Regent, please maintain your aloof image.

At the same time, Butler Wang walked in, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, Madam."

"how".

"Reporting to Master, there is some burnt incense in the incense burner in the west wing. The doctor examined it and found it to be an aphrodisiac. There is also a small amount of sleeping potion, but it will only make a person unconscious for about fifteen minutes. In addition, I also found a lock on the ground," said Steward Wang, presenting the lock.

"Why is there a lock?" Lin Rong asked, puzzled.

"What else could it be for? To lock the door, of course. Otherwise, what if my sister ran away? Sister, it's a good thing you saw through their scheme beforehand. Otherwise, you would either have to end your own life or be humiliated by marrying into the Li family. You probably would never be happy in this life. They really have such vicious hearts," Su Haoyu said, giving Su Wanshan a vicious look.

Chunzhu couldn't help but speak up, "The second young master is right. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that the eldest young master of the Li family has deep feelings for the second young lady. If our young lady marries into the Li family, it's easy to know that she won't have a good life."

"How dare you! You're just trying to find fault with me. I have no relationship with Young Master Li. You lowly servant, stop talking nonsense."

Hearing her constantly use the term "lowly servant," Su Jing'an frowned, his face showing displeasure.

“This servant is talking nonsense. The day you fell into the water, Young Master Li was the first to rush in to save you. Also, everyone saw how nervous he was after you were rescued. He kept calling you Wan’er. If you weren’t familiar with each other, would Young Master Li call you so intimately?”

Su Qianrou couldn't help but give Chunzhu a thumbs up in her heart.

“That’s…that’s…” For a moment, Su Wanshan couldn’t find a reason to refute him.

“You have an affair with the eldest son of the Li family,” Su Jing’an stared intently at her.

"No, my daughter has never had any dealings with Young Master Li, so how could there be any romantic relationship between us? Please investigate thoroughly, Father."

"It would be best."

Just then, Granny Li came in and said, "Master, Madam, Yuehong has confessed."

"explain".

"Yes... According to Yuehong's confession, she was a spy planted by the Second Miss next to the Eldest Miss. More than a month ago, the Second Miss asked her to help deal with the remaining pastries, which were the pastries that the Second Miss sent on the day the Eldest Miss fell ill. The Second Miss specifically instructed her not to eat them, so she buried the pastries under the plum tree in Qifeng Courtyard. I have already sent a doctor to check, and there will be results soon. As for today's events, they were also planned by the Second Miss. She first had the servant invite Young Master Li to the West Wing, and then sent Yuehong to invite the Eldest Miss. After the matter was settled, the Second Miss led all the ladies and young ladies to the West Wing, thus ruining the Eldest Miss's reputation."

Lin Rong was so angry that she couldn't help but walk up to Su Wanshan and slap her hard, saying, "You wicked woman."

"Mother, this is not true. I did not do it. I do not know why Yuehong said this. I am innocent."

"With witnesses and physical evidence, you still try to deny it."

Su Wanshan grabbed Lin Rong's clothes and tried her best to explain, "Mother, believe me, I really didn't do it. It was that bitch Yuehong who framed me. It was all her own scheme. She wanted to climb the social ladder, but when things were exposed, she tried to frame me. Don't believe her."

Lin Rong kicked her away, saying, "You're about to die and you're still being stubborn."

At this moment, Qinghui led the doctor in, saying, "This humble servant greets Your Excellency and Madam."

"What was the result?" Su Jing'an asked with a gloomy expression.

"Your Excellency, I have examined the area. There was indeed something hidden under the plum tree, and it was highly poisonous. However, I cannot identify the specific type of poison."

"Step down."

"Yes, I'll take my leave," the doctor said, and then he left.

Su Jing'an stood up and walked to Su Wanshan, looking at her coldly. "Who gave you the guts to plot against your elder sister?" he said, grabbing her chin hard.

Su Wanshan's face contorted in pain, but she dared not break free and could only vehemently deny it, "Father, I didn't."

"Master, what are you doing? You've hurt Shan'er. Shan'er has always been well-behaved and sensible. How could she possibly harm the eldest young lady? There must be some misunderstanding. Please don't believe what others say," Aunt Liu said, trying to persuade Su Jing'an to let go.

Su Jing'an forcefully shook off Su Wanshan, "I don't have a daughter with such a wicked heart as you."

Su Wanshan lay on the ground, looking pitiful.

"Guards, drag her out and give her twenty heavy lashes as a warning to others."

"Father, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, please forgive me this time, I will never dare to do it again," Su Wanshan pleaded, clinging to Su Jing'an's leg.

“Master, Shan’er is a weak woman. How can she withstand twenty strokes of the cane? Even if she doesn’t die, she’ll be half-dead. How will she ever get married in the future?”

"Aren't you going to pull him down? Do you want me to do it myself?"

The servants then went forward to pull Su Wanshan away.

Aunt Liu hugged her tightly, "Master, Shan'er is still young and doesn't know any better. It's all my fault. I didn't teach her well. I'm willing to take the punishment for her. Please forgive her this time."

Su Jing'an remained unmoved.

So, Aunt Liu looked at Su Qianrou, knelt down and crawled in front of her, "Miss, Shan'er was just blinded by jealousy for a moment, which is why she did such a rebellious thing. Now she knows she was wrong. Please forgive her this time for the sake of your past relationship. Aunt Liu begs you." As she spoke, she kowtowed heavily.

Fearing that Su Qianrou would soften her heart, Su Haoyu hurriedly spoke up, "When she harmed my sister, why didn't she think about the sisterly relationship we had in the past? Ask yourselves honestly, over the years, when has my sister ever wronged her? Almost all the good things my mother gave my sister ended up in her pocket. And what did she do? She was ungrateful and repaid kindness with enmity. Not only did she want to ruin my sister's reputation, but she also wanted to kill her. Father only gave her twenty lashes, which was already too lenient. If you ask me, she should have been beaten to death."

"Rou'er, what do you think?"

Su Qianrou scoffed inwardly. Sure enough, this fatherly love wasn't entirely biased. "They say that when a child is punished, the mother feels the pain. I imagine that when my sister is punished, Father will also feel the same pain. Naturally, I don't want to see Father suffer. So, let's skip the twenty strokes. What do you think, Father?"

"As expected, Rou'er is kind-hearted... Since Rou'er has pleaded for you, then the twenty strokes of the cane will be waived. However, although you may be spared the death penalty, you will not escape punishment. You will be confined to your quarters for a month to reflect on your actions. If there is a next time, you will be expelled from the manor."

"Yes, my daughter will never dare to do it again."

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, young lady."

“Father, she wanted to kill my sister and ruin her reputation, and all you did was put her under house arrest,” Su Haoyu said, extremely dissatisfied with the punishment.

"What, you really want me to beat her to death?"

Su Qianrou pulled Su Haoyu behind her, "Dad, Xiaoyu is still young and doesn't understand things. Don't take it to heart."

"Father knows you've been wronged. I have a few rare books with me, and I'll have someone send them to you later as compensation."

"Thank you, Father," Su Qianrou said happily, seemingly not taking the matter to heart at all.

Then, Su Jing'an looked at Lin Rong and said, "I still have some official business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

"Alright, sir, take care."

Then, Su Jing'an went outside.