The doctor’s legs immediately went weak, and he directly knelt on the ground, kowtowing and crying out: “It has nothing to do with me! Eldest Miss, it has nothing to do with me! I was just suddenly called over. I said my medical skills weren’t good, but your manor’s nanny said I was just here to go through the motions, since the person was going to die anyway!”

Going to die anyway?!

She gripped the chair’s armrest tightly, waves of chills running down her spine. Someone wanted Ji Tingyu’s life!

Was it because Ji Tingyu had brought back the military record bamboo scrolls?! Or was it because of… something else?!

Her fingernails were nearly embedded into the wooden chair armrest, her fury terrifying, her voice rising: “Go investigate! Find out which nanny brought this doctor in today! Once you find out, tie that person up and bring them to me immediately! If they dare refuse, beat them to death and drag them over for this doctor to identify!”

“Yes!” One guard responded and quickly stepped out.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Ji Liu Shi, who had already curled up into a ball in the corner: “Ji Liu Shi…”

Ji Liu Shi hurriedly came forward and knelt before Bai Qingyan: “Eldest Miss, I… I don’t know anything!”

“You and I have never met, yet you know I’m the eldest miss of the Bai family…” Bai Qingyan’s calm, indifferent tone was like a layer of frost. “I ask you, when people were sent to the estate today to bring back that illegitimate son of the Bai family, did anything happen?”

Ji Liu Shi kept her head lowered, her eyes darting about in panic, her voice extremely low: “In response to the miss, nothing happened…”

For Ji Tingyu’s sake, she had already tried her utmost to restrain her attitude toward Ji Liu Shi: “Think carefully. My nanny has already gone to inquire. When she returns to report, if what she says differs from yours, do you know what the consequences will be?”

“Eldest Miss, I’m just an ordinary housewife. The manor’s nanny told me to come along to care for my husband, so I came! I don’t know anything!”

Her gaze toward Ji Liu Shi grew increasingly cold as she slowly leaned back against the chair: “Have someone wait at the Qinghui Courtyard gate. When you see Nanny Tong, have her come over! Also, have my head maid, Chun Xing, bring me a hand warmer. Tonight… will be long!”

Ji Liu Shi shivered and swallowed saliva with difficulty.

Soon, Nanny Tong arrived with Chun Xing. Chun Xing bowed and hurriedly stepped forward to hand the hand warmer to Bai Qingyan.

“Go inside and watch over Ji Tingyu. Make the fire burn brighter.” She took the hand warmer and instructed Chun Xing.

“Yes!” Chun Xing hurriedly lifted the curtain and entered the room.

“Nanny, did you get results from questioning Nanny Jiang?” She looked at Nanny Tong.

“I did!” Nanny Tong quickly walked to Bai Qingyan’s side. “Nanny Jiang said it was because the Grand Princess wanted to keep that illegitimate son’s mother at the estate, but the illegitimate son was unwilling and made a fuss, not wanting to get in the carriage to return.”

She looked at Ji Liu Shi: “Ji Liu Shi, do you know about this matter?”

Ji Liu Shi prostrated herself even lower: “This commoner woman doesn’t know!”

Hearing such an answer, Bai Qingyan pursed her lips and asked no more…

Under the covered walkway, plain white lanterns swayed. The courtyard was full of people, yet it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

Suddenly, beyond the wide-open courtyard gate, torches rapidly approached in this direction. She instinctively stood up and saw Lu Ping carrying Physician Hong on his back, with guards behind him carrying Imperial Physician Huang as they ran over.

The moment she saw them, Bai Qingyan’s heart, which had risen to her throat, finally settled slightly. She instinctively went to meet them at the gate: “Physician Hong! Quickly check on Ji Tingyu!”

Physician Hong got down from the painting of Lu Ping’s back. Seeing the pale-faced Bai Qingyan there as well, he cupped his hands and followed Bai Qingyan inside: “Eldest Miss, how is Lu Ping?! How did he suddenly fall unconscious again? When I left, wasn’t he fine?!”

Imperial Physician Huang, who had been carried over by a young guard, also got down. He had been jolted senseless along the way, his official hat askew. But he couldn’t be bothered with his appearance, straightened his hat, took his medicine box from the guard’s hands, and followed them inside.

Seeing that imperial physicians had arrived, the doctor was so frightened he shook like a leaf, his face so white it had no color left.

As soon as Physician Hong entered, he didn’t bother sitting down and immediately grabbed Ji Tingyu’s arm to feel his pulse. The moment his hand touched the pulse… Physician Hong’s face went white: “How did he get poisoned?!”

“What?! Poisoned?! What kind of poison?!” Imperial Physician Huang, who entered afterward, hurriedly put down his medicine box and came forward, examining Ji Tingyu’s pupils and prying open Ji Tingyu’s mouth to look at his tongue coating, then leaning close to smell the breath from Ji Tingyu’s mouth.

“One Day Sleep!”

“One Day Sleep!”

Physician Hong and Imperial Physician Huang spoke in unison.

One Day Sleep—this poison was, as its name suggested,… those poisoned would die within one day of the poison taking effect. This poison was also considered mild, making the poisoned person fall into unconsciousness and die in their sleep.

“The dosage shouldn’t be much, the poisoning isn’t deep! It was also discovered early, otherwise… the lip color would have changed! You write the prescription… I’ll administer the needles!” Physician Hong said to Imperial Physician Huang.

Bai Qingyan felt her head buzzing. Ji Tingyu had been harmed in the Bai manor, right under her nose!

She gritted her teeth and respectfully curtsied to Physician Hong and Imperial Physician Huang: “I’ll leave this to you both! Chun Xing, you stay here and follow Physician Hong and Imperial Physician Huang’s instructions. Uncle Ping, come out with me to interrogate that doctor!”

After speaking, Bai Qingyan, radiating terrifying murderous intent, tightly gripped Nanny Tong’s hand and stepped outside.

The guard who had gone to investigate which nanny had brought the doctor back entered and cupped his fists toward Bai Qingyan: “Eldest Miss, they say it was Nanny Qi who brought this doctor into the manor. Nanny Qi had family matters and wasn’t in the manor. Should we go to her home to arrest her?”

Hearing Nanny Qi’s name, Nanny Tong quickly said to Bai Qingyan: “Nanny Qi is the very nanny who went to the estate today to fetch Second Master’s illegitimate son. She was the one who came back first to see the Grand Princess, and later brought the Ji family’s daughter-in-law in. Today, when this old servant went to inquire… the outer courtyard also said Nanny Qi had family matters.”

Nanny Qi, that illegitimate son, Changshou Courtyard, the Grand Princess…

Connecting this line, wasn’t it clear?!

What deep hatred and resentment could Nanny Qi have with Ji Tingyu that would require Ji Tingyu’s death?!

But what about grandmother? Why would she want Ji Tingyu, who had shown kindness to the Bai family, to die?

Thinking that this matter was the Grand Princess’s doing, her already unsettled heart was doused with another ladle of hot oil, her hands trembling.

Her gaze, cold as ice and grim as storm clouds, looked toward the doctor kneeling in the courtyard and shaking: “One Day Sleep—did you bring it in?”

The doctor was so frightened he kept kowtowing: “Eldest Miss, spare my life! It has nothing to do with me! When I arrived, the person was already like this! Eldest Miss, please see clearly! I… I was just here to put on an act! Your manor’s nanny knows this!”

She forcibly suppressed her rage, her gaze turning to the trembling Ji Liu Shi, speaking through gritted teeth: “Break this doctor’s finger joints for me, one… section at a time! If he still won’t tell the truth, then smash every joint in his body! Right here in this courtyard… smash them!”

Lu Ping walked over and kicked the doctor flat on the ground, stepping hard on the doctor’s spine: “Do it!”