Chapter 339 The Soup with Added Ingredients

Chapter 339 The Soup with Added Ingredients

Just when she was filled with despair and panic, someone gave her a glimmer of hope.

The other party said that as long as she added something to the chicken soup she made, they would help pay off her son's gambling debt of one thousand taels.

She was initially unwilling and reluctant, but when she thought of her son's desperate pleas and the fact that if she didn't have the money to pay off the debt, her son would have his arms and legs broken and be bedridden for the rest of his life, she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.

The other party had clearly anticipated her choice, and immediately handed her a medicine packet after she nodded in agreement.

Wang Sao took the medicine and sprinkled it into the chicken soup, but as soon as she thought that this pot of chicken soup was for the high-ranking official and the princess, her hands couldn't help but tremble.

"Sister Wang, what are you daydreaming about? The esteemed guests are still waiting." Seeing that Sister Wang wasn't moving, Li Tieniu, the courier in charge of running errands, raised his voice and urged, "Hurry up and pack all the food in."

Wang Sao took a deep breath, suppressing her unease, and began putting other food into the food box.

After she closed the top lid of the food box, Li Tieniu immediately picked it up and left.

At this moment, in the small courtyard where Xie Wanniang and the others were staying, and in the small courtyard next door where their accompanying guards were staying, everyone was drinking brown sugar ginger water sip by sip.

A rich aroma of medicine wafted from the small kitchen.

Haitang was helping the cook distribute medicine to everyone when she saw the courier carrying a food box. She quickly went up to him and asked, "Is this food for our master and the princess?"

Liu Ertian bowed and nodded, "Yes, miss."

He didn't know that Wang Sao had also been coerced, so he waited on the only way from the kitchen to this side.

Upon seeing Li Tieniu carrying a food box, he casually made up an excuse to send Li Tieniu away, and then took the opportunity of delivering food to Xie Wanniang and the others to openly come in and check the situation.

What alarmed him was that the water in the two water tanks he had tampered with hadn't decreased at all.

Even though this group of people had boiled brown sugar ginger water and made so many medicinal soups, they didn't touch the water in the vat. Instead, they preferred to fetch water from the well themselves. They really didn't find it troublesome!

He clearly said when these people moved in that the yard had just been cleaned today and the water in the tank had just been drawn today, but these people still preferred to work hard themselves rather than use the well water that he had prepared. How serious must their mysophobia be?

Liu Ertian was very flustered. He didn't have any other powder to use when he had a chance to strike. If these people didn't use the two large vats of water he had spiked, how was he going to explain himself to the people who had instructed him to do this?

He absentmindedly handed the food box to Old Qian, the guard who came to take it, and then slowly turned around and walked out of the courtyard.

During this time, he subconsciously glanced at the two large vats at the kitchen door several times.

The guards accompanying Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan were very perceptive. Liu Ertian thought he was being discreet in his several glances, but in fact, the guards standing in the courtyard had already seen through his eyes.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, the guard Lao Qian immediately looked at Jiang Yuan and said, "Sir, there seems to be something wrong with this courier."

Jiang Yuan nodded, "I know what I'm doing."

He instructed Lao Qian, "You should inform the others and tell them to be more vigilant."

Old Qian responded with a "yes" and turned to instruct the other guards and servants, while Jiang Yuan placed the food box in front of Xie Wanniang and asked her to carefully check whether anyone had added any "ingredients" to the food.

While working, Xie Wanniang asked, "Did you notice something was wrong?"

Jiang Yuan nodded. "The courier who just delivered the food behaved strangely."

Xie Wanniang sighed, "Just as we discussed before, your current position is a highly coveted one."

Since the Great Wei repelled the Tatars, other foreign tribes that had originally tried to take advantage of the situation, including the Japanese pirates, all withdrew their outstretched claws. Since the Great Wei had no intention of crossing the ocean to attack the Japanese pirates' lair, the garrisons along the southeast coast naturally became relatively idle and safe.

With a lower casualty rate and a location that is not as barren and desolate as the southwest and northern borders, those who crave comfort will naturally set their sights on official positions of all ranks here.

Not to mention the military officers who were originally stationed here, even the young scions of some noble families in the capital were eager to come here to gain seniority.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Yuan was not at all surprised that someone would try to harm him.

Of course, not being surprised doesn't mean he doesn't care. If someone wants him and his family dead, he will definitely seek revenge.

Soon, Xie Wanniang checked all the food. She pointed to the pot of chicken soup and said, "Something was added to this, but everything else is fine."

Jiang Yuan nodded, "Go and take another look at those two water tanks in the kitchen."

Xie Wanniang nodded, walked out of the main room, came to the water vat, picked up the water ladle, scooped up a ladle of water, smelled it, and then tasted a small sip.

"There's something wrong with this water too."

The single word "also" made everyone's expressions extremely serious and solemn. Haitang's eyebrows furrowed, "Miss..."

Xie Wanniang waved her hand, "Now is not the time to make trouble."

She instructed everyone, "Haitang, go and tell the cooks that they will be in charge of cooking our meals from now on. Fengrui, take a few more people and go buy some ingredients to stock up."

As for herself, she needed to check the well in the neighboring yard to see if it had also been tampered with.

Jiang Yuan had the chicken soup taken away, and then asked the servants to watch the two children sleep. He then went to Xie Wanniang's side and said, "Go back and have dinner after you've finished investigating. Leave everything else to me."

Xie Wanniang patted him and said gently with a smile, "What's the rush? Are you afraid those guys will run away?"

Jiang Yuan would always subconsciously soften his tone and expression in front of her, saying, "Then I'll have dinner with you first."

Xie Wanniang nodded in satisfaction.

As the two were talking, another large pot of food for the servants and guards was delivered from the kitchen. This time, the person delivering the food was not Liu Ertian, but Li Tieniu, who was originally supposed to be in charge of this task.

This man was tall and strong, and was good at physical labor, but he wasn't very bright. The postmaster was willing to hire him because although he only received a monthly salary for one person, he could do the work of at least three people. Moreover, he was never picky and mostly did the dirty and tiring work that others were unwilling to do.

He put down the two loads he was carrying on his left and right shoulders, and Xie Wanniang began to check them one by one, while the guard Lao Qian put his arm around the man's shoulder and began to subtly extract information from him.