The Exiled Villainess and Her Shopping Dimension

Chapter 259

Seeing that Yueqian was listening intently, Representative Ma continued speaking.

"Before this, she was a poor woman and only a concubine of my father. It took her many years to fight for my comfort, causing me to suffer for a period of time."

"In the end, it’s not surprising that I became a skinny child. My mother felt guilty since she couldn’t protect me back then. Now that she has time to be with me comfortably, she cooks good meals for me. This is her love. We share a deep bond because it’s just the two of us. We have fought through many hardships together. I don’t believe my mother would do such a thing."

"Moreover, I have investigated the matter you’re suspicious of. She didn’t poison my food. I had the food she made checked."

Representative Ma said the last sentence with a sense of guilt. He still felt guilty for being an ungrateful son after suspecting his mother’s actions. He never thought he would have to reveal this to someone else today.

"Hmm? You’ve already tested the food for poison?" Yueqian reviewed his words once more.

Although she did not think it was the mother of the other party who poisoned her son, as there was no motive. Even if the son died, how would the mother benefit? She would lose more than she gained. If Representative Ma died, she would be left alone with her daughters-in-law, wouldn’t that be like placing herself in a pit of vipers? Instead of having her son to support her if she were looked down upon, if it were her, she wouldn’t do something so foolish either.

"What exactly do you want to say, Furen Mu?" Representative Ma raised his eyebrows in surprise.

If he said he had investigated it, shouldn’t that be the end of it? Why did she still act as if his investigation was unsuccessful? Wasn’t she insisting that it was certainly his mother’s fault?

"What I want to say is, poison is likely one that dissolves well in water. Moreover, if the water has a slight floral scent, it will mask the smell of the poison even better."

"Additionally, if this poison is left too long after dissolving, its effect would diminish. So it must be consumed while still hot. Therefore, the poison might not be in the food but rather in the tea you drink. Although some might dissolve the poison in a warm soup or put it in a dessert that must be eaten hot, given that you have been drinking it consistently for the past four years, this method seems unlikely."

"The poison must be something you cannot stop consuming. If you stop, you’ll experience drowsiness and other abnormalities. It’s possible that your condition could be thoroughly examined by the royal physicians accompanying you. So, it has to be something you still need to consume even while traveling to the Bai Region."

"This rules out the possibility of your mother poisoning your food because, while you’re here, you’re not eating her cooking, right? And hot food isn’t likely either. This means... you might be poisoning yourself."

Yueqian smiled as she reached this point, finding some amusement in toying with his feelings. She started by making him suspect those close to him, then gradually revealed the details, making him realize the situation was more serious than he initially thought.

If he knew right away who was responsible, would she still hold any significance? Of course, she would still be significant, but the impact on him would be noticeably less. This was just a psychological tactic she wanted to use on him.

"Furen Mu, what you’re suggesting doesn’t seem appropriate," Representative Ma shook his head, clearly displeased. How could it suddenly turn out that he was poisoning himself? That didn’t make sense. Who would poison themselves every day?

"I’m merely stating the possibilities. The nature of this poison is such. The base substance is a finely ground powder that needs heat to dissolve. As long as it doesn’t cool down, it will not lose its poisonous properties," Yueqian put on an innocent face, not showing even the slightest bit of fear.

"If there’s something like what you’re describing, it would only be the tea I drink. But other people drink the same tea, so how could it be the tea?" Representative Ma was not ready to accept this easily. He quickly offered an answer to Yueqian.

"I’ve already mentioned, this poison doesn’t take effect with just one or two doses. You have to consume it over a long period to see its effects. So, it’s not surprising that others who drink your tea don’t show any symptoms."

"It seems Furen Mu is convinced that this poison is indeed something I brought myself. Very well then, I happen to have some of the tea powder with me. Would you like to try it?" Representative Ma was tired of arguing with Yueqian, so he took out a well-wrapped packet of tea powder from his coat.

Yueqian was no longer as concerned as before. She took the tea powder and held it. The faint smell of poison made her even more confident. This poison didn’t show immediate effects; it mimicked heart disease symptoms and later exacerbated the condition.

This was because the heart medicine Representative Ma was taking contained another type of poison that intensified the effects of the poison already in his body. It wasn’t surprising that his heart disease symptoms had worsened, as everything was meticulously planned.

For this peculiar heart medicine, if a person with heart disease already had poison in their body, they wouldn’t feel anything unusual upon taking this medicine. Therefore, no one else had ever suspected they were being poisoned, and the medicine was never tested for toxins.

Regarding the royal physician from the Hu Region who claimed that no one knew the ingredients of this heart medicine, Yueqian didn’t believe it. Representative Ma’s condition proved that someone knowledgeable in poisons knew how to concoct the medicine and used this opportunity to poison him.

While she admired that the Hu Region had such hidden talents, this situation benefited her. Revealing the truth would bring her advantages, so she set aside her admiration for now.

Yueqian took the tea powder and poured it into a cup of warm water, which she had asked Wan Gui to prepare earlier. As the tea powder dissolved, some tea leaves floated on the surface while some sank to the bottom.

However, some of the tea-like leaves suspiciously dissolved completely. On closer inspection, it was clear that these components were unusual. The amount of tea had decreased slightly, which normal tea leaves would not dissolve like this.

Representative Ma’s eyes, which were staring at the cup of warm water, also had a look of surprise hidden in them. It seemed that Yueqian didn’t need to say more; he understood that something was wrong with the tea he carried everywhere.

However, she did not let this opportunity slip away. A smile appeared on her beautiful face before she took out a specially crafted silver hairpin. She dipped it into the teacup, allowing it to react and show the danger of the tea.

The silver hairpin, capable of detecting poison, quickly turned purple. Yueqian lifted it up for Representative Ma to see clearly.

"The amount of poison is not substantial, so it takes time. But as you can see, there is indeed something wrong with your tea," Yueqian told the other party with a smile.

"This matter..."

"I’m not sure where you got the tea powder from, but it contains a poison that can cause heart disease. It also has an enhancing effect when used with heart medicine. This means that the person who poisoned you is truly smart and skilled. If you keep this person close, they could one day cause the death of you and your loved ones without you ever realizing it."

Representative Ma fell silent, seemingly struggling with whether to tell Furen Mu the truth or protect her. His heart felt a tight squeeze. He didn’t want to believe this was happening. His heart tried to convince him that it might not be true, but he couldn’t hide the reality unfolding before him.

"For this matter, in truth, I got this tea powder from my secondary wife," he finally decided.

Perhaps it was the sight of his constantly ill son that made him feel sorry for the child. Maybe his son’s illness had been caused by something unusual.

Instead of becoming a proud leader of the family, he was born weak. Soon after, his mother fell ill. Although they initially thought it was due to her old age, he no longer felt that way.

However, the thing that saddened him the most was exposing her. His secondary wife was the one he had always loved. However, she came from a small, powerless family that couldn’t help him secure the position he wanted.

Thus, his parents arranged numerous fiancées and concubines for him, relegating her to a concubine initially. Only after she bore him a son did her status rise to that of a secondary wife. He had always believed she was the sincerest person in his life. Regardless of who might be plotting against him, it couldn’t possibly be her.

If it turned out that she really planned to kill him, it would mean that he was the only one who truly loved her, while she only wanted power from him?

Now, her only son remained healthy, while the son of the principal wife was chronically ill despite all efforts to cure him. The principal wife herself was also seriously ill and weak after giving birth to her son. If something were to happen to him as well, her son would undoubtedly become the next head of the family.

He hadn’t thought much about this initially, having told her many times that he entrusted the family and their children to her care. Had he entrusted the family to the wrong person? Had he entrusted the family to someone who intended to destroy it just to gain power for herself and her son?

The pure and gentle-hearted woman, whose smile always relieved his fatigue, had she truly disappeared from this world?

Yueqian could guess what was happening in Representative Ma’s household, but she didn’t concern herself with it. This was his internal matter. She was only responsible for telling him how to treat his condition. Whether he followed her advice or not was no longer her responsibility.

As long as he praised her in front of the emperor and secured the position she desired, what did Yueqian care about the lives of others?!

"Regardless, I must thank you, Furen Mu. You have saved my life, and I will certainly repay you," Representative Ma said, the very words Yueqian wanted to hear most. The beautiful woman smiled with satisfaction and waved slightly before instructing Wan Gui.

"It is my duty to take care of the envoy. Wan Gui, call everyone back in. The treatment is complete." Hearing her mistress say this, Wan Gui immediately left, happy since Master Ma had awakened. Finally, her small life would not be wasted here.

"Yes, Miss," the servant replied before running outside.

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