Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Time to eat, time to eat!
Jiang Yunsui was more enthusiastic about mealtime than anyone else.
She hadn’t expected that when she stepped out, she would find Shen Qingzhu still there. He was standing by the dining table, staring at a particular dish with a grave expression.
Uncle Li stood beside him, his face equally grim.
Ji Yan’an’s expression darkened the moment he saw the situation.
Jiang Yunsui hopped over, but seeing the heavy atmosphere, she suddenly didn’t dare to speak. She tried her best to shrink back and minimize her presence.
“It’s Moonflower Powder.”
Shen Qingzhu picked up a piece of the food with his chopsticks and held it to his nose to confirm. “This substance can trigger the poison inside the Young Master’s body.”
Jiang Yunsui looked at the dish and felt it looked somewhat familiar. An uneasy feeling stirred in her heart.
Ji Yan’an’s voice was cold. “Bring everyone who has come into contact with this dish here.”
It seemed there would be no dinner today.
Jiang Yunsui rubbed her stomach, but she knew this wasn’t the time for her to speak up.
Soon, everyone who had handled the dish was brought out to the courtyard. Jiang Yunsui followed them out and saw Cook Chen kneeling on the ground.
There were five people in total, including Cook Chen, the head chef, the kitchen assistants, and the maid who had delivered the food. They were currently kneeling on the ground, trembling with pale faces.
Jiang Yunsui was also in a panic. By now, she had a good idea of what that dish was.
It was the mushrooms she had dug up.
What should she do?
She walked over to Cook Chen’s side with a trembling gait and knelt down obediently, her small face white with fear.
The eyes of Ji Yan’an and the others immediately fell upon her.
“What are you doing now?”
Ji Yan’an’s eyes were dark and heavy. This little maid truly had a knack for doing the unexpected.
Cook Chen’s face grew even paler as she looked at Jiang Yunsui.
Jiang Yunsui swallowed hard in fear. “I… those big mushrooms… I, I dug them up.”
She gripped Cook Chen’s hand tightly, her soft voice trembling. “They… they aren’t poisonous.”
Ji Yan’an stared at her with a heavy gaze.
Shen Qingzhu spoke up then. “That type of mushroom isn’t poisonous. The poison was added afterward.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yunsui relaxed slightly.
“Then… then Aunt Chen, she…”
“Shut up. I will do the questioning.”
Jiang Yunsui obediently shut her mouth. Of course, the main reason was that Ji Yan’an’s gaze was far too fierce.
She didn’t get up, remaining knelt beside Cook Chen as she listened to Ji Yan’an interrogate the others.
Cook Chen was naturally questioned as well, but she hadn’t touched the Delicious Mushrooms again after handing them over to the head chef.
Shen Qingzhu noted, “Moonflower Powder dissolves in water. Any vegetables sent to the kitchen should have been washed, so…”
If Cook Chen hadn’t touched the Delicious Mushrooms after that point, she could basically be ruled out.
Cook Chen was quick-witted and followed up immediately. “I am a cook, but my main responsibility is preparing meals for the servants alongside another cook. We work in a different kitchen. After I handed the Delicious Mushrooms over to the main kitchen, I never went back inside. The others in the servants’ kitchen can testify to that.”
The others also defended themselves, and none of them looked like they were lying.
Ji Yan’an remained silent, but Uncle Li knew his mood was extremely foul right now.
Shen Qingzhu said, “Moonflower Powder carries a unique fragrance. If I remember correctly, the Ji Family Army has specially trained hounds, don’t they?”
Ji Yan’an commanded, “Nanmo, go bring Heiwa here.”
While Nanmo went to get the hound, Ji Yan’an didn’t just wait around.
“Think carefully. Did anyone else touch that dish midway through? If we can’t find the culprit, I would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go.”
His voice was young and even somewhat pleasant to the ear, yet his words carried a chilling sense of slaughter.
This was a version of Ji Yan’an that Jiang Yunsui had never seen before. He wasn’t joking.
Realizing this, Jiang Yunsui huddled even closer to Cook Chen.
She pursed her small lips and remained silent.
“I-I remember now.”
The maid who had delivered the dishes spoke with a trembling voice. “It was Zhou Zhuzhu. It was Zhou Zhuzhu! Just as I was about to serve the dishes, she leaned over and opened them to take a look. She said she wanted to see Chef Zhu’s culinary skills so she could learn from him later.”
Ji Yan’an’s gaze fell upon Chef Zhu.
Chef Zhu was shaking all over, and at this moment, he hated Zhou Zhuzhu to death in his heart.
“Young Master, I only gave her some pointers on a few dishes because her mother and I are from the same hometown. There is absolutely no other relationship between us!”
Jiang Yunsui felt a bit dazed; that name sounded somewhat familiar.
Ji Yan’an ordered, “Go and bring them here.”
They didn’t have to wait long before Aunt Zhou and her daughter, Zhou Zhuzhu, were brought in.
It suddenly clicked for Jiang Yunsui. So it was them; no wonder the name sounded familiar.
As soon as the two arrived, they began shouting about being wronged.
Ji Yan’an said coldly, “Zhou Zhuzhu, you were the one who put the Moonflower Powder into the food.”
Zhou Zhuzhu’s face turned pale, and her eyes darted around erratically, a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
However, she kept shaking her head, saying she didn’t do it and didn’t know anything.
Aunt Zhou was also trembling violently.
“Young Master, Young Master, we don’t know anything about any powder! It was her! It must be that there was something wrong with the mushrooms she delivered!”
Aunt Zhou pointed flusteredly at Cook Chen.
Ji Yan’an suddenly smiled, but it was a smile that made one’s skin crawl.
“When did this Young Master ever say which dish had a problem?”
Aunt Zhou’s mind went blank instantly. She wanted to explain herself, but her mouth opened and closed, only managing to stammer out incoherent words.
“I don’t know… it must be… no, I mean…”
Cold sweat poured down her face.
Zhou Zhuzhu was a bit smarter; she slammed her forehead against the ground with a series of loud thuds.
“Young Master, my mother meant that because she saw Cook Chen here, she assumed it was a problem with the mushrooms. Since Cook Chen hasn’t had any contact with the main kitchen other than delivering those mushrooms, she just guessed.”
Aunt Zhou nodded hurriedly. “Yes, yes, yes! That’s how it was!”
But in his heart, Ji Yan’an was already certain that the Moonflower Powder was related to these two.
At that moment, Nanmo entered leading a dog.
The dog was entirely black with sleek, shiny fur, looking very robust and healthy.
“Young Master, Heiwa is here.”
Jiang Yunsui couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances at the dog.
The black dog noticed her too. Suddenly, it took a sharp turn, dragging Nanmo along as it ran straight to Jiang Yunsui.
Once again, Jiang Yunsui successfully attracted everyone’s attention.
Jiang Yunsui: “…”
*I don’t want this kind of attention, thank you very much.*
She took a stealthy glance at Ji Yan’an and used her small hand to push away the dog’s head as it tried to nuzzle her.
“You’re working, go back quickly.”
The dog’s tail wagged so fast it became a blur, persistently trying to snuggle against Jiang Yunsui.
Nanmo couldn’t even pull him back.
Jiang Yunsui felt a sense of despair. They were in the middle of investigating a criminal, yet this dog suddenly crowded around her. The Young Master wouldn’t misunderstand, would he?
“Heiwa, come here.”
The big black dog looked at Ji Yan’an, gave Jiang Yunsui one last nuzzle, and then trotted over to sit beside Ji Yan’an.
In that position, he actually showed some of the steadiness expected of a pack leader.
Ji Yan’an placed his hand on the black dog’s head.
“Go bring that dish out.”
Nanny Zhou nodded slightly and brought out the dish made with the Delicious Mushroom.
“Go.”
Ji Yan’an patted Heiwa’s head, and Heiwa immediately leaned in to take a sniff.
“Woof!”
Ji Yan’an stared at the people below. “Find it.”
Heiwa immediately set off on his four legs. Wherever he passed, people trembled in fear.
Finally, Heiwa stopped in front of the Zhou Mother and Daughter: “Woof! Woof!”