Gu Qianying first used silver needles to prick Wang Momo's Shenmen acupoint, drew blood, and then administered the poison pill she brought into Wang Momo's mouth.
Next, she circulated her internal energy to make the poison pill travel within Wang Momo's body.
Wang Momo spat out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.
Gu Qianying then took out another poison pill from her person and put it into Wang Momo's mouth. Similarly, she used her internal energy to help her swallow it and dissolve it within her body.
In a short period, black blood flowed from the Shenmen acupoint, and Wang Momo gradually regained consciousness.
Her complexion, which had been pale, gradually recovered.
Just as Gu Qianying was removing the needles, she suddenly saw that the blood flowing from Wang Momo's body had changed color again.
She frowned, placed her fingers on Wang Momo's wrist, and her expression showed a hint of surprise.
She could never have imagined that there was another poison present within Wang Momo's body.
This meant that Wang Momo had been poisoned before she had treated her.
She had originally intended to have Wang Momo ingest the poison, use it to alter her physical constitution, and then save Wang Momo through the method of using poison to counteract poison.
In this way, although Wang Momo's constitution would be different from before, she would at least not be severely injured and die.
Wang Momo's external injuries were not fatal; what could have taken her life were the severe internal injuries sustained after being beaten.
The poison Wang Momo had taken before being treated by her was not a fatal poison, but rather a slow-acting poison that weakened the body and made it difficult to conceive – Yixinfen.
The use of this poison on Wang Momo puzzled her greatly. Given Wang Momo's age, even without this poison, she would no longer be able to conceive.
Moreover, Wang Momo had lived alone beside her mother for many years.
She had never heard of Wang Momo marrying anyone.
Therefore, how could she conceive? And why would she be poisoned?
As she pondered this, Gu Qianying suddenly realized that Wang Momo had always been closest to her mother. Whatever her mother touched, Wang Momo would invariably touch.
This meant that her mother had also been poisoned?
Recalling her past life, after her mother gave birth to her and her brother, although she was not favored in the back courtyard, her father would still visit her mother's room during festivals.
However, her mother's health had been poor for many years, and she took medicinal soup daily. Not to mention conceiving, she could barely engage in conjugal bliss.
It turned out that all of this was done intentionally by someone else.
Upon thinking of this, Gu Qianying's eyes turned slightly cold.
Someone dared to poison her mother? Did they really think she was a paper tiger?
To verify that her mother and Wang Momo had been poisoned with the same substance, after treating Wang Momo, Gu Qianying walked out of the room and, under the guise of serving tea and water, took her mother's pulse without the First Madam noticing.
As expected, it was as she had thought; her mother and Wang Momo had been poisoned with the same substance.
"Mother, where did you find the maids and old women in your room?"
The person who could poison her mother without anyone noticing must be someone within her mother's courtyard.
The main wife had her own courtyard. The only cook in her mother's courtyard's small kitchen was Granny Lan. Granny Lan was an old servant by her mother's side and would certainly not do anything to harm herself.
Therefore, she deduced that the person who poisoned her mother must be among the maids who came and went in this courtyard.
"Some were bought by Granny Wang from outside, and some were sent by the Second and Third Madam. What's wrong?"
The First Madam did not understand why Gu Qianying was asking these questions and was very puzzled.
"It's nothing, Mother. Your daughter has some free time today and wants to stay with you for a meal. Then, I will gather all the servants in the courtyard. Your daughter has some good news to announce?"
"What good news do you have to announce?"
The First Madam was very willing for Gu Qianying to stay and dine with her, and she was also very curious about what Gu Qianying was going to do.
"You'll know in a moment."
Gu Qianying did not tell her mother about being poisoned. Firstly, she did not want to alert the enemy. Secondly, her mother had always been soft-hearted. If anyone in her courtyard made a mistake, she would certainly not punish them severely.
Thus, she would be the one to play the villain.
After Gu Qianying dined with the First Madam, she first took a look around the First Madam's room.
The First Madam's room was simply decorated, with not many precious jade floral porcelain pieces. Instead, there were some neatly written calligraphy and paintings. Among them, a "Landscape Painting" caught Gu Qianying's attention.
In her past life, she remembered that this painting was bought by her mother from a scholar. That scholar was poor and made a living by selling calligraphy and paintings.
Scholars from poor families usually used inferior pine soot ink, while superior oil soot ink was mostly used by wealthy families.
The superior oil soot ink used in this painting naturally did not come from that scholar, so this painting had been swapped.
In addition, all the servants in her mother's courtyard knew that her mother particularly loved this "Landscape Painting" and would admire it daily.
The Yixinfen mixed into the ink on the calligraphy and painting was difficult for people to detect.
Yixinfen was different from other poisons; its toxicity was not in its substance but in its smell. Inhaling its scent could cause mild poisoning.
Being constantly exposed to the scent of Yixinfen, her mother's poisoning had been ongoing for some time.
However, fortunately, the poison in her mother's body had not spread throughout her entire body, and it was still possible to treat it.
But before treating it, she had to find the person who administered the poison.
With this in mind, Gu Qianying, under the pretext of having good news to announce, summoned all the servants in the courtyard.
All the servants in the courtyard stood in a line, each with a smile on their faces, waiting for the eldest daughter to announce the good news. Generally, announcing good news meant rewards, so they were naturally very happy.
Gu Qianying walked out and asked Lu Zhu to help the First Madam back to her room to rest. As the First Madam returned to her room, Gu Qianying specifically ordered Lu Zhu to help her slowly and gently.
Although Lu Zhu was confused, she did as she was told without asking further questions.
The First Madam also did not understand, but like Lu Zhu, she did not ask further questions. In the past few days, she had noticed that her daughter's actions were becoming more and more prudent.
She thought that her daughter must have her reasons for asking her to do so.
After Gu Qianying gathered all the servants in the First Madam's courtyard, she announced loudly, "When the physician took Mother's pulse, he discovered that Mother is more than two months pregnant. Today, this young lady has learned this good news and has specifically gathered you all. Anyone who hears this will receive a reward. For this good news, you will be rewarded. Come and receive your rewards!"
Gu Qianying's words caused a stir.
Everyone was very shocked, and at the same time, very happy.
Their mistress was pregnant, and they, as servants, were happy for their mistress.
When the mistress was happy, she would occasionally give out rewards, just like now.
However, among the many servants, only one person's expression changed slightly, and her face showed no joy.
Gu Qianying glanced at her, and she quickly pretended to be happy for the First Madam.
Gu Qianying's lips curved into a cold smile.
The person who poisoned her mother was, with 10% certainty, her.
But now, without any evidence, she could not arrest her yet. She had to follow this lead to find the true mastermind who poisoned her mother.
After receiving their rewards, the servants in the courtyard offered their congratulations to Gu Qianying and then left one by one.
Inside the room, the First Madam, who was lying down, was now so surprised that she could not lie still.
"Qianying, I clearly did not... Why did you..."
Gu Qianying pressed her mother down, telling her to lie down and rest, "Mother, your daughter is fishing this time."
"Fishing? What are you fishing for?"
The First Madam was even more confused.
Gu Qianying remained silent, playing coy, "Mother, don't ask. Just wait with peace of mind."
That evening, after accompanying the First Madam for dinner, Gu Qianying stayed in her room for a long time. It wasn't until around the hour of Xu (7-9 PM) that she left the First Madam's room with Lu Zhu.
She returned to the Garden Pavilion and did not rest. Instead, she changed into a night-traveling outfit. After telling Lu Zhu to go down and rest, she turned and quietly headed back towards the First Madam's courtyard.