Chapter 273: Interrogation
Doctor Ji pondered for a moment before saying, "It's hard to say... Although Madam's pregnancy was unstable from the beginning, it shouldn't have reached this point. It must have been caused by external factors. If she didn't suffer any physical impact, then she must have come into contact with something harmful to the fetus."
As he spoke further, Doctor Ji grew hesitant.
In a prominent family like the Chen Family, there were bound to be unspeakable secrets. If the esteemed Third Madam Chen had inadvertently encountered something harmful to her pregnancy, wouldn’t those around her have warned her? This suggested deliberate foul play, and he shouldn’t say too much.
After listening, Chen Yanyun thought for a while and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Ji. Please wait in the main hall for a moment. I’ll soon bring you everything my wife consumed today for you to check for anything unusual."
Doctor Ji nodded, and soon a guard escorted him to the main hall to wait.
Madam Chen arrived, followed shortly by Madam Qin, Wang Shi, and Madam Ge. To avoid disturbing Gu Jinzhao’s rest, they only peeked in briefly before going to the West Side Room to wait.
Madam Chen called Third Master Chen over to question him.
Third Master Chen said, "Mother, don’t worry. Jinchao and the child are fine." He said nothing more.
He lifted his gaze and swept it over those seated there. If someone here had intended to harm Gu Jinzhao, Madam Qin was the only likely suspect. The second branch was of lesser status, and since Gu Jinzhao would become the matriarch of the Chen Family in the future, Madam Qin might act out of reluctance to relinquish control.
He was well aware of the underhanded schemes Madam Qin had orchestrated behind the scenes. But considering that Second Master Chen had chosen to transfer to Shaanxi to avoid conflict with him, he had ignored Madam Qin’s covert actions. A mere woman, even if she embezzled the Chen Family’s assets, wouldn’t dare to do anything truly drastic.
Yet, with just one glance, he knew it couldn’t have been Madam Qin.
Under his gaze, Madam Qin showed only confusion and wariness. If she had truly been the culprit, she would have remained composed.
Still, Madam Qin felt a chill run through her body when Third Master Chen’s eyes briefly rested on her. But the moment passed quickly, and he looked away.
Third Master Chen summoned Granny Sun and Jiang Yan. To Granny Sun, he said, "Gather everything Madam consumed today and hand it over to Jiang Yan." He gave Jiang Yan a nod, and the latter immediately understood what to do. With a cupped-hand salute, he left with Granny Sun to collect the items.
Third Master Chen then went to the East Side Room.
Jinchao had drunk the decoction brought to her, and her abdominal pain gradually subsided. Though she still couldn’t stand, she felt somewhat more alert.
She first glanced at Caifu, who nodded tearfully at her. Gu Jinzhao understood then that the child was safe. A wave of relief washed over her, and she instinctively placed a hand on her abdomen. Though she couldn’t yet feel the little one’s movements, the gesture brought her some comfort.
She began analyzing the sudden onset of her abdominal pain.
This couldn’t have happened without cause.
Gu Jinzhao’s first thought was Gu Lian. But she dismissed it immediately—Gu Lian had no reason to harm her. If Gu Lian still hoped to leave the Chen Family alive, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to act when they were alone together, leaving no witnesses.If it was someone from the Chen Family, who would come to harm her? The three concubines could be ruled out—they didn’t have the means to extend their influence into Osmanthus Hall. Not just now, but even in her past life, when those three were at each other’s throats, they never dared to target her. Aside from them, the only person in the Chen Family who had any conflict of interest with her was Madam Qin. But this didn’t seem like Madam Qin’s style—she wouldn’t go to such lengths. The risks were too great, and it wasn’t necessary.
...This was truly baffling.
Just as she was lost in thought, Third Master Chen walked in.
He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into his arms. “...Does your stomach still hurt?”
Gu Jinzhao shook her head, then suddenly grabbed his sleeve. “Third Master, could you have someone examine the food I ate? I feel this stomachache is rather unusual...”
Third Master Chen sighed and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry about it, leave it to me. Get some rest first, and when you wake up, I’ll tell you what happened, alright?”
Gu Jinzhao smiled bitterly. She was used to handling everything herself, but now she had to rely on him for everything. It felt strange.
She stubbornly shook her head. “I don’t want to sleep. I’ll wait for you.”
She then asked Qingpu to adjust the pillows so she could sit up.
But Third Master Chen firmly held her down and said softly, “You must rest.” Her face was still pale, and her voice was weak. He couldn’t bring himself to be too stern with her. Seeing her curled up in pain earlier had filled him with both heartache and fury. Under his protection, within the Chen Family, someone actually dared to harm Gu Jinzhao—this was absolutely intolerable.
“Third Master...” She lifted her hand to rest on his arm and whispered, “I am, after all, the Third Madam of the Chen Family, and I’ll have to manage the household in the future. Besides, I really don’t want to rest now. I’m actually a little hungry...”
Third Master Chen checked her pulse first—steady and strong—before relenting. “Then I’ll have someone prepare a bowl of porridge for you.”
After instructing Jinzhao’s maids to keep a close watch on her, Third Master Chen went to the main hall.
The renowned physician, Dr. Ji, lived up to his reputation and quickly identified the source of the problem.
The three plates of pastries.
Someone was immediately sent to summon Caifu for questioning. Caifu was shocked. “These pastries... they were brought by Third Madam Yao.”
Third Master Chen frowned upon hearing this.
A moment later, he had the pastries wrapped up and personally led a group to the side room.
The side room was cluttered with many items—two rosewood folding screens, several stacked red-lacquered cabinets with brass rings, a round table with embroidered stools. All large furniture pieces that had been stored there temporarily because they weren’t in use. The room wasn’t cleaned often, and a thin layer of dust rose when Zhou Shi and Gu Lian entered.
Gu Lian clutched her mother’s sleeve tightly, her heart filled with the dread of someone who had caused trouble. “Mother, what should we do now... If something happens to Gu Jinzhao, the Chen Family will never let us off. How did she suddenly get a stomachache...” A wild thought occurred to her. “Do you think she’s faking the pain to scare us into backing off because she doesn’t want to help?”Zhou Shi's mind was in turmoil. No matter how capable she was, she was still just a woman. If it had been anyone else who miscarried, it wouldn’t have been such a problem… but this was the wife of Third Master Chen! She said coldly, "Pretending? Could you fake it this convincingly?" Noticing two guards stationed at the door, she lowered her voice, "Someone will probably come to question us soon. Don’t say anything…"
Gu Lian nodded. As long as her mother was here, she would follow Zhou Shi’s lead in everything.
But in truth, Zhou Shi herself was uncertain. This was the Chen Family, not the familiar Gu household. Who knew how Third Master Chen would treat them? This was disastrous. If Gu Jinzhao’s child really couldn’t be saved and Third Master Chen was enraged, forget about saving Gu Deyuan—even the second branch of the family and Gu Lian herself might be dragged into this mess…
Zhou Shi clutched her embroidered handkerchief tightly, staring blankly at the patterns on the screen.
A maid entered with a pot of tea and set out three cups.
Zhou Shi immediately tensed up.
Sure enough, moments later, the curtain was lifted, and Chen Yanyun walked in.
He chose a stool to sit on, placed the items in his hand on the table, then picked up a teacup to drink. There were no unnecessary movements, yet Gu Lian was so frightened she retreated several steps, hiding behind Zhou Shi.
Zhou Shi’s mind buzzed. Third Master Chen had settled in as if for a long conversation, yet he said nothing extra. Things were likely going very badly…
She forced herself to sit down and noticed that what Third Master Chen had placed on the table were the three plates of pastries Gu Lian had brought back from the capital.
With a strained smile, she asked, "Third Master Chen, what do you mean by this? I’ve already said it—Chaojie suddenly had stomach pains, and it had nothing to do with us. I ate these pastries too, and there was no issue. We certainly didn’t poison them…"
Third Master Chen set down his teacup and said calmly, "I know. That’s why I’m asking you."
Zhou Shi frowned. What did Third Master Chen mean by that?
Jiang Yan, standing nearby, immediately spoke up, "These items have been tampered with. Something was mixed into them. If a pregnant woman ate them, it could cause a miscarriage. If an ordinary woman consumed them, it would harm her body, leading to uterine coldness and infertility."
Zhou Shi’s face turned ashen. "Th-this can’t be! These were brought back from the capital by Lian jie er. We didn’t tamper with them!" She hurried to Third Master Chen’s side. "Third Master, you must think carefully! It couldn’t have been us. If I really wanted to do something like this, I wouldn’t be so foolish. Getting caught red-handed in such a matter would be impossible to explain. Besides, I still need Chaojie’s help—why would I harm her?"
Third Master Chen glanced up at her. "Shut up first."
Zhou Shi had never known a person’s gaze could be so terrifying. It was as if someone had gripped her throat—she couldn’t utter another word.
Only then did Third Master Chen turn to Gu Lian. "Come, sit. Tell me, where did you get these pastries?"
Third Master Chen already knew Zhou Shi wasn’t involved—she wasn’t that stupid. Since the pastries had been brought back by Gu Lian from the capital, she was the one to question.
Gu Lian swallowed hard and stammered, "I… I took these from home. My mother-in-law gave them to me." As soon as she finished speaking, her own face changed. Had Madam Yao given her poisoned pastries? Had Madam Yao meant to harm her, but accidentally harmed Gu Jinzhao instead?This can't be possible. Someone must have tampered with it. She looked at Zhou Shi and murmured, "Mother, I know—it was Gu Lan! She's the one trying to harm me, and Gu Jinzhao was just caught in the crossfire! Yes, it must be her."
Gu Lan? Wasn't she Gu Jinzhao's half-sister?
Third Master Chen continued questioning her, "How do you know it was Gu Lan?"
Gu Lian gritted her teeth. "I don't know! But in the Yao family, she's the only one who would oppose me. She knows we made her infertile, so she wants to harm me in return—it must be her! Mother, let's hurry back. I swear I'll strangle that wretched thing!"
Zhou Shi nearly lunged to cover her mouth.
Third Master Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table, deep in thought. He had initially suspected someone was targeting him, only for the scheme to land on Gu Jinzhao instead. Gu Lian was from the Yao family, and ever since Wang Xuanfan was transferred to Yangzhou as prefect, and the newly appointed grand secretary turned out to be the less experienced Fan Hui instead of Ji Qiuping, Yao Ping had begun slipping out of control. But this reasoning felt flimsy—after all, Yao's wife couldn’t guarantee that the poisoned pastries would end up with Gu Jinzhao through Gu Lian. That was why he had wanted to question Gu Lian directly. Could it really have been a coincidence?
If this was merely an unintended casualty of inner-household strife, then the matter was much simpler.
Third Master Chen was accustomed to considering multiple possibilities, weighing all scenarios before gradually ruling out the improbable.
He stood and walked out of the side chamber, signaling for Jiang Yan to follow.
Zhou Shi helped Gu Lian sit down, only then noticing how violently she was trembling. She hastily handed her a cup of tea to calm her.
Jiang Yan soon returned with a smile. "Third Master requests that both of you leave the Chen Family immediately. I will escort you back to Daxing."
He gathered the pastries from the table and gestured for them to depart.
Zhou Shi hesitated. If Third Master Chen was willing to let them go now, it was a stroke of luck—it meant Gu Jinzhao's child was safe... But what about Gu Deyuan's situation? Would the Chen Family still intervene?
Jiang Yan seemed to read her thoughts and added, "Third Master said that if he interferes now, it would mean directly ensuring Second Master Gu's dismissal and exile. It would be best if you refrain from further discussion. Take advantage of Third Master's current courtesy and leave promptly."
Only then did Zhou Shi clench her jaw and follow Jiang Yan out of the Chen Family.
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