Lu Youming thought she had misheard. There were countless people vying for a job in the General's Mansion, yet she was directly sought out.
However, she had no intention of working in any mansion. She could earn much more outside than by working for others. If it weren't for her mother's illness, she wouldn't have ended up in such a plight.
"Alright, as long as you can cure my mother, I'll do as you say," Lu Youming replied without hesitation.
"Don't look like you're going to your death. I'm offering you a job, not doing you any wrong. Fetch the writing brush and ink. I'll write a prescription. You go and get the medicine," Yi Qing said impatiently.
Hearing this, Lu Youming hesitated. "Can I get an advance on my monthly salary first?"
"You don't have the money to buy the medicine?" Only then did Yi Qing realize that she might have been deceived.
"Most of the money I used to buy the Ganoderma lucidum powder was borrowed."
Yi Qing thought Lu Youming had exaggerated so much and that she herself didn't have much money. "Bring your Ganoderma lucidum powder. Let me check its quality. I'll buy it."
"Okay." Lu Youming looked as if she was afraid Yi Qing would go back on her word.
Yi Qing took the bottle and smelled it. Her expression immediately changed. Wasn't this the thing that had poisoned her grandfather?
"Where did you get this?"
"I bought it on the black market," Lu Youming said. Sensing that something was amiss, she added, "Could it be that I was deceived?"
Judging from Lu Youming's reaction, she clearly had no idea what this thing was. "You can buy Ganoderma lucidum powder in the pharmacy. Why did you go to the black market?"
"Because it's cheaper," Lu Youming didn't hide anything. "Most of the things sold on the black market are not supposed to be in the open. Or some people from once - prosperous families don't want to lose face, so they sell them. Take this Ganoderma lucidum powder for example. It might very well have been embezzled by a cook from a wealthy family and then sold for money. It's much cheaper than in the pharmacy."
"Then why did someone try to rob you?" Yi Qing thought of those who had chased Lu Youming.
"Of course, it's a case of blackmail among thieves," Lu Youming said impatiently. "If you buy something that can't be seen in the light, you're just asking to be robbed."
Yi Qing nodded with a smile. It seemed that by a strange twist of fate, she had intercepted what she was looking for. "How much did you pay for it?"
Lu Youming hesitated. "Twenty taels."
"Sang Sang, give her fifty taels."
Lu Youming thought she had misheard. "Fifty taels?"
"I'm a fool with a lot of money," Yi Qing said and then started writing the prescription.
Actually, Lu's mother's illness wasn't that serious. But due to a lack of knowledge about gynecological diseases and the woman's shyness about seeing a doctor for such matters, the illness had been delayed to this extent.
Lu Youming felt as if she was in a dream when she received the prescription and the silver. From what she knew, Lady Xiao wasn't that easy to talk to.
"Those people won't let it go easily. You'd better dress like a woman," Yi Qing reminded her before leaving.
Lu Youming thought it made sense and changed back into women's clothes.
In the carriage, Yi Qing stared blankly at the bottle. Since such things were available on the black market, would others in the capital be poisoned? Or had Bai Yutang run out of the medicine and was waiting for a new supply?
Thinking like this, she arrived at the General's Mansion. Now that she had identified the poison, it would be much easier to prepare the antidote. She went straight to the pharmacy to make it.
Xiao Jinghan came back very late today. No matter how he analyzed the situation, he was the most suitable person to go to the border. So this time, he couldn't escape.
"Where's the lady?" Xiao Jinghan found that Yi Qing wasn't in the main hall when he got there.
"In the pharmacy," a servant replied.
Xiao Jinghan didn't know how to tell Yi Qing about this. So he paced towards the pharmacy. Seeing Yi Qing concentrating on making pills, he stood at the door and watched her, a smile creeping onto his lips unconsciously.
Yi Qing didn't notice Xiao Jinghan's arrival. It was only after she stretched lazily when she finished that she saw him. "When did you come back?"
"Just now," Xiao Jinghan entered the pharmacy. "What are you making?"
"I went to see my grandfather today and found that he was poisoned," Yi Qing didn't hide it.
"What?" Xiao Jinghan was shocked.
"Don't panic. It's a slow - acting poison, and he was only recently poisoned. I've already prepared the antidote pills," Yi Qing said. Seeing Xiao Jinghan's fierce expression, she guessed that Bai Yutang would be in for more than just being torn to pieces.
Hearing that his grandfather had only recently been poisoned, Xiao Jinghan said, "Could it be..."
"Most likely. Grandfather already knows. Since the other side has laid out such a big scheme, why don't we play along with them?" Yi Qing knew that this time, Xiao Jinghan probably wouldn't care about Bai Yutang as much.
Although Bai Chengyi was Xiao Jinghan's sworn brother, on this side were Duke Di and her mother, all of whom were Xiao Jinghan's closest relatives.
"I'll go out for a while," Xiao Jinghan said and turned around.
Yi Qing grabbed Xiao Jinghan's hand. "Don't worry. I've already told Deng Xiao to keep an eye on her, and I've intercepted her poison." Yi Qing played with the bottle in her hand.
"How did you know?"
"Luck," Yi Qing thought that this time it was really luck. The poison had been delivered right into her hands.
"Okay, then let's uproot them all," Xiao Jinghan said, a bit disappointed.
If Bai Yutang was really a pre - arranged spy, it meant that his sworn brother had no children.
The next day, Duke Di came to the General's Mansion. After taking the antidote pills, Yi Qing gave him acupuncture to make sure there would be no problems with his body.
On the other hand, Lady Di took Bai Yutang out again. She was now bent on finding a good husband for Bai Yutang to console Bai Chengyi in the afterlife.
It seemed that the obsession with persuading people to get married had remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.
There was news from the Princess Mansion. The Princess Mansion was still busy preparing for a wedding, but it seemed to be for Qin Miao. Yi Qing found it interesting. It seemed that the princess was determined to marry one of her daughters into the General's Mansion by any means necessary.
"Lady, if this is the case, the Princess Mansion will be committing a crime of deceiving the emperor. Then..." Sang Sang suggested.
"Deceiving the emperor is the emperor's business. I don't have the mood to watch them do that," Yi Qing said impatiently. "It seems that my medicine wasn't strong enough." Yi Qing ordered the secret guards to drug Qin Miao as well.
The princess had already figured out how to deal with the crime of deceiving the emperor. It was just a matter of deceiving the emperor. She would just go and cry in front of the emperor. Would he really make her take back the daughter she had already married off?
Just as she was thinking like this, a maid came to report that Qin Miao's face was also covered in spots and sores, and she had become extremely ugly.
"What?" The princess angrily went to check.
Qin Miao had been so proud a few days ago. Now, seeing herself in the mirror, she felt like dying.
"Mother—" Qin Miao tried to throw herself into her mother's arms and cry when she saw her coming.
The princess was so startled that she took a step back.
"Princess, that Yi Qing is a doctor and is good at using such vicious methods. Could it be that she did something to the two young ladies?" Yi Weiwei guessed.
The princess thought it made sense. "Who does Yi Qing think she is?"
"Princess, don't be careless. That Yi Qing is good at using coquettish means and is extremely vicious. Now she has bewitched General Xiao to do whatever she says. She might be difficult to deal with," Yi Weiwei kindly reminded.
"Humph, I haven't even settled my score with her yet, and she dares to cause trouble," the princess said and turned around to leave.