That evening, another incident occurred at the Xiang residence.
The young maid who had eaten the preserved fruits was writhing in agony. Initially thought to be a mere stomach upset, even using the toilet provided no relief. She lay on the bed, her face deathly pale, drenched in sweat.
Meng Zhenzhen was startled. She watched over the maid in her room but dared not call for a doctor, fearing it might indeed be related to the preserved fruits. If so, Liu’s shop would be impossible to exonerate.
“I’ll have someone bring you medicine first. Bear with it a little longer,” Lady Meng said. She then had someone haphazardly fetch some pain-relieving medicine from the pharmacy and gave it all to the young maid to consume.
“My lady… please call a doctor for this servant,” the maid pleaded, tears streaming down her face. “This servant is in so much pain… these medicines aren’t working…”
Meng Zhenzhen bit her lip, sitting by the maid’s bedside. “It’s not that I’m being heartless. It’s just that rumors are rampant outside right now. If another incident happens here, our situation will become dire.”
“But…” the maid cried heavily, “This servant feels like dying from the pain…”
“You’ve just taken the medicine. It might take effect soon. Please endure a bit longer.”
The young maid tried to bear it, but her face grew increasingly pale, her brows furrowing tighter.
The next morning, a scream echoed from Ruanyu Pavilion.
A maid ran out stumbling, shouting as she went, “Someone’s dead! There’s a dead person in Ruanyu Pavilion!”
Shen Zaiye had just risen and was getting dressed when he heard the commotion outside. He couldn’t help but glance at Zhanlu beside him.
Zhanlu frowned. “We didn’t use a lethal dose. It shouldn’t have caused death.”
That small amount of medicine could have been easily treated by any doctor. How could it have resulted in death?
Pursing his lips slightly, Shen Zaiye finished dressing and strode out the door.
Zhanlu followed, whispering as they walked, “Everything else has been arranged as planned. The doctor has been informed. The substance added to the preserved fruits and plums was Chuanwuzi, which is harmful to those with liver blood deficiency and pregnant women.”
Shen Zaiye nodded. As soon as he entered Ruanyu Pavilion, Meng Zhenzhen rushed over to him.
“My lord!” she cried, her face streaked with tears. “Someone is trying to harm my Ruanyu Pavilion! You must seek justice for me!”
Stepping forward, Shen Zaiye slowly crouched down to look at her. “Is someone trying to harm you, or are you bringing trouble upon yourself? Chuanwuzi isn’t a deadly poison. If your maid had liver blood deficiency and couldn’t eat it, timely medical treatment would have sufficed. Why did it result in death?”
Lady Meng’s eyes widened, and she shook her head vigorously. “My lord, don’t listen to such nonsense. How could Xiao Qing have eaten Chuanwuzi? How could Chuanwuzi kill someone?”
Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow and looked up at the side.
The doctor stood nearby, holding half a package of preserved fruits. Seeing Shen Zaiye’s gaze, he quickly bowed and said, “This old one has already examined them. These preserved fruits contain nothing else, just a considerable amount of Chuanwuzi that might have been accidentally mixed in during the pickling process… The plums at Lady Gu’s place also contain the same substance.”
“Added during the pickling process?” Shen Zaiye took a sharp breath. “Are you certain it wasn’t just sprinkled on the surface?”
“No,” the doctor shook his head. “If it were just on the surface, the inside of the fruits and plums wouldn’t have it. But I’ve checked, and even when cutting open the preserved fruits, the flesh inside still has the taste of Chuanwuzi. So it could only have been added during the pickling process.”
“Chuanwuzi should have a slightly bitter taste,” Shen Zaiye turned to look at Meng Zhenzhen. “Didn’t you notice when eating?”
Lady Meng shook her head blankly. She hadn’t eaten any herself, so how would she know if the other maids had noticed?
“It seems I’ve wrongly accused Taohua,” Shen Zaiye said, his eyes darkening. He stood up and called out sharply, “Zhanlu!”
“This servant is here.”
“Go to the Beijing Yamen and report the case. Have the owner and manager of Liu’s Dried Fruit Shop arrested!”
“Yes!”
Meng’s legs weakened, and she nearly fell to her knees. She quickly grabbed Shen Zaiye’s robe and pleaded, “My lord! Liu’s shop is such a large establishment. How could they put such a thing in during the pickling process? Many pregnant women buy preserved fruits and plums. Why did this incident only happen in our Xiang residence?”
“How do you know it only happened in our residence?” Shen Zaiye snorted coldly. “Perhaps there are other innocent victims out there. But that’s not important. What matters is that my household has lost two lives, one of which was to be my future eldest son!”
He frowned slightly and looked down at her. “Do you have any connection to Liu’s shop?”
Meng Zhenzhen opened and closed her mouth, unsure whether it was better to confess or keep quiet. She was so anxious that tears kept falling.
Seeing her silence, Shen Zaiye seemed to lose patience. He turned and left, preparing to attend court.
As soon as the Marquis left, the household fell into chaos. Lady Meng, disregarding everything else, rushed to Linghan Courtyard and started fighting with Qin Jieyu, pulling her hair.
“You vixen! Wasn’t it enough to harm me once? Now you want to destroy my entire family?”
This early morning commotion startled Mei Zhaoxue, who was still enjoying her tea nearby. She stared at the two women, momentarily forgetting to send maids to separate them.
Qin Jieyu was no pushover. Suddenly having her hair pulled, she immediately kicked Meng in the stomach, sending her stumbling back and falling to the ground.
“You shrew! Why aren’t you still pretending to be weak and sickly? Such strength!” Qin Jieyu, red-eyed with anger, stepped forward and slapped Meng Zhenzhen twice.
The two continued to fight, pulling at clothes and hair, hurling insults at each other, neither willing to back down. The force they used was equally matched.
All the mistresses in the courtyard came to watch the commotion. Liu couldn’t help but smile, “What’s going on here?”
Mei Zhaoxue pursed her lips. Seeing that things had gone far enough, she ordered people to separate the two women and said sternly, “Have you no sense of propriety left?”
“With disaster looming over the entire family, what use is propriety?” Meng Zhenzhen, her eyes bloodshot, glared fiercely at Qin Jieyu. “Small quarrels are one thing, at most causing me some hardship. But I never imagined your heart could be so cruel. What did my family ever do to offend you?”
Straightening her clothes, Qin Jieyu turned her head away. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t understand?” Meng sneered. “Last time you mocked my father for marrying a concubine about my age, and now you’ve set your sights on her brother Liu’s Dried Fruit Shop. How obvious can you be? How could a legitimate business suddenly put Chuanwuzi in its preserved fruits? You’ve played your moves well, even dragging Jiang into it!”
Qin Jieyu laughed lightly, her eyes filled with a hint of smugness. She looked at Meng disdainfully and said, “Your own family runs a shady business, and you blame me? What? Am I supposed to be so powerful that I can sneak into your family’s pickling area and add drugs? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“You…” Meng was so angry she burst into tears, yet she could do nothing against the woman before her.
“Have you finished arguing?” Mei Zhaoxue’s face darkened as she slammed her teacup on the table.
The room finally fell silent. Meng’s legs gave way, and she knelt before the First Lady, sobbing, “Please, First Lady, save me!”
Rubbing her temples, Mei Zhaoxue said, “Given the current situation, how am I supposed to save you? The Lord said earlier that once the culprit is found, regardless of who it is, they will be severely punished without leniency. Now that your family’s shop is the problem and more than one life has been lost, what do you expect the lord to do?”
“I…” Meng felt extremely wronged. “How was I to know that maid would die from eating it?”
“Chuanwuzi is forbidden for pregnant women and those with liver blood deficiency. If your maid was still a young girl, she must have had liver blood deficiency. A small amount shouldn’t have been fatal. Didn’t you call a doctor for her?”
Meng pressed her lips together, lowering her head in guilt.
Liu Xiangxiang watched and whispered behind her hand, “This is truly cruel. The person didn’t have to die, yet was effectively killed by her mistress.”
“Karma,” Mei Zhaoxue shook her head. “You should go back and wait for the lord to return from court to deal with this.”
“First Lady…” Tears streamed down Meng’s face as she broke into loud sobs. “Even if it truly was Liu’s shop’s fault, it has nothing to do with me. That’s the Liu family’s business. At worst, my father can divorce that woman…”
“Save those words for the lord,” Mei Zhaoxue shook her head, looking at her with pity. “I can’t help you with anything.”
Meng knew in her heart that even if the First Lady could help, she wouldn’t. But she truly had nowhere else to turn, so she could only sit there and cry.
Shen Zaiye was already standing in the imperial court. After reporting a series of important matters to the Emperor, he stepped back to stand aside, his face grim.
The Emperor looked at him with concern. “I hear that Minister Shen has lost a son. You must grieve, but don’t be too sorrowful.”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern,” Shen Zaiye sighed. “This humble official still wishes to seek justice for that innocent child.”
“Of course,” the Emperor nodded. “If someone is truly so vicious, not just you, even I cannot stand by.”
In the current court, only Shen Zaiye could bring even family matters to the Emperor’s attention. The civil and military officials all understood this, and those with marital ties to the Shen family couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
After the court session, Shen Zaiye was surrounded by layers of people, all concerned about what had happened to the lost child.
Shen Zaiye only said calmly, “I have already had the culprit arrested and will certainly demand an explanation. As for those with connections to the culprit, I will certainly not allow them to remain in my household.”
Everyone was shocked. They verbally agreed but inwardly prayed it wasn’t their daughter involved.
“Minister Meng,” Shen Zaiye turned his head to look at the rotund man beside him, his face devoid of any smile. “This time, I’m afraid you and I need to have a good talk.”
Meng Taipu was stunned. After understanding the look in Shen Zaiye’s eyes, his face instantly turned pale.
The others all breathed sighs of relief and took their leave, leaving only Meng Taipu trembling as he looked at Shen Zaiye.
“Chancellor?”
“Liu’s Dried Fruit Shop not only caused the loss of my eldest son but also the death of a maid last night,” he lowered his head, his face shadowed and particularly gloomy in the sunlight. “I will settle this account thoroughly.”
(End of Chapter)