Chapter 26: Poisonous Herbs

Changing the route meant that although the final destination remained Beiguan, the detour would add a considerable distance to their journey.
 Wei Yunlan took out a stack of banknotes she had prepared in advance and handed them to Seventh Lady Yu.

Seventh Lady Yu lifted his eyelids but did not extend his hand to accept them. “There’s no need to give more money. Since you aren’t traveling with this convoy, it will actually be easier for us to protect you.”

This was the second time her offer of banknotes had been refused!

A hint of suspicion arose in Wei Yunlan’s heart. After hesitating for a moment, she finally asked, “Leader Yu, do you happen to know if I have any prior acquaintance with your pavilion master?”

She didn’t mean to pry into the identity of the Tianshu Pavilion master; she merely felt that Seventh Lady Yu seemed overly attentive to her.

“Miss Wei does not know the master,” Seventh Lady Yu replied, then silently added in his mind that if hearing the name counted as knowing someone, then perhaps it was true.

“Then why…” First the sheep’s milk, now refusing money?

Seventh Lady Yu answered earnestly, “The master admires Lord Wei’s integrity, loyalty, and upright character. He cannot bear to see a loyal minister fall into misfortune.”

“I see.”

Finally understanding the source of this goodwill, Wei Yunlan felt a sense of relief wash over her, but she grew even more respectful toward the mysterious master of Tianshu Pavilion.

“Your pavilion master truly is a person of great righteousness. I thank him on behalf of my father for his kindness.”

“I will convey Miss Wei’s words to the master.”

Seventh Lady Yu’s serious expression made Wei Yunlan feel somewhat embarrassed. Just as she was about to say something more, she saw a sudden sharpness in Seventh Lady Yu’s eyes.

He quickly turned back to the window, signaling for silence with his hand.

Wei Yunlan held her breath, feeling a wave of tension wash over her.

This guest room was located at the end of the second floor of the inn, and outside the window was the kitchen built on the eastern side of the courtyard.

Seventh Lady Yu opened the window slightly and peered through the gap, catching sight of someone sneaking into the backyard.

Before he could see clearly, the figure had already rounded to the back of the kitchen. From inside the room, the view was entirely blocked by the kitchen.

Seventh Lady Yu placed his hand on the window frame, preparing to leap out, but noticed Wei Yunlan looking curiously outside as well. He couldn’t help but think, Miss Wei, would you like to take a look together?

“Is that alright?” Wei Yunlan was eager to try.

Seventh Lady Yu nodded slightly, gripping Wei Yunlan’s shoulder with one hand and supporting her other arm with the other. He then led her to leap out of the room and swiftly onto the roof.

From this height, they could see the entire backyard clearly.

The figure that had just rounded the back of the kitchen was now holding a wooden basin filled with dirty clothes, wandering near the stable.

Wei Yunlan squinted her eyes to take a closer look, and was taken aback. “It’s her!”

She was the Feng family’s third daughter-in-law.

The one who had just lost two sons yesterday, reportedly the daughter-in-law of the village’s herbalist.

With no one around, this Mrs. Feng quickly retrieved a handful of wild herbs from beneath the wooden basin and sprinkled them into the feed trough meant for three fine horses and a ewe.

Following that, she repeated the process, grabbing a small handful and tossing it into the trough for the mule and another ewe tied nearby.

After completing her actions, Mrs. Feng hurriedly left.

Just as she exited the stable, a shadow fell where she had just stood, first pulling out the handful of wild herbs that had been sprinkled for the mule, then retrieving several plants from the nearby supplies.

With a flash, the figure leapt onto the roof, moving closer to where Wei Yunlan and Seventh Lady Yu were hiding.

“Who is this?”

“It’s someone from our side.” Seventh Lady Yu pointed to a companion in dark clothing who had approached. “Pei Hu.”

Pei Hu clasped his fists in greeting to Wei Yunlan and then raised the two handfuls of grass he was holding.

Before he could say anything, Wei Yunlan immediately recognized the “wild herbs” as the same ones Old Madam Feng had given to their family earlier.

“Indeed, these herbs are problematic?” She had suspected the Feng family wouldn’t be so kind-hearted.

“No, the issue isn’t with the grass,” Pei Hu shook his head, handing a handful to Wei Yunlan. “Miss Wei, take a careful whiff. Do you detect a sweet and sour scent?”

Wei Yunlan brought the grass close to her nose and inhaled deeply. Sure enough, a faint sweet and sour aroma wafted up. It was difficult to detect unless she got close.

“This is the scent of the pigeon fruit. You may not have heard of it before, but it’s a type of wild fruit commonly found in the northern mountainous regions.”

This was indeed the first time Wei Yunlan had heard about it. “Is this fruit poisonous?”

“No.” Pei Hu explained, “The pigeon fruit itself isn’t toxic. Many birds and herbivorous animals in the mountains often eat this fruit, but carnivorous beasts generally avoid it.”

“Why is that?” Wei Yunlan asked.

Seventh Lady Yu frowned and shot Pei Hu a glare. “Can’t you be more straightforward?”

“Right!” Pei Hu straightened up, quickly explaining, “The pigeon fruit isn’t toxic by itself; at most, eating too much might cause mild diarrhea. However, when consumed with meat or milk from sheep and cattle, it can cause fever, difficulty breathing, and even rashes all over the body.”

Wei Yunlan’s expression tightened at this information. She loosened the sachet tied to her waist and retrieved two herbs from inside, handing them to Pei Hu. “Can you see if these are the same as the ones you brought back?”

These were taken from the basket of herbs sent by Old Madam Feng earlier that afternoon.

Sure enough, after examining and sniffing the herbs, Pei Hu nodded. “They are the same; both have been smeared with the juice of the pigeon fruit.”

In an instant, Wei Yunlan understood what the Feng family was plotting.

Old Madam Feng had lost three grandsons and two granddaughters yesterday.

Among those three grandsons, two were the biological sons of this very Mrs. Feng!

Mrs. Feng must be filled with hatred towards the Liang family, who indirectly caused the deaths of her two sons. Unable to take revenge openly, she secretly fed the ewe with wild grass coated in pigeon fruit juice. As long as it went undetected, the Liang family’s young son, who would be consuming the ewe’s milk daily, could be affected without anyone knowing.

But targeting the Liang family was one thing; how dare she involve the Wei family?

It was well-known that the ewe was kept for the Liang family’s youngest son, while the Wei family’s ewe was for the recently born Little Jiarong.

Whether the Liang family’s five- or six-year-old youngest son would suffer a fatal consequence from the contaminated milk, Wei Yunlan did not know, but her own Little Jiarong would definitely not escape unscathed.

The Feng family’s actions were a direct threat to lives!

Fire surged in Wei Yunlan’s eyes.

The feud between the Feng and Liang families was not something she could intervene in, but the Wei family had never provoked the Feng family, and Jiarong had never offended them in any way.

The Feng family’s actions were far too much!

“Do you need help, Miss Wei?” Pei Hu asked politely.

“Please keep a close watch on our livestock at home to prevent them from inadvertently consuming the poisonous grass and causing diarrhea, which would delay our journey. As for the Feng family…”

Wei Yunlan let out a cold laugh.

It seemed that merely injuring an arm last time hadn’t taught them enough of a lesson!