BXBX NOVEL Chapter 90 - 90: Show One’s True Colors
“Okay, given the circumstances, Yun Er, you have three days,”
“Three days from now, if you can’t clarify that this matter has nothing to do with your mother, I will bring Miss Jian into our house. No one can stop me.”
With these words, Jiang Yuan made his exit from the main hall.
Upon his departure, Zhou Rongfang sank, almost collapsing into the chair.
“Mother?”
The sight of Zhou Rongfang in this state evoked a pang of sympathy in Jiang Ruyun. She wanted to comfort her mother but was at a loss for words. Seeing her daughter’s concern slightly improved Zhou Rongfang’s demeanor. Yet, as she watched the direction of Jiang Yuan’s departure, her eyes were still filled with resentment. “After all,” she said, “your father just wants to bring that woman home.”
“Mother, now is not the time to dwell on these matters. It’s late, you should go rest. 1 promise 1 will thoroughly investigate this issue. But for these three days, please avoid any conflicts with Father.”
“Any concerns can be addressed once we’ve proven your innocence.”
Zhou Rongfang didn’t have high hopes for Jiang Ruyun, but she couldn’t ignore her daughter’s sincerity, so she simply nodded.
After Zhou Rongfang’s departure, exhaustion enveloped Jiang Ruyun, and she collapsed onto the chair.
At that moment, a cup of tea was brought to her.
When Jiang Ruyun looked up, she was met with the smiling eyes of Jiang Peihuan.
“Thank you, elder sister.”
After accepting the tea from Jiang Peihuan, Jiang Ruyun expressed her gratitude in a soft voice.
After a couple of sips of tea, Jiang Ruyun turned her attention to Jiang Peihuan. “Elder sister, about today’s events, I…”
“Your actions today were exemplary and pleasantly surprising.”
“Elder sister, everything I did today was learned from you.”
When she initially received the news, Jiang Ruyun was in total chaos. Her immediate instinct was to send Lan Er to find Jiang Peihuan.
Remembering Jiang Peihuan, she started to recall how she handled situations when they occurred. This reminiscing allowed her to regain her calm, which led to her composed response earlier.
Upon hearing Jiang Ruyun’s words, Jiang Peihuan’s eyes revealed a hint of surprise. She picked up her teacup and took a few sips. Once she had set her cup down, she turned her gaze towards Jiang Ruyun. “So, how do you plan to go about the investigation?”
“I don’t know.”
“Elder sister, can you help me?”
Jiang Ruyun seemed slightly awkward as she asked the question, assuming that Jiang Peihuan might reject her outright given this was a matter involving the second branch of the family.
Unexpectedly, Jian Peihuan nodded and stood up.” Let’s go and visit Miss Jian first.””
“Visit her?”
Jiang Ruyun looked uncomfortable with the idea, but seeing Jiang Peihuan’s nod, she didn’t voice any further objections.
“Miss.”
No sooner had they exited the main hall than they saw Ye Xiao approaching them.
Seeing her, Jiang Peihuan halted. “Well?”
“As per your instructions, I’ve brought Miss Jian’s soup.” Ye Xiao reported, carrying a basket.
“Have you inspected it?”
“Yes.”
“The soup indeed contains arsenic. The quantity is not small either – about two taels.”
Ye Xiao had a solid background in medicine. Hearing her report, Jiang Peihuan’s eyes glinted with a tinge of mockery. “Store the soup safely.”
Turning to Jiang Ruyun, she suggested, “Let’s visit Miss Jian.”
Confusion filled Jiang Ruyun. As she trailed behind Jiang Peihuan, she found herself reaching for her hand. “Elder sister, why did you ask Ye Xiao to bring the soup?”
“Do you know the amount of arsenic needed to poison someone fatally?”
Though Jiang Ruyun lacked medical knowledge, she knew that arsenic was a potent poison. “A small amount should suffice, I suppose.”
Instead of answering her directly, Jiang Peihuan turned to Ye Xiao. “You explain it to the second miss.”
“Under normal circumstances, five taels of arsenic can poison a person to death. The quantity in this soup is enough to kill more than ten individuals.”
Upon hearing Ye Xiao’s explanation, Jiang Ruyun lapsed into deep contemplation. A moment later, her eyes were ablaze with anger. “She must be pretending.”
Given the amount of poison in the soup, if Jiang Mei had really consumed it, she’d be dead by now, not comfortably lying around.
Recognizing Jiang Ruyun’s understanding, Jiang Peihuan offered a knowing smile. “Whether she’s feigning or not, we’ll find out when we see her.”
Jian Mei lived in the backyard of Fang Garden. Jiang Ruyun led Jiang Peihuan to a courtyard gate. “Elder sister, this is the place.”
Taking in the courtyard, Jiang Peihuan had to admit, her uncle had been quite generous to Jian Mei.
“Lan Er, go knock on the door.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Is anyone in there?”
At Jiang Ruyun’s command, Lan Er stepped forward, knocking on the door while calling out.
There was no response from within, though the bright lights indicated someone was home.
After knocking for what felt like an eternity, Lan Er returned to Jiang Ruyun. “Second Miss, it seems like no one is responding.”
“Ye Xiao, open the door.”
“Understood, Miss.”
Ye Xiao advanced to the courtyard door. When she was just a step away, she lifted her leg and gave a forceful kick.
The door swung open instantaneously.
Witnessing the scene, both Lan Er and Jiang Ruyun stood in stunned silence. However, Jiang Peihuan coolly prompted, “Let’s go inside.”
Jiang Peihuan and Jiang Ruyun had barely stepped into the courtyard when they saw several people hastily approaching them.
“So it’s the First Miss and the Second Miss. I thought we had an intruder,” said Xi Er, a maid attending to Jiang Mei.
Upon seeing her, Jiang Ruyun bluntly addressed, “Eldest Sister and I specifically came to see Miss Jian. We’ve been waiting at the door for a while. Didn’t any of you hear the knocking?”
“Second Miss, please accept our apologies. We were all inside caring for the young lady and didn’t hear any noise.”
This was clearly an excuse to make a big deal out of the situation. Jiang Ruyun’s eyes were filled with anger.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Peihuan, standing nearby, softly interjected, “1 assume Miss Jian’s condition must be quite severe. Please lead us to see her.”
As she spoke, Jian Peihuan walked straight ahead, but Xi Er reached out and stopped her.” Eldest Miss, the young lady has already fallen asleep. You…”
Before Xi Er could finish her sentence, Lan Er stepped forward and delivered a hard slap to her face.
Xi Er covered her face with her hand, glaring at Lan Er with anger in her eyes.
However, Lan Er seemed entirely unconcerned. She only said with a scornful tone, “Who do you think you are to stop the First and Second Miss?”
“Elder sister, let’s go.” Jiang Ruyun said without even looking at Xi Er, but rather addressing Jiang Peihuan.
With that, the two ladies proceeded straight towards Jian Mei’s room.
Just as they reached the door, it swung open from the inside to reveal Jian Mei, pale-faced, standing at the entrance. “First Miss, Second Miss, my deepest apologies, 1…”
“Why are you just standing there? Can’t you see that Miss Jian is weak? Help her onto the bed, now.”
Without waiting for Jian Mei to finish her sentence, Jiang Peihuan turned to the maids beside her. Immediately, Ye Xiao and Lan Er rushed to support Jian Mei..