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"What do you mean by that?" Lin Shi'an's brows furrowed deeply.
The expression on the old matron's face also became somewhat strained. She stared nervously at Lin Zhiqing.
Lin Zhiqing didn't even look at her. She held the teacup in her hand and passed it before everyone's eyes.
"Huh?" Jiang Liuyun touched his head: "Compared to the other cups, isn't the color of the inner wall of this teacup a bit lighter?"
Lu Nanyue tilted her head and looked again, seemingly very interested: "It really is. Could the poison have been scraped off?"
"No." Lin Zhiqing shook her head: "From beginning to end, no poison was ever put in this cup."
After speaking, Lin Zhiqing turned to look at the old matron: "What caused my cousin to faint was this rhinoceros-skin lacquer cup, not some poison."
"Isn't that right, Matron?"
Her tone rose, making it difficult to ignore.
Although the old matron was very flustered, she still didn't believe that a pampered young lady like Lin Zhiqing could see through the crucial point.
She puffed out her chest, as if this would give her more confidence.
Lin Zhiqing merely glanced at her lightly, then had someone bring in a basin of clean water.
Everyone gathered around the table, very curious about Lin Zhiqing's actions.
Lin Zhiqing waved her hand: "Everyone, step further away. Do not touch this cup."
Saying this, she poured warm water into the cup and gently whisked inside the cup with a bamboo tea whisk.
Lu Nanyue watched Lin Zhiqing's actions with some disdain: "Zhiqing, why is your tea-whisking technique so crude?"
Lin Zhiqing's expression was calm: "Desperate times call for desperate measures. What's the point of those fancy flourishes now?"
Lu Nanyue thought about it and agreed it was true, so she said no more.
In just a moment, the clean water in the teacup gradually became cloudy.
The onlookers frowned, all speechless.
The old matron had long lost her previous composure. She kept wringing her hands, looking towards the table. Seeing the water change color, a thin layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"What is this?" Lin Shi'an knitted his brows, somewhat puzzled.
Lu Huai narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Jiang Liuyun, however, moved closer, as if observing.
"Qing'er, isn't this rhinoceros-skin lacquer liquid?" He was somewhat unsure.
Lin Zhiqing nodded: "Yes."
"That's not right. The process of making rhinoceros-skin lacquer is very complicated, but this teacup doesn't seem to have been dried properly." Jiang Liuyun pulled Lin Zhiqing back a little:
"Qing'er, step back a bit. My father once went to the Lingnan area to capture mountain bandits. The raw lacquer there is incredibly potent; it causes rashes on people's bodies and is very painful."
Jiang Liuyun held Lin Zhiqing's shoulder seriously, not letting her get close to the teacup.
"Rash?" Lu Nanyue couldn't help but repeat, then, as if remembering something, looked at Lin Zhiqing: "Zhiqing, your cousin's body..."
"That's right, it's a rash." Lin Zhiqing interrupted Lu Nanyue's words.
There were too many people now; it wasn't suitable to talk about these things. Not only would it leak clues, but it would also affect her cousin's maidenly reputation.
Based on the knowledge Lin Zhiqing possessed, her cousin should have had an allergic reaction this time.
The allergen, of course, was the raw lacquer liquid in this rhinoceros-skin lacquer teacup.
But according to Jiang Liuyun's statement, this world probably didn't have such a concept as allergies.
Since they called this condition a rash, Lin Zhiqing went along with the local custom.
"Your cousin got a rash from contact with raw lacquer?" Lu Nanyue was somewhat puzzled: "That's not right. This teacup is fine. How could there be raw lacquer liquid in it?"
Hearing this question, the old matron calmed down a bit, but Lin Zhiqing spoke without any hesitation:
"I've asked Xiao Cui. My cousin is impatient. When preparing tea, it takes no more than half the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew, and she dislikes cold tea."
"The day I prepared tea with her, it just so happened that she had just returned from practicing martial arts in the training field and was particularly anxious when preparing tea."
Lin Zhiqing, of course, didn't know the situation that day; she could only recreate the scene based on her own deductions.
But judging from the inside of the teacup, her description was correct nine times out of ten.
Lin Zhiqing had also learned some tea-whisking techniques from television dramas before.
Ordinary people, when preparing tea, would add water seven times and use a bamboo whisk to gently and evenly beat it, opening up the tea froth.
Her cousin was impatient and, after practicing martial arts, urgently needed tea to quench her thirst, so she didn't have the patience to complete all the steps.
According to Xiao Cui, her cousin usually filled the water all at once and whisked it vigorously.
If someone knew her cousin very well, they would definitely use this point to make a big issue of it.
Seeing that everyone understood her meaning, Lin Zhiqing emptied the water from the cup to make it easier for everyone to observe.
"This rhinoceros-skin lacquer teacup is indeed not right." Lu Huai's eyebrows drooped: "The sealing layer of the entire teacup is too thin."
Lin Shi'an nodded: "That's right. With Elder Sister's strength, the sealing layer of this cup could indeed easily peel off."
"Wait, there's another problem." Lu Nanyue rubbed her temples: "According to this, if Yangyang drank tea containing raw lacquer, the place where the rash appeared should be..."
Before she could finish her words, the old matron at the side excitedly chimed in: "That's right! The Young Miss's rashes are all on her body. If she drank this water, the rash would only appear around her lips!"
The moment she finished saying this, everyone's discussion came to an abrupt halt, and they all turned to stare at her.
Before the old matron could react, Xiao Cui stepped forward and slapped her across the face: "You old hag, who told you the Young Miss has rashes on her body?"
With these words, the old matron, too late to worry about the pain on her face, froze on the spot.
Xiao Cui stomped her foot fiercely: "Since the Young Miss fell unconscious, the Old Master has sealed off all news, and the family physician has also kept his lips sealed."
"Only the Old Master, the family physician, and I know about the Young Miss's physical condition. Where did you hear this news?"
Lin Zhiqing and Lu Nanyue exchanged a look. They had succeeded!
The two of them had just been acting in concert, with the aim of guiding this matron to reveal a flaw.
When people feel guilty, they are most anxious. To clear her own suspicion, the old matron naturally seized any opportunity.
And with this seizure, she exposed herself.
A servant responsible for cleaning rooms, if not premeditated, how could she know the Young Miss's physical condition?
At this point, the old matron's identity as the culprit was completely established.
Lin Shi'an clenched his fists, a strong killing intent erupting in his eyes as he looked at the old matron: "Men, take her down for me!"
"Wait!" Lin Zhiqing interrupted Lin Shi'an: "Cousin, the matter isn't over yet. Why are you in such a hurry to detain her?"
Her tone had turned cold.
Having just arrived, Lin Zhiqing, of course, did not completely trust these people before her.
Biluo's death was suspicious. Lin Zhiqing didn't want any more problems with this old matron.
"We already know you've been wronged. The urgent task now is to present this person to the Old Master," Lin Shi'an said stiffly.
Lin Zhiqing narrowed her eyes:
"Cousin, do you know why she wanted to harm my cousin?"
"And do you know why my cousin's rash isn't around her lips?"