The couple hesitated for only a moment before bringing her to Hong Lingxiang's room. Although they didn't believe she would be so kind, they had no other choice but to try.
Looking at Hong Lingxiang on the bed, her face ashen and her appearance withered, she felt no pity. She had never forgotten how Hong Lingxiang had treated the original owner and her two children.
As soon as Hong Lingxiang saw her, she cast a doubtful glance at her parents, not understanding why they had let this woman into their home.
"She runs a medical clinic in the city, and her business is very good. We heard her medical skills are also excellent, so we wanted her to take a look at your illness," Madam Hong quickly explained.
Upon hearing this, Hong Lingxiang stopped complaining. Although she disliked Wu Caiwei, at this point, she wasn't willing to let go of any chance of survival.
Seeing that Hong Lingxiang had quieted down, Wu Caiwei didn't hesitate. She placed her hand on her pulse and, as expected, found that she had been poisoned.
"How is it?" Madam Hong looked at her expectantly after she finished taking the pulse.
"She has been poisoned. The person who prepared the medicine has extraordinary skills and very clever methods. I doubt any doctor in the city could diagnose her illness. Of course, since I've seen it, I have a way to detoxify her," Wu Caiwei said confidently.
Hope immediately flickered in Hong Lingxiang's eyes. She was still so young and had a bright future ahead of her; she didn't want to die like this.
The Hong couple also smiled with joy upon hearing this answer. For so many days, all the doctors had told them to prepare for their daughter's funeral, but they couldn't bear to. They didn't know where Shi Yun had learned her medical skills to possess such ability.
"Then quickly prescribe the medicine. Just tell me how much silver you need," Madam Hong urged her impatiently.
"I have an antidote pill here that will cure her completely, but it costs one thousand taels." Before Wu Caiwei could finish speaking, Madam Hong hastily instructed a servant to fetch the silver.
The exchange was made. The moment the silver was in her hand, Wu Caiwei popped the pill into Hong Lingxiang's mouth, and Hong Lingxiang eagerly swallowed it.
With her task completed, Wu Caiwei turned to leave. "Where do you live now? Give me your address, and we can come to visit."
"Don't worry, as long as she takes the medicine I gave her, the poison will definitely be resolved. Do you think I lack your thousand taels of silver, that I would come here specifically to deceive you?" Wu Caiwei knew they didn't intend to visit, but were afraid she had given them fake medicine, harming their daughter, or that the poison wouldn't be cured after taking the medicine, so they could find her for treatment later.
Madam Hong felt a bit embarrassed and didn't speak. Just then, Hong Lingxiang suddenly felt nauseous. She shifted slightly and vomited a pool of black blood by the bedside.
Seeing the large pool of blood on the ground, the Hong couple were terrified. Madam Hong rushed to her daughter's side, looking at her in distress, "Lingxiang, what's wrong? Don't scare your mother."
Hong Lingxiang couldn't spare the time to speak to her mother, and continued to vomit black blood mouthful after mouthful.
"What exactly did you give my daughter?" Master Hong asked her sternly.
Wu Caiwei remained silent, but instead smiled and pointed in Hong Lingxiang's direction.
Master Hong looked, and although the copious amount of blood his daughter had vomited earlier was frightening, looking again now, the constant frown on his face relaxed, and he even showed a smile.
"That blood was all poisoned. Now that she has expelled it, she will be fine. She is depleted of both qi and blood, so it's best to eat more blood-nourishing foods," Wu Caiwei instructed carefully, fully playing the role of a dedicated physician.
Master Hong nodded repeatedly, feeling a little guilty.
Stepping out of the Hong mansion and looking back at the imposing building, Wu Caiwei couldn't help but smile. More drama was about to unfold.
For many days, Zhou Tianpeng had been waiting for the Hong family to report a death. Instead, he heard that the Hong family's young lady had recovered.
This made him secretly anxious, wondering where things had gone wrong. He decided to visit them personally.
In fact, after Hong Lingxiang recovered, the Hong couple realized that Zhou Tianpeng had indeed been the one to poison her. They had considered reporting him to the authorities, but there was no evidence. All the doctors couldn't diagnose the illness, and even if Wu Caiwei could, he could counter-accuse them in court, claiming they had conspired with Shi Yun to frame him, given Shi Yun's special identity.
Therefore, they could only endure this. Of course, the Hong family was not one to be bullied easily, and they were determined to get revenge.
The servants, unaware of what had happened, respectfully welcomed the son-in-law when he arrived.
"My son-in-law has arrived! Let's have a good drink together this noon," Master Hong, a true old fox, harbored deep hatred for him but maintained a calm demeanor, acting as if everything was normal.
Zhou Tianpeng breathed a sigh of relief. They must not have discovered what he had done, right? Could it be that the medicine had a problem? But hadn't he tested it last time? That person had indeed died. For a moment, Zhou Tianpeng couldn't figure out what was going on.
Seeing Hong Lingxiang approaching him, though he didn't want to admit it, the fact was she was alive and well.
"You're well, that's wonderful," Zhou Tianpeng said to her with feigned surprise.
"Yes, I've recovered now. Please don't mind what I said before. I know I wronged you, and I'll cook for you myself to apologize someday," Hong Lingxiang said to him with a smile, her hatred growing deeper as her smile widened.
"I know you were delirious then, and what you said shouldn't be taken seriously. Besides, how could I let you cook? You are our Lady Zhou," Zhou Tianpeng quickly refused. Who knew if her cooking contained poison? He dared not eat it.
Hong Lingxiang looked at his panic and sneered inwardly. She had never suffered such a great loss in her life. Since she had survived this ordeal, she was determined to make him regret his actions.
That day, Hong Lingxiang returned to his mansion with him. Upon hearing the news, Old Madam Zhou was dejected. She had originally heard that Hong Lingxiang was gravely ill and her life was hanging by a thread. She had thought that this time, no matter what, she would find a gentle, virtuous, and obedient daughter-in-law for her son. The family's status didn't matter as much as their obedience.
She had almost finalized her arrangements when Hong Lingxiang returned.
Life continued as usual, calm and uneventful. One night, Zhou Tianpeng suddenly suffered from diarrhea and kept rushing to the privy, becoming almost dehydrated. The people in the courtyard accompanied him through the night's ordeal, exhausted.
The doctor came to examine him and said he had eaten something incompatible with his system, prescribing some medicine to stop the diarrhea. After taking it, he rested for two days before slowly recovering.
One afternoon, after lunch, he was in a rare good mood and went for a walk by the lake. As he was enjoying the scenery, he was suddenly pushed into the lake by a strong force.
He thrashed in the water, shouting for help, but the place was secluded, with few people passing by. Just as he thought he was going to die there, a fisherman jumped into the water and pulled him out.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the servant quickly slipped away. Wu Caiwei had specifically assigned several people to follow Zhou Tianpeng; how could she let the culprit escape?