"Doctor, what's wrong with him? He's been vomiting and having diarrhea, and he has a high fever. My child can't afford to miss the prefectural examination today!"
As Li Yue Shu walked in, she saw Mrs. Mo anxiously pulling on the doctor's sleeve, her voice on the verge of tears.
Adding to the scene were Shen Wei's moans from the bed, where he was tossing and turning in discomfort, making the situation look rather alarming.
The doctor's brow furrowed. "It seems you've eaten something bad. I'll prescribe a fever-reducing formula first. Let's see how things are after the fever breaks."
Li Yue Shu walked over and said loudly, "Please, Doctor, prescribe five doses of medicine to reduce fever and stop diarrhea. I am also a doctor. In the past two days, five of us have eaten a lot of things on the street, so we must have had a stomach upset."
She specifically mentioned the number of people and found an excuse to prevent the doctor from examining Shen Yi Min and Mo Lian, and had Mrs. Mo escort the doctor out.
As soon as the doctor left, Shen Wei, who had been lying on the bed in pain, jumped up and ran excitedly to Li Yue Shu's side. "Shu, how was my performance just now?"
Li Yue Shu chuckled, reaching out to wipe the sweat beads from his forehead. "Very good, you almost fooled me."
Shen Wei tilted his head and smiled gently. "Don't worry, Shu. I'm in good health, I'll be fine!"
Li Yue Shu's eyes were filled with a gentle smile.
Mrs. Mo, after seeing the doctor out, came back in and closed the door.
She lowered her voice, her face showing no trace of the previous anxiety. "Madam, have you found out who was behind this?"
Li Yue Shu's expression turned serious, and she nodded. "It's the Li manor."
Mrs. Mo was surprised. "The Li manor? Wasn't Shen Can's matter already resolved?"
Shen Wei's gaze deepened.
It was indeed the Li manor!
The person behind the Li manor was Consort Lan, who was the mother of the Second Prince, Qin Ye Cheng.
If the Li manor suspected Li Yue Shu was someone from Elder Xu's side, it wouldn't be strange for them to investigate her. But they dared to target Shen Yi Min.
Thinking of Qin Ye Cheng, and the three thousand Hu Yuan troops who died that year, a killing intent flashed in Shen Wei's eyes.
Li Yue Shu did not notice the person beside her and said sternly, "Aunt Mo, tomorrow, after you get the medicine from the clinic, do this..."
Listening to her plan, Shen Wei felt no surprise.
This woman truly had a vengeful nature!
...
The next morning, Mrs. Mo, with a weak and uncomfortable demeanor, went to the clinic to get the medicine. Upon her return, she instructed the waiter to prepare a few light dishes and take them upstairs.
This waiter was the one she had discovered earlier, the one who had tampered with their food.
Afterward, Mrs. Mo, who was supposed to go upstairs, slipped into the kitchen and hid when no one was looking.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, she finally saw the familiar figure dismiss everyone, take out a paper packet from his bosom, and sprinkle it lightly onto a tray full of dishes.
Mrs. Mo's eyes lit up. She cautiously walked behind the waiter and suddenly snatched the paper packet from his hand. "What are you doing!"
The sudden change caught the waiter completely off guard, and his face turned pale with fright.
"Good heavens, if I hadn't come to the kitchen to decoct medicine, I wouldn't have known that such a large establishment would dare to poison the guests' food! Is there no law in this place anymore!" Mrs. Mo exclaimed furiously. "Someone, come quickly! Look, this black-hearted inn dares to poison the guests' food in broad daylight! Everyone, come and see!"
Mrs. Mo, well-prepared, shouted as she lifted the tray with the poisoned food and ran out.
By the time the waiter reacted, all he could see was her retreating figure, still shouting.
...
As it was early, most of the inn's guests were still in their rooms. Hearing such a commotion, they all naturally rushed out, and Li Yue Shu was among them.
She stood by the railing on the second floor and happened to see Mrs. Mo holding the evidence, indignantly narrating what she had seen to everyone.
The task Li Yue Shu had given her was to order the waiter to prepare food after she brought the medicine back.
The Li manor's people were so cautious about poisoning. If they stopped after missing the prefectural examination, it would surely arouse suspicion.
As expected, the waiter continued to tamper with the food, and Mrs. Mo caught him red-handed.
Faced with the accusations of the many guests and the interrogation of the innkeeper, the waiter finally couldn't hold on and revealed that the Li manor had bribed him.
"So it was the Li manor!" Mrs. Mo exclaimed, feigning shock. "They've gone too far. Framing my madam wasn't enough; they even want to ruin the future of two children!"
Her words immediately piqued the curiosity of those around her, who began to ask what had happened.
Mrs. Mo did not conceal anything, indignantly recounting how the Li manor had extorted thirty taels of silver from Shen Can and bribed the former prefect to arrest Li Yue Shu.
However, she deliberately omitted the actions of Elder Xu and the current prefect.
Upstairs, Li Yue Shu raised an eyebrow as she listened to Mrs. Mo.
She had instructed Mrs. Mo to expose the Li manor bribing the waiter to poison the food, but she hadn't expected her to drag the entire Li manor into it.
It seemed she had underestimated Mrs. Mo by keeping her as a mere mascot at home.
In the end, the inn's farce concluded with the innkeeper firing the waiter and waiving all the food and accommodation expenses for Li Yue Shu and her party for the past few days.
Seeing this, someone who had been secretly watching hurried back to the Li manor to report the situation.
Upon hearing that the waiter had been caught red-handed and had confessed, Steward Li's face instantly darkened. "Useless! You can't even get things done properly!"
The person reporting the news lowered his head even further, not daring to even breathe loudly.
However, Steward Li did not fly into a rage. He merely let out a cold laugh. "Never mind. Since the prefectural examination has already been missed, this matter is not entirely unsuccessful. Continue to keep an eye on that woman. Report any developments."
Steward Li believed that if that woman's children couldn't participate in the prefectural examination, they would definitely seek help from Elder Xu, and perhaps he could uncover something from it.
As long as his objective was achieved, even if outsiders knew he had ordered the poisoning, he wouldn't be held accountable.
But what Steward Li didn't expect was that on the day the examination ended, his subordinate reported again, saying that Li Yue Shu had actually gone to the examination hall to pick up the children.
"What did you say?!"
Steward Li suddenly stood up, hot tea splashing onto his hand, yet he paid it no mind.
The person reporting the news immediately knelt down and replied tremblingly, "R-report to master, that woman lied to us. They didn't eat that food at all. Those two children have already finished their exams..."
Before he could finish speaking, a teacup was suddenly hurled at him.
"CRASH!"
The teacup accurately hit his forehead, drawing blood, but he didn't dare to dodge.
"Trash!" Steward Li's face was contorted with rage, making his already harsh features appear somewhat terrifying.
Hearing the commotion, Steward Li quickly entered from outside. "Master, please calm your anger."
As he spoke, he kicked the person kneeling on the ground. "Get out of here!"
As if granted amnesty, the man scrambled out.
Steward Li closed the door, then cautiously approached Steward Li. "Master, I'm afraid that Li Yue Shu already knows that we were behind this. Since the relationship has soured, we don't need to hold back our methods anymore."