Mad Queen Leaves the Palace

Just then, Xiao Lan watched as Cui Sumu, Wu De, and Jiang Xiuzhi hurriedly left, even Liu Yun was called away along with them. She secretly thought to herself, judging from the situation, a search operation was about to begin. So, she turned to Wu Yuyu and Xiao Mu'an, and said casually, "These adults must have encountered some important matter again, but it's alright, let's continue to enjoy the moon in peace." With that, she subtly gave Xiao Mu'an a wink.

Xiao Lan knew full well that her elder brother, Xiao Mu'an, was not as harmless as he appeared; in reality, he was a cunning and ruthless individual. As for Wu Yuyu, she was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, a complete naive and gullible girl. Therefore, she absolutely could not allow Xiao Mu'an to rashly ask Wu Yuyu about this matter. Otherwise, given Wu Yuyu's guileless nature, if she were to spread the word before finding concrete evidence, causing widespread knowledge, it would be a huge problem. In that case, handling the matter properly would become extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, Wu De and his wife Jiang Xiuzhi led Cui Sumu and Liu Yun into Wu De's room. After the four entered in single file, Cui Sumu and Liu Yun began to carefully search the room. They left no corner unchecked, meticulously examining everything from the bed and table to the wardrobe. However, after their search, they found nothing of interest.

At this moment, Cui Sumu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "There is no trace of drug residue in this room, General. It seems that the poison was not administered here." His voice was low and confident, clearly indicating his self-assurance. Liu Yun, standing beside him, nodded gently, agreeing with Cui Sumu's assessment.

After listening with a puzzled look, Wu De turned to Jiang Xiuzhi beside him and said with a slightly anxious tone, "Madam! Think carefully, there's nothing here! I haven't been to Li's place for the past few months, how could I have gotten these things from there? Could it be that someone drugged me in our own residence?" As he spoke, he frowned and began pacing back and forth in the room, seemingly trying to find some clues to prove his innocence and speculation.

Jiang Xiuzhi nodded slightly and gently reassured him, "General, don't be anxious, please calm down. In a little while, we'll go together to your study and small kitchen to examine them more carefully." She thought to herself that the courtyards where Li's concubines lived would likely be difficult to find crucial clues. After all, those places were crowded and intrusive, making it difficult to hide important items. The most likely places to find something were General Wude's study and that small kitchen.

Jiang Xiuzhi couldn't help but pray silently, hoping that even after such a long time, the drug would still leave some clues that could be used to verify its authenticity. Otherwise, dealing with Qin Rong properly would probably not be so easy. Thinking of this, her brows furrowed slightly, and her expression became increasingly solemn.

Night had fallen, all was quiet, and it was already late. The butler respectfully led Cui Sumu towards the study, while Qiaozhu carefully guided Liu Yun to Wude's small kitchen. Meanwhile, Jiang Xiuzhi and Wude waited quietly in their room, patiently awaiting everyone's return.

Not long after, less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the group returned to Wu De's room and reunited. Cui Sumu broke the silence first, his expression grave as he said to the General's wife, "General's wife, I detected a strange scent in the study just now. After careful examination, I realized it was the smell of aphrodisiac incense! And I can confirm that this scent must have been left behind after being burned within the last seven days." He then turned to Liu Yun beside him and asked urgently, "Junior sister, did you discover anything special in the small kitchen?"

Liu Yun gracefully stepped forward, carefully holding a slightly shriveled and listless cabbage in her hands. Her gaze was fixed on the cabbage, as if trying to discern some clue. Then, she spoke to her senior brother beside her, "Senior brother, look, I just noticed traces of hallucinogenic drug on this cabbage while I was in the kitchen. However, it seems someone accidentally spilled it on it, so it would be difficult to detect without careful examination." With that, Liu Yun gently handed the cabbage to Cui Sumu.

Seeing this, Cui Sumu quickly reached out and took the cabbage, then brought it close to his nose, gently waving it a few times before taking a deep breath. After a moment, he raised his head and said solemnly, "That's right, junior sister, this is indeed a hallucinogenic drug, and in my opinion, it should be the same one that the general has been given."

“Then I’ll trouble you two to wait a moment. I need to discuss this matter with the General first. After all, it’s already late, and the journey may be inconvenient. Why don’t you stay here at the General’s residence for the night? I will personally escort you back safely tomorrow morning.” Jiang Xiuzhi knew that this matter could not be resolved quickly, so she decisively decided to let them stay at the General’s residence overnight.

Her gaze shifted, and she noticed a hint of unease on Cui Sumu's face. Understanding dawned on her, and she immediately reassured him, "As for your Miss Lan, you don't need to worry. I will explain the situation to her myself. Now, you two should go and rest with the steward."

As soon as Cui Sumu and Liu Yun went downstairs, the room fell silent. At this moment, Jiang Xiuzhi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "General, there were outsiders present just now, so it was inconvenient to say some things. Now that they've left, I want to tell you something. I already know who put that aphrodisiac incense in their mouth."

Upon hearing this, Wu De, who had been sitting upright, frowned slightly. He turned to look at Jiang Xiuzhi with a puzzled expression, his eyes full of questions: "Oh? What exactly happened? Tell me quickly!"

The centurion's sister, Qin Rong, whom you brought back—the steward and head maid had already informed me before she arrived that she knew absolutely nothing about cooking. But who would have thought? You praised her cooking as delicious and even promoted her to the kitchen so she could serve you closely. When I heard this, I couldn't help but feel uneasy, sensing something was amiss, so I became more cautious.

Afterwards, I secretly sent people to keep a close eye on that woman's every move. Sure enough, it didn't take long before we caught her red-handed! It turns out, Qin Rong was harboring ulterior motives, secretly preparing to put an aphrodisiac in you! And the substance was placed extremely discreetly; if we hadn't been watching closely, we probably wouldn't have noticed. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, preventing any major disaster. However, this matter is of great importance, so to be on the safe side, I temporarily sent that person to the estate, intending to deal with the matter after a thorough investigation. This way, we can avoid wrongly accusing an innocent person.

"Can we be sure it's her now?" Wu De was also troubled when he heard it was a family member of his subordinate. So he still held onto a sliver of hope that Jiang Xiuzhi had made a mistake.

"It's almost certain! It's been five days since I sent her to the estate. Doctor Cui predicted that the drug in your body was administered within the last half month. The timing matches perfectly! Besides, there's another crucial point..." Jiang Xiuzhi paused slightly, her eyes flashing with shrewdness, and continued, "I noticed something unusual about this woman's behavior earlier, so I secretly sent someone to investigate. It turns out she once rescued a poison doctor, and the two even lived together like husband and wife. However, for some reason, the poison doctor ultimately did not marry her and then left without saying goodbye. Because of this, that Miss Qin Rong's reputation is ruined, so no one dares to propose marriage. Later, I don't know how she managed to enter our General's Mansion. As for what she's really up to..." At this point, Jiang Xiuzhi deliberately stopped speaking, staring thoughtfully at Wu De, then her gaze slowly moved from Wu De's face to the base of his legs.

Wu De felt uneasy under Jiang Xiuzhi's gaze and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "This general was just a little confused when he was young, but now, apart from my wife, I have never been close to any other woman! I really don't know how that Qin husband teaches his sister."

"How to educate her? Hmph, naturally we'll treat you, General, like a complete sucker! Do you know, even if Qin Rong were to become a concubine, no one would accept her. I truly don't understand what mistake you've made, General, to give the impression that you're so easily fooled." Jiang Xiuzhi sneered disdainfully, secretly pondering why Wu De would believe Qin Rong's behavior was solely due to Centurion Qin's lack of proper upbringing. If Centurion Qin truly respected Wu De, how could he dare send his morally corrupt sister into the General's residence? Thinking of this, Jiang Xiuzhi couldn't help but continue to persuade him, "General, matters of military affairs like this shouldn't be something for a woman like me to interfere with. But now that Centurion Qin is letting his sister act so recklessly, if their schemes succeed and cause you to marry such a filthy and immoral woman, wouldn't that be tantamount to deliberately framing you and making you bear the name of being unrighteous and immoral?"

Who would have thought that as soon as Jiang Xiuzhi finished speaking, Wu De responded nonchalantly, "It can't be that serious! I know my soldiers very well, so you don't need to worry about it."

However, at this moment, Jiang Xiuzhi couldn't help but sneer inwardly, but her delicate face showed no sign of anything amiss. She remained calm and dignified, and continued speaking unhurriedly: "Leaving aside the past, just considering this matter, if they really succeed, as long as you, General, dare to marry that woman, those officials in the court will definitely use this as leverage to remonstrate to the death in the Golden Palace! To put it mildly, perhaps you, General, will only be demoted; but if you offend the Emperor, the entire General's Mansion will likely be implicated, and you might even face annihilation! So, General, do you still think this is just a trivial matter?"

Jiang Xiuzhi knew that ordinary words might not work on someone of Wu De's high position and power. However, if she mentioned that his lust for women might ruin his promising career, Wu De would immediately sever ties with that woman without hesitation. After all, twenty years ago, Wu De had attempted to force himself on her, and although he ultimately failed due to injury and was not punished, the old emperor had used this incident to warn the court officials that if such behavior occurred again, they would be directly exiled to the imperial prison for severe punishment.

As expected, after hearing Jiang Xiuzhi's explanation, Wu De's heart tightened. He thought to himself: If this matter develops as she says, and something goes wrong, not only will he lose his official position, but more seriously, if he ends up returning to his hometown in disgrace, he will truly lose face and have no way to face his elders in Jiangdong! Thinking of this, Wu De quickly replied, "What you say is very true, Madam. I wonder what good plan you have for this matter?"

Jiang Xiuzhi calmly spoke, “In my opinion, General, you should address this matter openly. This would clearly express your attitude and stance, letting everyone know your firm opposition. Furthermore, it would deter those who attempt to curry favor with the powerful through such means. After all, if left unchecked, the relatives of all the soldiers will likely follow suit, vying to become concubines in the General's mansion. Leaving aside whether our mansion can accommodate so many people, how can you, General, withstand the effects of so many aphrodisiacs? I have heard that excessive use of such drugs can greatly shorten one's lifespan!”

Upon hearing this, Wu De immediately became anxious and said, "Madam, you tell me what to do about this. I'll do as you say." As he spoke, he took the opportunity to grasp Jiang Xiuzhi's hand.

"Then let's get this done first thing tomorrow morning. General, you should rest first. I need to go find Yu Yu and the others. I'll also tell Lan Lan about Doctor Cui's matter." Although Jiang Xiuzhi listened to Xiao Lan's words and tried her best to be gentle and considerate towards Wu De, she still disliked contact with him. However, perhaps it's true that what you can't have is always the best. Even though Jiang Xiuzhi is over forty, Wu De still pesters her all the time. Jiang Xiuzhi had rejected him several times before by saying that she was menstruating. The key is that she can't use that excuse for a whole month. So Jiang Xiuzhi decided to play dumb and divert Wu De's attention. She subtly pulled her hand away from Wu De's.

Unexpectedly, Wu De didn't make any moves. He stepped forward, took Jiang Xiuzhi's hand, and said, "It's cold and the dew is heavy. I'll go with you, Madam." He then pulled Jiang Xiuzhi towards her courtyard.

Xiao Lan stared blankly at the moon in the sky, thinking about her past life. Her favorite thing to do at Minglu Academy was to go back to the abandoned dormitory with Yan Nan and find a place to drink and admire the moon. She never expected that after so many things changed in this life, she would not have time to admire the moon anymore. She actually missed the time she spent drinking and chatting with Yan Nan in her past life. Just as she was thinking, she saw Wu De and Jiang Xiuzhi walking into the courtyard hand in hand.

Xiao Lan and Wu De holding hands stunned everyone in the courtyard. Wu Yuyu, who had been feeling sleepy, instantly perked up and said, "Sister, am I seeing things?"

Xiao Lan casually replied, "There shouldn't be any flowers. I think I saw them too. What do you think, brother?"

"I think it's very likely that autumn and spring temperatures in the capital are the same, so..." Xiao Mu'an and Wu Yuyu had been instilled with suggestive words by Xiao Lan since childhood, such as "spring is here, it's time to fall in love." So when Xiao Mu'an said this, both Xiao Lan and Wu Yuyu knew what he meant.

As Jiang Xiuzhi entered, she said to the younger generation, "It's getting late today, so you two siblings can stay at the General's Mansion. You don't have to go to the academy tomorrow anyway." Then, looking at Xiao Lan, she said, "You can settle into the side rooms in my courtyard later."

Unexpectedly, Wu De said, "If we put him in your courtyard, the child will be too reserved. It would be better to arrange for him to stay with Yu'er. Young people like them don't need to be so restrained when they talk." Jiang Xiuzhi had arranged for him to stay in her own courtyard because she was thinking of using it as an excuse to get Wu De to leave later. Otherwise, with her nephew and niece around, even if Wu De had the thick skin, he wouldn't be able to make a scene. But Wu De directly arranged for him to go to Wu Yuyu's courtyard, and he even had a very good reason for it.

At this moment, Wu Yuyu added, "Okay, then cousin, you can stay in the side room later, and let Sister Lanlan sleep with me tonight." As she spoke, she stepped forward and hugged Xiao Lan's arm.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiuzhi knew that there was no point in insisting any further, so she said to Xiao Lan, "Lanlan, your uncle's health is still not very good, so I left Doctor Cui and the others at the mansion. They can take another look at your uncle tomorrow before he goes back." As she spoke, she nodded to Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan, receiving Jiang Xiuzhi's hint, smiled and said, "Okay, Lan'er understands. Tomorrow, I'll have Doctor Cui examine you more carefully. We'll go settle in with Xiao Yu'er first." With that, she bowed to Wu De and Jiang Xiuzhi, then took Wu Yuyu and Xiao Mu'an and left.

When Xiao Lan pulled Wu Yuyu out, she saw that Wu Yuyu was still reluctant to leave, so she quickly said, "Little Yuyu, hurry up and go, don't delay your brother."