She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

Wuchen stood silently outside the window, his gaze sharp and fixed on every blade of grass and tree in Shaoguang Courtyard. Xie Wanqing's supposedly clever tricks were nothing more than child's play in his eyes, and had already been seen through by him.

Inside the room, Jinse carefully carried in a pot of delicate flowers. The flowers were in full bloom, red as fire and green as jade. Under the candlelight, they looked even more beautiful and vibrant.

“Miss, look.” Jinse placed the flowers on the table, her voice very low.

Shen Jingshu sat upright at the table, her face calm and her eyes clear, showing no sign of being poisoned. By the candlelight, she carefully examined the potted flower, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She chuckled softly, her voice clear and crisp, "Wuchen, you saw it all?"

Wuchen, as always, answered sparingly, "Yes."

"Thank you for your hard work." Shen Jingshu nodded slightly. "Yaoqin and Jinse, you both did a great job too."

Yaoqin and Jinse exchanged a smile, and Yaoqin said, "This is what we maids should do. But Miss, pretending to be poisoned like this is not a long-term solution."

“I know.” Shen Jingshu’s eyes deepened. “But only in this way can we make Xie Wanqing lower her guard and reveal her weakness.”

She paused, then said, "Xie Wanqing thinks she's clever, but she doesn't realize that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

Jinse blinked and asked curiously, "Miss, is this flower... really poisonous?"

"Whether it's poisonous or not is unimportant." Shen Jingshu's smile grew even more cunning. "What's important is that Xie Wanqing thinks it's poisonous."

Wuchen remained expressionless, but a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

Shen Jingshu's trick of creating a fake was truly clever.

"Miss, what should we do next?" Yaoqin asked.

Shen Jingshu's gaze fell on the potted flower, her eyes gradually becoming sharp. "This flower is a 'kind gift' from Xie Wanqing. How can I let her 'kind intentions' go to waste?"

The reason she was able to see through Xie Wanqing's scheme was because she had long suspected Xie Wanqing.

Her past life experiences gave her a thorough understanding of Xie Wanqing's character.

She turned to Yaoqin and Jinse, "You two, starting tomorrow, continue to do as I say. Remember, you must make Xie Wanqing completely believe that my days are numbered."

Yaoqin and Jinse both bowed respectfully and replied in unison, "Don't worry, Miss, we will certainly not let you down."

……

Inside the Pingyang Marquis's residence, the news of Shen Jingshu's illness spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire mansion. The Shaoguang Courtyard was shrouded in gloom and oppression, making it hard to breathe.

Yaoqin and Jinse knelt on the bluestone floor, their eyes red from crying and their voices hoarse. "Miss has been holding on these past few days because she didn't want Master and Madam to worry."

Song Wan was extremely anxious and quickly went to her daughter's bedside.

That day, she said it was just spring fatigue, and she didn't think much of it. But who knew she would be so sick! Song Wan regretted her actions. If she had asked a few more questions, her daughter wouldn't be in this state.

She held Shen Jingshu's hand, her fingertips trembling.

Shen Jingshu lay on the bed, her face as pale as paper. Her usual liveliness had vanished, and she looked like a delicate flower that had been ravaged by wind and rain, having lost its vitality.

Shen Zizhong frowned deeply. As soon as the court session ended today, he summoned Physician Xu back without further ado. Physician Xu knew that the daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang had been betrothed to Jiang Jin'an by the Emperor, so he dared not neglect her and stepped forward to take Shen Jingshu's pulse.

His focused expression, sometimes lost in thought, sometimes shaking his head, made Shen Zizhong and Song Wan's hearts leap into their throats.

After a long while, he withdrew his hand, cupped his hands and said, "My lord, my lady, Miss Shen's pulse is weak and feeble, which is a sign of poisoning."

Shen Zizhong was greatly surprised.

"Poisoned? How could you be poisoned out of the blue?" Song Wan suddenly stood up, her voice trembling.

Physician Xu quickly reassured her, "Madam, don't worry. Judging from the pulse, this poison is not potent. Fortunately, the poisoning is not severe and the illness has not lasted long. Although it is strange, it is not incurable."

He stroked his beard, sat down at the table, wrote down a prescription, and handed it to Jinse, saying, "Get the medicine according to the prescription, and take it three times a day by decoction."

Jinse took the prescription, responded, and hurriedly left.

Physician Xu gave him a few more detailed instructions, and Shen Zizhong personally saw him off at the mansion. "Physician Xu, thank you very much for today."

"You're too kind, my lord, but..."

Seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak, Shen Zizhong stopped and asked, "Is there something wrong? Please speak freely."

Physician Xu glanced around, took two steps closer, and then said in a low voice, "Because this poison is not potent, it requires prolonged exposure for a person to be affected."

A fierce glint flashed in Shen Zizhong's eyes, and he had already made up his mind.

He bowed respectfully to Physician Xu, saying, "I hope you will spread this word when you go to the Imperial Hospital tomorrow."

The Emperor and Empress have just bestowed the betrothal gifts and wedding dress. If Shen Jingshu were to be found to be poisoned by a slow-acting poison at this time, they would surely be furious.

unless……

Physician Xu understood the reasoning behind it and simply said that today's consultation would be recorded. Shen Zizhong then knew that he had agreed.

After seeing off Physician Xu, he returned to Shaoguang Courtyard.

Song Wan remained by the bedside, silently shedding tears.

All night long, the Shaoguang Courtyard was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Shen Jingshu remained unconscious. During this time, Yaoqin prepared the medicine and forced her to drink it, but she only drank half and vomited the other half.

Song Wan stayed up until dawn, her eyes red and swollen, her face haggard. Shen Zizhong also didn't sleep all night, pacing back and forth in his study, trying to clear his mind.

Shen Jingshu opened her eyes and saw her mother guarding the bedside, feeling a pang of sorrow in her heart.

"Mother?"

Upon hearing the voice, Song Wan quickly looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "Jing Shu, you're awake? How are you feeling?"

Shen Jingshu shook her head and grasped Song Wan's hand in return, "I'm fine, Mother. I've worried you."

"Silly child, you are the apple of your mother's eye, how can your mother not worry?" Song Wan said, tears falling again.

Shen Zizhong personally carried the medicine into the house and breathed a slight sigh of relief when he saw that his daughter had woken up.

He put down the medicine, walked to the side, and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

Shen Jingshu smiled. "Much better."

To avoid revealing her identity, she did ingest some oleander poison, but she controlled the dosage, stopped taking it for a few days, and took medicine, so she was fine.

But when Shen Zizhong saw her weak appearance, his heart ached. His precious daughter had suffered so much, and he was determined to find out the truth!

Wuchen listened to the conversation inside the room and was deeply moved.

The girl's plan was indeed brilliant. However, this self-inflicted injury was perhaps a bit too harmful to her health.

He was somewhat worried about whether the girl's body could withstand the temptation of using himself as bait.

Should he send a message to the young master?

Wuchen stood guard outside the door and began to seriously consider this question.