When Ren Yaoqi learned this news, she was extremely surprised. She obtained the letter that Ren Shimao had written back from Ren Shimin and read it carefully.

Ren Yaohua also hadn’t expected that Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu, mother and daughter, had looked so smug before leaving, yet such a thing happened just one month after departing Yanbei.

Although she greatly detested Lin Shi and disliked Ren Yaoyu, no matter what, they were still relatives. No matter how much Ren Yaohua disliked them, she had never hoped for them to meet with misfortune.

“How is it? Does the letter say what illness it is?” Ren Yaohua asked Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi shook her head while carefully reading through Ren Shimao’s description of Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s symptoms when they fell ill. In order to help Ren Shimin’s physician understand the situation early, Ren Shimao had described the mother and daughter’s symptoms in great detail.

As Ren Yaoqi read, she said: “When they first fell ill, only small bumps the size of pimples appeared on their faces. After a physician examined them, he said was symptoms were caused by acclimatization. They took several doses of medicine, thinking the bumps would subside on their own after a while, but unexpectedly, the bumps worsened and became pustulent. Now there isn’t a single good spot left on their faces and necks.”

As Ren Yaoqi spoke, she frowned.

Listening to this, Ren Yaohua’s expression also became serious. She thought for a moment, then asked Ren Yaoqi: “Why did it all break out on their faces? Do you think it could be…”

Ren Yaohua wanted to say whether it might be Concubine Fang’s doing.

Back then, Concubine Fang’s face had been slashed by Lin Shi, causing Concubine Fang to not dare show herself even now. Ren Yaohua had heard the servants quietly gossiping that previously, when a maid was delivering face-washing water to Concubine Fang, she forgot to withdraw promptly and ended up seeing Concubine Fang without her face veil, nearly fainting from fright at the sight of her facial injuries. This showed how severely Lin Shi had slashed her back then.

How severely Lin Shi had slashed was how much Concubine Fang hated her in her heart.

Ren Yaohua felt that, given Concubine Fang’s temperament, she would seek revenge against Lin Shi.

But what was surprising was that ever since Concubine Fang was injured, she had shut herself in her courtyard. For so long now, let alone seeking revenge, she had barely even left her room. It was as if she had forgotten how her face had been injured.

And Fifth Madam Lin Shi had gradually gone from being fearful and afraid to leave her courtyard after the incident, worried about Concubine Fang’s revenge, to recently becoming active again in the circle of madams in Baihe Town.

Ren Yaohua had almost thought this matter would just be forgotten.

But this time, Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s illness manifested on their faces, so Ren Yaohua’s first reaction was whether Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu had been targeted for revenge by Concubine Fang.

But if it was Concubine Fang, how had she managed to do it?

Before Ren Yaohua could voice this, Ren Yaoqi already understood her meaning, because she had thought of this possibility too. This kind of thing wasn’t beyond what Concubine Fang could do.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi didn’t speak, Ren Yaohua said somewhat puzzled: “If it was her, she’s incredibly patient. There’s been no movement for two years.”

Ren Yaohua knew that if Lin Shi’s face had problems while she was still at the Ren family, others would suspect Concubine Fang when they connected it to her past grievances with Lin Shi. But Lin Shi only had trouble after leaving Yanbei – who would have reason to suspect a concubine who stayed in the inner courtyard and rarely went out?

Ren Yaoqi had suffered at Concubine Fang’s hands and knew she was an extremely patient person. As long as she could achieve her goals, let alone lying dormant for a few years, even dozens of years wouldn’t exhaust her patience.

She sighed softly and reminded Ren Yaohua again: “This is why I always tell you not to have confrontations with her and Ren Yaoying. Because when it comes to schemes and ruthlessness, you’ll never be her match.”

Ren Yaohua took the letter from Ren Yaoqi’s hands and read through Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s miserable condition, feeling lingering fear. Her face ugly, she said: “So should I thank her for being merciful with me all these years?”

Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi thought of what happened to Ren Yaohua in her previous life. For someone like Ren Yaohua, ruining her face wouldn’t truly destroy her, so Concubine Fang had ultimately destroyed what she cared about most and her only source of pride.

Attack the enemy’s most vulnerable weakness – this was Concubine Fang’s motto.

Therefore, when dealing with Lin Shi, Concubine Fang first targeted Ren Shimao, because what Lin Shi was most proud of in her life was marrying a husband who treated her wholeheartedly without any divided loyalties. That’s how Concubine Kang appeared.

And now she chose to have Lin Shi and her only daughter experience the same pain she had experienced before dying in a foreign land.

Ren Yaoqi sighed and said nothing.

Ren Yaohua continued: “Although these are all our speculations, I feel it must be related to her. Tell me, how did she do it? Poison? How was it administered?”

Ren Yaoqi thought for a moment: “If it’s related to her, it must be poison.”

Ren Yaoqi carefully considered the description of Lin Shi and her daughter’s condition in the letter, then said thoughtfully: “As for how this poison was administered, I guess it was either in their food or in their daily-use items.”

“If it were food, why didn’t Fifth Uncle and Fifth Brother have any problems? When traveling, they should have eaten at the same table all along the way, right?” Ren Yaohua also analyzed seriously.

Ren Yaoqi nodded in agreement: “You’re right. I don’t think it was in their clothing either, because what was affected were their faces, while their bodies were fine.” She thought of something, paused, then asked Ren Yaohua: “If you had small bumps on your face and needed to go out, what would you do?”

Ren Yaohua thought for a moment: “Apply a thick layer of powder to cover up the rash on my face?”

Ren Yaoqi nodded. She remembered how Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s condition had worsened later.

Originally just small bumps the size of pimples, but Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu were both very face-conscious and beauty-loving people, and they happened to be traveling, so they would definitely apply extra powder on their faces to hide the bumps. But later, the symptoms on their faces became increasingly severe.

Ren Yaohua realized this and immediately said: “You mean if she poisoned them, it’s very likely she put the poison in the rouge and face powder they used?”

Ren Yaoqi nodded and stood up, saying to Ren Yaohua: “I’m going to find Father and have him remind Fifth Uncle in his letter. If it is poisoning, finding the source of the poison now might still save Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister.”

Ren Yaoqi shared Ren Yaohua’s feelings – she also disliked Lin Shi, and would even be happy to see her get a small lesson, but this didn’t mean Ren Yaoqi could watch them die with her eyes wide open.

When it involved matters of life and death, Ren Yaoqi couldn’t pretend to be deaf and mute after guessing the reason for their “illness.” That would make her no different from people like Concubine Fang.

Hearing that lives could be saved, Ren Yaohua immediately nodded: “Yes, go quickly.”

Ren Yaoqi went to the study to find Ren Shimin.

She didn’t say she was certain that Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu had been poisoned. She only told Ren Shimin that she had once read in a book about someone whose poisoning symptoms also manifested as small pimple-like bumps on the face, resembling acclimatization. Since the physicians treating Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu couldn’t find the root of their illness, perhaps they should try a different approach to find the cause – was it possible that Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu had unknowingly been poisoned by accidentally ingesting or using something during their journey?

After hearing this, Ren Shimin felt Ren Yaoqi’s words made some sense, so he immediately wrote another letter to Ren Shimao, reminding him to have the physicians investigate the possibility of poisoning.

Ren Yaoqi watched Ren Shimin write the letter while reminding him: “Father, have Fifth Uncle check the food from those days, as well as Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister’s daily-use items. Keep all those things, don’t throw them away yet. If it is poisoning, finding the poison source might still save Fifth Aunt and Eighth Sister.”

Ren Shimin also wrote down what Ren Yaoqi reminded him about in the letter and had it quickly sent to Ren Shimao.

When Ren Shimao received Ren Shimin’s letter, he had already reached Zhending. He immediately personally investigated their food along the way as well as Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s daily-use items.

At this time, Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu’s condition was actually very dire. Whether they could survive to return to Yunyang City was questionable.

Especially Ren Yaoyu – because she was young and had fallen ill early, her body couldn’t withstand it. She hadn’t eaten for several days now. Ren Shimao anxiously fed his daughter porridge with a spoon himself, but Ren Yaoyu couldn’t even swallow anymore. The physician determined that Ren Yaoyu was already on her deathbed. This dignified man would sit by the bed holding the porridge bowl, watching his wife and daughter, and cry until he choked up.

Fortunately, Lin Shi’s condition was somewhat better, and she had some consciousness. Seeing Ren Shimao cry while looking at her, she always forced herself to swallow the food and medicine, though her tears never stopped, making anyone who saw her feel heartbroken.

Because of this, Ren Shimao treated Ren Shimin’s letter as the last ray of hope for saving his wife and daughter. His investigation was so thorough that he didn’t even overlook the combs the two had used – it could be said to be meticulous.

As a result, Ren Shimao indeed found problems with the face powder that mother and daughter usually used.

Both Lin Shi and Ren Yaoyu used rouge and face powder brought from the Ren family.

Lin Shi loved beauty, and Ren Yaoyu took after her mother, paying great attention to dress and grooming despite her young age. The rouge and face powder mother and daughter used were the finest – Pearl Peach Blossom Powder sold at the most famous Huaxiangrong Rouge Shop in Yunyang City, costing five taels of silver per box.

Many noble ladies and misses in Yanbei used this Pearl Peach Blossom Powder, and even some madams in the Capital had their families come specifically to buy it, so this powder would be quite presentable even when brought to the Capital. Before leaving, Lin Shi had someone buy six boxes from Huaxiangrong, planning to give one box each to Fourth Madam and Sixth Miss Ren Yaofeng in the Capital.

No one had expected that these boxes of Pearl Peach Blossom Powder would be the problem.