"For instance, with the same meal, the old lady eats more, while Wu Wang is younger with a smaller appetite, so he eats less, resulting in a lower intake and milder symptoms. As for Little Star, he is still nursing and at most eats some mush, yet he is also poisoned. The old lady likes to have Little Star with her while eating, and sometimes she uses chopsticks to dip into the dish soup for Little Star to taste."

It was fortunate it was so; otherwise, the infant could have already perished, considering a baby’s immunity and resistance are no match for an adult.

Dong Huiying sorted these thoughts out and began again: "There are many rare poisons in this world, and the perpetrator could have chosen more convenient methods. The intent to kill the old lady is clear, but they did not use arsenic or other similarly deadly poisons; instead, they chose a rare slow-acting poison."

"I’ve been pondering the perpetrator’s reasoning for days, and it seems there are two main reasons."

Shu Yu frowned slightly at this, grasping the point immediately. Yixuan also seemed to understand somewhat.

Dong Huiying continued: "These two reasons. Firstly, perhaps they intend to torment the old lady, to kill her slowly, bit by bit. Secondly, it’s because the perpetrator has some concerns, fearing certain things, making it inconvenient to strike openly. Even if they take action, they must hide their tracks to avoid suspicion."

These two speculations seemed credible.

Shu Yu and Yixuan fell into deep thought.

Dong Huiying poured herself a cup of tea, barley tea, with a rich and fragrant malt aroma.

"Furthermore, taking this as a starting point, I’ve been contemplating other matters. For example, what sort of grudge would drive someone to act this way? What would make them want to kill the old lady?"

Shu Yu suddenly looked at Yixuan, and the two brothers spoke in unison: "The Qin family!"

Dong Huiying thought the same.

"I also suspect so. The mastermind behind this must be related to the Qin family, even if they aren’t from the Qin family."

Yixuan sat beside Dong Huiying, his expression inscrutable.

"I’ve stationed people at the city gates, given the high traffic there. The family head’s instruction to hang the two cooks prominently on the city walls can also be seen as a provocation to the mastermind. Since Lin Huang and the others are expendable, the perpetrator wouldn’t go to great lengths for them, but some whispers will inevitably be heard."

After Yixuan spoke, his second brother Shu Yu tapped the chessboard with his index finger: "Adapting to constant change; it seems just relying on Lin Huang and the others won’t be enough to lure the snake out of its hole."

It is said that three cobblers with their wits combined equal a Zhuge Liang. The three of them, wiser than cobblers, unraveled the threads, organizing the clues they had.

After some thought, Dong Huiying asked: "The old lady privately returning to Dongcui City – besides her own people, only a few of us and those around us are aware of this."

Yixuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Dong Huiying said: "I asked Lin Huang and the others, and it was after the old lady returned to Dongcui City that this mysterious person sought them out, promising great rewards to tamper with the old lady’s daily meals."

This means there is a high likelihood that the team is still not pure and that a spy still exists.

Shu Yu suddenly lifted his head and looked directly at Yixuan. "If... the spy is on the old lady’s side, that’s one thing. But if it’s from your side, precautions need to be taken."

The people around Yixuan appear to be from Chuixue Manor, but they are actually all from Dajin’s Moon Palace. As for those around Dong Huiying...