On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

April 20th, the third year of the Holy Emblem.

Five days have passed since Murong Yan issued a strict order to improve the school's meals.

On the surface, the quality of food at Qiming Academy has undergone a dramatic transformation.

Every morning, a designated person would deliver fresh rice, vegetables, and meat from the grain stores and butcher shops specified by the Protectorate General. The accounts were clear, and the inspection was rigorous.

Chef Li San worked with trepidation, strictly following the new standards to prepare the dishes. Finally, on the table, one could see glistening stir-fries, fragrant stewed meat, and snow-white, plump rice.

The children's faces gradually regained their rosy hue, and the canteen was filled with laughter and joy.

However, beneath this seemingly well-established facade, a sinister undercurrent is quietly brewing.

That afternoon, the sky was overcast, and a fine drizzle was falling.

In the woodshed next to the kitchen in the backyard of the school, the light was dim, and the air was filled with the damp smell of firewood and a faint, bitter plant scent.

Li San sneaked in furtively, gently closing the door behind him. His heart was pounding, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

He carefully took out a small package wrapped tightly in oil paper from his pocket.

Opening the oil paper revealed a grayish-brown powder with white spots, ground to an uneven fineness.

This is croton powder. It was given to him by Kim Soon-cheol, who sneaked into his house like a ghost late last night.

Kim Soon-cheol threatened him with a ferocious expression, saying that he must find an opportunity to mix this thing into the dishes during lunch today, and the amount should not be large, just enough to cause some children to have abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Kim Soon-cheol emphasized that this was Park Ji-woong's order, with the aim of creating panic and making parents feel that the school was "unclean" and even suspect that there was something wrong with the food provided by Seong-hui.

Li San's hands trembled violently as he looked at the packet of powder.

He recalled Murong Yan's icy gaze and the threat of exterminating her entire family, and was so terrified he almost collapsed.

But when he thought of his wife and children who were being controlled by Yi Zhi, he had no choice but to steel himself.

He knew that he had no way out.

"What a tragedy, what a tragedy!" Li San muttered to himself, his face full of pain and struggle.

These children are innocent; they just want to have a full meal and study properly.

But he had no choice.

Time is of the essence; lunch is about to begin.

Li San took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He carefully considered the timing and target of his attack. Putting it directly into rice or a large pot of stew was too risky, as it could easily cause widespread poisoning; it would also make him too obvious a target, and he wouldn't be able to escape if tracked down.

We must find a more covert method.

He remembered that one of the dishes for lunch today was stir-fried green beans with minced meat.

Green beans need to be blanched before stir-frying, and the step of draining them after blanching is relatively easy to tamper with.

Moreover, if green beans are not handled properly, they may cause mild discomfort, which can be misleading.

After making up his mind, Li San rewrapped the croton powder and hid it in his sleeve.

He pretended nothing had happened and returned to the steaming kitchen.

The kitchen helpers were busy at work, with bone broth simmering in a large pot and water boiling on another stove to blanch green beans.

"Are the green beans washed? The water's almost boiling!" Li San called out, trying to use his usual tone.

"Alright, alright, Master Li!" A young handyman brought over a basket of bright green beans.

The water boiled. The servant poured the green beans into the pot to blanch them.

A few moments later, the green beans changed color and softened, and were taken out and placed in a large bamboo basket to drain.

It's now!

Li San's heart was in his throat.

Taking advantage of the moment when the servant turned to get other ingredients, he quickly approached the bamboo basket, pretending to check the ripeness of the green beans. He swiftly reached into his sleeve with his right hand, pulled out an oil paper packet, pried open a small hole with his fingernail, and sprinkled about a third of the croton powder evenly and quickly onto the steaming, wet green beans!

When the powder comes into contact with moisture, it quickly adheres to the surface of the green beans, and its color is similar to that of the green beans, making it extremely difficult to detect without careful observation!

After doing all this, Li San quickly stuffed the oil paper package back into his sleeve pocket, took a step back, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He forced himself to remain calm and instructed the servant, "Drain it well, and put in more oil when you fry it later."

"Understood, Master Li." The handyman, unsuspecting, continued with his work.

In the next cooking process, Li San personally took charge of the cooking. He stir-fried the green beans mixed with croton powder with minced meat and other ingredients.

The high temperature and oil further masked any unpleasant odor that croton powder might have.

When it's done, a plate of stir-fried green beans with minced meat, with perfect color, aroma, and taste, is ready.

Lunchtime.

The children lined up for their meals as usual.

Today's main dish is white rice, accompanied by braised pork, stir-fried green beans with minced pork, a plate of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a bowl of egg drop soup. It looks incredibly delicious.

Li San stood behind the food serving window, his eyes darting away, not daring to look at the jubilant children.

He prayed silently that the medicine wouldn't be too strong and that it would only make a few children feel a little uncomfortable.

The children received their meals and happily returned to their seats to enjoy them.

That plate of stir-fried minced meat and green beans was very popular, especially the minced meat, which was quickly devoured, and quite a few green beans were also eaten.

At first, everything was normal.

The canteen was filled with the sounds of chewing and children's laughter.

However, about half an hour later, just as the lunch break was about to begin, strange things started to happen.

The first one was a little boy, about seven years old, sitting in the corner. He suddenly put down his rice bowl, clutched his stomach, turned pale, and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Sir, my stomach hurts so much," he said weakly.

Immediately afterward, a little girl with pigtails next to her also started crying: "Mommy, boohoo, my tummy hurts, I need to poop."

Like a chain reaction, children in the cafeteria began to experience symptoms of abdominal pain and nausea.

Some children started vomiting, throwing up the delicious food they had just eaten all over the floor; others rushed to the outhouse.

In an instant, the canteen was filled with crying, vomiting, and screams, creating complete chaos.

The school's doctors and servants panicked and rushed forward to check on the situation.

The experienced doctor's expression changed drastically upon seeing the situation: "This is a sign of poisoning! Quick! Go and fetch a doctor! Go and report to the authorities!"

Li San hid in the kitchen, listening to the chaos and cries outside. His face was ashen, and his whole body trembled like a leaf.

He didn't expect the drug to take effect so quickly, and that it would affect far more children than he had anticipated!

An intense sense of guilt and immense fear nearly consumed him.

Soon, the doctor and government officials arrived one after another.

After diagnosis, the doctor confirmed that the children had accidentally ingested a laxative. Fortunately, the amount was not large. Although the children were vomiting and had diarrhea, they were not in immediate danger of death and needed to take medication to regulate their condition.

Government officials began to rigorously investigate the source of the food and the cooking process.

Li San was called in for questioning alone.

He suppressed his fear and insisted that all the ingredients were purchased and cooked in accordance with regulations, and that he had never done anything wrong.

He even deliberately led the conversation, suggesting that perhaps the green beans weren't cooked properly, or that there was something wrong with the ingredients that someone had sent.

The investigation has reached a stalemate.

However, the poisoning incident at the school spread like wildfire throughout Anzhou City.

The little goodwill and trust that had just been established in the Holy Emblem rule and the new schools was instantly shrouded in a thick shadow.

When the parents arrived, they were overwhelmed with mixed feelings of heartache, anger, and suspicion upon seeing their child's distress.

Various rumors began to circulate—"The food at the Holy Emblem School is unclean," "The school's feng shui is bad and will harm the children," "Was someone deliberately poisoning them?"

The remaining packet of croton powder in the woodshed, like a vicious curse, was hidden deep in Li San's sleeve pocket, and also deep behind this incident.

Park Ji-woong and his accomplices' conspiracy has temporarily succeeded under this continuous drizzle.

Innocent children became the first victims of this silent war.

The dark clouds that had been gradually dissipating above the school gathered again, and became even thicker.