The heavy rain continued to fall, growing heavier and heavier, pounding the ground like hailstones, causing hearts to tighten involuntarily along with this evening’s downpour.
Liu Yunzhu sat in the room continuously wiping away tears, occasionally walking to the doorway to look out, wanting to know whether her older sister had entered the city yet. Had her health improved?
A’Yi worried she would let her imagination run wild, so she specially came over to keep her company. Seeing her standing in the doorway facing the wind, she quickly pulled her inside, grasping her ice-cold hands and comforting her: “Alright, don’t worry anymore. Your sister will definitely be fine.”
“I’m scared.”
“Don’t be scared. Good people have their own celestial protection.”
“I’ve never been apart from my sister. This time when she left, I… I…” As she spoke, Liu Yunzhu began crying softly again.
Her small hands kept wiping away tears. A’Yi wasn’t very good at comforting people, especially when facing a small child—she knew even less what to say. She could only hold Liu Yunzhu’s hands, stroke her head, and coax her to rest early. Tomorrow morning at first light, they could enter the city to see her sister. Liu Yunzhu sniffled, truly exhausted from crying. Finally she went to bed, tossing and turning several times before eventually falling asleep. A’Yi also quietly withdrew.
At this moment in the front hall, Ji Yunshu was questioning those two cooks.
“What exactly is going on with the poison in the porridge?” She wasn’t saying she suspected anyone specifically, but rather wanted to get to the bottom of things. The two cooks were both women in their fifties—one called San Niang, one called Aunt Wang. They were professional chefs specially arranged by Su Ziluo to take care of Ji Yunshu’s meals. Both were honest, upstanding people with clean backgrounds. Usually they were very agreeable, saying one when they meant one, never careless. They were also extremely meticulous in caring for people, with very gentle personalities. Moreover, they had never met Liu Yunyan before and had no connection whatsoever. To say they had administered the poison was truly somewhat unreasonable and completely without evidence. But since Ji Yunshu had already asked this way, San Niang said: “Miss Ji, that poison wasn’t administered by us! We have no grievances or enmity with that Miss Liu, we don’t even know her, have never even met her face—how could we poison and harm her? Although I made that porridge, it doesn’t make sense to say the poison was accidentally added! I prepared the porridge according to my usual method. I had no poison at hand—how could I accidentally get poison mixed into it? Miss Ji, you must believe us.”
Aunt Wang also said: “That’s right, it absolutely wasn’t us. I think that poison must have been added at some other time.”
“When the porridge was being prepared, did anyone else come in?”
“No, just the two of us.”
“Did either of you leave during that time?”
“No.” Both shook their heads one after another.
Ji Yunshu’s eyes darkened slightly, her expression grave.
San Niang said anxiously: “This matter must definitely be thoroughly investigated.”
Aunt Wang also chimed in: “That’s right, it must be carefully and thoroughly investigated. If someone dies, it has nothing to do with us.”
After listening to their words, Ji Yunshu said: “I believe this matter has nothing to do with you. I’m just asking, with no other intention.” Though this put them at ease, Aunt Wang still had some concerns. She asked tremblingly: “However, Miss Ji, this matter did happen here after all, and the poison was discovered in the porridge. If by chance… Miss Liu has an accident before reaching Yanjing City, will we suffer disaster? Won’t we also be implicated?”
Ji Yunshu’s tone was gentle: “If you haven’t done it, naturally you needn’t be afraid.”
“You can’t say it that way. Right now the biggest suspects are San Niang and myself. If we can’t produce evidence to prove our innocence, the authorities won’t know what to do either.” With this said, San Niang also became somewhat frightened. A layer of sweat formed in her palms. She licked her lips and said: “Yes, this matter could be big or small. It absolutely mustn’t implicate me. I have elders above and youngsters below, a whole household to feed. If something happens to me, they won’t survive either. Please, please don’t pin this matter on me!”
“I’m also worried.” Ji Yunshu listened to them—one sentence of worry on the left, one sentence of worry on the right. Would such timid, family-minded people poison someone completely unrelated to themselves? Wasn’t this clearly seeking death? Moreover, there was no benefit or value whatsoever. For now, the possibility of them administering poison could be completely ruled out.
“You can be completely at ease. Even if something happens later, I will definitely protect you.” San Niang and Aunt Wang exchanged glances. They knew Miss Ji must have some capability—otherwise the esteemed General Su wouldn’t take such good care of her. Since they had received this assurance, they naturally set their hearts at ease. Seeing that it was already late and with the heavy rain making it truly cold, they both returned to their rooms to rest. Just after they left, A’Yi came over, carrying a small hand warmer in her hands, which she tucked into Ji Yunshu’s hands, telling her to hold it well.
“Miss, how was it? Did you find out anything?”
She cradled the hand warmer in her palms, her body warming considerably. She said: “I think this matter should have nothing to do with San Niang and Aunt Wang.”
A’Yi’s expression soured, her brows furrowing. She said pitifully: “Miss, it’s true that I was the one who brought that bowl of porridge, but the poison absolutely wasn’t administered by me. You must believe me too.”
“You couldn’t do such a thing either.”
“Even with the greatest courage, this servant would never dare.” A’Yi said earnestly, then thought worriedly: “But this servant can’t figure out no matter how hard I think—why would there be poison in the porridge? Since it wasn’t administered by any of us, then who could it be?”
“If my speculation is correct… then it should have been administered by someone following beside Miss Liu.”
“Putting it that way, wouldn’t it be the maid by her side? At that time in the room, besides Miss Liu, there was only her.” “This speculation isn’t wrong, but I saw that maid’s expression full of worry, her face covered in tears, extremely concerned and caring toward her own mistress. It doesn’t seem like she administered the poison. But if it really was her, then that maid is quite a formidable character—she could actually escape my eyes.” Ji Yunshu said this because she had seen that at the time, the maid didn’t seem to be pretending. The worry she displayed was completely genuine. If it was an act, then that kind of person would truly be too terrifying.
A’Yi, however, insisted: “It must have been her who administered the poison. Besides her, there’s no one else. It couldn’t be that Miss Liu herself administered the poison, could it?”
Eh!
“Administered it herself?” Ji Yunshu began pondering over this phrase.
“Of course not! Otherwise it was a ghost who did it.”
“What you’re saying actually has some merit to it.”
“Ah? Miss, you don’t actually think… it really was a ghost who administered it, do you? I was just speaking casually!” A’Yi shuddered all over, feeling a chill down her spine, extremely frightened.
Ji Yunshu looked at her with amusement: “When did I say it was a ghost who administered the poison?”
“Didn’t you just say it had some merit?”
“I meant your earlier suspicion that Miss Liu herself administered the poison.”
“Oh!” A’Yi laughed awkwardly.
Ji Yunshu glanced outside, then asked: “How is that little girl?”
“She’s already fallen asleep. She cried for a long time, constantly worried that Miss Liu would have an accident. Her eyes are badly swollen and red. This servant spoke to her for quite a while before getting her to go to bed and rest.”
“Take good care of her. A young girl encountering this kind of thing will naturally feel somewhat worried and afraid.”
“Yes, this servant will look after her well tonight.”
It was getting late. Ji Yunshu couldn’t wait for Jingrong to arrive now, so she could only return to her room. A’Yi accompanied her together to the back courtyard. But just as they reached the corridor, they heard a sharp scream.
The voice’s distinguishing features were very clear—obviously Liu Yunzhu’s voice.
“It’s that little girl.”
Following the sound, it was indeed coming from the room where Liu Yunzhu was staying.
A’Yi was startled: “Miss Ji, this…?”
“Let’s go see.”
The two quickly went over. When they reached the doorway, another scream came from inside. Ji Yunshu pushed the door and entered. Inside the room was pitch black, with only a bit of light from the lantern at the doorway shining in.
“Little girl?” Ji Yunshu called out while groping her way straight toward the bed. But after only a few steps, a force suddenly struck the back of her neck, hitting so hard it felt like her neck would break. She had no time to mind the pain, completely no time to turn around to see exactly who it was. A wave of dizziness rushed straight to her brain. Her vision went black, her body swayed lightly, and then she fell down.
The coolness of the floor instantly spread throughout her entire body.
A huge shadow was also gradually looming over her…
She gradually lost consciousness.