Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Betrayal

“Is that so?” Lord Tao raised an eyebrow, “But I’ve never heard about you being unwell?”

“My lord, Master Xiao has always been healthy at the manor, never had any issues,” Xiao Chengyu said, “If he were unwell, he would surely have called for a doctor. Our Marquis’s manor has a resident doctor, and even if he didn’t trust us, he could have called a doctor from outside, or gone to the Medical Clinic to ask for one. The doctors at the clinic are not many and they work closely together; they are aware of which patients they’ve treated and for what illnesses, with no need to inquire from the patient themselves.”

“Indeed,” Lord Tao nodded, “Go, bring all the doctors from the city’s clinics, whoever is in the clinic, bring them all.”

Xiao Fengxing clenched his back teeth tightly.

Today, Xiao Chengyu seems intent on convicting him.

Xiao Fengxing, without waiting for the doctors to be brought in, said, “My lord, I never spoke of this before.”

“Also considering the reputation of the Marquis’s manor, I feared outsiders would think that my brother is not well, and I am also unwell, leading to the manor’s decline,” Xiao Fengxing said, “Thus, I dared not invite outside doctors.”

“I secretly made an antidote, consuming it little by little myself,” Xiao Fengxing said, “This was only to reassure the Mistress and my brother, making them believe that my health wasn’t as bad as outsiders claimed, not coveting the Marquis’s position.”

The Old Madam Xiao, behind the screen, listened to his ridiculous words, sneering repeatedly.

What kind of pitiful act is Xiao Fengxing putting on!

As if he has been so wronged and bearing burdens in the Marquis’s manor, enduring so much harsh treatment!

“Do you have any witnesses to verify you took it yourself?” Lord Tao asked.

“Well… there really isn’t,” Xiao Fengxing said with a sullen face, “For the sake of the manor’s reputation, naturally, I dared not let others know.”

“You may not have a witness for this, but Marquis Changping’s medical records can prove he has been poisoned,” Lord Tao stated, “You mentioned having an antidote, where did you obtain it?”

“I have read many medical books,” Xiao Fengxing said, “Perhaps my lord knows that during the outbreak in Ganning City, it was I who provided the prescription that resolved the epidemic in the city.”

How could Lord Tao not know of this, and he was well aware of the reason why the emperor did not reward Xiao Fengxing.

“I found the antidote in the medical books.”

“Was it Master Xiao who provided that prescription?”

“Why haven’t I heard of it before?”

To prevent the onlookers outside from misunderstanding, Lord Tao declared loudly, “Though you provided the prescription for the Ganning epidemic, the dosage of each medicine in it was unclear, and people’s conditions varied from mild to severe, thus it couldn’t be resolved simply with that single prescription.”

“It was Miss Fu who personally tested the medicine, determining the most suitable dosage.”

“Such a dangerous poison, how do you know the dosage you took, and what is the dosage of your antidote’s prescription?”

“Prescriptions are significant, and the dosage of each ingredient cannot be slightly mistaken. Otherwise, if everyone knew the prescription, they could simply get the medicine themselves. Why bother with doctors?” Lord Tao stated, “And yet the second young master dare to randomly consume an antidote from a book without knowing the effect or the dosage?”

Lord Tao asked Doctor Xu, “Doctor Xu, am I correct?”

“Indeed,” Doctor Xu replied, “Even for ordinary illnesses caused by cold or heat, we need to assess whether a patient suffers from cold or heat-related symptoms, as the medicines for the two differ. And we must adjust the prescription and its herb quantities based on the patient’s specific condition.”

“Some cough more, some have more nasal discharge, some have a thick white tongue coating, others have a yellow one,” said Doctor Xu, “Such minor ailments warrant different prescriptions; otherwise, the disease might worsen. How much more so for a poison made from herbs only found in the Western Regions or the Northern Desert?”

“Daring to casually ingest a prescription read from medical texts?” Doctor Xu shook his head, “Second young master, aren’t you a scholar? How could you be so reckless? And being a son of the Marquis, raised in luxury, how could you treat your own body so carelessly?”

Doctor Xu shook his head, “My lord, it’s hard to believe Master Xiao’s words.”

“He even turns our medical efforts into a joke,” Doctor Xu said, “With so many citizens outside, if they believe Master Xiao’s lies, if someone in their family falls ill and they casually get a prescription from who knows where to self-prescribe, leading to fatalities, what then? This would be a heinous act!”

“Doctor Xu speaks truth,” Lord Tao nodded.

“My lord,” Xiao Chengyu said, “there is another prescription here.”

“This one is used on livestock, causing them to go mad,” Xiao Chengyu recounted the incident at the horse farm, “That horse went mad after consuming the drug, nearly harming the two young ladies of the Fu family.”

Gu Yunze immediately said, “My lord, I sought a coroner. The mad horse was examined, and it was found to have consumed some drug, leaving toxins in its body. But since this drug was unfamiliar to the coroner, it couldn’t be identified.”

“However, with the prescription provided by Zhang Shengquan, I had this drug examined separately by the coroner and a doctor, both concluded it could drive livestock mad.”

“The coroner further verified that the poison in this drug was the same as that in the mad horse,”

“And this drug was purchased by Chang Tai from Zhang Shengquan,” Gu Yunze said, “Now, Chang Tai has confessed everything.”

This really panicked Xiao Fengxing.

“Chang Tai,” Lord Tao said, “Who instructed you to buy this drug?”

“It was the second young master,” Chang Tai lowered his head, “At first, the second young master discussed with the second madame, having her invite Miss Fu for a horse race, finding an opportunity to harm Miss Fu’s horse in the middle, so she’d fall and be severely injured.”

“Unexpectedly, Miss Fu disagreed and ignored him. But the second young master always has multiple plans ready,” Chang Tai said, “So when this plan failed, he ordered me to sprinkle the drug powder onto the horse’s nose, causing it to go mad and charge toward Miss Fu.”

“Chang Tai!” Xiao Fengxing gritted his teeth, “I treated you well, why are you framing me!”

“Second young master,” Chang Tai said, “Previously, you ordered me to find a new maid in the Fu family, threatening her with her family’s lives to drug Miss Fu’s tea on Mr. Fu’s wedding day.”

“You and the second madame said the goal was to ruin Miss Fu’s engagement with Little General Gu. But in reality, you intended to appear after Miss Fu drank the drugged tea, destroying her honor, and then take her as a concubine, thus acquiring Miss Fu’s dowry and the Cheng Family’s wealth.”

“When the plot was exposed, you commanded me to kill the maid to silence her, but she was captured instead. Before the action, you promised that if the plot was exposed, I should lay all the blame on the lady. And if I were exiled, you had a way to bring me back to continue serving by your side.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep