The Han Family's storehouse was located behind the Thousand Herb Garden where Han Congan lived. It was a secret underground storehouse and the entrance was guarded by specialized storehouse guards. These guards were not manservants but all of them knew martial arts. Even if Han Congan was imprisoned, they would still guard this place and wait for the next family head to appear.
The storehouse was a forbidden area and no one was allowed to casually approach it. The manservant stopped from afar and said, "Princess Consort, please go ahead. This lowly one will wait for you here."
Han Yunxi walked over and a guard immediately came forward to stop her. "Who are you? How dare you approach the storehouse without permission?"
"Di daughter Han Yunxi," Han Yunxi replied Coldly.
The guard took a closer look and finally recognized Han Yunxi. However, he still did not give her any face. "Since you are the eldest miss, you should know the rules of the Han Family."
Han Yunxi calmly took out the storehouse key. "Seeing the storehouse key is equivalent to seeing the family head. You should be clear about this."
Seeing this, the guard was shocked and several other guards also came over. They recognized that it was indeed the storehouse key.
Indeed, seeing the storehouse key was equivalent to seeing the family head. As servants, they had no right to question Han Yunxi about how she got the key. They could only respectfully let her in.
Han Yunxi walked over confidently. Since she was young, she had heard that the Han Family's storehouse was very big. However, she only knew how big it was when she personally walked in.
Using the key to open the storehouse door, she found that it was divided into two storehouses. On the left was the money storehouse. It stored gold ingots and silver ingots. It was the Han Family's reserve money and would never be used unless it was absolutely necessary.
On the right was the medicine storehouse. Han Yunxi had just reached the door when the strong smell of medicinal herbs hit her face. This familiar smell made her feel much better.
This medicine storehouse was like a small library. Towering medicine shelves stood in great numbers. On the side of each shelf, there was a classification of medicinal herbs. The names of the herbs were written in front of the drawers on the shelves. The classification was clear and detailed, making it easy to find.
Soon, Han Yunxi found the category of poisons. The Han family was not a poison sect, but a medical family. The poisons here were not real poisons, but poisonous herbs that could be used as medicine.
Han Yunxi didn't know if she didn't look for it, but when she did, she was shocked. The Han Family's hidden medicine was much better than what Han Yunxi had imagined. Unfortunately, she searched every drawer in the poisons category, and even all the secret chambers, but she only found the seven common snake poisons. She didn't find the other three poisons she was looking for.
From the looks of it, the three snake venoms did not come from the Han family. This lead was broken again.
Han Yunxi closed the last drawer and exhaled lightly. At this moment, she caught sight of a study table on the side. On top of the table was a book that was halfway through its pages.
Han Yunxi walked over and flipped to the cover. She saw the « Han Family Medical Canon » written in large letters. So this was where it was!
After hesitating for a bit, Han Yunxi put the « Han Family Medical Canon » into her sleeve. Her lips curled into a sly smile as she said to herself, "It's too early to give it to Yi 'er. I'll keep it for now!"
On the way out of the storehouse, Han Yunxi kept her head down as she pondered. The Han Family could be eliminated as a suspect. Now she could only see if Mu Qingwu had found any clues.
She really hoped to see Gu Beiyue as soon as possible. With his connections, she wouldn't have to work so hard.
Not long after leaving the storehouse, the manservant guarding the door caught up to her, "Princess Consort, are you going back to the palace? This little one will send you out. "
Han Yunxi looked at him and softly said, "What is your name?"
"Replying to Princess Consort, this little one's name is Wang Xiaosi. I'm the supervisor at the main gate. This little one knows everything that goes in and out of the palace." Wang Xiaosi quickly replied.
Han Yunxi was worried that she didn't have anyone she could use. She didn't expect that such a useful person would take the initiative to send her.
She said in a low voice, "Take care of Seventh Madame's room. Do you understand?"
As she said this, she threw a silver ingot over, "Go drink wine with your brothers. This princess knows the way to the Han Family!"
Wang Xiaosi was a smart person. Taking the silver ingot, he was overjoyed and repeatedly thanked her, "Many thanks for Princess Consort's praise. This little one is willing to be a dog or horse for Princess Consort."
Han Yunxi walked away, but Wang Xiaosi was still standing there, immersed in joy. After being a gatekeeper for so many years, he finally had a chance to be promoted. How could he not be happy?
Not to mention Qin Wangfei's noble status, she had the storehouse key in her hands. In the future, wouldn't she be able to make whoever she wanted be the head of the household? In the struggles of large families, it was important for a small character like him to choose a side. As long as he followed Qin Wangfei, he would definitely not choose the wrong side in the struggle for the position of the head of the household.
After choosing a side, he naturally had to rope in some brothers to work for Seventh Madame. Thinking of this, Wang Xiaosi happily put away the silver ingot and hurriedly left.
At this time, Madam Li walked out from the flower bushes. She looked at the entrance of the storehouse not far away and then looked at Wang Xiaosi's back. Her lips curled into a contemptuous smile …
The struggle for the position of the head of the Han Family was very urgent, but Han Yunxi and Mu Liuyue's bet was even more urgent. It was only a month's time, and almost ten days had passed.
Han Yunxi returned to the estate and waited for two days. She assumed that Gu Beiyue would have time to see her by now, but she received tragic news instead.
"Esteemed wangfei, the steward of the Gu Estate said that Imperial Physician Gu won't leave the palace for a month. As for the details, this one couldn't ask him," the pageboy reported.
"What?" Han Yunxi exclaimed.
The pageboy thought she didn't understand and hastened to add, "The steward of the Gu Estate said that Imperial Physician Gu is in the palace and won't be leaving for a month. This one asked why, but the steward said he didn't know."
Han Yunxi's face had long turned ghastly white. If Imperial Physician Gu didn't leave the palace for a month, then Emperor Tianhui's illness must have worsened! The steward might not know such things, and even if he did, he wouldn't dare to say it.
"This is bad!"
Han Yunxi muttered to herself. After some hesitation, she went out to General Mu's estate.
"Esteemed wangfei, this one was just about to report when you showed up." Mu Qingwu was surprised, but secretly rejoiced in his heart. Thank goodness Liuyue had been invited out by a good friend. Otherwise, who knew what kind of trouble she'd stir up when she saw Qin Wangfei?
"Did you find out anything about the matter you wanted to investigate last time?" Han Yunxi asked.
Last time, they'd analyzed the Ten-Thousand Snake Poison's properties and frequency of use. The poisoner was either a member of the Mu family or someone who frequently visited the Mu family. Even if it was a member of the Mu family, someone had to deliver the poison frequently.
Mu Qingwu felt helpless. "Esteemed wangfei, this one has thoroughly investigated …"
Before Mu Qingwu could finish, Han Yunxi saw the frown between his eyebrows and knew that there were no results. This lead had been cut off.
How could this be?
Their reasoning wasn't wrong. The Ten-Thousand Snake Poison had to be used within a day of being concocted. Otherwise, it would have a color and smell. With Mu Qingwu's vigilance, it was impossible for him to not notice it.
And to accumulate the poison, it would have to be used once every two or three days. No matter what, the poisoner must have a close relationship with the General's estate.
However, they'd investigated and interrogated everyone, but they still couldn't find the culprit.
Could it be that they'd missed out on some details or overlooked someone?
To find the traitor, there were only two ways. One was to continue investigating the suspects in the General's estate, and the other was to find the three rare snake poisons. The latter was the goal of Han Yunxi's trip.
Han Yunxi took out the prescription list and handed it to Mu Qingwu. "Young General, these are the other three snake poisons. They're extremely rare snake poisons. Not to mention the average pharmacy, even the majority of medical families may not have them. Perhaps, it would be faster to start with these three snake poisons."
She had held back before, but now that she couldn't find Gu Beiyue, she could only pass this lead to Mu Qingwu. At least, Mu Qingwu's connections were wider than hers, so there was more hope.
Mu Qingwu glanced at the prescription list and hesitated for a moment. But very quickly, he raised his head and looked at Han Yunxi with a magnanimous gaze. He asked directly, "Esteemed wangfei, you didn't mention these three snake poisons earlier because you were afraid … afraid that my father and I would be biased, right?"
The sudden question caught Han Yunxi off guard. However, Mu Qingwu had asked the right question. She did have such thoughts.
She and Mu Liuyue had made a bet for a month. The loser of the bet had to take off her outer clothes and run one round around Xuanwu Avenue. Neither she nor Mu Liuyue could bear the consequences of this. However, this kind of bet only had winners and losers. There was no tie. One of them was bound to lose.
If the investigation completely relied on General Mu and the Young General, the father and son could drag on and wait until a month later to find the traitor. This way, they wouldn't lose anything. Secondly, Mu Liuyue wouldn't lose.
No matter what, Mu Liuyue was still General Mu's only daughter. Of course, she had to hold back and investigate on her own. Who knew that Gu Beiyue couldn't leave the palace?
Since Mu Qingwu asked like this, Han Yunxi didn't have anything to hide. She revealed a calm smile and openly admitted it, "Yes!"
Who would have thought that the always humble Mu Qingwu would become very serious. His clear eyes stared at Han Yunxi as he seriously said, "Princess consort, what kind of person do you think I, Mu Qingwu, am?"
This … …
Seeing Mu Qingwu's stubborn and open eyes, Han Yunxi suddenly felt like she was measuring a gentleman's belly with her own caution. Still, she didn't think it was wrong to protect herself like this.
"Young General, if your little sister loses, will you really be impartial and have her take off her clothes to run one round outside?" Han Yunxi seriously asked.
Who would have thought that Mu Qingwu would not hesitate at all, "I will!"
Han Yunxi's heart gave a slight start. She didn't want to believe it, but Mu Qingwu's clear, bright eyes made it impossible for her to doubt him.
"A few days ago, father and I even tried to persuade her to come and apologize so we could forget about the bet. Unfortunately, that girl won't cry until she sees the coffin," Mu Qingwu said mildly.
"So … you want to persuade me?" Han Yunxi asked with furrowed brows.
"No, everyone has to pay the price for their own choices. Princess consort, this is a bet between you and Liuyue. Between you and this humble official, there is only the matter of investigating the case. Princess consort, please be at ease. This humble official will do his best to cooperate," Mu Qingwu said seriously.
Looking at Mu Qingwu, Han Yunxi's heart was filled with emotion. No wonder Mu Qingwu was able to control a large military force at such a young age. Despite being born into a noble family, he was so principled and straightforward. It was rare to see someone like him in Tianning's court.
Han Yunxi knew that she could set her heart at ease for a hundred years.
"Young General, I'll believe you. First, find someone to investigate these three snake poisons as soon as possible. Secondly, as I see it, anyone who can get close to you should be investigated in secret. No matter their status, that includes your closest relatives, "Han Yunxi said seriously.
Hearing this, Mu Qingwu was stunned. "My closest relatives?"
"Yes, Young General. We've overlooked a very important point. The poisoner can borrow the hands of others, but it's very possible that the poisoner hasn't even realized it yet!" Han Yunxi said bluntly.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
