Chapter 262: Chapter 254: Upon Opening, One Sentence Immediately Caught the Commandery Princess’s Attention

After finishing her words, Ruan Mian turned again to the desk and picked up the letter sent by Princess Jiaceng.

Inside was her gratitude towards Ruan Mian. The oracle-obsessed princess had just consumed the ginseng she sent, and the next moment showed signs of pregnancy, naturally overjoyed.

She tossed the letter into the brazier, turned around to draft another letter, while instructing a contact to deliver it to the residence, finding a trustworthy person to hand it directly to the princess.

In the last couple of days, possibly due to her pregnancy, Princess Jiaceng felt lethargic, even more so than a few days before, completely unable to muster any energy.

Noticing something amiss, she specifically asked the doctor to stay at the mansion, for back-to-back consultations. The doctor uncovered some inklings but didn’t dare to confirm them, only cautiously advising her:

"Madam, pay extra attention to your daily meals; make sure they are prepared by someone close to you."

Hearing this, Princess Jiaceng sensed an implied meaning in the words, just as Ruan Mian’s letter arrived.

Upon opening it, she immediately noticed a line that caught her attention.

[Recently observed the nighttime skies, storms rise in the east, and the time of your birth conflicts with it. Today, take extra caution against the tragedy of water. Fear that water drink will bring bloody calamity, remember.]

The words were particularly abrupt, causing the princess to furrow her brows. After considering for a moment, she immediately summoned her attendants.

After a series of arrangements, an anomaly was indeed found in the water that night.

In her daily drinking water, there was stealthily mixed poison powder, and a test needle turned completely black.

The two servants responsible for fetching and boiling the water were already captured for questioning.

The furious princess slapped the table in outrage!!

"In the grand Governor Mansion, someone really dares to attempt to poison me?! If not for Miss Ruan’s letter reminding me, wouldn’t I be facing a disaster?!"

"Who has the audacity to set their sights on me?"

The maid quickly stepped forward to console: "Madam, you must take care of your health; the fetus is unstable, and you can’t make a small mistake that causes a big loss."

"Furthermore, madam, can it be that Miss Ruan guessed accurately, might she be knowledgeable?"

The princess glanced at her, laughed wryly, and said: "You think Miss Ruan is behind trying to harm me? Where does she have such audacity, and why would she take such a big risk to harm me? She knows that reminding me will arouse suspicion, if she truly did it, she wouldn’t use such a foolish scheme!"

"I see, people with more audacity and motivation than her are aplenty! Isn’t that dancer in the mansion already resentful towards me? Of those ladies I chased out before, who wouldn’t want to harm me?"

After hearing this, the maid quickly nodded: "Madam is right; how about immediately interrogating those servants? These days the meals and water were all through their hands."

However, they did not expect the two servants to keep their mouths shut so tightly.

No matter what tactics Princess Jiaceng used, they wouldn’t speak, only kneeling and begging for mercy, even when tortured into looking neither human nor ghostly, they continued to proclaim innocence.

"Madam, spare us, we truly don’t know the ins and outs of this moment; we just fetch and boil water, and the stove is never left unattended! The water is fetched personally from the Linfen River by us!"

"Since you personally fetched the water and guard the stove day and night, how can you not know the water was poisoned?"

"Quickly confess!" The maid harshly reprimanded, but the two continued to prostrate, trembling, claiming ignorance.

Seeing this, the princess couldn’t help but think of Ruan Mian again.

Since she foresaw with her divination ability, why not invite her over for a thorough discussion, perhaps she has some method?

Or...maybe she can discern some clues from her.

With that thought, she sent people late at night to the abode to invite Ruan Mian back to the Governor Mansion.

Luckily, in these days Chen Bozong has gone to handle great matters at the place where the national wall is being repaired, and hasn’t returned to the mansion.

Ruan Mian anticipated her visit, hadn’t gone to sleep in her abode, but instead waited for her people to arrive at the village, and went along with them to the Governor Mansion.

In the latter half of the night, the entire Wuheng City was pitch-black silent; no one knew people had entered the mansion.

Only the candles in the princess’s room remained lit, as she informed Ruan Mian of the poisoning in the water.

"Miss Ruan, now those servants refuse to confess, I’ve sent people to investigate deeper, but found nothing, so I truly wish to consult Miss Ruan, is there a good approach to identify the person behind the poisoning?"

"If you can help find the real culprit, I could affirm your abilities and invite you to become my advisor; I promise you won’t be at a disadvantage!"

You’d like to do business, but now the governor intends to reinforce all external checkpoints; thus, it blocks your business pathway. But if you are with me, this business channel can be wide open, let’s see... if you have the ability."

Ruan Mian was waiting for these words.

Immediately smiled slightly, bowed, and replied: "Madam is generous, and for not harboring past grudges and trusting me, I’m already grateful. To help madam alleviate troubles is also my willingness."

"Madam, could you let me see the poisoned water?"

As soon as the words fell, the princess had arranged it for her.

The poisoned cup of water was placed before Ruan Mian, only to see her approach to sniff, after examining for a while, she said.

"This poison has a unique fragrance, mild yet enduring. If the poisoner is in the mansion, they surely bear this scent, though ordinary people find it hard to detect."

The princess frowned: "Who can smell it then?"

Just as Ruan Mian led the princess to the foreyard, in the darkness, a little deer hopped out slowly.

The little deer cautiously hopped towards Ruan Mian.

This made the princess and the maid very curious: "Is this a deer? Is it yours?"

They didn’t care for animals, instinctively stepping back a few steps, as if the little deer carried something ominous.

Ruan Mian said calmly: "Yes, the deer is the Divine Deer revered by the Jinsha Clan. It brings good fortune to people and has an excellent sense of smell; that fragrance is inescapable from its nose."

Upon hearing that the deer is the Divine Deer of the Golden Feather Clan, the princess immediately changed her stance! Approaching at once.

Yet the little deer didn’t indulge her, holding its head high, turning away, even if she reached out to touch it, the little deer shook its head defiantly, snorting dismissively.

The startled princess laughed awkwardly: "This deer is quite proud, but no matter what, as long as it finds the one who poisoned, it’s a good deer."

"Miss Ruan, should we now let it sniff around the mansion and wait quietly?"

Ruan Mian nodded, patted the little deer’s neck, releasing it into the estate’s inner yard.

While waiting, the princess asked Ruan Mian many mystical questions. Ruan Mian, relying on her impressions of the original book, accurately spoke of many major events within the Capital City.

If it were not swapped with the original’s embodiment, she shouldn’t know so much.

For this reason, Princess Jiaceng eyed her with even more suspicion.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com