Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Meanwhile, at the Shen Residence, Shen Si sat behind his desk.
Tall and imposing, he lounged lazily in his chair, his brows lowered as he read the report his subordinate had delivered.
Only after he finished did the subordinate standing beside him continue in a low voice. “From what I discovered, Xie Yuheng truly has little affection for his wife. Even the servants at Xie Residence are well aware of it.”
“Li Mingrou has lived at Xie Residence for nearly ten years. Apparently, she and Xie Yuheng were childhood sweethearts. If the Xie Family’s Eldest Young Madam hadn’t arrived with the marriage agreement back then, Xie Yuheng and Li Mingrou likely would have married. That’s why everyone at Xie Residence believes the woman he loves is Li Mingrou.”
As he spoke, he took out a white jade vial from inside his robe and presented it to Shen Si with both hands. “However, Li Mingrou doesn’t seem nearly as gentle or kind as the reports from Xie Residence suggest. While investigating the Red Poison Bug today, I also discovered that Li Mingrou has been buying this particular drug for the past three years. She bought it from the same merchant from the Western Regions.”
“I made careful inquiries about its effects. It not only renders a man temporarily infertile, but also diminishes his interest in bedroom matters. There is practically no demand for such a drug, yet Li Mingrou buys more every few months.”
Intrigued, Shen Si raised the vial and examined it. He pulled out the stopper, revealing white powder inside, then lifted his chin slightly and asked, “What harm does prolonged use do to the body?”
His subordinate promptly replied, “It doesn’t cause any other harm to his health. As long as he stops taking it for six months, he can father children again. It’s just that I’ve heard if a man takes it for too long, his… performance in that regard may begin to fail.”
“I heard Xie Yuheng’s wife has been childless for three years…”
Halfway through his sentence, he caught the cold look the Marquis sent him. He immediately fell silent, not daring to say another word.
Shen Si’s gaze stilled on the vial in his hand, his fingertips tapping lightly against the desk.
Early the next morning, Ji Hanyi did not go to pay her respects. Instead, Rongchun hurried to First Madam’s quarters as soon as the sun rose.
Madam Lin had just been frowning as she complained to the matron beside her that Ji Hanyi was becoming increasingly unruly, to the point that she had even begun neglecting her morning greetings. No sooner had she finished speaking than Rongchun rushed in from outside and dropped to her knees, weeping.
The instant First Madam saw Rongchun, her brows drew together. She rebuked her, “Why are you crying first thing in the morning?”
Wiping away her tears, Rongchun sobbed, “First Madam, something has happened to my Young Madam.”
Impatience crept into Madam Lin’s eyes when she heard this. “What happened this time?”
Rongchun answered anxiously, “Yesterday, my Young Madam went to Shen Residence and visited Old Madam Shen. While she was with Old Madam Shen, her entire body suddenly began burning with fever. Old Madam Shen immediately summoned the residence physician, who said my Young Madam had been poisoned by a Red Poison Bug.”
“The physician treated her on the spot, and my Young Madam initially thought she had recovered. She also felt it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble, so she didn’t mention it after returning home.”
“But who could have known the poison hadn’t been fully neutralized at all? This morning, my Young Madam was in so much pain that she couldn’t get out of bed. She felt a little better after taking the medicine prescribed by the physician at Shen Residence yesterday, but I’m worried about her. That physician said the Red Poison Bug can only be found in the Western Regions, so someone obviously tried to harm my Young Madam on purpose.”
“This morning, Shen Residence sent word that they had found the shopkeeper from the Western Regions who sold the Red Poison Bug. The shopkeeper said the person who came to buy it was a young maidservant. He has already been escorted here to identify the buyer and is waiting in the front courtyard. First Madam, please seek justice for my Young Madam.”
As soon as Rongchun finished, Li Mingrou, who was sitting beside Madam Lin, suffered a slight change in expression.
How could an ordinary physician possibly recognize the venom of a Red Poison Bug? Very few people even knew about the poisonous creature.
Besides, its venom wasn’t difficult to neutralize. All one needed to do was soak in water. There was certainly no possibility of it causing pain so severe that someone couldn’t get out of bed. So much time had already passed. How could Ji Hanyi still be in pain?
Li Mingrou had been certain she’d left no traces behind, and suspicion immediately rose within her. She turned to Rongchun, who was still kneeling below, and demanded, “Why are you making up such nonsense?”
“You’ve even brought someone to Xie Residence to identify the culprit. Are you suggesting someone here tried to harm my cousin-in-law?”
“What if the culprit came from outside Xie Residence?”
She then looked at Madam Lin. “Aunt, I think we should first go and see what’s really wrong with her. What if there’s been some misunderstanding?”
Li Mingrou was now certain Ji Hanyi was pretending. The effects of Red Poison Bug venom couldn’t possibly last this long, and she could hardly wait to expose her.
Rongchun looked up at Li Mingrou through tear-filled eyes. “You’ve misunderstood, young cousin. I’m not insisting it had to be someone from Xie Residence. But this is a serious matter, and it must be investigated. If we don’t find out who poisoned the Young Madam, what if they try to harm her again?”
As soon as Rongchun finished speaking, an imposing voice came from outside.
“That girl is right.”
The speaker was Old Madam Xie, who had not made an appearance in quite some time.
The moment Madam Lin saw Old Madam Xie enter, she hurried to her feet and helped her to a seat.
Seeing that Old Madam Xie had finally come to uphold justice, Rongchun immediately relaxed.
No wonder the Young Madam had instructed her to seek out Old Madam Xie before coming to the First Madam.
The First Madam had never paid much attention to the Young Madam’s affairs and was biased toward Li Mingrou. If she was swayed by a few words from Li Mingrou, Rongchun would have had to waste much more breath persuading her.
Judging by the First Madam’s expression just now, she clearly had no desire to involve herself.
Rongchun could not help feeling bitterly disappointed.
Old Madam Xie wore a grave expression. The moment she settled into the seat of honor, she fixed Madam Lin with a cold stare. “Hanyi was harmed while visiting the Shen Family, yet you’re leaving it to the Shen Family to help find the culprit. What? Is the Xie Family not going to concern itself with its own daughter-in-law?”
“If word gets out, aren’t you afraid people will mock you for being a heartless mother-in-law?”
Old Madam Xie had long since withdrawn from household affairs, leaving everything in Madam Lin’s hands and allowing her to manage the entire family. She understood that her children and grandchildren had their own lives to lead. Interfering too much would only sow discord within the residence, so she had simply let go and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
But stepping back did not mean she would ignore everything, nor did it mean every filthy deed in the residence could be kept from her.
Seeing that the Old Madam was angry, Madam Lin hastily stood to one side and explained anxiously, “You’ve misunderstood me, Old Madam. She is my daughter-in-law. How could I possibly ignore this?”
“It’s just that Mingrou made a reasonable point. Who in Xie Residence would want to harm Hanyi? Could she have made an enemy outside? Shouldn’t we at least see her and ask her about it first?”
Old Madam Xie cast Madam Lin a frosty glance, utterly disappointed in this daughter-in-law.
Madam Lin was indeed capable of managing a household, but she came from an ordinary family and lacked the bearing expected of someone in her position.
She was petty, narrow-minded, and terribly shortsighted. Even in the face of such a serious matter, she remained completely unconcerned.
The Shen Residence had sent someone over with a lead. And what sort of distinguished household was the Shen Residence? It had produced a Grand Chancellor, then an Empress, and now the entire clan occupied important posts. Why would it need to involve itself in this matter?
Even though Hanyi had come to harm at the Shen Residence, no one would have dared criticize the Shen Residence if it had chosen not to intervene.
Yet the Shen Residence had not only helped investigate the matter but had also sent over a crucial witness. It was obvious the Shen Residence liked Hanyi.
Old Madam Shen had sought out Ji Hanyi for a conversation. Old Madam Xie knew Ji Hanyi’s father had once been the Former Chief Grand Secretary’s favorite student, so it seemed some affection from those days remained. For Madam Lin to react this way could only be called foolish.
Her daughter-in-law had an old connection with the Shen Residence, which might one day provide the family with a path out of trouble. What family in the capital was not bending over backward to establish ties with the Shen Residence? Yet none of this had even crossed Madam Lin’s mind.
Besides, the people from the Shen Residence were already here. How could they possibly refuse to see them?
And if someone in Xie Residence truly was responsible, then they had been harboring a villain under their own roof. The sooner that person was caught, the better, lest they cause more trouble in the future.
Old Madam Xie could no longer be bothered wasting words on Madam Lin. She ordered directly, “Hurry and invite the people from the Shen Residence to the front hall.”
Then she added, “Have every servant in the residence assemble out front. Every last one of them.”
She turned to Madam Lin beside her. “You will come with me to the front hall. The young ladies are to remain in the inner courtyard for now.”
At those words, Li Mingrou shot a meaningful glance at her personal maid, Shuangxi. Understanding at once, Shuangxi hurriedly tried to slip away from the side.
Rongchun had been watching Shuangxi all along. The maid was the key to today’s entire confrontation, so there was no chance Rongchun would let her leave. She sprang up from the floor, blocked Shuangxi’s path, and called out loudly, “All the servants have been ordered to the front courtyard. Where do you think you’re going?”
This mistress-and-servant pair had staged more than their share of schemes to frame Rongchun’s mistress. The Eldest Master had always believed them in the past, leaving her mistress helpless. But this time, Rongchun refused to let them off. She still had a bellyful of resentment waiting to be vented.
Shuangxi had already been sneaking away, and Rongchun’s sudden shout startled her. She quickly composed herself and said, “My mistress’s hands are cold. I’m going to fetch her another hand warmer. What are you shouting for?”
Rongchun gave a cold laugh. “And here I thought you were feeling guilty and afraid the shopkeeper from the Western Regions would identify you.”