Mian Tang, having forgotten Aunt Lian’s capabilities, asked curiously, “What’s she making a fuss about?”
Steward Gao lowered his voice, “Naturally, she suspects us servants of being disloyal and greedy. She’s demanding to come in and check the accounts for the Empress Dowager.”
Mian Tang smiled, “In that case, she seems to be a caring elder. It was inappropriate not to let her in earlier. I’ll go after Aunt and at least inquire after her well-being.”
Cui Xingzhou glanced at her, finding his wife’s sudden enthusiasm suspicious. After a moment’s thought, he guessed her intention and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Mian Tang shook her head, “Without solid evidence, your presence might strain family relations. Better I go alone. If she complains to the clan, you can blame my head injury for any uncouth behavior.”
Cui Fu, confused, wiped her tears and asked, “Mian Tang, what are you doing?”
This question would soon be echoed by Aunt Lian’s shrill cry.
Aunt Lian, already full of resentment from her treatment at the villa, was facing additional troubles. Her daughter, Lian Silan, had become more headstrong since marriage, barely acknowledging her. With recent legal troubles among her nephews, she could only turn to her sister for support.
Her sister’s illness further weakened her influence. If not for her brother’s recent return from the south, hinting at Cui Xingzhou’s possible demise due to the war in the North Sea, she would have been completely in the dark.
If Cui Xingzhou truly couldn’t return, his only son would inherit, and with her sister bedridden, wouldn’t Liu Mian Tang become the new Empress Dowager?
But then she thought, if Cui Xingzhou died in battle, Liu Mian Tang and her son might not return either. In that case, only her son-in-law, the fifth master, would remain in the Cui lineage. The thought made Lian Chushi’s heart soar – after all this time, her daughter might still be destined to become a princess!
However, when she shared this thought with her daughter, Lian Silan scolded her and unceremoniously asked her to leave.
Though annoyed by her daughter’s stubbornness, Lian Chushi couldn’t ignore her daughter’s potential inheritance. She feared the servants might embezzle everything, leaving only an empty shell of the prince’s mansion.
So for over a month, she had been causing trouble every few days. However, Steward Gao, having served in the mansion for over a decade and was nearly a half-master himself, wasn’t intimidated by clan elders and remained unmoved.
Unexpectedly, all her plans were dashed. Before Zhenzhou even received news of the great victory in the North Sea, Cui Xingzhou had returned safely with his wife and child, traveling swiftly by water and land.
Lian Chushi’s month-long efforts had come to naught, leaving her utterly dejected.
As she was preparing to return home, she heard the sound of approaching hooves. Looking back, she saw a dashing female warrior accompanied by maids and guards, galloping towards her.
Recognizing Liu Mian Tang, she coldly snorted and pretended not to see her, maintaining her dignity in her carriage.
To her surprise, Mian Tang, without dismounting, signaled her maids. Fangxie and Bicao rushed to the carriage, dragged Aunt Lian out, and took her into a nearby grove to strip her clothes.
Lian family servants rushed to help but were restrained by the prince’s guards.
Aunt Lian, shocked by this brazen daylight robbery, screamed in anger and fear. The maids and servants swiftly removed her clothes and even her jewelry – rings, bracelets, and hairpins.
Though they provided her with a change of clothes, Lian Chushi had never suffered such humiliation. Disheveled, she wailed about seeking justice from the clan leader before her death.
Outside the grove, Liu Mian Tang carefully examined Aunt Lian’s clothes and jewelry. The gu, being a southern creature, was likely water-based according to Zhao Quan. However, Aunt Lian had no water containers on her.
Suddenly, her gaze fixed on Aunt Lian’s jade bracelet. The translucent jade seemed to contain water when held up to the light. It was expensive, something a vain person like Aunt Lian would wear daily.
Unsure if any of Aunt Lian’s belongings contained malevolent items, Mian Tang didn’t dare bring them to the villa. She had the clothes and jewelry sealed in separate boxes, keeping only the jade bracelet. She then sent for the Marquis of Zhengnan.
Cui Xingzhou and Zhao Quan hurried to the grove. Zhao Quan examined the bracelet closely, noting, “This bracelet is peculiar. It seems to contain real water.”
Mian Tang said, “I suspect it might house the mother gu, but the jade is brittle. If it shatters, finding the Gu would be difficult.”
Zhao Quan replied, “That’s simple enough.”
The Marquis laid out a fine, sturdy cloth on his medicine box and placed the bracelet on it. From his toolkit, he took out a bottle and sprinkled yellow powder on the bracelet. After a while, he wiped away the powder and used a silver needle to delicately drill a hole in the bracelet. Soon, water flowed out of the tiny opening in the hard jade.
Zhao Quan examined the cloth closely and eventually found a tiny, nearly invisible transparent object coated in powder. Excited, he said, “This is the mother gu. I’ve never seen one before, but that extraordinary person told me the mother Gu is transparent and minuscule, undetectable to the naked eye. With this, I can neutralize the Gu poison.”
Cui Xingzhou, face grim, ordered the still-wailing Lian Chushi to be taken by carriage to the city mansion and detained. Her attendants were also taken to prevent any information leaks.
At the villa, Cui Xingzhou, Cui Fu, and Li Guangcai sat by the Empress Dowager’s bedside. Cui Fu, holding her mother’s hand, wept continuously.
Cui Xingzhou watched over his mother while anxiously waiting for Mian Tang’s return. When she entered and reported finding the mother gu, Cui Fu sighed in relief, her disgust for Lian Chushi reaching its peak.
With the mother Gu in hand, Zhao Quan didn’t enter the villa. Instead, Cui Xingzhou arranged for him to stay in a nearby house, where he worked through the night to prepare an antidote using the mother gu. By midnight, it was ready and quickly administered to the Empress Dowager.
By dawn, the child Gu dissolved by the antidote, and the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes. She felt as if she had merely taken a long nap, surprised to find her son, daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law all around her.
Especially striking was the chubby, adorable baby in Mian Tang’s arms, munching on a cake with puffed cheeks.
This was the Empress Dowager’s first time seeing her great-grandson. Her joy lifted her spirits considerably.
Zhao Quan examined the Empress Dowager thoroughly. Apart from some weakness due to the prolonged coma, there were no major issues. The attentive maids and servants had been massaging her daily, preventing severe muscle atrophy. With proper care, she would fully recover from the remaining toxins.
The Empress Dowager repeatedly urged Mian Tang to bring little Yi’er closer for her to see.
Seeing his mother’s improvement, Cui Xingzhou rode back to the Zhenzhou prince’s mansion, heading to Lian Chushi’s confinement.
Initially full of curses, Lian Chushi had grown fearful after a night of neglect, without even water to drink. Her mouth was parched, with blisters forming around her lips.
Seeing Cui Xingzhou enter, she forgot her elder status and grasped his hand, pleading, “Your Highness, you’ve finally come. I don’t know what possessed your princess to have her maids drag me into a grove in broad daylight, strip me of my clothes and jewelry, and lock me up here. My poor sister will be heartbroken when she learns of my treatment.”
Hearing her invoke the Empress Dowager again, Cui Xingzhou’s anger flared. He jerked his hand away and coldly said, “I’ve discovered that the Empress Dowager wasn’t suffering from a cold, but was deliberately poisoned. Your jade bracelet was the tool, containing the mother gu! Tell me honestly, who gave you the Gu poison, and how did you administer it? If you can’t explain clearly, you’ll be considered the mastermind behind the Empress Dowager’s poisoning, and I’ll eradicate your entire family.”
Cui Xingzhou’s murderous intent was evident in his face.
Lian Chushi burst into loud sobs, “Child, what are you saying? Where would I get poison? How could I harm my sister? This is a terrible injustice!”
Her shock seemed genuine, her crying heartfelt as if she truly knew nothing.
Mian Tang, who had been waiting outside, entered and asked the distraught Lian Chushi, “If you claim ignorance, then tell us, who gave you that jade bracelet?”
Wiping her tears, Lian Chushi explained, “The bracelet was a gift from my nephew a while ago when he asked for a favor. He said it was blessed by a high monk at the Leshan Giant Buddha. It shouldn’t change hands easily and should be worn continuously. After a year, it would absorb Buddha’s light and greatly benefit one’s health… I didn’t believe it, but the jade was of such good quality that I kept wearing it… Who knew… who knew… I’ve truly been victimized by a scoundrel!”
In truth, cultivating Gu was no easy feat. Even in Tusi or Miao villages, it wasn’t something ordinary people could obtain.
While Lian Chushi was cunning and opportunistic, her involvement in the poisoning was plausible, but she lacked the means to acquire such an exotic poison.
Realizing he wouldn’t get more from his tear-soaked aunt, Cui Xingzhou sent men to arrest the nephew she mentioned, hoping to trace back to the true mastermind.
However, the men returned shortly with the news: the nephew had died the previous day in a brothel brawl, stabbed in the chest during a drunken fight over a courtesan. He had bled out on the spot, and the killer had vanished without a trace.