"Nonsense, utter nonsense."
Old Master Xiao slammed the table, "I didn't do it, I absolutely did not do these things. Grandma Xu, whose orders are you following to pin the crime of harming your own brother on me?"
Old Master Xiao's anger seemed genuine, but Tian Jing paid it no mind.
"Old Master Xiao, Grandma Xu is your wife's person. Everyone knows this. It wasn't a covert arrangement; it was an overt forced bestowal."
"I don't care if you did it, or if your wife did it in your name."
"I don't care if Second Master Xiao is framing you, or if outsiders are involved. These are matters for you to investigate."
"I am holding you responsible based on Grandma Xu's confession. Do you feel wronged and aggrieved? Who is more wronged and aggrieved than my maternal grandfather?"
"He has retreated step by step, all the way here, and you still want this courtyard. You still won't let go of his only daughter."
"Such a Xiao Wei is not just his shame, but the shame of all the Xiao family. Fighting amongst yourselves and becoming a laughingstock for others – wouldn't your father jump out of his coffin?"
"I don't care how you Xiao family fight and squabble. From now on, my maternal grandfather is under my protection. Anyone who dares to reach out again will have their claws severed."
Old Master Xiao's expression shifted from one hue to another, then he slumped back into his chair, "Grandma Xu, who is truly your master?"
Grandma Xu shook her head blankly, "I always thought it was you, Old Master, because Madam Yao, who is always with Madam, would inform me."
"Brother."
Second Master Xiao glared at his elder brother, "I didn't expect Eldest Sister-in-law to frame us like this. In the end, we are..."
"Be patient."
Old Master Xiao waved a hand at his second brother and addressed the kneeling Grandma Xu.
"Is there an antidote for this poison?"
Grandma Xu shook her head again, "I heard it was incurable, but Master he..."
"Grandma Xu~"
Tian Jing's cold voice interrupted Grandma Xu, "Such a servant, who would dare to trust her? Who would dare to use her? Betraying masters on both sides, and still not knowing who the real master is?"
"Heh, Old Master Xiao, your son can't be completely trusted either."
"Forget it, this is your family matter. Now she is surrendering to you, and she wants to return to her son. Will you give her a chance?"
"This?" Old Master Xiao hesitated. He truly didn't dare to take back such an easily betraying servant.
Grandma Xu's face drained of color. The young lady was too ruthless, threatening her with her son's future, forbidding her to reveal the master's physical condition.
Moreover, the young lady hadn't directly ordered her to administer the poison. And when the young master's consort gave her the packet of medicine, no one else was present.
And now, the old master was hesitating. She wouldn't be able to go back, would she?
Grandma Xu straightened her back, then it suddenly softened. She abruptly shoved the small paper packet in her hand into her mouth. She had no way out.
"Quick, stop her!"
Old Master Xiao waved his hand, and the servants behind him rushed to pry Grandma Xu's mouth open.
Tian Jing merely watched.
Xiao Wei was stunned for a long time before she could process all the information she had heard.
So, she was Grandma Xu's target.
In her mind, she recalled the words "utterly foolish" that Tian Jing had spoken.
No! Her father, her father's health?
Xiao Wei stood up and stumbled towards the exit, wanting to see her father.
Her father only had a cold and cough; he wasn't poisoned, not poisoned, not poisoned.
Tian Jing flickered and grabbed her arm, "Where are you going?"
Xiao Wei turned blankly, "To see my father. My father will be fine, he will definitely be fine. I'll take my father to see a doctor, to see a doctor."
"Sit down."
Tian Jing impatiently pulled Xiao Wei back to the chair, "If you upset him fewer times, he'll be fine. You are forty-three years old, and your father is over sixty. How many times can you upset him?"
"Impossible, you're lying. I'm still young, it's impossible, you're lying."
"Be quiet!" Tian Jing raised her hand and made a chopping motion towards her, "Keep making noise, and I'll knock you out."
Xiao Wei fell silent, leaning back in her chair, lost in thought.
The paper packet in Grandma Xu's mouth was pried out, but she had chewed it to pieces. The powder had already dissolved in her mouth.
Grandma Xu chuckled and fell to the ground, "Freedom, finally freedom."
She closed her eyes, waiting for the poison to take effect.
Tian Jing kicked her, "Get aside. It was only a single dose for my maternal grandfather. My grandfather is still here, you won't die. What are you pretending for?"
Grandma Xu raised her eyelids, "I added more medicine myself. I know this is a gamble. I've had enough of not being able to stay by my son's side. I miss my son, boohoo..."
Tian Jing looked at Old Master Xiao, "Look at the sins you've committed. Her husband had just passed away, and you forcibly separated mother and son."
"Even now, there is no possibility of them reuniting. What hope does a woman have for living?"
Old Master Xiao sighed, "Grandma Xu, I'll take you back."
"Too late," Grandma Xu said weakly, "Too late. I'm going to join her father."
Tian Jing's lips curled into a cold sneer, "Don't you want to be buried with your husband?"
Grandma Xu seemed to regain a sliver of strength, "Yes, yes. Thank you, Old Master, for your grace. Thank you, Old Master, for agreeing to take me back."
"No need to thank me. This is what Madam and I owe you. Jingjing is right, our actions were too cruel."
Old Master Xiao waved his hand, and the servant behind him stepped forward and stood by his side, "Master."
"Go call the police. Say a murder case has occurred here."
The servant nodded, "Yes."
"Hehehehe." Tian Jing sneered and kicked Grandma Xu again, "See? Your Old Master is so kind? He has used you completely, and only after you draw your last breath will he extract your final value."
"Jingjing!"
Old Master Xiao slammed the table again, "Why are you instigating a dying person? You poisoned and tried to harm us, that is a fact."
Tian Jing smiled at him, "Where is the evidence?"
"Grandma Xu is the evidence."
Tian Jing shook her head, "She is about to die. The dead cannot testify."
"She is committing suicide out of guilt, she was instructed by you, her conscience got the better of her. And we are all witnesses."
Tian Jing shook her head again, "They are your relatives and servants. Their testimony is unreliable. Since Grandma Xu is my person, Zheng Ge, take Grandma Xu down."
"No," Old Master Xiao personally blocked Li Zheng Guo, who was bending down to lift Grandma Xu.
"We just agreed. I'm taking Grandma Xu back to reunite with her son."
Tian Jing asked in a deep voice, "Do the Xiao family members always keep their word?"
"Yes!"
Tian Jing was still not reassured and continued to ask Second Master Xiao, "Second Master Xiao, do you also believe Grandma Xu must go back with Old Master Xiao?"
"Yes."
Tian Jing then asked Xiao Xue Qi and Xiao Xue Ping, "Do you also believe so?"
The two cousins nodded in unison, "Yes."
Tian Jing then turned back to Old Master Xiao, "Are you truly taking Grandma Xu back to reunite with her son? Not to discard her somewhere after she testifies?"
Old Master Xiao nodded firmly, "They have been separated for twenty years, it's time for a reunion."
"And you will keep your word?"
"Yes," Old Master Xiao nodded his head still firmly.
Tian Jing helped him to continue, "If you break your word, may lightning strike your entire family, may your entire family be hit by a car when going out, choke on food when eating, and drown in water when drinking. In short, you will face retribution."
Old Master Xiao's old eyes widened, "You? You are too vicious."
Tian Jing sneered, "Aren't you confident you can do it? I am making the final plea for Grandma Xu. If you dare not agree, it means you would even lie to a dying person, showing no integrity at all."
"I agree."
Old Master Xiao angrily agreed. It was just taking a dying person back, wasn't it?
Not only could it help them test the antidote, but perhaps it could also help them smoothly acquire this courtyard without spending a single cent.