Feng Ruoyan still had that wronged look, as if Feng Jin had truly done something outrageous.
"What exactly have I done? Please, Sister, tell me clearly?"
Feng Ruoyan was momentarily speechless, and then resorted to her usual theatrics. With a blink of her eyes, tears began to stream down.
"Little sister, I know you resent and hate me, but you cannot slander me like this. Everything I've done is for your own good."
Feng Ruoyan's words were all for Feng Jin's sake, feigning an understanding and benevolent demeanor.
"If you truly had my best interests at heart, you would clear my name. Why be so evasive? If it is indeed my fault, I, Feng Jin, will certainly accept responsibility. If someone is trying to maliciously slander me, I will not let them get away with it."
"Fellow villagers, please bear witness. Today, this matter will be thoroughly investigated."
Feng Jin stepped forward towards the servant to examine his condition.
Feng Ruoyan immediately grew flustered. Although she had made thorough preparations, if this wretched Feng Jin discovered any clues, all her efforts would be in vain.
She had planned to use this incident to suppress Feng Jin and then enhance her own reputation, winning the title of kind and virtuous. She couldn't let her plans be ruined, so she subtly signaled to a woman nearby.
The woman immediately understood and stepped forward, shoving Feng Jin aside. She then knelt beside the servant, crying out, "My child! You became like this because you ate her medicine. My poor child, and now you still want to harm him!"
The servant lying on the stretcher glared fiercely at the woman wailing beside him.
"Bring the person here," Feng Jin commanded, and guards stepped forward to forcibly pull the woman away.
As Feng Jin was about to squat down in front of the servant, her clothes were tugged.
The servant looked at Feng Jin with pleading eyes, opened his mouth, but could not utter a sound, only emitting heavy breaths.
Feng Jin understood from his lip movements that he was asking for help.
"Don't worry, I will save you," Feng Jin said word by word, comforting him before beginning to examine his condition.
This was clearly poisoning, not a result of taking medicine.
"He's been poisoned."
Feng Jin's declaration was immediately met with a rebuttal from the woman from before.
"You're talking nonsense! You're just trying to shirk responsibility and making excuses. You woman, you truly have a heart of venom. Pity my child!"
Too lazy to argue with the ignorant and vicious old woman, Feng Jin took out a silver needle and pricked the servant's middle finger, squeezing out a drop of black blood.
"Everyone, please look. The servant's blood is black. If this is not a sign of poisoning, why would his blood be black?"
Feng Jin's gaze shifted between the old woman and Feng Ruoyan, realizing they were undeniably involved.
"The silver needle turned black, and the blood is black. This is a sign of poisoning!"
"What is going on? Didn't Miss Feng Jin say that the servant suffered from taking the wrong medicine?"
The murmurs of the crowd reached Feng Ruoyan's ears. Her face, heavily powdered, twisted instantly, turning from ashen to black with expression.
"Sister, didn't you just vehemently insist it was from taking the wrong medicine? Yet, he is poisoned. I want to ask you, Sister, what exactly is going on here?"
Feng Ruoyan's lips twitched twice, her heart skipped a beat, and she frantically searched for a way to respond.
Feng Jin snorted, "Your kindness seems to have been misplaced. It appears there are some underlying stories here. Perhaps it would be best to let the Dali Temple handle this matter. It would be fairer and would not waste your sister's good intentions."
Upon hearing Dali Temple, Feng Ruoyan instantly panicked, her face showing unconcealed alarm.
"I believe this is all a misunderstanding. I was just worried seeing the servant in critical condition, so I made a mistake. Little sister, it was all my oversight, and I almost wronged you."
Even at the brink of exposure, Feng Ruoyan still managed to maintain her persona, a true master of acting.
Feng Jin, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook. "Poisoning and taking the wrong medicine, even a three-year-old can distinguish the difference. Sister, you truly don't know this, or was it a premeditated act? Moreover, this servant is from the Feng family. To be poisoned within the Feng residence, the waters of the Feng family are truly deep."
These words indeed touched upon the hidden secrets of the Feng family, which was quite interesting.
"What nonsense are you talking about? His poisoning is his own doing, what does it have to do with the Feng family!"
Feng Ruoyan, fearing that this matter would implicate the Feng family, ruin their reputation, and jeopardize her marriage to the Third Prince, immediately revealed her true colors, shedding all pretense of gentleness and kindness.
"Be mindful. I am merely stating facts, so why should you be so angry? Your current demeanor will only make people suspect the truth of the matter even more."
"You are talking nonsense! It was clearly your medicine that was problematic. You are afraid of taking responsibility, so you are dragging me into this. Don't think you can slander me for no reason."
Feng Ruoyan was completely enraged, speaking without restraint. Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, she uttered these words and, taking her maid with her, turned to leave.
However, she was stopped by approaching soldiers. In mere moments, neat and orderly soldiers surrounded the area.
From the rear of the crowd, Ling Mohan, clad in black armor and riding a horse, emerged.
It was Feng Jin's first time seeing Ling Mohan in armor, and she was momentarily stunned.
"Arrest all those causing trouble and imprison them in the heavenly prison," Ling Mohan said in a deep, stern voice, his face somber.
Upon learning that Feng Jin was in trouble, he had rushed over with a contingent of soldiers without even changing his clothes.
"Let me go, let me go! My father is the Prime Minister, how dare you arrest me! My father will not let you go!"
Feng Ruoyan, with her arms held by the soldiers, panicked and immediately invoked Feng Yuanping's name, attempting to intimidate them.
However, Ling Mohan was completely unfazed. He directly ordered them to take her away and imprison her in Dali Temple.
"Are you alright?" Ling Mohan hurried to Feng Jin's side and inquired.
Feng Jin shook her head. "Fortunately, you arrived in time. I am fine."
She had already made a contingency plan. Upon sensing something was amiss upon her arrival, she had instructed her guards to find Ling Mohan.
She hadn't expected Ling Mohan to be so swift, arriving in such a short period.
"Everything is fine here. You should go attend to your duties. I still need to cure him of the poison."
"Wei Ran, carry him into the house. I will detoxify him."
After all, he was a living human being, and Feng Jin couldn't bring herself to be utterly heartless.
Furthermore, judging by the servant's expression, there seemed to be more to the story.
After saving him, she would interrogate him thoroughly.
Feng Jin placed her hand on his pulse and used a silver needle to draw out the poison from his body.
She picked up a brush and wrote a prescription on Xuan paper, handing it to Ling Wan. "Go fetch these herbs according to the prescription, boil them three times, and feed them to him."
"I'm going now, sister-in-law."