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

Upon hearing that the imperial physician had visited Shaoguang Hospital, Xie Wanqing couldn't help but smile.

She knew it; how could that bitch Shen Jingshu possibly defeat her? With the toxicity of oleander combined with the catalytic effect of "Drunken Flower Shade," Shen Jingshu was likely to die this time!

She had even begun to imagine herself taking Shen Jingshu's place after her death.

Without Shen Jingshu, who in the Pingyang Marquis's mansion can stop her!

The next day, in the Imperial Hospital, Physician Xu was chatting with several colleagues, and their conversation revolved around the treatment he had given Shen Jingshu the previous day.

He stroked his beard, looking worried: "The daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang, who is also the wife of the Commandant appointed by the Emperor, suddenly fell ill yesterday. When I went to treat her, I found that she had been poisoned."

"Is Elder Xu's statement true?" a young imperial physician asked in surprise. "What kind of poison is it? How serious is it?"

"It's strange, this poison isn't highly toxic, nor does it seem like an ordinary poison." Doctor Xu shook his head, seemingly finding the matter quite peculiar. "Fortunately, it was discovered early, and I've already prescribed a remedy. As long as you take the medicine on time, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"How insidious! To use such a slow-acting poison that is impossible to guard against," another imperial physician said indignantly.

The daughter of the Marquis of Pingyang was the one whose marriage was personally arranged by the Emperor. Now, she has been poisoned in her own home. This matter could be serious or minor, and if not handled carefully, it could cause a great uproar.

The imperial physicians discussed amongst themselves, their voices not loud, but loud enough for everyone who passed by to hear clearly.

Within an afternoon, the news reached Emperor Hui's ears.

When Emperor Hui heard of this, he was furious.

Li Delu stood aside, not daring to utter a sound.

"Investigate! Investigate this matter thoroughly for me!" He slammed his hand on the dragon throne, causing the palace servants in the hall to kneel down. "If anything happens to the girl from the Shen family, I will make those treacherous people pay with their lives!"

Li Delu cautiously advised from the side, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your health is of utmost importance. Didn't Physician Xu say that Miss Shen is out of danger? Please don't worry too much."

"No problem?" Emperor Hui sneered. "Right under my nose, someone dared to poison the future wife of the Commandant. What audacity! Li Delu, convey my decree that this matter be jointly investigated by the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice. They must get to the bottom of this!"

"This servant obeys the decree," Li Delu hurriedly replied, but inwardly he groaned.

This is no easy task. We need to find out the truth without implicating too many people. We have to find the right balance.

The incident alarmed the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, and in no time, all the officials in the capital knew that Miss Shen of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion had been poisoned.

Duke Gu Zhong brought the news back to his residence, and even Lady Jiang was taken aback when she heard it.

She put down her teacup and asked, "She seems quite clever, how did she fall for someone's trick?"

Gu Zhong turned to Gu Changfeng, who was standing to the side, and asked, "What do you think?"

After a moment's thought, Gu Changfeng said, "If it's a poison that takes a long time to take effect, doesn't that mean the person who poisoned it is in the Marquis of Pingyang's residence?"

Gu Zhong nodded.

If even his own son could figure this out, how could His Majesty and that old scoundrel Shen Zizhong not have thought of it?

It's just unclear whether the person who poisoned him was targeting the Marquis of Pingyang's residence or Jiang Jin'an.

“Father, could it be…” Gu Changfeng seemed to have thought of something.

"Whoever it is, this has nothing to do with us," Gu Zhong interrupted him, his words carrying a warning tone. "We just need to wait and see."

When the news reached Gu Shiyi, she was pruning flowers in her yard.

Upon hearing that Shen Jingshu had been poisoned, she snipped off a peony in full bloom with a "snip".

The petals were scattered all over the ground, their bright red color momentarily dazzling her.

"What did you say? Shen Jingshu has been poisoned?" Gu Shiyi frowned deeply.

Although she didn't like Shen Jingshu, she never intended to kill her.

After all, if something happened to her, wouldn't her cousin turn the whole capital upside down?

“Yes, Miss,” said the maid Yinping. “I heard that the Commandant is far away in Yangzhou, and His Majesty has sent the Imperial Physician to treat him. Now the entire Pingyang Marquis’s residence is in complete chaos.”

Frustrated, Gu Shiyi threw the scissors aside and said, "Prepare the carriage; I'm going to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence."

"Miss, what are you going to do?" Yinping asked hurriedly, afraid that her young lady might cause some trouble.

"Go check on that sickly Shen Jingshu," Gu Shiyi said irritably. "I want to see if she's really going to die this time."

Yinping handed the visiting card to the gatekeeper. When Gu Shiyi arrived at Shaoguang Courtyard, it was already crowded with people.

She finally managed to squeeze in, only to see Shen Jingshu lying on the bed, her face pale and her breath weak, looking like she was about to die.

Song Wan sat on the edge of the bed, holding Shen Jingshu's hand tightly, her eyes red-rimmed. Shen Zizhong stood to the side, his brows furrowed, saying nothing.

Gu Shiyi felt a bit conflicted. She walked to the bedside and looked at Shen Jingshu's lifeless face, and suddenly felt a little sad.

Although she had never liked Shen Jingshu, they had grown up together since childhood, and seeing Shen Jingshu like this now, she felt a little uncomfortable.

Gu Shiyi sighed, turned around and left the room.

When Yinping saw Gu Shiyi come out, she hurried to greet her, "Miss, why did you come out so soon?"

Gu Shiyi didn't speak, but just stared blankly at the tall crabapple tree in the courtyard.

"Sister Gu, what brings you here?" Shen Yuanzhou's voice rang out from beside her.

Gu Shiyi snapped out of her daze and forced a smile. "I came to see her."

"Thank you, Sister Gu. I will definitely tell her when she wakes up."

Gu Shiyi waved her hand, "No need to be so polite. How is she?"

“The imperial physician said,” a hint of sadness flashed in Shen Yuanzhou’s eyes, “that although the poison my sister has been given is not fatal, she needs a long period of recuperation. During this time, she probably won’t be able to go out.”

Gu Shiyi's heart tightened; she hadn't expected Shen Jingshu's poisoning to be so severe. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but didn't know how to begin.

"Sister Gu, can I have a few words with you alone?"

Gu Shiyi was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

Shen Yuanzhou looked at Gu Shiyi and said earnestly, "Sister Gu, I know you and my sister had some misunderstandings at the palace banquet, but I hope that you can consider my sister's current serious illness and not hold a grudge against her anymore."

Gu Shiyi didn't want to argue with Shen Yuanzhou at this time, so she said, "Don't worry, I've already explained this to her."

Shen Yuanzhou breathed a sigh of relief, "My sister actually..."

“Young Master,” a maidservant ran over at that moment, “Master requests your presence.”

Shen Yuanzhou glanced at Gu Shiyi and said, "Sister Gu, please excuse me."

Gu Shiyi nodded, watching Shen Yuanzhou's departing figure, feeling a surge of annoyance.

She suddenly realized that all her previous little schemes seemed so insignificant in the face of life and death.