Poisoned?
Everyone present was petrified!
Seeing her son so nervous, Ming Qinghua felt uncertain.
Ming Xiajing's nervousness stemmed from his fear of getting entangled in trouble. Now, even if he hadn't been the one to administer the poison, he would be blamed for it.
He couldn't explain himself even if he had a mouth.
He wished he had listened to Zheng Haonan and settled for three thousand taels. At worst, he would have been confined by his father for three more days.
But now, the situation had escalated completely.
Was it too late to regret it?
"I didn't poison him, don't falsely accuse me!" Ming Xiajing quickly defended himself.
Qin Yun and Xue Jin both knew that the poison had been in effect for a long time, so it couldn't have been administered by Ming Xiajing the previous day.
However, Qin Yuanzhang and Ming Qinghua didn't think so.
Upon hearing that Qin Yun was poisoned, Qin Yuanzhang's first thought was that Ming Xiajing had poisoned him.
"Young Master Ming, although you and my son have had past grievances, you wouldn't go so far as to poison him to death, would you?" Qin Yuanzhang's gaze was cold, and his demeanor was stern.
"I didn't, I didn't do it!" Ming Xiajing tugged at Ming Qinghua's sleeve and said urgently, "Father, you must believe your son, I didn't poison him!"
Ming Qinghua was in a difficult position.
"Imperial Physician Xue, I'm not sure if Young Master Qin is poisoned. Even if he is, it doesn't necessarily mean my son administered the poison!"
Turning to Qin Yuanzhang, Ming Qinghua said politely, "Old Master Qin! May we speak in private?"
Seeing Qin Yuanzhang hesitate, Qin Yun pulled his father aside and whispered, "Father, the poison in my body has been there for some time, it wasn't administered by Ming Xiajing, but Ming Xiajing did attack me yesterday!"
Qin Yun's voice was very low, spoken in a tone only the two of them could hear.
"Go and talk to Lord Ming. Don't let your guard down. We must not only get the compensation from the Ming Manor that is rightfully ours, but we can even add a few thousand more. As for how much, Father, you can decide!"
Listening to Qin Yun's conversation, Qin Yuanzhang frowned.
Could it be that this young man knew about being poisoned all along?
Why hadn't he told him?
Never mind!
This was also his oversight.
Qin Yuanzhang nodded, and then entered another room with Ming Qinghua.
In the front hall!
Ming Xiajing was very nervous. He truly hadn't poisoned anyone, so why didn't anyone believe him!
He looked up at Qin Yun and found that Qin Yun was also looking at him.
"Ugly... no... Young Master Qin, I didn't poison anyone, I..." Ming Xiajing tried to explain, but Qin Yun interrupted him.
Smiling, Qin Yun said, "Young Master Ming, you don't need to say any more. Whatever decision is made, I will listen to Father!"
Looking at Qin Yun, who could still smile at this moment, Ming Xiajing suddenly remembered Zheng Haonan's advice when they parted yesterday.
He had told him to deliver the agreed-upon three thousand taels truthfully, to prepare some tonics, and under no circumstances to bother Qin Yun, as more troublesome matters awaited. The current Qin Yun was not the Qin Yun of the past.
With this thought, Ming Xiajing lowered his head in silence.
Seeing Ming Xiajing's pained expression, Qin Yun inwardly sneered.
This person was not inherently evil, but he was extremely arrogant and always bullied the weak. This time, it would serve as a lesson for him.
If he remained unrepentant in the future, it would be more than just a matter of compensation.
Xue Jin, standing by, had been observing Qin Yun's every move. Seeing the cold glint in Qin Yun's eyes, and his ability to remain so calm even when he knew he was poisoned and might not have long to live, deeply impressed him.
It seemed that Qin Yun was well aware of his own physical condition.
Qin Yun also noticed Xue Jin looking at her. She turned and offered a polite smile without saying a word.
Qin Yun knew very well that Xue Jin and the Ming Qinghua father and son were not on the same side.
He presumed that Xue Jin had also heard about Ming Xiajing's arrogance and bullying, otherwise, he would have spoken up about the prolonged poisoning earlier.
The reason he hadn't revealed the timeline of the poisoning was probably to teach Ming Xiajing a lesson.
To let him experience the feeling of being falsely accused and bullied.
Soon!
Ming Qinghua and Qin Yuanzhang came out of the room, with Qin Yuanzhang leading and Ming Qinghua following behind.
Knowing he was in the wrong and not wanting to escalate the situation, Ming Qinghua, who valued his reputation, had a troubled expression on his face, looking utterly distressed.
Although he didn't know what they had discussed!
Seeing Ming Qinghua's troubled look, Qin Yun knew that the money was secured, and perhaps even doubled!
"Father... are you alright?" Ming Xiajing, seeing his father's unusual expression, felt uneasy.
Ming Qinghua ignored Ming Xiajing and cupped his hands towards Qin Yuanzhang. "Lord Qin, I will send someone to deliver the silver shortly. I hope Young Master Qin can let this matter rest here!"
"That depends on how Lord Ming conducts himself!" Qin Yuanzhang said righteously.
Looking at Qin Yuanzhang's condescending expression, Ming Qinghua gnashed his teeth.
Since Qin Yuanzhang dared to threaten him using this matter, and crucially, this matter did involve Ming Xiajing, if that brat Qin Yun were to suffer any harm, Ming Xiajing would spend the rest of his life in prison.
He dared not gamble. Ming Xiajing was the legitimate son of his household and would inherit the Marquis title in the future. He couldn't afford to have anything happen to him at this critical juncture.
The Ming father and son left in disgrace.
Qiao Daifu, standing nearby, kept mocking them and urged Ming Qinghua to apologize. Ming Qinghua pretended not to hear, got into his carriage, and sped away.
Xue Jin looked at Qin Yun and said, "Young Master Qin, may I have a word with you in private?"
Qin Yun knew what Xue Jin wanted to say.
She wasn't foolish!
Xue Jin appeared refined and cultured, but he was sharp. He wouldn't get any information from her.
"Imperial Physician Xue, you can say whatever you have to say here. My father is also very curious about my poisoning!"
Qin Yuanzhang nodded in agreement. "Imperial Physician Xue, please speak your mind!"
Xue Jin smiled. This person was indeed skilled in calculation.
He had been invited to the Qin residence by Ming Qinghua today, and perhaps this was all part of Qin Yun's plan.
He hadn't expected this person, seemingly young, to possess such depth of strategy. If he were to enter officialdom in the future, he would surely dominate the land.
"Lord Qin, the poison in your son's body has been there for ten years. This likely relates to matters within the annexes of your residence. I shall not involve myself in this. As for Young Master Qin's poison, I will need to study it further to prepare an antidote!"
"Very well! Thank you for your trouble today, Imperial Physician Xue. It is getting late, please stay for a simple meal before departing!" Qin Yuanzhang was confident in Xue Jin's medical skills.
Many noble and influential families in the capital sought Xue Jin's services when they fell ill.
While he was surprised to find out about the decade-long poisoning of Qin Yun, it also troubled him.
This indicated that someone in the inner court had attempted to poison his precious son.
However, there were only so many people in the inner court. With this thought, Qin Yuanzhang's brows furrowed even deeper.
"I have other important matters to attend to and cannot stay long. Farewell!" Xue Jin walked up to Qin Yun and smiled, "It is a great fortune to have met a talent like Young Master Qin today!" With that, Xue Jin strode away.