Night fell, and Sang Li and the others were in the courtyard tallying the income and expenditures of the Four Beauties Pavilion over the past few days.
Suddenly, urgent knocking sounds came from outside the courtyard gate!
Su Mo immediately stood up, thinking it was Wu Ying who had returned, and hurriedly went to open the door.
"Miss Su, I finally found you!"
"Fang Qing?"
Fang Qing was panting. He had brought a horse with him, having evidently rushed over in a hurry.
"Something happened to Young Master! Could Miss Xiao go take a look at the Bai residence?" Fang Qing said right away.
"What happened?" Sang Li walked over.
"Young Master was poisoned. He's been unconscious ever since. We invited many doctors but no one could help. Then I remembered that Miss Xiao knows medicine, so I came to find you!"
Xiao Han walked over. "How did he suddenly get poisoned?"
"Miss Xiao, let's talk as we go, okay?"
"Then wait a moment, I need to grab my medicine kit!" Xiao Han said before hurrying inside.
"Mo Mo, you know martial arts. Go with Little Han―I don't feel at ease with her going alone." Sang Li said.
"Alright." Su Mo nodded and led a horse over. After Xiao Han came out, the three immediately rode off on horseback.
Sang Li stood at the doorway watching their fading figures, feeling somewhat worried with an unsettled feeling in her heart.
"Sister Li, how could Bai Yunhan have been poisoned?" Xia Miaomiao asked in puzzlement.
Sang Li knitted her brows. She felt something was off.
"I'm worried, so I'm going to the Bai residence." As Sang Li spoke, she moved to lead a horse over.
In preparation for occasions where they needed to travel far to transport goods, they kept two horses in the yard. Under Su Mo's influence, they had all learned to ride.
"Sister Li, I want to come along!" Xia Miaomiao grabbed Sang Li.
"Be good. Stay here and wait for us."
Xia Miaomiao obediently let go, aware she would be of no use and only a burden. Sometimes she felt so useless.
"Sister, let me go with you!" Gu Zhi had already brought a horse over. He leaped up into the saddle and extended a hand to Sang Li.
"I want to come too!" Yu Yifan also ran over.
Sang Li looked at them. "Neither of you should come. Gu Zhi, get down."
Gu Zhi paused before looking stubbornly at Sang Li, keeping his hand held out to her. "Sister, get on."
"I told you to get down."
"If you don't get on, no one's going." This was the first time Gu Zhi had disobeyed Sang Li.
"..."
In the end, Sang Li had no choice but to compromise. She reached out her hand. Gu Zhi pulled her up to sit in front of him.
Sang Li turned to Yu Yifan, "Yifan, I'm leaving things here to you. You have to protect Miaomiao well."
"I understand, Sister Li."
Gu Zhi flicked the reins and left with Sang Li on horseback.
"You even know how to ride a horse?" Sang Li said, rather surprised. Gu Zhi looked slender and frail, yet he rode quite steadily.
"I don't really know why, but when I see a horse, I feel like I should be able to ride it."
The night streets were somewhat quiet, only the distinct clip-clop of hooves sounding.
Sang Li's subtle, lingering fragrance wafted into Gu Zhi's nose on the breeze, and her beautiful hair caressed his face.
His face felt itchy, and his heart felt itchy too.
Sister...such a nice scent...
He wanted to get just a little closer...
Gu Zhi lowered his head slightly and his thin lips lightly touched Sang Li's hair.
Preoccupied with Bai Yunhan's poisoning, Sang Li didn't notice anything.
The corners of Gu Zhi's mouth turned up slightly, and the horse picked up some speed.
Caught off-guard, Sang Li bumped into Gu Zhi's embrace due to inertia.
Gu Zhi laughed softly in satisfaction. He grabbed the reins with both hands, encircling Sang Li in his embrace.
"Sister, wasn't that a bit fast?" Gu Zhi asked deliberately.
"It's fine. We need to get to the Bai residence quickly." Sang Li was utterly oblivious to Gu Zhi's little agenda.
"Alright..." Gu Zhi's lips curved as he spurred the horse to gallop even faster.
...
After Su Mo and Xiao Han arrived at the Bai residence, they immediately headed to Bai Yunhan's room.
Bai Yunhan's face was deathly pale as he lay unconscious on the bed.
Bai Yunxin was kneeling on the floor bawling. Lady Bai sat at the bedside, her eyes red from crying.
Xiao Han walked over. "Lady Bai, if you don't mind, may I take a look at Young Master Bai?"
Lady Bai glanced at Xiao Han. She knew Xiao Han was highly skilled in medicine, so she didn't have any other options now.
"If Miss Xiao can save my son, I will definitely repay you handsomely." Lady Bai stepped aside with reddened eyes, leaving space for Xiao Han.
Without another word, Xiao Han immediately began examining Bai Yunhan's condition.
On the way over, they had listened to Fang Qing explain what happened.
After Bai Yunhan returned, he was reading in the study when he suddenly felt abdominal pain. Then he vomited blood and lost consciousness.
They immediately summoned doctors to diagnose him and determined it was poisoning, but the specific poison was not identified.
Lady Bai walked out and looked coldly at Bai Yunxin who was kneeling on the floor.
"My lady, I absolutely did not poison my elder brother. How could I ever poison him? The doctors already tested it―there was no poison in the custard tarts I made!"
Lady Bai stepped forward and slapped Bai Yunxin across the face. "Yet the only thing your brother ate after returning today was your custard tarts!"
Seeing this, the Second Aunt also knelt down and grabbed Lady Bai's skirt. "My lady, Young Master is Xin'er's elder brother. How could Xin'er have poisoned him?"
Lady Bai closed her eyes. She kicked the Second Aunt away, sending her sprawling to the floor.
"Don't think that just because I agreed to the engagement with the Li family, you will have good days ahead!!"
Bai Yunxin lowered her head as a flash of hatred appeared in her eyes.
She looked up, eyes brimming with tears―the very picture of pitifulness.
"It's true my elder brother only ate my custard tarts when he returned today, but he may have also drank tea. Yet you're determined it was my doing, conveniently placing the blame to someone else's benefit!"
Ayi suddenly spoke up, "My lady, after the Young Master went to the study, Spring Fragrance did bring him Heart Nourishing Tea."
Lady Bai frowned. Spring Fragrance was her servant―the nourishing tea had been steeped at her behest. It was unthinkable that Spring Fragrance would have poisoned it. She hadn't considered Spring Fragrance at all.
Spring Fragrance immediately knelt down. "My lady is wise. How could I have poisoned the Young Master?"
"It's such a simple matter. Why not bring the tea here and test it to find out?" Su Mo remarked from the side.
Lady Bai paused before signaling Butler Wang with her hand. "Butler Wang, go to the study and bring that tea here!"
"Yes, my lady."
Soon after, Butler Wang returned carrying the teapot.
Lady Bai said to the doctor beside her, "Doctor, please test if there is poison in this tea or dessert."
The doctor immediately took the tea and inserted a specialized silver poison-testing needle. But the needle showed no change in color.
"My lady, there seems to be no poison in this tea..." said the doctor.
"That method of testing for poison is useless. Silver needles can't detect everything!" Sang Li's voice rang out from the doorway.
Su Mo looked over. "Sister Li, why are you here?"
"I was worried about you."
Although these were her friend's associates here helping, Lady Bai now had no grounds to say anything with Sang Li's arrival.
Sang Li glanced at Lady Bai and said, "Lady Bai, please have someone catch two mice."
"Mice?"
"Feed the dessert and this tea to the mice to find out which one is poisoned."