Li Man'er emerged from Songhe Hall unharmed. Ah Si had been waiting by the entrance. Upon seeing her, he immediately stepped forward with concern, "Miss, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Don't you trust my skills?"
Li Man'er knew that countless eyes were watching her from the shadows at this moment, but she couldn't care less.
Could these trivial family matters compare to the thousands of cavalry of the barbarians from Mobei!
Moreover, the cause of Ning Shi's death had been ascertained. She had ample ways to make Cui Shi confess the truth of the past. If the Li family didn't want to become a laughingstock in the capital, they would have to dote on her, Li Man'er. If anyone dared to provoke her, hmph, it would be a big problem.
"Let's go, back."
Before Li Man'er could reach Qingping Xuan, she saw Ziyan and Wu Momo looking out from the main entrance from afar.
Both were excited to see Li Man'er return. Wu Momo hurried forward and knelt directly on the ground, "Eldest Miss, you're finally back safe and sound. My eyes were almost blind from waiting."
Ziyan also bowed her head, tears streaming down her face.
Li Man'er quickly said, "What are you doing? Have you become strangers with me after I've been away for so long? Get up quickly."
Ziyan quickly helped Wu Momo up and followed Li Man'er respectfully into the courtyard.
Everyone in Qingping Xuan had been waiting. Upon seeing Li Man'er return, the servants all knelt together in the courtyard, "Greetings, Eldest Miss."
Li Man'er frowned. She disliked these formalities, but since she had just returned, she didn't want to cause a scene in her own courtyard. She immediately said, "Everyone, get up! Go do what you need to do. Don't get in my way."
Wu Momo, seeing this, quickly waved her hand, "Disperse, disperse."
Li Man'er returned to her room and instructed Ziyan, "This is Ah Si. She served me in Mobei. Please arrange a place for her to stay."
"Yes."
Wu Momo's sharp eyes kept scrutinizing Ah Si, as if trying to bore holes through her.
What was Ah Si's status? How could she be intimidated by the gaze of an old servant? However, these were Li Man'er's people, so she naturally wouldn't quibble.
"Sister, please come with me. You can settle in and get familiar with things first."
Li Man'er nodded, and Ah Si followed Ziyan away.
After they left, Wu Momo immediately said, "Miss, do we know the background of this person? She's not some disreputable individual, is she?"
Li Man'er gave her a deep look. Wu Momo felt a little nervous, always feeling that her young lady's gaze was too intimidating. Just as she was about to say something, she heard Li Man'er say, "I know you're doing this for my own good, Momo. Don't worry, Ah Si is the most honest and diligent. A child from a poor family, she wouldn't be good at anything elaborate."
Upon hearing this, Wu Momo felt reassured and immediately said, "Miss, don't worry. This old servant will teach her proper etiquette and ensure she stays within her bounds."
Bounds...
Li Man'er sighed softly, "I'm tired. Have someone prepare a bath."
While Li Man'er's side was calm, Songhe Hall was in chaos.
As soon as Li Man'er left, Cui Shi woke up. She was woken by pain. Wang Momo was not seriously injured and woke up almost at the same time as Cui Shi.
"Someone, someone!" When Wang Momo called out, the maids who had been sent away hurried back into the room to attend to them. The tragic scene inside startled them.
Six maids and old women, one dead and five injured. Two were severely wounded and were barely breathing, unlikely to survive the night.
Wang Momo also vomited blood but did not seem seriously injured. What terrified them most was that Cui Shi had no external injuries, but she was sweating profusely and her expression was one of great pain.
Someone clever wanted to find a doctor, but Cui Shi knew that this pain could not be treated by a doctor.
"Come back..." Cui Shi said hoarsely, "Let Du Momo in. Regarding what happened today, all of you must keep your mouths shut. If this gets out, none of you will survive."
The servants dared not even breathe, their hearts pounding like drums. They knew that the old madam had been defeated by the Eldest Miss.
Soon, Du Momo entered the room and quickly made arrangements, moving the old madam to the inner chamber and sending for a physician to treat Wang Momo's injuries.
Even those six servants had their own arrangements.
After Du Momo finished, she didn't forget to warn everyone in the courtyard, "What happened today, you can't even speak of it in your dreams. If I hear a whisper, your entire families will be dealt with, do you understand?"
They were all born into the household, with parents and children working in the mansion. No one dared to take the consequences lightly, and everyone naturally kept their mouths shut, wishing they were born mute.
The night was deep. Cui Shi lay on the couch, barely clinging to life, as if she had died once already.
Du Momo felt uneasy seeing her in this state and softly called out, "Miss..."
Hearing this address, Cui Shi's eyes slowly regained some spirit. "How old am I, and you still call me Miss."
"This old servant has overstepped."
"After all these years, you've actually blamed me in your heart!" Cui Shi panted twice. "You are an old servant who followed me from the Zhengnan Earl's mansion, but over the years, I've become more and more distant from you."
Du Momo quickly knelt down, "This old servant dares not."
"Alas..." Cui Shi was completely without strength. "I always thought I was raising a mere kitten, but who would have thought I'd be raising a tiger that would bite me back!"
It was too late for regrets.
"Old Madam, it's best to remove the poison as soon as possible!"
Cui Shi waved her hand, "My body can't endure it. The only option now is to endure."
"This servant believes the Eldest Miss must have a way," Du Momo said. "She is not afraid of these蛊 things and could even name it in one sentence. She must have a way to resolve it. This servant will go and beg her."
"Beg her?" Cui Shi's voice trembled. "That little beast wishes I were dead, how could she possibly save me? This蛊 is powerful, but it won't kill me for now. I want to see what other tricks that little beast has."
"Old Madam, the Marquis's health is not good, the heir is still young, and you yourself are... we must find a reliable person to take charge."
How could Cui Shi not understand this? She hated Li Man'er. If she had known this would happen, she should have arranged for Li Shu to remarry earlier, to take in a capable second wife. Now, he was like a living dead man. What daughter from a good family would be willing to marry him?
Their Li family couldn't afford to lose face.
"My body can still hold on for a while. Tomorrow, have the second wife come over, and share some of the burden with her."
Du Momo wanted to say more, but seeing Cui Shi's exhausted appearance, she immediately changed her words, "This servant understands. Old Madam, please rest assured."
Cui Shi hummed and closed her eyes.
Du Momo then quietly withdrew.