As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Yulan rushed over.
"Xiu'er, what happened?"
Xiu'er had no idea what was going on.
Hearing Meng Yulan's voice, Linlin took Yanran's hand and came out, saying, "Xiu'er, Nanxing, go inside and help your aunt."
"Yes." Knowing that they had finished talking inside, the two rushed in together.
Meng Yulan wanted to go in too, but Linlin stopped her.
He said, "Mother, let's talk in the tea room."
--For now, Meng Yulan is still his legal mother in name only.
Meng Yulan said in a deep voice, "I'll go in and see your... aunt first."
"No, Mother, please don't look at what's inside," Linlin said calmly.
"Filth? It doesn't matter."
Meng Yulan already had a general idea of what had happened.
The most common way to treat poisoning is to induce vomiting, although the methods of inducing vomiting vary.
"No," Linlin said, "Nanny Rong was not only poisoned, but she also swallowed gold."
She was determined to die!
Even Meng Yulan, who was used to the shady dealings in the inner quarters, was stunned when she heard this.
Linlin lowered her eyes. "My aunt treated Madam Wang before, so this time, she noticed it in time..."
Tang Zhuyun was actually both relieved and terrified.
As a doctor from the 22nd century, she was naive and had never seen anything like swallowing gold.
In ancient times, the suicide rate among women was extremely high, and the methods they used to commit suicide were almost identical.
Hanging oneself, banging one's head against a wall, swallowing gold...
Because of Madam Wang's experience, she quickly concluded that Nanny Rong's poisoning was only one aspect; she had also swallowed gold, indicating her determination to die.
--Or rather, Nanny Rong was determined to create a situation where she herself was driven to her death.
However, Tang Zhuyun suppressed all her emotions for the time being.
To break this deadlock, we must first rescue Nanny Rong.
She was completely focused on saving lives inside the house, while Meng Yulan was discussing matters with Linlin and Yanran.
Meng Yulan, not treating the two like children, said very seriously, "I think we should invite the Prince back. If anything happens, we might still be able to leave traces for investigation."
Yanran said, "Aunt, I believe my mother can bring her back. If she wants to, she can do it."
She blindly worshipped Tang Zhuyun.
Linlin, however, was a rational person, but she still shook her head.
"The prince is in the outskirts of the capital. Although he commands the Golden Scale Guard and has a token that allows him to come and go, he will inevitably be watched..." Linlin's thoughts were clear. "But right now, it's not advisable to make a scene."
Meng Yulan nodded. "I was mistaken."
She was blinded by concern.
After all, Nanny Rong was the most trusted and loyal servant of Prince of Jin.
If she really dies tonight, Tang Zhuyun will have no way to defend herself.
Even though the Prince of Jin trusted Tang Zhuyun, it was still a thorn in his side.
The two of them stumbled and struggled to get to where they are today, and they finally achieved happiness. But then another mistake happened, Meng Yulan felt sorry for Tang Zhuyun.
"Alright," Meng Yulan quickly regained her composure, "Linlin, your father should be in the outer courtyard now. Go see him and tell the guards what to do. I'll be in the inner courtyard; I can control the situation."
"Okay." Linlin nodded. "Mother, don't worry. Yanran, you stay with Mother!"
"Yes." Yanran nodded emphatically and went to Meng Yulan's side. "I am the mistress of the Prince's Mansion. Aunt, please tell me what you need to say."
"Good boy."
Tang Zhuyun stitched up Nanny Rong's incision, looked up, and Xiu'er wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"You two help me clean this up." Tang Zhuyun threw the bloodstained utensils into the basin, plopped down on the footstool, and took a deep breath.
She was so tired.
I'm physically tired, and mentally tired too.
She saved the person, but what about the cause and effect of the incident?
"Your Majesty, please go out and rest for a while. This place is filthy," Nanxing said, reaching out to support her.
"Okay." Tang Zhuyun stood up with her help.
She went out; she had something to say.
Nanxing helped her up and lifted the curtain for her; Meng Yulan was waiting under the eaves.
"Sister-in-law, are you cold?" Tang Zhuyun asked with a smile.
Even if she's feeling unsettled inside, she's now learned to pretend so her family won't worry.
She stepped forward and took Meng Yulan's hand, noticing that her hand was very cold, indicating that she had been waiting for her there for a long time.
"It's not cold," Meng Yulan said. "After I arrived, I had someone thoroughly search the area around this courtyard, but we didn't find anyone suspicious. We searched every room except the main house, and there was no one there."
Tang Zhuyun looked surprised.
This was something she wanted to do, because she felt that Nanny Rong's sudden change must have been due to external forces.
This external force is likely someone, and it shouldn't be far away, perhaps even right next to her.
"I've also questioned everyone in this courtyard, but there were no leads," Meng Yulan continued. "However, several of them said that Nanny Rong has indeed been acting differently lately, as if she has something on her mind."
Tang Zhuyun sat leaning against the railing. "I feel the same way."
Meng Yulan helped her with the investigation, which allowed her to catch her breath for a while.
"I know something's wrong with her, but I always feel like she's going to take things slowly." Tang Zhuyun lowered her head and smiled bitterly.
Unexpectedly, Nanny Rong struck with a deadly move, swift and precise, giving her no time to react.
Being tired was secondary; Tang Zhuyun just felt extremely frustrated.
"Sister-in-law, I'm too weak," she said calmly.
"It's not your fault." Meng Yulan sat down beside her. "To be honest, I never expected this either."
Even following the usual methods she'd seen, everyone proceeded step by step.
Nanny Rong used a deadly move right from the start, and it wasn't even a particularly clever one. What was she trying to do?
Meng Yulan was also puzzled by his completely unpredictable behavior.
"I even think," Meng Yulan said, "That although she was malicious, she let you off the hook."
Nanny Rong's skill level was on par with hers, but far superior to Tang Zhuyun's.
Moreover, Tang Zhuyun originally had no defenses against Nanny Rong.
Therefore, if Nanny Rong proceeds slowly, she can completely bury Tang Zhuyun in the ground, leaving her powerless to resist.
Why is she so impatient and eager to act?
In unleashing her deadly move, wasn't she also putting herself in a perilous situation?
She could have easily used even lower-ranking servants; she wouldn't have had to risk her life.
"Sister-in-law, I feel the same way you do." Tang Zhuyun wiped her fingers one by one with a handkerchief. "I think that Nanny Rong's actions were only part of it; she also wanted to die."
"Sister-in-law," she said, her expression weary, but her eyes growing ever brighter, "Do you think someone has something on Nanny Rong's hands, deliberately forcing her to deal with me? Nanny Rong was torn between cooperating and not cooperating, and ultimately chose this path to fulfill her obligation and to send a warning?"
"There aren't many people who can find fault with Nanny Rong," Meng Yulan said. "She's unmarried and has no children, so where would she get a weakness?"
"Her weakness is the prince!" Tang Zhuyun felt as if a light had flashed through her mind.