. She understood in her heart that Xiao Man was trying to implicate her!
"I'll do it." At this moment, another figure walked up. Because Xiao Man's condition was so horrifying, others had not noticed this person's presence.
"Doctor Ye!" The old madam extinguished the incense in the censer with a lifeless gesture. Her gaze fell on Ye Qing, and an ominous feeling surfaced in her heart. Then, thinking that Xiao Man's situation had nothing to do with her, she immediately calmed down.
"What happened to her? She just said a few words and started spitting blood."
Ye Qing administered medicine to Xiao Man and then pricked her with needles, but the person remained unconscious, her lips black, her entire being exuding an aura of death.
"Doctor Ye, what exactly is wrong with my daughter?"
"General, the eldest young lady has been poisoned," Ye Qing looked at Xiao Zhen. "This poison is potent. I can only temporarily suppress it with silver needles. If the antidote is not found within twelve hours, she will surely die!"
The old madam's pupils contracted. She was glad Xiao Man was going to die, but she couldn't die in her main courtyard. "She... how did she get poisoned? She didn't eat anything here!"
He Qingyi felt a growing unease. She always felt that Xiao Man's poisoning was related to the old madam. At this moment, she absolutely could not get involved. She instinctively retreated.
Ye Qing sniffed the residual scent in the air. "This is... the scent of Black Profound Incense."
The old madam's eyelids twitched. "What is Black Profound Incense?"
Ye Qing got up, sniffed here and there, and finally his gaze landed on the censer that the old madam had not had time to tidy up. He immediately picked it up, opened it, and examined the remaining incense inside, pinching it. "There's still residual warmth. It was just extinguished."
Xiao Zhen looked at the old madam, disbelief on his face. Xiao Man was her own granddaughter! What reason had made his mother so venomous as to try to harm her life?
"This incense is not poisonous. I just thought it smelled good... I light it often."
"Yes, General, this is the incense Old Madam usually uses," a wet nurse added.
Xiao Zhen looked at Ye Qing. Ye Qing nodded. "Black Profound Incense is indeed not poisonous, but it is not common. Coincidentally, the trigger that activated the poison Xiao Man was afflicted with is Black Profound Incense."
"You quack doctor, are you implying that I poisoned my own granddaughter?"
Doctor Ye did not rush to speak, but handed the censer to Xiao Zhen. "Old Madam, I did not say that. The poison that the eldest young lady has been afflicted with has accumulated over time and was then triggered by the Black Profound Incense. This incense was extinguished before it was fully burned, isn't that a sign of a guilty conscience?"
"What do you mean? You quack doctor, you are just spouting nonsense! Guards, throw him out!"
"Enough!" Xiao Zhen roared, his eyes red. "Mother, what is your intention in driving away the doctor who is saving Man'er?"
"This quack doctor is clearly malicious, trying to sow discord between us mother and son..."
"What is this?" Ye Qing grabbed He Qingyi's wrist, revealing the crimson bracelet on her wrist.
"This is a bracelet that Old Madam gave me," He Qingyi said with a calm expression. "Is there a problem?"
"Miss, you cannot carry this thing with you. Otherwise, in a short while, you will also end up like the eldest young lady Xiao, mysteriously poisoned to death."
He Qingyi was startled and quickly took off the bracelet from her wrist. The crimson bracelet fell to the ground, and one of the beads shattered, releasing a faint fragrance. Ye Qing quickly covered his nose and mouth. "General, the cause of the poisoning has been found. It is precisely this bracelet and the Black Profound Incense. The beads on this bracelet are called Red Blood Beads. After being soaked in medicine, they emit a faint fragrance. People with weak constitutions who smell it will have the medicinal fragrance accumulate in their bodies. When it encounters Black Profound Incense, it becomes a potent poison that can kill!"