Tang Zan tilted his head and took a sip of water, resting his chin, looking with interest at Pei Shu'er.
So now, things have returned to square one.
He really wanted to see how Pei Shu'er, who is adept at winning people over, would handle this.
Pei Shu'er shook her head and gave a bitter smile: "Uncle, you are a respected elder of mine, how could I bear to harm you."
Tang Peilin was infuriated by Pei Shu'er's hypocritical demeanor, who was she trying to annoy?
Yet he couldn't find any fault in Pei Shu'er.
But then, Pei Shu'er sighed and began to speak.
"It's just that I'm the only one in this team who knows medicine. If I just accept this blame, then later on, no one will seek my help for treatment anymore, which will delay numerous treatments and result in countless deaths."
"So even for the sake of everyone, I need to clarify the truth."
Upon hearing these words from Pei Shu'er, Tang Zan, who was leisurely drinking water and watching the drama, choked.
Even if he didn't know the green tea fragrance being emitted by Pei Shu'er, he recognized the strategy behind her words.
Those words were spoken in a way that showed an incredible consideration for everyone.
Pei Shu'er continued: "After my treatment, everyone woke up, and the next day they were fine. But why did the condition suddenly deteriorate on the third day? There must have been something that happened during the night of the second day."
Saying this, Pei Shu'er asked everyone again.
"I believe there must be someone who wasn't sleeping deeply last night, could you share if there was anything unusual?"
Lin Yu furrowed his brows deeper, involuntarily glancing at Tang Peilin, his eyes cold.
"Last night, indeed, I smelled a stench, and it lingered around me for a long time. At the time, I didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just someone getting up at night."
After all, in this group, while called convicts, everyone was practically like livestock, their way of life becoming more primitive as the exile progressed.
Following Lin Yu's statement, more and more people began to talk about this matter.
A small child timidly said, "I saw Old Master Tang coming out of the cave, and when he came back, he smelled bad!"
Just as he said this, his mother covered his mouth, awkwardly laughing.
"Children talk nonsense, you can't believe them, you can't."
But now, so many people testified, whether Tang Peilin was innocent or not, everyone had drawn their own conclusions.
Pei Shu'er shrugged, and then some family members surrounded Tang Peilin, tying him up with clothes.
Lin Yu's eyes turned red with urgency.
"Miss Pei, I apologize for misunderstanding you before, could you please be gracious and help treat my brother? He's my only brother."
Pei Shu'er nodded and then said, "Okay, but you need to promise me one thing, which I haven't thought of yet. But it won't be against morality or your will."
Lin Yu quickly nodded.
Only then did Pei Shu'er proceed to treat Lin Hong; she first carefully cleaned the wound with water, then cleaned the rotten wound, and finally disinfected it with alcohol.
Then she applied medicine residue with Spiritual Spring Water.
Other people also came to ask Pei Shu'er for help. Pei Shu'er chose those who were pleasant and whose conduct was good for treatment, with the same requirement of agreeing to one condition.
After everyone was saved, the large man approached with a swollen face, cheekily asking, "Miss Pei, could you save my big brother?"
Pei Shu'er looked at the man's big brother, recalling he was fierce and wicked in her memory.
She didn't want to save him, but she had to show a stance of saving others. Just as Pei Shu'er was squatting down to check, the big brother's head tilted, and he passed away without a sound.
The large man was stunned, reaching out to check his brother's breath, finding he was no longer breathing.
His eyes were filled with anger: "Why did you dawdle and come to treat my big brother last, Pei Shu'er, are you doing this on purpose?"
Pei Shu'er sighed: "With so many patients, of course, the severe cases are treated first, then the lighter ones later."
The large man was about to speak, but Pei Shu'er sighed again, speaking only in a voice that the two could hear.
"You're blaming the wrong person, grievances have their sources, debts have their owners, don't they?"
"Originally, your brother was recovering the best, maybe he would have been fine soon, but alas..."
Pei Shu'er's sigh made the large man hate Tang Peilin even more.
The fist that was originally meant for Pei Shu'er turned towards Tang Peilin.
He didn't care anymore, rushing up and kicking the bound Tang Peilin.
"You heartless lunatic, why do these thankless tasks when you love the muck so much, I'll fulfill your wish."
Saying this, he dug out some animal feces from the depths of the cave and smeared it on Tang Peilin's back wound.
Only then did Tang Peilin become frightened; other people had died like this, and he didn't want to follow in their footsteps.
Old Madam Tang, shaking with anger, looked at her eldest son with an unfamiliar expression.
During years in the Prince Mansion, although her eldest son was a bit reckless, he hadn't gone too far.
How did he become like this on the road to exile?
It's one thing to harm others, but he also hurt his own nephew's wife.
Mrs. Li begged Old Madam Tang, crying all over, looking nothing like the noble lady she used to be.
"Old Madam, please save Peilin."
Old Madam Tang wanted to save him, but now the crowd was agitated, dozens of people surrounded Tang Peilin. If the Tang Family tried, they would lose other descendants.
She sighed: "One must be punished for their mistakes."
Due to being smeared with feces, even after cleaning later, Tang Peilin developed a fever sleeping at night and foamed at the mouth.
Finally, Old Madam Tang brought Mrs. Li to Pei Shu'er.
"Shu'er, now you are the only one who can save your uncle."
Regarding treating Uncle's illness, Pei Shu'er not only had to be diligent but also had to show enthusiasm, letting others see her generosity.
But when facing Tang Peilin, Pei Shu'er woke him with a silver needle.
Pei Shu'er showed Tang Peilin a somewhat vicious smile, holding a dagger, grimacing as she looked at Tang Peilin.
No one saw her doing all this.
Her expression was really too terrifying, like she was about to slice him piece by piece.
He moved back a couple of steps, his face filled with a terror that seemed almost tangible.
He shrieked: "Get away from me, Pei Shu'er, don't come over, stay away from me."
At this moment, Pei Shu'er had already put the dagger into her sleeve, then stored it away, smiling as she looked at Tang Peilin.
"Uncle, don't be like this, I can save you."
Tang Peilin, frightened by the earlier incident, didn't dare let Pei Shu'er save him, quickly cursing: "Get away, I'd rather die than let you save me."