Although the banquet at Dingxiang Academy was arranged separately, it was evidently done with great care; the various dishes were very exquisite, including two dishes that the patriarch had specially commanded to be sent over.
Xun Hui’s face broke into a smile, clearly feeling comfortable.
However, halfway through the meal, Fang Tianze, who had promised to come over after a while, still hadn’t shown up. Yang Ruxin didn’t know why, but she felt a bit uneasy. She immediately called over Liuyun, "Go see what’s keeping your young master. Didn’t he say he would come over? Why isn’t he here yet?"
Liuyun, hearing this, hurriedly nodded, instructed the two servant girls waiting on them, and then ran off.
It was only a couple of minutes after she had dashed out when suddenly, a commotion of footsteps could be heard. Then, Liu Guang appeared, drenched in sweat. In his haste, he tripped upon entering the door and fell flat on the ground, but he paid no mind to the pain. Prostrating himself on the floor, he blurted out, "Lady Xinxin, hurry, something terrible has happened to our young master..."
Right behind him followed a bewildered Liuyun, who had obviously seen Liu Guang run past and hurried in after him.
Everyone else’s faces turned pale.
Yang Ruxin was startled and rushed over to help Liu Guang up, glancing at Liuyun, "You stay here and take care of my brothers and sisters. I’ll go see what happened." There was no time for detailed questions, and she could only ask while on the move.
"Big sister, I’ll come with you," Sanni hurried over to say.
"No need for you to come. Let Dabao come with me," Yang Ruxin glanced at Sanni. "Be careful here, and don’t trust anyone asking you to go out or anything."
"Don’t worry, I will also stay here on guard," Liuyun quickly assured.
Yang Ruxin, accompanied by Zhou Xiao, followed Liu Guang and ran outside. Liu Guang’s hands were torn from the fall, but he couldn’t bother with that now. As they moved, he recounted what had happened.
During the birthday celebration, Fang Tianze had been by the old master’s side. Afterward, he went to have a chat with Yuan Mengzhu and was preparing to come over when a servant girl accidentally spilled some tea on him. Fang Tianze went back to change his clothes, but just after he came out, he suddenly collapsed to the ground...
Yang Ruxin’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed it could kill mosquitoes—she was truly troubled by the struggles within the grand estate.
Fang Tianze’s residence was called Xiyue Residence, reflecting the past hopes of the Fang couple for their son. But at that moment, not a hint of joy could be seen in the entire yard. Because many guests were still there, only a few members of the Fang Family were present. Yuan Mengzhu had already cried to the point her eyes were red, while Su Shouren was at a loss for what to do. He was only able to diagnose that Fang Tianze had been poisoned but had no clue what poison it was or how to treat it.
As soon as Yang Ruxin entered the room, everyone’s eyes lit up.
"Xinxin..." Yuan Mengzhu, wiping away tears, rushed over and was about to kneel down, "Please..."
"Aunt Yuan," Yang Ruxin steadied her, "He’s my brother, and I won’t let anything happen to him." With that, she proceeded straight into the inner chamber.
Fang Dehua quickly pulled his wife over to lean against him, no longer caring whether it was proper etiquette at this point.
"Miss Yang..." Su Shouren naturally followed her in. As a disciple of Dao Xuzi, even a glance from him could provide immense benefits. Although it might seem a bit thick-skinned, he couldn’t care less. As long as the young lady didn’t send him away, he was ready to assist. "My medical skills are limited, indeed. I can only determine that young master Fang has been poisoned..."