Li Xinyue had already analysed the situation when he heard the report from Granny Chen.
The two maidservants were poisoned by drinking water, and there was a high possibility that the porridge on their table was also poisoned. It was very likely that someone had poisoned the well.
"Mother, where does the water in the small kitchen come from?"
"It comes from the well behind our courtyard."
Without much thought, Li Xinyue quickly walked towards the location of the well.
As soon as she brought up a bucket of water, she lightly touched it with her fingers, then rubbed her fingertips and carefully sniffed the odour.
Everyone watched Li Xinyue 's almost seamless actions, holding their breaths.
It wasn't until she placed the wooden bucket aside that Old Lady Qin asked, "Is the water poisoned?"
Li Xinyue looked extremely serious and said, "The poison comes from this well."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Qin immediately frowned.
Although the Marquis's Mansion was about to face an unjust disaster, she, as the mistress of the household, still maintained her authority.
"Someone, go investigate immediately. I want to know who is behind this poisoning."
The maidservants in the courtyard immediately took action, and soon after, someone came to report.
"Old Lady, Granny Liu hanged herself in her room."
Old Lady Mo, followed by the household masters, walked towards the servants' quarters.
They saw Granny Liu's lifeless body hanging from the beam, already dead.
Old Lady Qin ordered them to take down Granny Liu's body.
Upon seeing everything in front of her, Li Xinyue 's first reaction was that Granny Liu was most likely driven to suicide out of fear.
If that were the case, the person behind it must be an enemy of the Marquis's Mansion.
In the historical records, besides the Emperor's fear of the Qin family, there was no mention of anyone else holding a grudge against them.
However, since the Emperor had already planned to exile the Qin family, there was no need for someone to come and poison them.
Who could be the person behind this?
Just as she was wondering, Old Lady Qin had already displayed her authority as the household's mistress and ordered someone to search Granny Liu's body and residence.
There was nothing on Granny Liu's body except a few copper coins.
However, a small paper packet was found in a corner of her bedding.
The servants brought the small paper packet to Old Lady Mo.
Old Lady Qin took the small paper packet and carefully opened it before everyone.
The packet was empty, but the residue of a white powder on the paper indicated that it once contained some medicine.
Old Lady Qin would have called for a doctor to examine it if it were in the past.
However, tonight was different. Qin Yichen was beaten so badly last night that they couldn't even bring a doctor. It would be futile to call for one now.
Just as she contemplated how to handle the situation, Li Xinyue stepped forward.
"Mother, I have learned some medical skills. Why don't you let me take a look?"
Old Lady Qin looked at Li Xinyue, hesitated momentarily, and then handed her the small paper packet.
"This is likely poison. Be careful."
Li Xinyue took the small paper packet, first sniffed it under her nose, then rubbed a bit on her fingertips.
Then, she looked up at Old Lady Qin and said, "Mother, this is the poison thrown into the well."
Old Lady Qin clenched her fists upon hearing the words. "Liu, who served by my side when she was young, always thought I treated her well. Why would she do such a thing?"
"Mother, there must be someone behind Liu manipulating her," Li Xinyue interjected, reminding her.
"Who could hate the Qin family so much as to orchestrate this?" Old Lady Qin couldn't figure out who was behind it all.
However, she knew the Marquis's Manor was overwhelmed by troubles and lacked the energy to investigate such matters.
Old Lady Qin sighed. "Let's put this matter aside and discuss it with Yichen later."
Meanwhile, everyone cast grateful glances towards Li Xinyue.
"Younger Sister Xinyue, thanks to you discovering the poison in the porridge in time, we, the entire family, have been saved," the eldest sister-in-law expressed her gratitude first.
"Yes, thanks to Younger Sister Xinyue, we managed to escape this disaster."
"Younger Sister Xinyue, thank you from my heart."
"Younger Sister Xinyue, you're truly amazing."
"..."
Li Xinyue did what she did out of sincerity and had no intention of seeking gratitude. Seeing her sisters-in-law genuinely thanking her, she smiled and said, "We are all family, sisters-in-law. There is no need to be so polite."
Old Lady Qin looked at her daughters-in-law, who were still unaware of the taste of worry and said sternly, "Younger Sister Yichen is right. We are all family. If you feel grateful, show it through your actions in the future."
Seeing her mother-in-law speak with seriousness, the sisters-in-law quickly fell silent.
Old Lady Qin surveyed the room. "First, dispose of Liu's body, then fetch water from the wells in the other courtyards and prepare breakfast again."
She intended that if they were exiled today, having a good meal in the future would be challenging, so they must eat well this time.
The servants promptly carried out her orders.
Old Lady Qin led the women back to the reception hall.
"How did your preparations go from last night?" Old Lady Qin inquired while the servants were preparing breakfast again.
"Mother, as Younger Sister Xinyue instructed, I sewed a pocket in my undergarment and wrapped silver bills in cotton before putting them inside," one of the sisters-in-law replied.
"Mother, I have prepared mine as well."
"Mine is ready, too."
The eight sisters-in-law expressed that they had all made the necessary preparations.
Old Lady Qin nodded. "That's good. In case anything happens, all of you must be clever."
Qin Hanyue, who was inherently naive, couldn't understand what her mother and sisters-in-law talked about.
"Mother, sisters-in-law, what are you preparing?" Qin Hanyue asked.
Old Lady Qin glanced at her innocent daughter but couldn't bring herself to reveal the truth.
"Hanyue, as a young girl, you don't need to worry about everything," she said.
Qin Hanyue felt aggrieved, but she could also tell that her mother wasn't in a good mood today. To avoid angering her, she could only remain silent.
Soon, the servants brought the freshly prepared breakfast.
After Li Xinyue inspected it and confirmed it was safe, everyone began to eat.
However, there was a peculiar atmosphere during this meal.
Everyone seemed gloomy as if they were having their last meal in life.
Li Xinyue didn't say much either; they quickly finished a bowl of porridge and got up.
"Mother, I will bring some food back to my husband."
She was a bit anxious to see Qin Yichen now; after all, she still didn't know who was behind the scenes instructing Liu Pozhi to poison.
Perhaps she could find the answer from Qin Yichen.
In the bridal chamber, Qin Yichen was still in the same position.
When he saw Li Xinyue return, he asked, "Anything happening outside?"
Li Xinyue placed the food on the table not far from the bed.
"There isn't much happening outside, but someone poisoned the well in my mother's courtyard. Fortunately, I discovered it in time. Otherwise, everyone's lives in the mansion would have been at stake."