"Young madam! Something serious happened!"

It was sunny in the noon and the snow in the courtyard was illuminated by the sun. Wei Changying was sorting account books with Mrs. Huang and others. Suddenly, they heard someone's voice outside. Zhu Shi rushed into the room in panic before Mrs. Huang rebuked her for being rude. Zhu Shi couldn't wait to report to Wei Changying so that she didn’t finish showing her respect to Wei Changying, "Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family wanted to poison Mr. Deng and Miss Deng was so scary that she fainted. Now Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family's room was in the mess. Young madam, you'd better go there and decide for them!"

Wei Changying was so surprised and said, "What happened?"

Zhu Shi replied, "I didn't know! The day before yesterday Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family said to Miss Deng that Mr. Deng seemed to have unsettled old wounds. This morning, Miss Deng brought Mr. Deng to Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family and asked her to confirm the diagnosis. As a result, Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family checked for a while and gave a bowl of medicine to Mr. Deng. Mr. Deng initially said he didn't get injured and refused to take the medicine, but Miss Deng worried about her brother and persuaded him to take it. Then Mr. Deng vomited a mouthful of blood after drinking the medicine... Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family didn't care and said coldly that she put poison in the medicine!"

"How about Mr. Deng now?" Wei Changying asked with surprise.

Wei Changying knew a little of the reason why Duanmu Xinmiao schemed against Deng Zongqi. It was Honored Consort Deng who suggested that Duanmu Xinmiao came here with them at the beginning. The Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family had excellent medical skills, but she suffered from getting carriage sickness. So she vomited all the way and lost half of her life when they arrived in Western Liang. If she hadn’t been a doctor and prepared a lot of emergency drugs, she must have been carried into the room!

This was enough for the bad-tempered Miracle Doctor to hate Honored Consort Deng and blame other families of the Deng Family. What was more, Honored Consort Deng looked for trouble herself. It was also unclear whether Honored Consort Deng was ordered by the Emperor to send Duanmu Xinmiao here not only for treating Shen Cangfeng but also for reporting the movement of the Shen Family to the capital... Duanmu Xinmiao's mother died early and she didn't have a good relationship with her father, so she was more aloof from other family members.

Who she cared about most were Dowager Duchess Cai and Duke Cai. Honored Consort Deng held them to threat Duanmu Xinmiao.

When Wei Changying knew the reason why Duanmu Xinmiao came here with them, she definitely understood that although Duanmu Xinmiao didn't say anything, she must hate Honored Consort Deng in mind.

Duanmu Xinmiao's temper was the same as that of her master, Ji Qubing. Ji Qubing was threatened by the Wei Family, so he treated Wei Changying and other family members of the Wei Family in bad manners... Because the Wei Family used to save his life when his family suffered from difficulties and contributed to his reputation at home and abroad. He couldn't fulfill the achievement today without the Wei Family's aid, so Ji Qubing didn't do anything serious to the Wei Family, but he kept seeking troubles for the Wei Family in trifles.

Was Honored Consort Deng kind to Ji Qubing and his disciple? As far as Ji Qubing was concerned, she was the enemy of the Ji Family.

It was impossible for somebody like Duanmu Xinmiao, who was addicted to medical skills and didn't care about anybody's life. If she got a chance, Duanmu Xinmiao would poison Honored Consort Deng without hesitation as long as Honored Consort Deng hinted what she wanted to do.

Everybody knew that Honored Consort Deng attached great importance to her unique son, the Sixth Prince. After the Sixth Prince's death, she took her nephew, Deng Zongqi, as the replacement of the Six Prince, cultivated Deng Zongqi with love and support. Maybe Duanmu Xinmiao had planned to poison Deng Zongqi as long as they arrived at Western Liang before they set off, so as to take revenge on Honored Consort Deng.

She got along well with Deng Wanwan when she was awake on the journey... Wei Changying thought maybe Duanmu Xinmiao only hated Honored Consort Deng and treated her nephew and niece differently. But when hearing the news that Duanmu Xinmiao poisoned Deng Zongqi, she realized that Duanmu Xinmiao didn't care about Deng Wanwan who was useless for Honored Consort Deng, and she changed her target to Deng Zongqi.

At this moment, Wei Changying's cloth was wet with sweat. She blamed herself that she had been managing the ancestral hall, suppressing seniors, and cultivating confidants for Shen Cangfeng since she arrived at Western Liang... Sometimes, she had to notice Sheng Cangfeng's wounds. She had definitely forgotten the grudge against the people who came with her! If Deng Zongqi died in Mingpei Hall, it was difficult to explain in the Shen Family, even though the killer was Duanmu Xinmiao.

Wei Changying didn't hope Deng Zongqi died here for he had saved her life. Then Zhu Shi said, "Mr. Deng spat several mouthfuls of blood and lay by the table without any strength. Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family said he would not die at once, but he would have died within three days without Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family's antidote. Miss Deng fainted as long as she heard this!"

Deng Wanwan had no parents when she was young and was brought up by her brother. Now she brought her brother to Duanmu Xinmiao in person and helped Duanmu Xinmiao persuade Deng Zongqi to take the medicine... As a result, her brother was about to lose his life. Poor Miss Deng was unable to accept the fact.

Hearing Deng Zongqi was alive, Wei Changying sighed with relief and asked Mrs. Huang to be responsible for matters here on behalf of her. She ordered two maidservants and hurried to Duanmu Xinmiao's room with Zhu Shi.

To show their attention to Duanmu Xinmiao, the room she lived in Mingpei Hall was glorious enough. Now the snow was heavy outside. Only when they entered the room, they realized the room's beauty.

Now inside the room, it was not the mess as Zhu Shi said.

Deng Wanwan had been carried to the bed by the western window, lying with a quilt. Her maidservants stood by the bed and didn't know what to do.

Duanmu Xinmiao came here without a maidservant. Ruanyu was sent here to serve her for two days, but she was beaten to death with the consent of seniors before. Then Wei Changying asked Zhu Lan and Zhu Shi, who took good care of Duanmu Xinmiao on the journey, to serve her. Zhu Shi ran to report just now and left Zhu Lan here who was now standing in the back of Duanmu Xinmiao with a handkerchief in her hand. She was not nervous, judged from her expression, but a little curious.

Deng Zongqi, who was said to spit several mouthfuls of blood before, was now sitting by the table. Maybe Duanmu Xinmiao didn't want to kill him directly. He supported himself stably with a pale face and deepened frown and seemed to stand the pain with strength.

Several marks of dampness by his foot showed that something was cleaned just now... When Wei Changying went through the door, indifferent Duanmu Xinmiao sat in the front of the room, sipped a cup of hot tea slowly, and said without looking at her, "It was our business between the Deng Family and me. You'd better leave it alone."

Wei Changying thought she wanted to settle her business in the ancestral hall of the Shen Family and almost killed the lineal eldest son of the Deng Family. Did she think this was none of Wei Changying’s business? Unexpectedly, Deng Zongqi said with soft breath, "This was the grudge between Eighth Miss of the Duanmu Family and me. There is no need for Madam Wei to worry about."

Wei Changying frowned and said, "Both of you share the same opinion that it is none of my business. I should have agreed with you and left at once. But you were guests of my family and clashed now, I couldn't stand by as the master. Although you might think that I am unqualified to interfere with your business, I just want to know what happened. Was that OK?"

They'd better remember where they were! Did they want to send the master away?

Duanmu Xinmiao said, "It was easy. I established trust with Deng Wanwan on the journey. Two days ago, I told her that Deng Zongqi might get injured, judging from his voice by the gate of the city. Wanwan was so stupid to pull Deng Zongqi here by all means. I had prepared a dose of the drug for Deng Zongqi... Didn't Zhu Shi tell you already?"

Appearing abnormal red on his pale face, Deng Zongqi patted his breast with his hand and said for a while, "I might guess the reason why Miss Duanmu poisoned me, but I was the younger generations that couldn't judge whether it was right and I wouldn't blame Miss Duanmu. Miss Duanmu didn't want to hurt my sister, but you took advantage of her. I was so disappointed."

Duanmu Xinmiao said contemptuously, "It was none of my business whether you were disappointed. Your aunt lost her son and didn't dare to ask the chief culprit, so as to damage the family of my master. It was hateful that she knew exactly what happened, but she kept damaging the family of my master... Finally, the chief culprit was dead for no relation with his son's death! Unexpectedly, she was about to damage me now! Taking advantage of my elder sister and nephew to threaten me? Your aunt had done the shameless thing like that. Are you qualified to look down upon me for taking advantage of your sister? If you were righteous, you should have killed the bad women in the Mingguang Palace to clean up the dirty in your family."

Wei Changying explained, "It was inappropriate for Honored Consort Deng to hold Dowager Duchess Cai and Duke Cai to threaten you. But as far as I was concerned, Honored Consort Deng was just for a joke. Dowager Duchess Cai and Duke Cai were the younger generation of Honored Consort Deng, but she could not make the decision alone."

Her words were not all for comforting Duanmu Xinmiao. It was unclear what happened between Madam Qian, Honored Consort Deng, and Empress Gu, but Madam Qian was divorced with the Emperor, which directly led to the abolition of her son, the Fourth Prince, from the Crown Prince to a normal person.

But after the Fourth Prince was depressed to death, the Emperor entitled him as Duke Cai and approved his son to inherit his position and stay in the capital.

No matter how many troubles the Fourth Prince was involved in by his mother, the Emperor still loved the son. Or he would not entitle him and allow his son to inherit his position. As for leaving Duke Cai and his mother in the capital, the Emperor might worry about Duke Cai. Duke Cai was not old enough to make a difference in the fief.

Mostly because the clan of the Duanmu Family in Jinxiu County was in the capital, Dowager Duchess Cai was the daughter of the clan of the Duanmu Family. If Dowager Duchess Cai and her son lived in the capital, the Duanmu Family would take care of them.

The Emperor considered so much for the Fourth Prince's widow and son. How could Honored Consort Deng alone make the decision to kill them or not? What was more, Empress Gu always paid attention to her all the time!

So it was just a joke that Honored Consort Deng held Duke Cai and his mother to threaten Duanmu Xinmiao if the Emperor didn't say it.

Wei Changying said as she planned in her mind, "Did Honored Consort Deng only say it on behalf of the Emperor, for this was what the Emperor meant?"