After saying that, Tan Hongbo took out an oil-paper bag and four or five storybooks from his chest pocket as if performing magic.
The aroma of crispy meat wafted into Ling Qingwan's nose, and she was overjoyed and quickly took it.
"I knew you liked it, so I bought some on the way." Seeing Ling Qingwan happy, Tan Hongbo was also happy.
Qiao'er put the storybook away and went out to do her work. Tan Hongbo chatted with Ling Qingwan for a while.
Tan Hongbo was playful and well-informed. He told Ling Qingwan stories that he had experienced or heard, which were more interesting than storybooks. It had been a long time since Iris Pavilion had been so lively, and the room was filled with laughter.
“Boom boom boom.”
There was a knock on the door.
Qiao'er came in with a bowl of medicine in her hand.
"Why do you look so sad?" Tan Hongbo observed carefully and saw that Ling Qingwan was unhappy.
"This medicine is so bitter, I don't like it." Ling Qingwan frowned and looked away with disgust.
Tan Hongbo stood up to help Ling Qingwan get the medicine. Unexpectedly, his hand slipped and the medicine bowl fell to the ground, and the bitter smell immediately spread. Qiao'er was worried that Ling Qingwan would be burned, so she quickly took out a clean handkerchief to help her wipe the hem of her skirt.
"That's great. I don't have to take medicine for this meal." Ling Qingwan said to Tan Hongbo, fearing that he would feel guilty. "Thank you, Brother Hongbo."
Anyway, she wouldn't die if she didn't take the medicine. On the contrary, the medicine would harm her.
After Tan Hongbo left, Ling Qingwan summoned all the maids in Iris Pavilion, about six or seven of them, and stood side by side in front of Ling Qingwan, waiting for Ling Qingwan's decision.
"Do you know why I called you here?" Ling Qingwan's face was solemn and his eyes swept over the people in front of him.
She usually looked easy-going and rarely looked so serious. Her sudden behavior frightened the maids so much that they couldn't stop shaking all over.
"There are many tonics in this medicine. I've seen the prescription written by the court doctor, and there are several medicines that are not on the prescription." Ling Qingwan's voice was neither light nor heavy, but it was resounding, and inexplicably revealed a sense of majesty. "As the saying goes, small tonics nourish the body, and large tonics hurt the body. If you take out any one of these extra tonics, adding them all up, it's enough to kill me."
As soon as he finished speaking, several maids were shocked and knelt on the ground.
"Miss, please check it out. We work diligently and never dare to overstep the boundaries, nor do we dare to have bad intentions towards you. We bring this medicine from the kitchen every day, and we never put anything in it."
"I know." Ling Qingwan said to the maids without changing her expression. "These supplements are very expensive, and you cannot afford them."
"Miss! I remember now!" Qiao'er's mind flashed with something, and her eyes immediately lit up. "I heard the chef who makes medicine in the kitchen mention that these supplements were sent by the old lady. Because you are weak, they were brought to you for recuperation. But I don't know why they were not sent to Iris Pavilion, but to the kitchen instead."
Ling Qingwan frowned.
Qiao Er got to the point. Logically, the supplements sent by Old Lady Ling should have been directly given to her, rather than bypassing her and putting them into the medicine. Besides, Old Lady Ling had lived a lifetime, so how could she not know that putting these supplements into the medicine without authorization might harm Ling Qingwan.
Could it be that Madam Ling intended to harm her
"You must not leak out what I called you to say today. If it causes a dispute and brings me trouble, I will hold you accountable." Ling Qingwan instructed the maids.
They were sent by Madam Ling, and there was no guarantee that she would tell Mo Lanxuan about this. Now it was still unknown who wanted to harm her, and Ling Qingwan couldn't openly offend Madam Ling.
The maids agreed and left one after another. Ling Qingwan left Qiao'er behind.
"Go to the kitchen now and do two things. First, tell the chef who makes the medicine to follow the prescription from now on. No more than one ingredient is allowed. Second, find out who sent these supplements to the kitchen."
After giving all the instructions, Ling Qingwan felt a headache and went back to the couch to rest.
Soon, Qiao'er came back with the job done and told Ling Qingwan that the supplements were sent by Ling Chuchu's people. Because she and Old Madam Ling were close, the kitchen staff didn't think much about it and just thought it was Old Madam Ling's order, which made sense and they just did it.
Since he is Ling Chuchu's man, that makes sense.
Molanxuan.
Madam Ling was leisurely, taking a nap in the rocking chair at the door. Ling Chuchu stood behind her, massaging her back and shoulders.
"Chu Chu, you should sit down and rest for a while." Old Madam Ling spoke slowly.
"It's okay, I'm not tired." Ling Chuchu was obedient, and her hands did not stop moving. "As long as grandma is comfortable, it's fine."
Madam Ling chuckled and raised her hand to pat the back of Ling Chuchu's hand.
"Your grandfather has been ill for quite some time. The palace is about to hold a spring banquet and winter is almost over. I don't know when he will get better." Old Madam Ling sighed, her words very helpless.
"Don't worry, grandpa has always been in good health, so he will be fine." Ling Chuchu comforted. "Besides, didn't the palace doctor say that grandpa was just worrying too much? He thought too much and was too worried, so he hurt his body. He just needs to calm down and take care of himself, and he will be fine soon."
"I hope so." Madam Ling shook her head. "Your grandfather is ill, and Wanwan has had problems every other day. This winter, the mansion has not been peaceful."
Madam Ling attached great importance to family traditions, and seeing the mess in the Marquis's Mansion, she was more anxious than anyone else. Especially when Master Ling fell ill, it put a lot of pressure on her.
"Grandma, I'm not being nosy, but don't you think that the frequent incidents in this Marquis' Mansion started after Ling Qingwan came back?" Ling Chuchu lowered her voice, looking unfathomable.
Madam Ling raised her eyebrows and turned her head to look at Ling Chuchu.
"Besides, when Ling Qingwan returned to the Marquis' Mansion, she was the second daughter of the legitimate wife, and her status was extremely noble. Who could afford to offend her? She was either sick or poisoned, and she encountered an avalanche. How could so many strange things happen to her alone?" Seeing that Old Madam Ling was interested, Ling Chuchu hurriedly continued to instigate her.
As expected, the more Mrs. Ling thought about it, the more she felt it made sense, and she fell into deep thought unconsciously.
"What do you think is the best way to proceed?" Old Madam Ling asked Ling Chuchu.
Even if the cause is found, a solution must be found. Otherwise, the problem will still remain.
"This... I don't know." Ling Chuchu looked embarrassed.
Madam Ling looked Ling Chuchu up and down, and swallowed back the words she was about to say.
The problem of the medicine was solved, and Mingyue had already investigated the origin of the Manqing grass. She returned to the Marquis' Mansion and told Ling Qingwan everything she knew.
"You mean, if this medicine is taken excessively for a long time, it will destroy both the heart and lungs?" Ling Qingwan confirmed again and again.
"Yes." Mingyue nodded. "And ordinary doctors can't find the cause."
"How long will it take for someone to die?" Ling Qingwan asked immediately.