Master Zhao suddenly came to his senses.
Back when Luo Yu had an accident, it also seemed to start with the rumor that Luo Yu had harmed the concubine.
The rumor at that time was even more outrageous. It said that Luo Yu, a young child, instigated by Lady Zhao, deliberately set fire to kill his father's concubine.
Because this rumor was so bizarre, many people were quite interested in it. It became so widespread that the whole city knew about Zhao Luoyu.
Thinking carefully, Luo Yu was so young when the accident happened. Even if Concubine Xiulian was weak, it was impossible for her to be unable to defeat a child.
Even though Master Zhao didn't like Zhao Luoyu, faced with so many doubts and having heard his concubine framing his eldest daughter with his own ears, he couldn't ignore it.
Of course, he still had doubts about this matter. He asked, "Do you have any evidence that Concubine Zhao harmed Luo Yu?"
Nanny Cheng took out a key from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.
"This is the key that this servant picked up from Concubine Zhao's clothes back then. This servant tried it, and it can just open the lock on the firewood room door where the accident happened. This key can prove it."
Master Zhao took the key dubiously.
He ordered the young servant to go to the warehouse to get the lock. During this time, Lady Zhao was secretly wiping away her tears.
Seeing this, Master Zhao felt very distressed. He embraced Lady Zhao in his arms.
Actually, Master Zhao still had a bit of preference for Concubine Zhao.
Even though things had come to this point, he still wanted to smooth things over.
After all, he had really liked Concubine Zhao back then.
Although in recent years, after Concubine Zhao had gained power, her temper had become more and more irritable. In contrast, Lady Zhao, who was originally cold and boring, now seemed more knowledgeable and gentle.
But Master Zhao still hoped for a harmonious relationship between his wife and concubine so that he could enjoy the blessings of both.
"Why are my two daughters so miserable! Luo Yu is like this, and Luo Ning has also had an accident."
At first, Nanny Cheng saw that Master Zhao wasn't very concerned about Luo Yu's matter. When he heard that his daughter had been killed by his concubine, his first reaction wasn't shock. Instead, he wanted to verify it. It seemed that he didn't really want to punish Concubine Zhao.
Nanny Cheng was secretly thinking: It seems that this bargaining chip of mine isn't very useful. Will Lady Zhao stop trading with me when she sees that my bargaining chip is useless?
Now hearing Lady Zhao mention Zhao Luoning, Nanny Cheng's eyes lit up. She quickly said, "Master, Lady, the eldest miss was also persecuted by Concubine Zhao!"
"What?" This time, Master Zhao finally showed a bit of reaction.
"Back then, the eldest miss was abducted to the brothel by Nanny Xu. The eldest miss's accident was also arranged by Concubine Zhao." So far, what she said was the truth.
Before Nanny Xu had an accident, Nanny Cheng had gone to the estate to visit her. One day, Nanny Xu was drunk and told her about this.
Although Nanny Cheng was shocked when she heard this, at that time, Zhao Luoning hadn't established herself in the Ji family yet. Zhao Luojing was sickly and intended to hand over the tea shop to Zhao Luoming. Nanny Cheng didn't know which side to stand on, so she kept this matter a secret.
Since she had come this far, Nanny Cheng didn't care about the truth or falsehood anymore. She also told her speculation.
"Later, the fire in Concubine Zhao's room was also deliberately set by Concubine Zhao to kill Nanny Xu, the witness. Unexpectedly, Nanny Xu didn't die. She pretended to be crazy and escaped. Later, Concubine Zhao was still not at ease and sent someone to kill Nanny Xu."
Master Zhao had heard how miserable Nanny Xu's death was.
He didn't expect that the woman in his bed was such a cruel person.
This time, he didn't wait for the young servant to bring the lock to verify the key. He covered his chest and ordered his attendant.
"Go and bring Concubine Zhao here!"
Greatly stimulated, Master Zhao only felt his heart pounding. It seemed as if it was about to jump out of his chest. Before he could finish his order, he lost consciousness and slumped over.
Seeing this, Lady Zhao quickly supported him.
She stopped the servant who was about to go and call Concubine Zhao. "Can't you see that the master has fainted? Hurry up and go to the pharmacy to invite a doctor!"
"But... the master asked me to find Concubine Zhao."
"What's the use of calling Concubine Zhao here when the master is like this now!"
Lady Zhao rarely showed her authority. A roar stopped the servant.
The servant quickly went out to invite a doctor.
Seeing that everyone had gone out to work, Lady Zhao then hugged Master Zhao's head. Her expression was obscure and hard to read.
But one thing was for sure. She didn't have much concern for Master Zhao.
As for why she stopped the servant from calling Concubine Zhao, there was a reason.
She had to completely crush Concubine Zhao and not give her any chance to turn things around!
Doctor Xu, the resident doctor of Yujing Pharmacy, was quickly invited over.
By this time, Master Zhao had woken up after a short rest. He leaned on the bedside and asked, "Doctor Xu, what's wrong with me?"
Doctor Xu used to be an imperial doctor in the palace. He was no stranger to Master Zhao's symptoms.
"Master, you've inhaled too much aphrodisiac incense. It's okay to inhale it once or twice occasionally, but you can't inhale too much. If you inhale too much, it will damage your heart meridian."
"Aphrodisiac incense? I've never used it."
Master Zhao was very unfamiliar with this term. He had many children. When had he ever used such a thing.
While writing the prescription, Doctor Xu said, "I'm from the palace. I've seen many cases like yours in the palace. The previous emperor's health was ruined like this. The previous emperor didn't inhale the aphrodisiac incense himself. It was all the concubines who applied it on their bodies and put it in their sachets to compete for favor."
Competing for favor, sachets!
These factors combined made Master Zhao turn pale instantly.
Xiulian liked to use incense and was good at using it.
He had a deep impression of Xiulian back then because of the faint fragrance on her body.
When they were in love, he would even hold the sachet on Xiulian's body and take a deep sniff.
He never expected that these faint fragrances would actually be the culprit that harmed him!
Wasn't all this exactly in line with his beloved Concubine Zhao!
Thinking of this, Master Zhao suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. And Doctor Xu's next words made Master Zhao feel like falling into an ice cave.
"The poison has entered the heart and lungs. It's impossible to save you. I can only prescribe medicine to delay the illness. The family should be mentally prepared."
The words "impossible to save" were like a thunderbolt, hitting Master Zhao hard on the head.
At this moment, Master Zhao's mind suddenly echoed the teachings of the old master back then.
"If you dote on your concubine and neglect your wife, your family will be in turmoil."
Master Zhao didn't believe it when he was young and impetuous. He thought these were just fabricated by the wives who didn't get favored.
But now he understood.
The woman he had doted on for so many years.
Had killed his second daughter.
Had tricked his eldest daughter into losing her virginity in the brothel.
And now had even made him terminally ill!