Chapter 322 - The Children Were Suffering
Looking at the two children lying obediently in the bed, who seemed to be a little listless, Shen Ninghua felt her heart ache. “Bi Zhu, prepare warm water for the bath and put the Detoxification Pill that I have made inside the bathtub to dissolve it. I want to bathe the children.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Bi Zhu nodded and did as Shen Ninghua had instructed.
After helping the children take a bath, Shen Ninghua tucked them in soft blankets.
The two children were wrapped in snow-white blankets, only revealing two red little faces. They lowered their heads listlessly and supported each other as they leaned against Shen Ninghua’s arms. It was such a heart-melting sight.
After taking a bath, their situation did not improve at all. Although they were no longer crying as they leaned against their mother, their weary appearances were still worrying.
“There is no abnormality in the pulse, and there is no trace of poisoning. What is going on?”
Shen Ninghua gently patted the two children. The frown between her eyebrows became tighter and tighter, and the anger in her heart rose little by little. There was a murderous intent in her eyes. She had never been a merciful person. If she found out who harmed her children, she would punish that person severely!
The four wet nurses were brought up and knelt on the ground in fear.
Shen Ninghua did not ask them to stand up, but turned to look at Qing Que and Hong Ling who had rushed back. “Take them down and search their bodies!”
“Yes, Miss.”
The four of them did not dare to resist at all. Although they grimaced in dismay, they obediently followed her instruction. Fifteen minutes later, Hong Ling and Qing Que returned to report, “Miss, we did not find anything unusual.”
Shen Ninghua glanced at the simple jewelries and a few accessories on the tray, and the light in her eyes completely cooled down. “Whose jewelries are these?”
Nurse Wang, who was kneeling to the left, said, “T-They are mine.”
Shen Ninghua’s sharp eyes swept over them. “I remember that I specifically told you not to wear any jewelry when I hired you as the children’s wet nurses…”
Hong Ling and Qing Que, who were at the side, frowned. They suddenly remembered that Nurse Wang had never worn any jewelry before, but she began to wear them recently. However, because they had been too busy recently and the accessories Nurse Wang wore were all cheap and inconspicuous ones, they did not notice her.
“Princess, please forgive me. I wasn’t thinking straight. Please be merciful and forgive me.”
Hong Ling snapped angrily, “Miss, is the problem with the jewelries?”
Nurse Wang quickly explained, “Impossible. There is nothing wrong with the jewelries. Please check them, Princess.”
Shen Ninghua carefully checked the jewelries and found nothing wrong. “You are right. There is no problem with the jewelries.”
Nurse Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Her pale face eased a little. “Princess, I was careless. Please forgive me.”
Shen Ninghua threw the jewelries back onto the tray and grunted in a voice as cold as ice, “There are no problems with the jewelries, but I’m afraid that there are some problems with the people who gave them to you.”
“W-What people? I bought them myself. No one gave them to me.”
“No one gave them to you?” Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows coldly. “These accessories are all new styles that Zhou City has come up with, and they are specially used for couples. Nurse Wang, don’t tell me that you don’t know anything about this.”
“I-I really don’t know.”
Shen Ninghua sneered, “Heh, you don’t want to give me the person’s name, huh? Hong Ling, send someone to check how many times Nurse Wang had been out recently, who she had met, and what she had taken. Qing Que, take some people to search her residence. Turn the whole room upside down. Don’t come to see me unless you find something!”
“Yes, Miss.”
Just now, they had already committed a big mistake by not realizing the oddity after personally searching and finding the jewelries. Now, there was an element of punishment in her strict order, so they didn’t dare to be careless this time, especially when it involved the safety of the two Little Masters. No matter how great the price was, they had to investigate it thoroughly.
Nurse Wang knelt on the ground and trembled violently. Her eyes darted around from time to time, thinking if she had missed something.
These few days, Shen Ninghua was busy with the disaster victims and had neglected the administration of the courtyard. In addition, they had just arrived at Zhou City, so they needed more time to settle down. Had it happened in the capital, Nurse Wang would have been interrogated and punished after showing a slight oddity.
Shen Ninghua poured a cup of clear water and carefully fed the two children with a silver spoon. Baby Girl recovered a little. While hugging Shen Ninghua’s arm, she tilted her head to look at her brother beside her and stroke his blushed cheeks from time to time.
When Big Boy saw that his sister was stroking him, he forced a smile on his face. “Ah… Hu…”
Baby Girl leaned forward and fell right next to her brother. Big Boy stretched out his tiny hand as if to pull her, but found that his hand was too short to reach her. Hence, he immediately frowned and stared at his hand with a serious expression. “Ah!”
Shen Ninghua quickly helped Baby Girl up. “Alright, you’re fine now. Big Boy, you don’t have to worry about her.”
Big Boy crawled forward a little, but his movement was restricted due to the blanket wrapped around his body, so he could only move forward clumsily. Seeing this, Shen Ninghua hurriedly carried him up, laid him down next to Baby Girl, and finished feeding them the water.
Touching their foreheads, Shen Ninghua was relieved as the temperature seemed to have decreased a little. She quickly ordered Bai Ruo to pour another cup of water and continued to feed them.
After drinking half of the second cup of water, Baby Girl suddenly vomited. Then, Big Boy also began to vomit. Shen Ninghua quickly asked Bai Ruo to gently pat their backs as they vomited.
The two children usually drank milk, and they hadn’t eaten anything as they were sick, so there was nothing much to vomit. They just spat out some water-like substance mixed with milk.
Shen Ninghua dabbed the liquid with a handkerchief and sniffed it. Then, she grimaced indignantly and glared at the wet nurses with her sword-like gaze. “It’s prairie-fire. Which one of you has eaten prairie-fire before?”
“No, Princess. The food we eat is all prepared by the kitchen. We absolutely do not dare to eat anything randomly.”
“Yes, Princess.”
At this moment, Hong Ling walked in with the results of the investigation. “Miss, I’ve found out something. During the shift change, Nurse Wang went out three times and met a person named Zhou Fu. He gave her the jewelries, and he even invited her for dinner when they met yesterday.”
Nurse Wang was scared out of her wits. “That’s not it, Princess! Please let me explain. I don’t intend to harm Little Masters, and I only met Zhou Fu a few times. There’s nothing between us!”
Qing Que also came over with something in her hands. “Miss, I found this in Nurse Wang’s room.”
Seeing the things on the tray, Nurse Wang gasped in bewilderment, and her face suddenly turned ghastly pale. Those were the letters she had with Zhou Fu. She had hidden them carefully, but how did they find them?
Qing Que glanced at her coldly. “These letters were wrapped with oilpaper and covered with mud, and they were buried in the garden at the entrance of the residence. I couldn’t find anything odd in their rooms, so I asked the men to completely pry open the floors. Only then did I find these letters.”
With a cold smirk, Shen Ninghua swept a glance at the letters briefly and ordered, “You really hid them well. Take Wang down and flog her fifty times. If she survives, interrogate her. If she dies, throw her out and bury her.”
The remaining three wet nurses knelt on the ground and did not dare to breathe. They had been selected together back then, so it was inevitable that they would equally be frightful. Shen Ninghua ignored them and wiped the two children clean and changed their clothes. Only when seeing them fall asleep and feeling the temperature on their foreheads drop did she heave a sigh of relief.
Bai Ruo stepped forward and carefully asked, “Miss, is the poison of the prairie-fire easy to cure?”
“That kind of plant contains fire poison. Eating it alone will cause a high fever. When an adult takes it, their tongue will burn. It can be cured by drinking a large amount of water and taking medicine that is cold in nature.”
As Shen Ninghua touched the faces of the two children, the killing intent in her eyes became more and more obvious. “But children can only express their discomfort through crying. They don’t know how to tell us where they don’t feel well, nor will they be willing to drink water. Thankfully, Big Boy and Baby Girl are exceptionally obedient, so they escaped the disaster by accident.”
If she hadn’t bathed the two children first and fed them clean water, the high fever would have fried their brains.
What a vicious plan!
Qing Que entered the door. “Miss, we’ve finished the fifty floggings. Nurse Wang fainted, and she’s not doing well.”
“Take her down and interrogate her properly. Dig out everything she knows,” Shen Ninghua said indifferently. “Also, flog Nurse Wang’s family twenty times and throw them out. I don’t want to see them again in Zhou City!”
“Yes, Miss.”
It would take four days to walk to the nearest city from Zhou City. After being flogged twenty times, they would count themselves lucky if they could survive the journey to the next city.
Shen Ninghua looked at the three people kneeling on the ground. “You followed us from the capital all the way to Zhou City. I have never treated you unfairly, but if you dare to lay your hands on my children, I’ll punish you and your entire family!”
“Yes, Princess. We will definitely do our best to take care of the two Little Masters.” After what had happened to Nurse Wang, even if they had the tiniest evil thoughts, they would firmly suppress them in their hearts.
When Baili Junyi returned, his heart sank slightly when he saw that Shen Ninghua was standing by the two children’s side. He didn’t think that it was a big deal. Could it be that something really happened? “Ninghua, what’s wrong? The children…”
Shen Ninghua looked back and gently shushed him. “It’s fine. They are asleep.” She led him outside and recounted the incident. Baili Junyi clenched his fists in great dismay, and his eyes were frighteningly red.
“Something almost happened to our kids? Did you find out about Zhou Fu? Is he related to the Zhou Family?”
Shen Ninghua shook her head. “More than half of Zhou City’s citizens are surnamed Zhou. It’s hard to conclude with just one surname.”
Baili Junyi narrowed his eyes. “How could an ordinary person have the guts to seduce a maid in the royal residence and even target the children? The Zhou Family must have something to do with this! I originally wanted to keep the Zhou Family around and watch their every move, but now it seems like it’s not necessary. The faster I remove such a toxic presence in the city, the better!”
“Yes, Miss.”
Bi Zhu nodded and did as Shen Ninghua had instructed.
After helping the children take a bath, Shen Ninghua tucked them in soft blankets.
The two children were wrapped in snow-white blankets, only revealing two red little faces. They lowered their heads listlessly and supported each other as they leaned against Shen Ninghua’s arms. It was such a heart-melting sight.
After taking a bath, their situation did not improve at all. Although they were no longer crying as they leaned against their mother, their weary appearances were still worrying.
“There is no abnormality in the pulse, and there is no trace of poisoning. What is going on?”
Shen Ninghua gently patted the two children. The frown between her eyebrows became tighter and tighter, and the anger in her heart rose little by little. There was a murderous intent in her eyes. She had never been a merciful person. If she found out who harmed her children, she would punish that person severely!
The four wet nurses were brought up and knelt on the ground in fear.
Shen Ninghua did not ask them to stand up, but turned to look at Qing Que and Hong Ling who had rushed back. “Take them down and search their bodies!”
“Yes, Miss.”
The four of them did not dare to resist at all. Although they grimaced in dismay, they obediently followed her instruction. Fifteen minutes later, Hong Ling and Qing Que returned to report, “Miss, we did not find anything unusual.”
Shen Ninghua glanced at the simple jewelries and a few accessories on the tray, and the light in her eyes completely cooled down. “Whose jewelries are these?”
Nurse Wang, who was kneeling to the left, said, “T-They are mine.”
Shen Ninghua’s sharp eyes swept over them. “I remember that I specifically told you not to wear any jewelry when I hired you as the children’s wet nurses…”
Hong Ling and Qing Que, who were at the side, frowned. They suddenly remembered that Nurse Wang had never worn any jewelry before, but she began to wear them recently. However, because they had been too busy recently and the accessories Nurse Wang wore were all cheap and inconspicuous ones, they did not notice her.
“Princess, please forgive me. I wasn’t thinking straight. Please be merciful and forgive me.”
Hong Ling snapped angrily, “Miss, is the problem with the jewelries?”
Nurse Wang quickly explained, “Impossible. There is nothing wrong with the jewelries. Please check them, Princess.”
Shen Ninghua carefully checked the jewelries and found nothing wrong. “You are right. There is no problem with the jewelries.”
Nurse Wang breathed a sigh of relief. Her pale face eased a little. “Princess, I was careless. Please forgive me.”
Shen Ninghua threw the jewelries back onto the tray and grunted in a voice as cold as ice, “There are no problems with the jewelries, but I’m afraid that there are some problems with the people who gave them to you.”
“W-What people? I bought them myself. No one gave them to me.”
“No one gave them to you?” Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows coldly. “These accessories are all new styles that Zhou City has come up with, and they are specially used for couples. Nurse Wang, don’t tell me that you don’t know anything about this.”
“I-I really don’t know.”
Shen Ninghua sneered, “Heh, you don’t want to give me the person’s name, huh? Hong Ling, send someone to check how many times Nurse Wang had been out recently, who she had met, and what she had taken. Qing Que, take some people to search her residence. Turn the whole room upside down. Don’t come to see me unless you find something!”
“Yes, Miss.”
Just now, they had already committed a big mistake by not realizing the oddity after personally searching and finding the jewelries. Now, there was an element of punishment in her strict order, so they didn’t dare to be careless this time, especially when it involved the safety of the two Little Masters. No matter how great the price was, they had to investigate it thoroughly.
Nurse Wang knelt on the ground and trembled violently. Her eyes darted around from time to time, thinking if she had missed something.
These few days, Shen Ninghua was busy with the disaster victims and had neglected the administration of the courtyard. In addition, they had just arrived at Zhou City, so they needed more time to settle down. Had it happened in the capital, Nurse Wang would have been interrogated and punished after showing a slight oddity.
Shen Ninghua poured a cup of clear water and carefully fed the two children with a silver spoon. Baby Girl recovered a little. While hugging Shen Ninghua’s arm, she tilted her head to look at her brother beside her and stroke his blushed cheeks from time to time.
When Big Boy saw that his sister was stroking him, he forced a smile on his face. “Ah… Hu…”
Baby Girl leaned forward and fell right next to her brother. Big Boy stretched out his tiny hand as if to pull her, but found that his hand was too short to reach her. Hence, he immediately frowned and stared at his hand with a serious expression. “Ah!”
Shen Ninghua quickly helped Baby Girl up. “Alright, you’re fine now. Big Boy, you don’t have to worry about her.”
Big Boy crawled forward a little, but his movement was restricted due to the blanket wrapped around his body, so he could only move forward clumsily. Seeing this, Shen Ninghua hurriedly carried him up, laid him down next to Baby Girl, and finished feeding them the water.
Touching their foreheads, Shen Ninghua was relieved as the temperature seemed to have decreased a little. She quickly ordered Bai Ruo to pour another cup of water and continued to feed them.
After drinking half of the second cup of water, Baby Girl suddenly vomited. Then, Big Boy also began to vomit. Shen Ninghua quickly asked Bai Ruo to gently pat their backs as they vomited.
The two children usually drank milk, and they hadn’t eaten anything as they were sick, so there was nothing much to vomit. They just spat out some water-like substance mixed with milk.
Shen Ninghua dabbed the liquid with a handkerchief and sniffed it. Then, she grimaced indignantly and glared at the wet nurses with her sword-like gaze. “It’s prairie-fire. Which one of you has eaten prairie-fire before?”
“No, Princess. The food we eat is all prepared by the kitchen. We absolutely do not dare to eat anything randomly.”
“Yes, Princess.”
At this moment, Hong Ling walked in with the results of the investigation. “Miss, I’ve found out something. During the shift change, Nurse Wang went out three times and met a person named Zhou Fu. He gave her the jewelries, and he even invited her for dinner when they met yesterday.”
Nurse Wang was scared out of her wits. “That’s not it, Princess! Please let me explain. I don’t intend to harm Little Masters, and I only met Zhou Fu a few times. There’s nothing between us!”
Qing Que also came over with something in her hands. “Miss, I found this in Nurse Wang’s room.”
Seeing the things on the tray, Nurse Wang gasped in bewilderment, and her face suddenly turned ghastly pale. Those were the letters she had with Zhou Fu. She had hidden them carefully, but how did they find them?
Qing Que glanced at her coldly. “These letters were wrapped with oilpaper and covered with mud, and they were buried in the garden at the entrance of the residence. I couldn’t find anything odd in their rooms, so I asked the men to completely pry open the floors. Only then did I find these letters.”
With a cold smirk, Shen Ninghua swept a glance at the letters briefly and ordered, “You really hid them well. Take Wang down and flog her fifty times. If she survives, interrogate her. If she dies, throw her out and bury her.”
The remaining three wet nurses knelt on the ground and did not dare to breathe. They had been selected together back then, so it was inevitable that they would equally be frightful. Shen Ninghua ignored them and wiped the two children clean and changed their clothes. Only when seeing them fall asleep and feeling the temperature on their foreheads drop did she heave a sigh of relief.
Bai Ruo stepped forward and carefully asked, “Miss, is the poison of the prairie-fire easy to cure?”
“That kind of plant contains fire poison. Eating it alone will cause a high fever. When an adult takes it, their tongue will burn. It can be cured by drinking a large amount of water and taking medicine that is cold in nature.”
As Shen Ninghua touched the faces of the two children, the killing intent in her eyes became more and more obvious. “But children can only express their discomfort through crying. They don’t know how to tell us where they don’t feel well, nor will they be willing to drink water. Thankfully, Big Boy and Baby Girl are exceptionally obedient, so they escaped the disaster by accident.”
If she hadn’t bathed the two children first and fed them clean water, the high fever would have fried their brains.
What a vicious plan!
Qing Que entered the door. “Miss, we’ve finished the fifty floggings. Nurse Wang fainted, and she’s not doing well.”
“Take her down and interrogate her properly. Dig out everything she knows,” Shen Ninghua said indifferently. “Also, flog Nurse Wang’s family twenty times and throw them out. I don’t want to see them again in Zhou City!”
“Yes, Miss.”
It would take four days to walk to the nearest city from Zhou City. After being flogged twenty times, they would count themselves lucky if they could survive the journey to the next city.
Shen Ninghua looked at the three people kneeling on the ground. “You followed us from the capital all the way to Zhou City. I have never treated you unfairly, but if you dare to lay your hands on my children, I’ll punish you and your entire family!”
“Yes, Princess. We will definitely do our best to take care of the two Little Masters.” After what had happened to Nurse Wang, even if they had the tiniest evil thoughts, they would firmly suppress them in their hearts.
When Baili Junyi returned, his heart sank slightly when he saw that Shen Ninghua was standing by the two children’s side. He didn’t think that it was a big deal. Could it be that something really happened? “Ninghua, what’s wrong? The children…”
Shen Ninghua looked back and gently shushed him. “It’s fine. They are asleep.” She led him outside and recounted the incident. Baili Junyi clenched his fists in great dismay, and his eyes were frighteningly red.
“Something almost happened to our kids? Did you find out about Zhou Fu? Is he related to the Zhou Family?”
Shen Ninghua shook her head. “More than half of Zhou City’s citizens are surnamed Zhou. It’s hard to conclude with just one surname.”
Baili Junyi narrowed his eyes. “How could an ordinary person have the guts to seduce a maid in the royal residence and even target the children? The Zhou Family must have something to do with this! I originally wanted to keep the Zhou Family around and watch their every move, but now it seems like it’s not necessary. The faster I remove such a toxic presence in the city, the better!”
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