The pampered heiress holds the script and leads her cannon fodder family to a counterattack.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yezhong, Yang Xiurong, and Qin Xiaoyan were all filled with righteous indignation. They never expected that Hongju would be so wicked!

Hongju originally had her eye on Fourth Brother; he was refined and handsome beyond compare. She had previously tried every means to get close to him, always loitering around his pharmacy, and overheard him hiding the poison.

But Fourth Brother always seemed uninterested in women, so Hongju felt there was no hope of seducing him and thus chose Younger Brother as a second choice.

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiaoyan's lips twitched slightly.

What? I'm actually a second-best choice? Am I not as good-looking as my fourth brother?

While the attendant was in the outhouse, she stole poison from the pharmacy and then slipped it into the medicine packet when the servant preparing the medicine wasn't looking.

The remaining poison was hidden in a secret compartment of her dressing case. This compartment was so well concealed that it would be impossible to find without knowing the mechanism inside.

The three men from the Marquis's residence were now more confident; knowing where the poison was hidden made things much easier.

"This servant greets the Marquis, Madam, and Sixth Young Master." Hongju didn't even dare to lift her eyes, bowing deeply in greeting.

There was another young lady she hadn't met before and didn't know her name, so she didn't greet her. Hongju, being in the outer courtyard, wasn't well-informed and didn't know about the Second Young Lady's return to the mansion.

“Hongju, someone saw you acting suspiciously in the medicine-decocting room, and today they discovered that the prescription I was given contained poison. Did you put this poison in my medicine?” Yang Xiurong asked sternly.

Upon hearing this, Hongju felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

At the same time, she also saw the open medicine packet on the table, and could vaguely see some purple powder inside. Wasn't that the poison she had put in?

Could it be that things have been exposed?

No, that's impossible. She did it very discreetly; it's impossible for anyone to have seen her.

Even if someone saw it, there was no evidence to prove that she did it.

The place where she hid the poison was so well hidden that even if you searched her room from top to bottom, you wouldn't be able to find it.

Hongju quickly regained her composure and feigned innocence: "Madam, Hongju is innocent! Hongju would never harm you! Please, Madam, see the truth!"

Yang Xiurong carefully observed Hongju's expression.

She had already taken in the shock and guilt she felt just now, and she had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

Yang Xiurong's hatred for Hongju grew stronger. What deep-seated grudge could she have committed to harm her like that, making her live a life that was neither human nor ghost?

Not only that, they also want to ruin my son's reputation!

Although her youngest son is quite mischievous and often disciplined at home, she actually loves him very much. Anyone who dares to spread such rumors about her son is asking for trouble!

"Do you know what crime it is to murder the mistress? If you confess, I might spare your life." If you confess, I might even grant you a dignified death.

Upon hearing this, Hongju thought to herself that the Marquis's mansion couldn't possibly have any evidence that she had poisoned him.

Her dressing case was made by an old craftsman in the village before she was sold. The craftsmanship was almost lost, and the craftsmen in Kyoto did not have such skills.

How could there possibly be evidence to convict her?

The Marquis's mansion has always been fair in its dealings; it's unlikely they would convict a servant without any evidence.

Thinking this way, Hongju became even more self-righteous.

"Madam, you are wise. This servant truly did not poison you."

Yang Xiurong looked at her, her gaze gradually sharpening. Desperate for death, utterly foolish.

Qin Xiaoyan, standing to the side, also coldly watched Hongju. Even on the verge of death, she remained defiant.

"Bring all of Hongju's belongings here," Yang Xiurong ordered her servants.

A short while later, two servants came over carrying two boxes of things.

"Search!" Yang Xiurong ordered sternly.

Hongju felt a little nervous, but she was still confident.

She had so many things, and the amount of poison was so small, how could it have been found so easily?

At this moment, the Sixth Young Master stepped forward, picked up Hongju's dressing case, held it in his hand, and gave a half-smile.

"Fine, I think this box is perfect for hiding things. Maybe it's right here." He glanced at Hongju, thinking, "How dare you harm my mother! You won't live today."

The servants stopped searching.

Hongju's face was as white as paper.

How could this be... how could they have picked that box so easily... could they have already known? Impossible!

Qin Xiaoyan held the box in his hands and studied it for a long time. He was confident in his expertise in mechanisms, but the box in front of him looked ordinary and did not seem to have any hidden compartments.

Does that mean the only solution is to smash the box? If so, it would damage the box's structure, and Qin Xiaoyan really couldn't bear to do that.

After examining it for a long time without opening it, Hongju breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they didn't know the box's secret.

At this moment, Qin Wanying stepped forward.

"Brother, let me try." With that, he smiled and took the box.

When Hongju heard the words "young man," she realized that this person was the missing second young lady of the Marquis's mansion.

After searching for so many years, we finally found it.

A hint of jealousy flashed in Hongju's eyes.

Why? Why are some people born into noble families, whose parents relentlessly search for them even if they get lost?

She was just an ordinary farmer's daughter, yet she was sold by her parents.

Unfair, so unfair!

You think you can just open it by casually glancing at it? It's not that easy!

Qin Wanying had no idea what Hongju was thinking. She tapped the bottom of the box three times, and a hidden compartment popped out, containing a small white medicine packet.

Everyone in the room gasped. It was indeed inside!

Yang Xiurong immediately sent someone to open it, and inside was that purple poison!

Hongju's face turned ashen.

She actually opened the box.

"Hongju, do you have anything else to say?" Yang Xiurong looked at her coldly.

Hongju's lips trembled slightly, too frightened to speak.

It's over, it's all over now.

Her knees buckled and she knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly to Yang Xiurong: "Madam, Madam, I know I was wrong! I was momentarily blinded by greed, please show mercy and spare my life!"

Yang Xiurong looked at her, almost laughing in anger. "Let you live? Are you here to ruin my son's reputation and tarnish the honor of my Marquis's mansion?"

Yang Xiurong asked the old woman beside her, "As a servant, what is the punishment for plotting against the mistress of the house?"

This old woman had served Yang Xiurong for many years. When she learned that there was such a vicious servant who dared to plot against her mistress, she was furious and said angrily, "According to the family rules, she should be beaten to death with sticks."

Hongju was a slave who had been bought. If she did something wrong, the Marquis's mansion had the right to kill her directly without reporting it to the authorities.

Upon hearing this, Hongju immediately knelt on the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.

She didn't want to die; she hadn't yet risen to prominence and become a phoenix, and she was unwilling to accept it.

Hongju hurriedly crawled to Qin Xiaoyan's side, knowing that Qin Xiaoyan was easy to talk to and had never scolded her, and might even have feelings for her.

"Sixth Young Master, Sixth Young Master, this servant knows she was wrong. Please, Sixth Young Master, beg you to plead for this servant and spare her life."