Chapter 32 The Poisonous Woman's True Colors Revealed! The Old Man Skinned Her in Public!

Chapter 32 The Poisonous Woman's True Colors Revealed! The Old Man Skinned Her in Public!

With the Wang family announcing the engagement, Lu Yao's crisis was averted, and the east wing was filled with laughter and joy.

However, this joy did not last long.

That evening, Lu Zhanyun stormed into Liu Yuzhen's courtyard, his face filled with barely suppressed anger and humiliation.

"Sister-in-law! Didn't you say the Wang family is our ally?"

"Now that the marriage is off, Deputy Director Wang still thinks that our Lu family set him up. This feud is now firmly established!"

Liu Yuzhen sat under the dim light, her face gloomy, her fingertips slowly turning a cold porcelain cup.

She didn't look at Lu Zhanyun; her voice seemed to seep from a crack in the ground.

"Zhan Yun, you still don't understand?"

"We were all tricked by that little bitch."

Lu Zhanyun was taken aback.

"Su Wanqing?"

"Who else could it be but her?" Liu Yuzhen let out a sharp, cold laugh. "She just started colluding with Lu Yao, and the next day Wang Hao lost 500,000. Do you really think it's a coincidence?"

"She's making an example of me, slapping me in the face, and breaking our arms!"

A bucket of ice water was poured over Lu Zhanyun's head.

He then realized that Su Wanqing had used him as a tool, discarding him after use, and had made him a sinner who had completely offended the Wang family.

"Then... what do we do now?" His voice trembled without him even realizing it.

"what to do?"

A near-mad hatred burst forth in Liu Yuzhen's eyes.

"The conventional methods are no longer effective against her."

"Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being ruthless."

She took a small paper package from a locked drawer and handed it to Lu Zhanyun.

"What's this?"

“It’s a prescription given to me by an old servant in my family. It’s called ‘Forget-Me-Not Powder’,” Liu Yuzhen said in a very low voice, as if a venomous snake was flicking its tongue close to her ear.

"This substance itself is not poisonous."

"But if taken with licorice, within ten days, it can gradually impair a person's mental state, causing forgetfulness, dullness, and eventually..."

"He's no different from an idiot."

Lu Zhanyun's hand trembled violently, and the paper package almost fell to the ground.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing..."

"I'm going to destroy her!" Liu Yuzhen's facial muscles contorted. "I'm going to let everyone see that this so-called miracle doctor not only can't cure diseases, but she can also turn people into idiots!"

"I want Dad to see with his own eyes that his most trusted granddaughter-in-law is a complete liar and a wicked devil!"

Her plan was vicious and clear.

"Go find Manager Liu in the kitchen; he's one of our men."

"Have him figure out a way to mix this powder into the licorice given to Su Wanqing."

“Licorice is an essential harmonizing ingredient in Su Wanqing’s prescription, and she would never suspect anything.”

"If Dad's health deteriorates, Su Wanqing will be unable to defend herself! At that point, she'll be completely finished!"

Lu Zhanyun held the packet of medicine powder, only to feel a hole burned in his palm.

He knew that this was like dancing on a knife's edge; once exposed, it would mean utter ruin.

But he had no choice.

Su Wanqing's methods terrified him, while Liu Yuzhen's madness gave him a last glimmer of hope for a comeback.

"Okay, sister-in-law, I'll listen to you!"

He gritted his teeth and accepted the poisoning plan.

An even more insidious conspiracy quietly unfolds in the darkness.

Since forming an alliance with Su Wanqing, Lu Yao has considered herself an "underground worker".

Every day, she would run to the main kitchen under the pretext of "craving snacks," and take advantage of her status as a young lady to order people around. She seemed arrogant, but in reality, she knew everything about the people and events in the kitchen.

She quickly noticed something was wrong.

The kitchen manager, Mr. Liu, has been acting very strangely lately.

Since Liu Yuzhen was placed under house arrest, Steward Liu had been feeling utterly humiliated in the kitchen. But these past two days, instead of feeling dejected, his eyes held an barely suppressed excitement and smugness.

What's even stranger is that he showed an unusual interest in Su Wanqing's medicinal herbs.

Su Wanqing brewed medicine for her grandfather. The rare medicinal herbs were all purchased by Lu Zhanting's personal assistant, but the auxiliary ingredients such as jujubes, ginger, and licorice were prepared by the kitchen.

Lu Yao witnessed with her own eyes that when Manager Liu handed over the licorice, his fingers rubbed nervously in the bag for a long time, and he looked around guiltily.

This detail instantly triggered an alarm in Lu Yao's mind.

She immediately seized the opportunity to slip into the east wing and told Su Wanqing everything she had discovered.

“Sister-in-law, I’m sure that Manager Liu is definitely up to something! The problem lies with that licorice root!” Lu Yao said confidently.

Su Wanqing stopped arranging the medicinal herbs.

She picked up a piece of licorice root, sniffed it lightly, then scraped off a little powder with her fingernail and tasted it on her tongue.

The taste is normal.

But Lu Yao's reminder instantly reminded her of one of the most insidious methods in traditional Chinese medicine—mutual restraint and mutual destruction.

Some things are harmless when used alone, but can become highly toxic when mixed with certain medicinal herbs.

Liu Yuzhen is trying to undermine the enemy's defenses.

"Yaoyao, you've done a great job this time." Su Wanqing's expression turned serious. "Pretend you don't know anything about this, keep them calm, and don't alert them."

"Then what do I need to do?" Lu Yao's expression also became tense and excited.

"You don't need to do anything, just act as usual." Su Wanqing looked at her and said, word by word, "The rest of the show is mine to perform."

After seeing Lu Yao off, Su Wanqing immediately went to find Lu Zhanting.

"Liu Yuzhen couldn't sit still any longer, so she started with licorice."

Lu Zhanting's eyes instantly turned icy.

"I'll go arrest him!"

"No." Su Wanqing grabbed him. "Arresting him now without evidence will only lead them to use more covert methods. What I want is not to arrest a servant."

Her eyes gleamed with a predator-like light.

"I want to uproot Liu Yuzhen completely, so that she will never be able to rise again."

"Playing along?" Lu Zhanting immediately understood her intention.

“That’s right.” Su Wanqing took out a packet of licorice root with a better color and appearance from her space.

"From today onwards, I will use my own licorice."

“But on the surface, I still take their licorice from the kitchen every day, and when I’m brewing medicine, I put the licorice in in front of Xiao Cui.”

Xiao Cui was sent by the old lady. She was loyal but simple-minded, making her the best "eyewitness".

“I understand,” Lu Zhanting said. “I’ll immediately have someone investigate everyone that Manager Liu has been in contact with recently, as well as the source of this powder. I need solid evidence.”

"Go ahead." Su Wanqing patted his hand. "This time, we must firmly grasp the initiative in our own hands."

An invisible net has been quietly unfurled.

Liu Yuzhen and Lu Zhanyun thought they were the hunters, but little did they know that they had already become the prey in the net.

For the next few days, the Lu family compound remained calm and peaceful.

Su Wanqing continued to personally brew medicine for Lu Zhenguo every day and deliver it to his study.

Lu Zhenguo's complexion improved day by day, his headaches completely disappeared, and he became increasingly energetic. When handling military affairs, his thinking was even more sharp than before he fell ill.

This amazed everyone, making them even more convinced that Su Wanqing's medical skills were divine.

Liu Yuzhen waited anxiously in her courtyard.

She counted the days; the effects of the "Forget-Me-Not Powder" should have already begun to take hold.

On the fifth day, she felt the time was right.

She took the initiative to "apologize" to Lu Zhenguo, and wrote a letter of repentance with tears in her eyes, requesting that her confinement be lifted so that she could fulfill her filial duties to her parents.

After reading the letter, Lu Zhenguo pondered for a long time before agreeing.

He wanted to see what other tricks this woman was up to.

Liu Yuzhen was finally able to attend the family dinner that evening.

She changed into an elegant cheongsam, her face showing just the right amount of haggardness and regret. She immediately took the initiative to apologize to Lu Zhenguo and the old lady.

"Dad, Mom, it was all my fault before. I was out of my mind. I've been reflecting on my mistakes these past few days and I really know I was wrong."

The old lady glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Lu Zhenguo simply gave a faint "hmm".

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Liu Yuzhen looked at Lu Zhenguo with feigned concern.

"Dad, how have you been feeling lately? Are you still taking Wanqing's medicine?"

"Yes, it feels good," Lu Zhenguo replied.

"That's good." Liu Yuzhen nodded, then changed the subject, her tone revealing worry, "However, I recently heard that some folk remedies, although effective at first, can easily damage one's health if taken for a long time, making people... confused and forgetful."

She carefully observed Lu Zhenguo's expression.

"Dad, have you noticed that your memory hasn't been very good lately, or... you sometimes can't remember things?"

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, drawing everyone's attention.

She looked at Lu Zhenguo with anticipation, waiting for him to show even the slightest confusion or slowness.

However, Lu Zhenguo simply watched her quietly.

That gaze was devoid of any warmth, as if it could see right through the darkest corners of her heart.

Instead of answering, he asked a completely unrelated question.

“Yuzhen, do you remember? Twenty years ago, Zhanwen got into a fight in the military compound and broke his leg. You came to me crying and begging me not to punish him.”

Liu Yuzhen was taken aback.

"I...of course I remember."

"Do you remember, fifteen years ago, when your younger brother from your maternal family lost money in business, you secretly took two gold bars from home to help him out?"

Liu Yuzhen's face turned pale instantly.

She did this very discreetly, thinking that no one would know.

"Do you remember, ten years ago..."

Lu Zhenguo spoke slowly and deliberately, recounting clearly and explicitly all the wrongdoings Liu Yuzhen had committed over the years.

His memory has not deteriorated; on the contrary, it has become astonishingly good!

Cold sweat trickled down Liu Yuzhen's forehead.

She felt as if she had been stripped naked in public and was being judged.

“Dad, why…why are you saying all this…” Her voice began to tremble.

"It's nothing." Lu Zhenguo put down his chopsticks, a cold smile curving his lips. "I just wanted to prove to you that my memory is excellent."

Just as Liu Yuzhen was filled with doubt and was on the verge of collapse, Lu Zhanting, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"Since Auntie is so concerned about Grandpa's memory, why don't you take a look at this too?"

He slammed a document onto the center of the dining table.

"What is this?" Liu Yuzhen asked in a trembling voice.

"See for yourself."

With trembling hands, Liu Yuzhen opened the document.

The first page contains several clear photos showing Liu, the kitchen manager, making a deal with a sleazy-looking man in a dark alley.

Her heart sank.

The second page contains the man's confession, in which he admits to selling Manager Liu a banned drug called "Forget-Me-Not Powder," and details the toxicity of this drug when used with licorice.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The third page contains a pharmacological analysis report that details the damaging process of this chronic neurotoxin on the human body.

Liu Yuzhen's vision went black, she swayed, and almost fell off the chair.

Before she could react, two guards had already brought in the ashen-faced Steward Liu.

Upon seeing the confession and photos on the table, Manager Liu was immediately terrified, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground.

"Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me!" He kowtowed desperately to Lu Zhenguo. "It's not my fault! It was all... it was all the First Madam who ordered me to do it! She gave me the powder and told me to mix it into the licorice!"

He shakily pulled the remaining paper packet from his pocket.

"I still have some medicine powder left, please spare my life, sir!"

The witnesses and the physical evidence are both there!

The truth has come out.

The entire dining room fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at Liu Yuzhen with disbelief.

Lu Zhenguo's chest heaved violently, his face turned ashen, and he trembled with rage.

He could tolerate her power struggles and her exclusion of dissidents, but he could not tolerate her using such vicious means to murder him!

This is a bottom line that he absolutely cannot cross.

“Fine…fine…” Lu Zhenguo squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, his voice filled with utter disappointment and resolute determination.

"I've really raised a good wife!"

He slammed his hand on the table, the loud noise startling everyone.

"Guards!" he shouted sternly.

"exist!"

"Lock this wicked woman in the ancestral hall!" Lu Zhenguo pointed at Liu Yuzhen, whose face was ashen, and ordered, word by word, "She shall never be allowed to come out without my permission!"

Liu Yuzhen completely broke down.

She collapsed to the ground, trying to grab Lu Zhenguo's trouser leg, but was ruthlessly lifted up by the guards.

"No! Zhenguo! Let me explain! I didn't! I've been framed!" she screamed frantically, struggling.

But Lu Zhenguo didn't even bother to look at her again.

He simply waved his hand, his gaze colder than when he looked at a stranger.

Liu Yuzhen's cries gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the depths of the courtyard.

Her meticulously planned final gamble ultimately became the last nail that nailed her to the pillar of shame.

Su Wanqing watched all of this coldly, without uttering a single word from beginning to end.

She knew that from this moment on, the biggest threat within the Lu family had been completely eradicated.

The rest, like Lu Zhanyun, are nothing but clowns, and can no longer cause any trouble.

She looked up at Lu Zhanting beside her.

The man was also looking at her, his deep eyes filled with approval and an intense, unwavering love.

He held her hand tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

The storm that had gripped the Lu family has finally subsided.

But Su Wanqing knew that her game had only just begun.

With the internal obstacles cleared, she can now focus more of her energy on the wider outside world.

Her cosmeceutical business, her network of contacts, the business empire she wants to build...

That brand new world awaits her amidst the bustling capital.