After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Wen Liangyu was somewhat surprised to see Lu Zhiyuan.

He recognized her; she was the darling of both the Xie and Lu families. In the eyes of General Xie Yuandao and the three young masters of the Xie family, she was even more important than the Xie family's legitimate grandchildren. This was not only because she was Xie Yuandao's most beloved youngest daughter and the most cherished younger sister of the three young masters, but also because of her health.

Born with an illness, even with careful care, it is difficult for them to live to adulthood.

Xie Chaoyun married down, but the Lu family didn't care for her as much as the rumors suggested. Ask yourself, what husband would be willing to leave his newlywed wife at home and go to Weinan alone? Even for career advancement, he would take his wife with him. Weinan wasn't a border town, and Lord Lu held a sinecure; there must be something fishy about him not taking his wife.

There were also speculations in the palace that Lord Lu sought to marry Xie Chaoyun for the Xie family's power and wealth. Sure enough, Miss Lu was sent to Chaoyang Villa under the pretext of recuperating from illness when she was just one year old. Xie Chaoyun, the only female general of Beiliang, was actually troubled by love and was controlled by the Lu family in every way, and was not even allowed to see her own daughter.

Thinking of this, Wen Liangyu chewed on a radish and looked up at Lu Zhiyuan.

Lu Zhiyuan stood with her back to the cave. She wore a peach-colored dress embroidered with flowers in a light-colored silk thread; when the wind blew, the flowers swayed and appeared to dance in the breeze. Although it wasn't yet winter, she wore a fluffy cloak, which made her delicate face appear even smaller. The cave was dark, but Lu Zhiyuan's eyes were bright, instantly reminding him of the little rabbits kept in the Imperial Garden.

No, she was just pretending to be a little rabbit.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival, this eldest daughter, who had been confined in Chaoyang Villa for eight years, made her appearance in a way that no one expected, and in a short period of time, she gained the approval of the Commandant's Office and the Garrison.

A young girl, soft and sweet, was able to command the two most difficult government offices, the Commandant's Office and the Garrison, to obey her. She must have relied on more than just the Xie family.

Wen Liangyu's nerves tightened.

"Is this radish delicious?" Lu Zhiyuan squatted down in front of him, like an innocent little girl, resting her chin on her hand and tilting her head slightly. She wasn't looking at Wen Liangyu, but at the radish in his hand, as if she only cared about whether the radish tasted good.

Wen Liangyu shook his head: "It's a bit spicy, and it's not quite the same as the way it's made in my hometown."

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head and said, "It's not a problem with the method, it's a problem with the radish."

She held up five fingers and counted them one by one: "There are many kinds of white radishes. One kind tastes sweet and spicy, has a fine texture, is resistant to storage and transportation, and is very adaptable, suitable for planting in spring and autumn. Another kind has a pure white skin, is shaped like a cylinder, has a smooth skin, and tastes moderately sweet and spicy. This kind of white radish has strong disease resistance, high yield, and is most suitable for ordinary people to grow."

Wen Liangyu stared blankly at Lu Zhiyuan, not understanding why this legitimate daughter of a marquis's family was talking to him about radishes. Xie Yubai, on the other hand, was listening intently, fanning himself, as if the only thing he cared about was the white radish Lu Zhiyuan was talking about.

Wen Liangyu chewed the radish in his mouth, subconsciously wondering which variety the young lady from the Lu family had mentioned.

"The one you're eating is called Snow Jade. Its root skin is snow-white like jade, smooth, and the root is uniform, straight, and long cylindrical with very few fibrous roots. The flesh is delicate, crisp, sweet, and delicious, suitable for both fresh consumption and processing. This is the kind of radish that people eat at Huguosi Temple. I saw it in their small kitchen. I estimate that this is the last batch planted at the end of summer. Although it wasn't freshly picked, which affects the taste, it won't be as spicy as you described."

Lu Zhiyuan picked up a radish and tasted it. Apart from the original taste of the radish, there was only the bitterness of the sauce.

The cook at Huguo Temple is really not very good at cooking.

Taking advantage of Wen Liangyu's momentary daze, Lu Zhiyuan grabbed his wrist. Wen Liangyu instinctively pulled away, but Lu Zhiyuan pulled him back.

"There's something wrong with your sense of taste."

Wen Liangyu forcefully broke free of her hand.

“Poisoning, chronic, and it has shown signs of worsening in the past few days.” Lu Zhiyuan picked up the bowl and plate in front of him and smelled them carefully: “It’s not from the food.”

Wen Liangyu subconsciously looked at his waist.

A small jade gourd hung from her waist, containing dark brown pills. The pills were for relieving asthma and coughs; Xie Yubai had already had them examined. However, Lu Zhiyuan's gaze then shifted to the noticeably worn purse next to the gourd. The purse had a faint fragrance, somewhat similar to that worn by the Empress Dowager.

The person who poisoned the victim was extremely clever.

The medicine was non-toxic, and so was the fragrance; ingesting them together would exacerbate the existing toxins in his body. What the murderer didn't expect was that the Empress Dowager's trip included not only him and Wen Liangyu, but also Commandant Ma, his second uncle, and her.

According to the murderer's plan, Wen Liangyu should have died of poisoning on the day the Empress Dowager committed suicide out of fear of punishment, thus forever concealing the truth that the murderer wanted to cover up.

“This purse was left to you by your mother.” Lu Zhiyuan took off her own small purse: “It’s the same as mine, used to hold copper coins, loose silver, or small snacks. You kept it because of your mother. In all the years you’ve been in the palace, you must have been reluctant to use it. The smell on it is something you picked up when you were serving the Empress Dowager.”

Wen Liangyu picked up the purse and smelled it, but didn't detect anything unusual. His sense of smell, like his sense of taste, was slowly declining; he hadn't cared before, thinking it was nothing to worry about. Life in the palace wasn't easy, and losing his sense of taste and smell was a good thing for him. But being sick and being poisoned were two different things, and he desperately wanted to know who had harmed him.

"The one who poisoned you was the person you spent the most time with, knew your habits, and whom you trusted." Lu Zhiyuan took out a white pill: "This is an antidote I made myself. To be honest, it can't cure your poison, it can only prolong the time it takes for the poison to take effect in your body, so that you won't suffer as much when it does. It's sweet, a bit like a candy that children like to eat. You can keep it, or you can throw it away. You can eat it now, or you can wait until the poison takes effect. I only have one question for you: who do you think poisoned you?"

“Eunuch Cheng, he was in charge of the meals in the Empress Dowager’s palace, and he was also the first important person I met after entering the palace.” Wen Liangyu clutched the purse. “I first met him in the Imperial Garden. I was being punished by my master at the time, and he happened to be delivering pastries to the Empress Dowager, saving me. The blood on the purse was from that time, and he was the one who picked it up and handed it to me. Because of him, I was transferred to the Empress Dowager’s palace, and it was also because of him that I gained favor with the Empress Dowager and had the opportunity to accompany her on her travels.”

"Did he also give you the clue about the Jade Guanyin?" Xie Yubai asked, his voice indifferent. "Does your Wen family have anyone surnamed Cheng?"

"Cheng?" Wen Liangyu was momentarily dazed. "Why are you asking this?"

"Answer me first, does your Wen family have anyone surnamed Cheng?" Xie Yubai tapped his fan. "The Wen family's extermination requires an inside man. Even someone as noble as the Empress Dowager cannot act without a just cause. This just cause is the pretext used in the proverb 'If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a reason.' This pretext must come from within your Wen family to be legitimate and respectable. Do you understand what I'm saying?"