Seeing Quan Heng lying on the ground, her face flushed red, her condition unknown—Quan Rui was overwhelmed with fear and panic.
She may have disliked Quan Heng’s existence, but she had only wanted to upset her a little, not cause any real harm.
Now, faced with Ah Zheng’s murderous glare, as if he was about to tear her apart, Quan Rui was so frightened she fell backward, scrambling away.
“What did you do to Ah Heng?! If anything happens to her, I will never forgive you!”
As soon as Ah Zheng finished, Quan Rui burst into tears. But she didn’t have time to wipe them—she could only shake her head frantically and deny it.
“It wasn’t me! Really—it wasn’t! I didn’t hurt her! She just suddenly became like this!”
Marquis Quan Minghao had been in good spirits that day. But after just a brief moment of inattention, Ah Heng collapsed right in front of him. Rage exploded in his chest. He stormed over and slapped Quan Rui hard across the face.
“Unfilial girl! Who else could it be if not you? You gave her that food, and the moment she ate it, she ended up like this—and you still try to deny it?!”
The slap rang out crisply, echoing through the entire garden. Quan Rui held her face, utterly heartbroken.
“Father, it really wasn’t me!”
The guests at the banquet began whispering amongst themselves.
“That Quan Rui was spoiled rotten from a young age. Maybe she’s been so pampered she went bad. Now that the real daughter of the Marquis family has returned, she couldn’t stand it and dared to poison her in front of everyone!”
“Exactly! She used to be the only daughter of the Marquis, but now she’s been replaced. It’s natural to feel bitter—but to act so viciously?!”
“Who knows if Second Miss Quan only poisoned the Eldest Miss, or if she put something in everyone’s food? Hmph! I’m not eating another bite of this banquet.”
Hearing all this, Quan Rui was driven to despair. She turned toward them and shouted through her sobs, “I didn’t do it! I didn’t do anything! Don’t slander me!”
Zhao Qingrong had been stunned when she saw Quan Heng collapse. Now regaining her senses, she rushed forward and held her daughter, then shouted angrily at the maids and servants, “What are you all standing around for?! Go call the doctor!”
The maid Duo’er immediately turned and ran toward the manor’s infirmary.
As the situation spiraled into chaos, Zhao Qingrong tried to restore order.
“Everyone, please return to your seats. The Marquis and I will certainly give everyone a proper explanation.”
Seeing Quan Rui sobbing uncontrollably nearby, Zhao Qingrong’s heart also ached.
“As for my daughter Quan Rui, she may be a little willful, but she would never do something that endangers a life. There must be some misunderstanding here!”
Ah Zheng’s eyes burned with fury. “Misunderstanding? Are you saying Quan Rui is innocent? And what about Ah Heng—she’s not innocent?!”
He pointed at the unconscious Quan Heng, his voice trembling. “She’s your biological daughter. Now she’s lying there like that—and you still defend the one who hurt her!”
As soon as he finished, Ah Zheng smashed his fist down onto a wooden table beside him, splintering it into pieces.
In that moment, the entire garden fell silent. No one dared to speak.
At that moment, Duo’er, who had gone to fetch the physician, also returned. But as soon as she entered the garden, she dropped to her knees and cried out anxiously, “Madam, the doctor on duty at the pharmacy today has taken leave! We can’t find anyone on short notice—what should we do?”
Hearing this, Zhao Qingrong’s vision went dark for a moment.
“If the doctor in the residence isn’t available, then go outside and find one! In such a vast capital city, don’t tell me we can’t even find a single doctor! Go—go, all of you!”
At this moment, she held Quan Heng tightly in her arms, feeling her weak breathing. The guilt in her heart surged like a tide, almost drowning her.
This child—she had lost her for over ten years and had only just found her again. If something were to happen now, how could she go on living?
Just then, Ah Zheng suddenly stood up and demanded sharply, “Where’s the residence’s stable?”
Zhao Qingrong hastily wiped her tears and pointed east. “That way.”
“Fine! Can’t find a doctor? Then I’ll ride out and get one myself!”
With that, he strode quickly toward the stable, grabbed a horse, and galloped off out of the residence.
Everyone in the residence was utterly stunned by this scene.
“Who is this person? I’ve never seen him in Yongning Marquis’ household before.”
“I heard he’s a recently arrived cousin, but judging from his bearing, he doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Could he be a relative from the Princess’ side?”
Hearing that, others quickly shook their heads.
“If he were a relative of the Princess, wouldn’t that make him a member of the imperial family? That’s impossible! Aside from the Crown Prince who rarely appears in public, I’ve seen the other princes, and none of them look like him!”
Everyone fell silent, lost in thought.
If that’s the case, he must not be a prince. Perhaps he’s just a distant cousin of unknown background. But he’s so handsome and skilled in martial arts—and now seems to be connected to the Marquis’ household.
Some families, especially those with daughters of marriageable age, began to stir with interest.
Not far away, Quan Xiang was watching from a corner.
Today, the Marquis’ household was holding a banquet, and the second and third branches of the family had all been invited—everyone except her. They said she should rest and not move around too much.
But how could she be content with that? She had snuck over anyway.
At the welcome banquet earlier, she had noticed that by Quan Heng’s side was a particularly good-looking man who stayed close to her.
At the time, she had been busy fuming with anger and hadn’t paid it much mind.
But looking again now—he really was exceptionally handsome. His background might be lacking, but…
If he could be kept as a lover, that would be more than enough.
***
After Ah Zheng left the residence, he asked passersby all along the way and finally found Sun the Physician—one of the most renowned doctors in the capital.
When he arrived at the pharmacy, he didn’t say a word. He just grabbed the old doctor, hoisted him onto his horse, and rode off straight toward the Yongning Marquis’ residence.
This scene shocked not only the physician but everyone in the pharmacy.
But Ah Zheng didn’t care about that. He simply took the doctor and left.
At that moment, a veiled woman inside the pharmacy noticed the commotion. Her brows furrowed deeply.
This man… looks an awful lot like him…
But the clothes he wore—though not ragged—were made of outdated materials that had fallen out of fashion years ago.
Even the eunuchs by his side wouldn’t wear such things.
It seemed they only looked alike. Nothing more.
What a pity. The Grand Princess was currently cultivating in a Buddhist temple in the outskirts and had been gone for over six months. She wouldn’t be back anytime soon.
Otherwise, with just one question to the Princess, today’s mystery could be cleared up.
Ah Zheng didn’t know he had drawn attention. His mind was filled only with the urgency of getting the doctor to the residence as fast as possible. He couldn’t afford to miss any chance to save Ah Heng.
He rode hard and fast. By the time they reached the Marquis’ gates, the doctor was already dizzy and nauseated from the jolting ride. As soon as he dismounted, stars danced before his eyes.
“Young man! What are you doing? I’m old—I can’t take this kind of tossing around!”
Ah Zheng frowned and pulled him straight toward the garden.
“Enough talk! I brought you here to treat someone. Just do what you’re told.”
From the moment he left the residence, it had taken him less than fifteen minutes to return with the doctor—a speed that astonished everyone present.
But seeing the doctor’s pale face, they couldn’t help but feel sympathy.
Seeing the doctor arrive, Quan Minghao immediately stepped forward and anxiously asked, “Doctor, you’re finally here. Please examine Heng’er. What exactly is wrong with her?”
Seeing that the Marquis’ household was at least polite, the old physician felt a bit more at ease.
There was no time to complain about Ah Zheng’s rudeness—saving the patient was the priority.
He took out his medicine box and began examining Ah Heng.
But after a long time, he couldn’t find anything suspicious.
Seeing this, Zhao Qingrong handed over the white jade cake nervously. “Doctor, my daughter collapsed after eating this. Could it be poisoned?”
Hearing this, Quan Rui nearby also turned tense.
She could swear to the heavens that she hadn’t poisoned the cake. But at this moment, no one would believe her unless the doctor proved it.
The doctor took a long silver needle and tested the cake.
But after a long moment, the needle showed no change.
“Marquis, Madam, this cake is not poisoned.”
At those words, Quan Rui finally let out a sigh of relief, tears of grievance welling up in her eyes.
Zhao Yue tightly held her hand, overjoyed on her behalf. “Sister Rui, the cake’s not poisoned! You’re no longer a suspect!”
Though the Marquis and his wife were also relieved, they still looked worriedly at the unconscious Quan Heng.
“Doctor, if it’s not poison, then why is her breathing so weak? Why hasn’t she woken up?”
The doctor looked serious. “May I ask for the cook who made this particular cake to come forward?”
At once, Meixiang pushed out a slightly plump woman.
Ever since the incident occurred, she had summoned all the kitchen staff.
The cook, never having faced such a scene before, went weak in the knees and almost knelt down.
Seeing her panic, the doctor quickly reassured her, “Madam Cook, don’t be nervous. I just want to ask—what ingredients went into this white jade cake? What exactly did you use?”
The cook finally relaxed a little. She might not know much about other matters, but pastries were her specialty, so she began speaking in detail.
After listing the ingredients, she added, “The recipe’s basically the same as what you’d find on the market. The only changes I made were increasing the sugar and adding some peanuts to enhance the aroma.”
Upon hearing that, Qin Momo was shocked and rushed forward in a panic.
“What did you say? You added peanuts?!”
The cook didn’t understand why she reacted so strongly and blinked blankly. “Y-yes… what about it?”
At that moment, both Qin Momo and Ziyun were overwhelmed with guilt and anxiety. They turned toward Zhao Qingrong and dropped to their knees.
“Madam, this is our fault. After returning to the residence, we neglected to inform the kitchen of the young lady’s dietary restrictions.”
Qin Momo was already sobbing. “My lady has been allergic to peanuts since she was young. If she eats them, she breaks out in hives, struggles to breathe, and falls unconscious!”
