"May I take a look at it?" Bai Zheng asked with a smile.
Bai Di frowned and kept silent, just staring straight at Bai Zheng, trying to detect any abnormality on her face.
Seeing that Bai Di showed no sign of permission, Zisu didn't dare to make any move either.
Bai Zheng smiled brightly and looked at Bai Di with a candid look in her eyes. She asked in a loud voice, "What's wrong, Second Sister? Are you reluctant? With so many people watching, Second Sister surely doesn't think I can secretly tamper with this Skin - Whitening Cream, does she?
Since Second Sister insists that this Skin - Whitening Cream has something to do with me and I claim to be wronged, I should at least have the right to take a look at it, shouldn't I?"
Hearing this, Bai Di had a change of heart. At this moment, everyone in the hall was focusing their attention on the two of them.
Even if Bai Zheng had become much more scheming, she surely didn't have the ability to pull off a switch - and - bait trick. Letting her take a look shouldn't be a problem, right?
Bai Zheng's voice continued, "Whether this Skin - Whitening Cream was sent by the Bai Mansion or not, we should at least let someone from the Bai Mansion take a look and confirm it, shouldn't we?
Now that my father and mother are not here, I, as their daughter, can take a look on their behalf. If it was really sent by the Bai Mansion, we will surely bear the blame.
But if it wasn't sent by the Bai Mansion... Justice has long arms. We will surely find evidence to prove the innocence of the Bai Mansion."
"You finally admit that this matter has something to do with you!" A cruel smile appeared on Bai Di's face.
Who admitted it?
Bai Zheng couldn't help laughing. "Whether it has something to do with me or not depends entirely on Second Sister's words, doesn't it? Second Sister keeps saying that this thing was sent by the Bai Mansion. Even if I want to clear myself of the suspicion now, I'm afraid Second Sister won't allow it, right?
Or is Second Sister afraid that I can find evidence to prove the innocence of the Bai Mansion from this Skin - Whitening Cream, which is why you've been reluctant to let me take a look?"
These words instantly enraged Bai Di. She stared wide - eyed and shouted, "Who's afraid?"
"You're right. Justice has long arms. If it was done by your Bai Mansion, no amount of your sophistry will be useful!" Bai Di said excitedly as she pushed Zisu and handed the Skin - Whitening Cream in front of Bai Zheng. "I'd like to see what tricks you can play with so many people watching!"
Bai Zheng's eyes curved into a crescent. She took the Skin - Whitening Cream without hesitation and said in a sweet voice, "Thank you, Second Sister."
Bai Di let out a cold snort from the tip of her nose but didn't reply.
Everyone in the hall stared with wide eyes, watching Bai Zheng's every move.
Bai Zheng's phoenix - embroidered wedding dress had been taken away by the imperial physicians to study the Tuwu herb. Now she was wearing a new bride's bright red daily dress made of golden - threaded warbler feathers prepared by Feng Linyuan for her.
She reached out to take the Skin - Whitening Cream. The wide sleeve of her daily dress fluttered over the jar as she moved.
For a moment, the Skin - Whitening Cream was completely covered by the sleeve, but soon, as Bai Zheng moved, the sleeve slid over the jar, revealing the whole jar again.
Bai Zheng pinched the delicate jar of the Skin - Whitening Cream with her slender fingers. After taking a close look for a while, she slightly raised her eyebrows and asked, "Second Sister, are you sure that it was because you applied this Skin - Whitening Cream to your face and not something else?"
"Of course!" Bai Di gritted her teeth. "The doctor said that although the Tuwu herb is highly poisonous, if it wasn't in daily contact with my face, it wouldn't have ruined my appearance like this!
Among all the things you sent, apart from this Skin - Whitening Cream, which I cherished and applied to my face every day, there was nothing else that received such treatment..."
Zisu also chimed in, "Poor Madam. She was overjoyed when she saw the Skin - Whitening Cream and never missed applying it every day."
"So, Second Sister only applied the Skin - Whitening Cream to her face every day and nothing else?" Bai Zheng asked persistently.
Zisu was a bit hesitant when asked this question. She looked at Bai Di suspiciously.
At first, Bai Di was very obedient and applied the medicine to her face every day. But since Bai Nianyin came back, after she picked at the scabs on her face, she never applied the medicine again.
But only the two of them, mistress and servant, knew about this...
Bai Di replied, "Of course, there was also the medicine prescribed by the doctor. I never forgot to apply it to my face every day."
Bai Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Maybe there's something wrong with the medicine you applied to your face every day?"
"Absolutely impossible!" Bai Di denied loudly. "Zisu went to the pharmacy to buy the medicine herself. She decocted it and filtered out the dregs before giving it to me."
Zisu understood and quickly said aggrievedly, "This servant felt very sorry for Madam's injury and wanted Madam to recover quickly. Since I didn't trust others, I did everything myself, from getting the medicine to boiling it. There must be no problem."
"Oh..." Bai Zheng's gaze swept over Zisu and she nodded meaningfully, echoing, "So it was Zisu who kept an eye on it. With Zisu's loyalty to Second Sister, I'm sure there must be nothing wrong with the medicine."
Bai Zheng's words were light, like a feather brushing across Zisu's heart.
Zisu lowered her head. A sudden sense of unease welled up in her heart.
"In that case, the Skin - Whitening Cream is indeed highly suspect." Bai Zheng said. Then she lowered her head and took a light sniff. "The smell does seem similar to what was on my clothes just now..."
"You finally admit it!" Bai Di got excited and was about to blame Bai Zheng.
Bai Zheng calmly interrupted Bai Di's out - burst of blame. "But it's not the smell of the Tuwu herb."
Bai Di was stunned for a moment and finally understood what Bai Zheng meant. "What did you say?!"
"It does smell a bit like it, but it should not be the Tuwu herb." Bai Zheng said affirmatively.
"Impossible! There's definitely Tuwu herb in it. No amount of your sophistry will be useful!"
Bai Di snatched the Skin - Whitening Cream from Bai Zheng's hand. She looked around and then rushed in front of Imperial Physician Zhang. Her hands were shaking constantly with excitement. "Imperial Physician, take a look and see if there's Tuwu herb in it!"
Imperial Physician Zhang hesitated and looked up at Feng Linche. Seeing Feng Linche nod slightly, he then took the Skin - Whitening Cream and took a careful sniff. His already weathered face instantly wrinkled.
He sniffed it again and again, then walked back to the other imperial physicians and passed it to each of them for careful study.
"Well, is there Tuwu herb in it?" Feng Jingye was the most curious.
If, as Bai Di said, there was Tuwu herb in it, then Bai Zheng would surely not end well today.
Even if she became the wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan and had Feng Linyuan as her backer, so what if she had harmed the legitimate wife of the eldest son of the Duke of Chen's Mansion? The Duke of Chen's Mansion could still hold her accountable.
Feng Linyuan watched all this with a smiling face. He walked to Bai Zheng's side, took Bai Zheng's hand hidden in her sleeve and slowly pried open Bai Zheng's tightly - clenched fist.
"What secret technique did Zheng'er use this time?"
He felt the cold cylindrical tube in Bai Zheng's palm. Curious, he asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
Bai Zheng looked at the imperial physicians not far away who were completely stumped by the Skin - Whitening Cream. A sneer curled up on her lips as she whispered back.
"You may not have heard of it - "