Seeing that everyone was looking at her, Yan Qing said: “That Bizhu has a cousin working in Shun Cheng. She came to Shun Cheng specifically to find this cousin, and the things she stole from the mansion were all given to support this cousin. When she fled this time, I had people follow her the whole way. By now, the person has most likely been brought back.”

Brought back?

Madam Shi’s eyes went wide as a pair of bronze bells.

She had no idea this Bizhu had any cousin whatsoever. Most critically — the phrase ‘brought back.’

This was impossible. After completing her task, Bizhu would leave Shun Cheng. She would not return to Lugou County; as for her destination, naturally she would leave Bei Di and go as far away as possible.

As Madam Shi thought this, the cushion beneath her seemed to catch fire, making her almost unable to sit still.

At this moment, the sound of urgent footsteps suddenly came from outside. Soon after, Dihuai and two servants dragged in a disheveled woman. She clutched a leather box tightly to her chest, guarding it as if it were a treasure. It was Bizhu.

When Madam Shi and Yingtao saw Bizhu, the horror in their eyes nearly overflowed. Fortunately Madam Shi had weathered great storms before, and the startled expression flashed across her face only for a moment before being thoroughly concealed.

With an entire room of people watching Bizhu, no one paid attention to Madam Shi.

“Since the person has been captured, so much the better.” Madam Shi spoke with forced composure: “You are Bizhu, are you not? Was it you who placed the gu poison on San Yitai?”

She knew Bizhu would not betray her, because from beginning to end, Bizhu had never known who was directing matters from behind the scenes. She only knew that she needed to firmly point the finger at Er Yitai.

Bizhu knew she could not talk her way out of it, so she trembled and said: “As long as the General spares my life, I guarantee I will tell everything.”

The General saw this principal culprit and was consumed with rage — how could he allow himself to be threatened? His expression darkened: “Take her out and give her a beating. Don’t beat her to death — leave a breath in her. I don’t believe she will still keep silent.”

Hearing this, Bizhu was so frightened her face turned deathly white. She immediately prostrated herself and knocked her head on the floor: “General, please calm your anger. I’ll talk — I’ll say everything.”

Under the collectively fixed gazes of everyone, Bizhu glanced toward Luo Huaimeng: “It… it was Er Yitai. It was she who had me cultivate the gu, and who placed the gu poison in San Yitai’s food and drink. Er Yitai said that San Yitai and her daughter are far too arrogant and must be taught a lesson. She also said… also said that if San Yitai carries this child and gives birth to a son, her status would rise along with it. She cannot allow San Yitai to give birth to this child.”

Luo Huaimeng looked at her, brow furrowed, but said nothing to refute it. She only laughed coldly.

She had once been a child from a poor family herself. Her household had at one point been so destitute they could not even keep food on the table. Her parents could only sell her to a wealthy family as a maidservant. Over the years she had served Madam Shi with dedication and care — at the very least, she had never harbored thoughts of harming or scheming against her.

Having lived through poverty herself, she understood well how hard that life was. And so toward certain poor relatives, she helped whenever she could. Some remembered her kindness, while others were insatiably greedy. But she did not like to quarrel over every little thing, so she simply let them be.

The Bizhu before her was even more detestable than those insatiably greedy relatives. Bizhu clearly knew what position her accusation would place her in, yet she still pointed her finger at her without mercy — utterly disregarding the care and consideration she had shown her all these days.

It seemed that in the future, she ought to heed Xiangxiu’s advice and keep her distance from these relatives rotten to the core. Because some people, no matter how much you give, will always feel it is owed to them. They will not be grateful — they will only blame you for not giving more.

Although Luo Huaimeng had said nothing, Yan Qing had looked over. That sharp gaze fell upon Bizhu’s face, and Bizhu felt a startled shiver, as if the Seventh Young Madam’s bright and piercing eyes could see through the secrets she had hidden away.

“Are you saying that everything was directed by my mother?” Yan Qing’s voice was not severe, yet it carried an invisible pressure. “Then it was also my mother who found you from Lugou County, thousands of li away from Shun Cheng?”

“That… ” Bizhu visibly hesitated.

“As far as I know, although my mother has a distant cousin in Lugou County, they have never been in contact. That cousin does not even know where my mother is, and my mother had no idea that cousin even had a daughter. I am curious — how did Miss Bizhu find her way to Shun Cheng and locate the door of the General’s mansion with such precision? Even a navigation device would be put to shame.”

Everyone’s attention was on Bizhu, and naturally no one asked what a ‘navigation device’ was. Besides, asking such a question out loud would only make one appear ignorant.

“I… I…” No one had ever told Bizhu how to respond to such questioning. To claim it was coincidence — everyone present was no fool; hardly anyone would believe that.

Madam Shi glared at Yan Qing: “The matter at hand is Bizhu casting the gu. Why are you straying further and further from the topic?”

“First Madam, what is the rush? I’ll say the same thing as before: without a complete chain of evidence, no one can be confirmed guilty.” Yan Qing smiled: “To put it bluntly, if I had my maidservant harm someone right now and then turned around and said it was First Madam who ordered it, would you not be wronged?”

“You…” Madam Shi was so choked that her face turned white, and she nearly could not catch her breath.

“Enough.” The General glanced at Madam Shi: “Just listen to Yan Qing’s questioning. If Er Yitai did it, she cannot deny it. If she did not do it, no one will wrong her.”

Madam Shi listened and obediently shut her mouth, but the gaze she directed at Yan Qing was sinister and cold.

Yan Qing paid her no mind whatsoever and continued questioning Bizhu: “You could not possibly have come to Shun Cheng on your own. Setting aside the great distance, the road through Dagu Mountain passes through bandit territory. For a lone woman to pass safely through that area is simply inconceivable. Since you had no means of getting to Shun Cheng yourself, who brought you here, and what was their purpose?”

Bizhu was hemming and hawing and could not get out a coherent answer.

Yan Qing said: “The person who brought you to Shun Cheng — is he a man, around thirty years old, lean, and importantly, missing a piece of his left earlobe?”

Bizhu stared at her in astonishment: “You… how did you know?”

“Then you are admitting it.” Yan Qing smiled and looked toward the General. “General, is there such a man in our mansion?”

The General looked toward the household manager standing nearby; the manager thought carefully for a moment: “There is not.”

“I actually know of one.” Dihuai, standing to one side, suddenly looked at the General.

The General indicated for him to continue.

Dihuai said: “When I was at the Seventh Young Madam’s pharmacy, there was a goods depot across the street. The proprietor of that goods depot appeared to be missing a piece of his earlobe.”

“There are plenty of people in this world who are missing a piece of an earlobe,” Madam Shi said.

“This is simple,” Dihuai said. “Just bring the person here and have Bizhu identify him.”

Before Madam Shi could say anything, the General had already sent the household manager to bring the person over.

By now the General had seen clearly that this matter, though appearing simple on the surface, had no telling what schemes lay hidden within it. Conveniently, San Yitai had also stopped crying out in pain and was instead sitting in a spectator’s posture. He too was able to settle his temper and follow the matter through to the end.

Very quickly, the person Dihuai had mentioned was brought in.

“You — look and tell me if you know him.” The General pointed to Bizhu kneeling on the floor.

From the moment he entered the room, the man’s expression was slightly unnatural. Equally unnatural was Madam Shi, sitting at the head of the room. Though she still maintained the composure of a household matriarch facing events without panic, the handkerchief she kept wringing and twisting in her hands betrayed the anxiety in her heart.

Bizhu glanced back. There was no need for her to speak — her eyes said it all.

This man had brought her all the way from Lugou County to Shun Cheng. Having spent several days in his company, how could she not recognize him?

The General understood the situation and asked: “What is your name?”

“This humble one is Liu Quan,” the man answered, his voice clearly suppressing panic, though his outward appearance was composed.

A man capable of bringing Bizhu safely through a bandit stronghold must certainly have some ability.

“Was it you who brought this woman to Shun Cheng?”

Liu Quan knew he could not deny it. After receiving a signal from Madam Shi’s gaze, his thoughts turned quickly and he immediately said: “I was acting on the orders of the mansion’s Er Yitai. I went to Lugou County to fetch her relative — this young woman.”

The General frowned deeply. Er Yitai again!

Yan Qing said: “This Mr. Liu, Er Yitai will be here shortly. Please confirm your identification first.”

The General glanced at Er Yitai kneeling before him, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes. Er Yitai was right here, was she not?

Murong understood and cast a glance in the direction of Jing Zhi, who was not far outside.

Jing Zhi walked slowly into the room.

“Mr. Liu, is the Er Yitai you speak of this person here?” Yan Qing pointed toward Jing Zhi.

“Correct, it is the Second Concubine of this mansion.” He looked toward Jing Zhi. “This is the concubine.”

Jing Zhi was momentarily stunned. Although since following her mistress, her clothing and appearance were considerably better than an ordinary maidservant’s, and given her fine looks someone might well believe she was a concubine of the mansion — still, being addressed as such left her face flushing. She turned to Yan Qing and performed a bow: “Seventh Young Madam, shall I bring tea?”

Liu Quan: “…”

Yan Qing laughed: “This Mr. Liu claims to have acted on Er Yitai’s orders, yet he doesn’t even know who Er Yitai is. Is that not laughable?”

Er Yitai, still kneeling on the ground, shook her head slightly — somewhat at a loss for words — while deeply impressed by Yan Qing’s ability to adapt to circumstances on the spot.

“Audacious.” The General slapped the bed beside him with a sharp crack. “Who exactly are you?”

Before Liu Quan could answer, Dihuai said: “Reporting to the General, this humble one knows who this Liu Quan is.”

The General said: “Then speak.”

Cold sweat had already begun to seep from Liu Quan’s forehead, and the fists hidden in his sleeves tightened.