Chapter 42: Receiving Punishment

Qiuyun was kneeling in front of Hua Mengshi in a small rundown pavilion in the back garden. Hua Mengshi gave the girl such a frosty stare, even Surou had to suppress a shiver. "Speak! Did you put the drug into the soup?" "Yes! Madame, I did not betray you! I placed the laxative into the soup! I don’t know why it didn’t work!" Qiuyun said with a look of terror. "Oh, you did, did you? That was the strongest laxative the doctor had." Hua Mengshi smiled evilly. "I heard that Hua Qiyue is giving out cash to her servants like there’s no tomorrow. Tell me, Qiuyun… how much did it cost for you to betray me?" Qiuyun bowed so low her head was resting on the floor. "No! Please, believe me... I never even saw a copper coin!" Hua Mengshi narrowed her eyes. She’d had Qiuyun monitored constantly, and it didn’t appear that she had been bribed by Hua Qiyue. But if Qiuyun had, indeed, drugged the soup, and had watched Hua Qiyue drink it, how could the laxative not have worked? Had