Chapter 42: Testing Medicine

  Wang led Sheng Siyan's hand and walked steadily into the depths of the Anhe Temple.

  Sheng Siyan lowered her eyebrows and cast down her eyes, closely following behind Wang Shi, trying hard to control her desire to look around.

  "The Empress Dowager, the wife and daughter of Sheng Qi Ye have arrived." Yáo Nuǔ Guān stepped forward and said.

  The empress dowager smiled and beckoned to Sheng Siyan, "Hm? You're the granddaughter of the Sheng family? Come here and let me take a good look at you."

  Sheng Qiye's family members are unexpectedly Wang Shi and Sheng Siyan!

  Zheng Suxin's eyes widened suddenly, one hand grasping the collar of her clothes, seemingly extremely surprised. She never expected that Sheng Siyan and Wang Shi would actually be the legitimate descendants of the Sheng family!

  She had clearly let Wu Changge go and investigate thoroughly, so why didn't they find anything?

  She remembered very clearly that in that year, Sheng Siyan had taken the top spot in the entrance exam for Rongyu Girls' School in that region. After receiving the test papers, she asked Wu Changge to ask his father to investigate the background of the Sheng mother and daughter to see if they were related to the main line of the Shen Nong Fu Sheng family. Wu Changge told her that Old Man Wu had investigated and said that it was just a coincidence in surname, and there was no relation to the Shen Nong Fu Sheng family...

  Zheng Suxin's mind rose with a cloud of doubt. —— Her mentor treated her with great kindness, she should be more careful and cautious, cannot let those people with ulterior motives take advantage of the situation...

  Sheng Siyan heard the Empress Dowager calling her over, and quietly raised her head to look in the direction of the upper seat. She gave a timid smile to the woman sitting on the phoenix-patterned throne above. It was very fitting for her current village girl identity.

  A cold gaze swept across, landing on Sheng Siyan's face.

  Sheng Siyan's face changed color and she couldn't help but shiver, her eyes involuntarily glancing in the direction of that gaze.

  It turned out to be Zhou Huai Xuan this big iceberg!

  Sheng Siyan made a sly face in her heart, quickly withdrew her gaze, bowed to the Empress Dowager on the Phoenix Patterned Treasure Throne, and then walked over.

  Standing in front of the empress, Sheng Siyan bowed her head slightly and didn't dare to look directly at the empress's face. She knew that in front of the highest-ranking woman in the Great Xia Dynasty, her little cleverness was not enough to be seen, so she wisely did not stick out like a sore thumb and pretended to be more timid and cowardly.

  The Empress Dowager asked Sheng Siyan a few questions and then lost interest in her, waving her hand to let her go down, and then called Wang Shi over to chat with her for a while.

  Wang's response was measured and dignified, showing a strong sense of propriety, far surpassing that of Sheng Siyan.

  The Empress Dowager had a good impression of this family, nodded and said: "As long as you can make the Emperor better, I will let bygones be bygones." And then to Sheng Qiye beside her: "Sheng Qi, is your medicine ready?"

  Sheng Qiye also felt a bit uneasy, and upon hearing this, he hastily cupped his hands and said: "It will be alright immediately."

  The Empress Dowager looked at Zheng Suhui: "Zheng Yiren, how did you test the medicine?"

  Zheng Suxin withdrew her scrutinizing gaze from Sheng Siyan, smiling as she said: "Please have Officer Yao bring over the large white porcelain container for testing the medicine."

  Dabai is the name of the rabbits used for drug testing. The palace raised many of them, and each one was called Dabai.

  Sheng Qiye looked at the plump white rabbit that was brought over and his heart ached with pity.

  "You feed this medicine to Da Bai with a spoon." Zheng Suxin said politely.

  Sheng Qiye let out a sigh and lifted the lid of the medicine bowl.

  A medicinal smell wafted out, which was not much different from other medicines.

  The people in the palace were used to it and didn't think much of it, watching as Sheng Qiye carefully poured out a small spoonful and then fed it to the rabbit with the big white mouth that was being used to test the medicine.

  Sheng Siyan watched as Sheng Qiye fed the big white rabbit medicine, feeling uncomfortable all over. ——This medicine actually contains her blood! Is it really okay to give it to the rabbit like this? =_=

  Because the venom extracted from the poisonous gland of the Gu mountain wind that day was too little, and after being placed for a few days, it had dried up and evaporated a lot, Sheng Qiye was worried that it would not be enough. He thought of Sheng Siyan being bitten by the Gu mountain wind and there must still be residual venom in her wound, so he let her squeeze out some of the toxic blood from her wound and mix it with the venom.

  Sheng Qiye this time brought only one kind of medicine, which was actually a mixture of Sheng Siyan's blood and Guo Shanfeng poison liquid.

  Everyone in the great hall stared intently at the rabbit Da Bai who was being tested with medicine.

  No one noticed that Zhou Dajiang's eldest son, Zhou Dagongzi, suddenly turned whiter than snow at this time. He raised his hand and covered his nose, trying to hold his breath.

  It seemed that only he could smell it, the medicine had a sweet fragrance that was fatally attractive to him. He felt his mouth getting drier and drier, like a traveler who had been searching for an oasis in the desert for three days and nights, seeing a clear spring appear in the distance but unable to rush over and drink wildly, only able to stare...

  The rabbit for testing medicine sat on the table, its bright red round eyes staring blankly at everyone.

  "Is that it? Is everything okay now?"

  As soon as she finished speaking, the test rabbit Da Bai suddenly fell onto its back on the table with a thud. Its four legs kicked upwards a few times before it stopped moving altogether.

  Zheng Suxin walked over and took a look, shouting loudly: "It's poisonous! This medicine has killed Da Bai!"

  The empress dowager was suddenly enraged and turned her face, saying: "Bring him in!"

  Inside Anhe Temple, everything was in chaos.

  The sound of footsteps, shouts and screams all mixed together in a chaotic mess.

  In this chaos, Zhou Huai Xuan really couldn't take it anymore. His deep brown eyes turned even darker, and his back broke out in cold sweats.

  That irresistible sweet fragrance became more and more distinct, as if it had permeated his body, hot air steaming, lungs hard to bear.

  Zhou Huai Xuan finally could not resist, his eyes only had that one bowl of medicine placed on the table. He walked over with big strides, wherever he passed, his clothes fluttered, bringing up a wave of cold wind.

  He walked towards the bowl of medicine, picked it up with one hand, and gulped it down!

  "Xuan Er!" General Zhou let out a heart-wrenching cry and rushed over, but it was too late. Zhou Huai Xuan had already finished drinking the entire bowl of medicine. General Zhou could hardly believe that his own eldest son would drink this bowl of highly toxic medicine in broad daylight!

  Zheng Suxin's beautiful eyes rolled around, and she quickly glanced at General Zhou Dajiang, thinking with some bitterness that... he still had this eldest son in his heart.

  Zhou Huaixuan put down the medicine bowl and praised, "Good medicine!" His voice was smooth like high-quality golden velvet, mellow and fragrant.

  The people in the great hall fell silent, staring blankly at Zhou Huai Xuan, waiting for him to fall over and die like that white rabbit.

  But they waited for a long time, and Zhou Huaixuan didn't die.

  Not only did he not die, but his complexion gradually became rosier, no longer as pale as jade.

  The empress dowager saw this situation and slowly raised one hand to stop the imperial guards outside from rushing in.

  Sheng Qiye immediately turned around and grabbed the hand of his inner attendant, loudly saying to the Empress Dowager: "Empress Dowager, look! This medicine won't kill anyone!"

  Zheng Suxin didn't understand what was going on either, and she subconsciously retorted: "But the big white rabbit that tested the medicine really did die."

  At that moment, Sheng Siyan thought of the glasses king snake, the glasses king snake that bit her. She didn't die, the snake died...

  It's surprisingly similar to the current situation. The rabbits that were tested on died, but Zhou Huaixuan, who drank almost half a bowl of medicine, was fine...

  Sheng Siyan shook her head, trying not to associate the two. Besides, she knew that even if she spoke out, no one in the grand hall would believe her except for Sheng Qiye and Wang Shi.

  She now has to help her father, Qi Xian Ye, clear the charge of "attempting to poison the Emperor" and also save herself and her mother's lives.

  "Empress Dowager, this medicine is non-toxic. Look, Young Master Zhou ate it and nothing happened." Sheng Siyan's clear voice was crisp and pleasant to the ear.

  Zhou Huai Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, staring intently at the sky outside the grand hall, his eyebrows furrowed even tighter.

  "But the white rabbit that was used for testing is indeed dead, and this is a fact." Zheng Suhui said to the Empress Dowager without even looking at Sheng Siyan.

  The empress dowager regained her calm expression, neither nodding nor shaking her head, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, her gaze falling on Sheng Siyan.

  Sheng Siyan looked at the dead rabbit and said: "The big white that was used to test the medicine is dead, but please tell me how you can prove it was killed by the poison?"

  Zheng Suxin heard this and couldn't help but laugh. She turned around, looking at Sheng Siyan: "Little girl, be honest, don't try to quibble. Everyone saw that Da Bai died after taking the medicine, isn't it obvious that he was poisoned by the medicine?"

  Sheng Siyan smiled and raised her head, looking at Zheng Suhui, saying slowly: "That's not necessarily true. Besides, what the eyes see may not be real."

  It's going on sale tomorrow, I'm so nervous. Please support the official version, and also vote for Pink Ticket, the more the better. In the first month after it goes on sale, there will be an extra update if Pink Ticket reaches 30~~~

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