Chapter 63 Medicinal Cuisine
Xiuqu began serving by Jinchao's side, handling minor needlework tasks.
With no need to care for Xiuqu anymore, Yuzhu took Yutong with her daily to the Waterside Pavilion to observe the comings and goings. Beside the bluestone path outside the pavilion grew a large cluster of golden shower trees in full bloom. Yuzhu pulled Yutong to sit behind the trees and shared a whole box of sesame candies with her.
Yutong whispered teasingly, "Look at you—your hands already have little dimples, yet you still eat so many sweets. Careful or you'll end up plump like Nurse Li..."
Yuzhu sucked her fingers and giggled, "I'm not afraid of getting fat. Denying myself tasty things would be too miserable."
As the two maids chatted quietly, Yutong suddenly noticed someone approaching the bluestone path and tugged Yuzhu's sleeve. Instantly alert, Yuzhu wriggled her way into the golden shower bushes, peering through the gaps at the approaching figure. It was Yu Xiang, Concubine Song's maid.
After passing the bluestone path, Yu Xiang turned left, seemingly heading toward the outer courtyard.
Yuzhu whispered to Yutong, "Yu Xiang usually serves tea and water beside Concubine Song. I wonder what she's doing going that way. Put the candies away—let's follow her!"
Yutong hesitated. "The Eldest Miss only told us to watch from here. If we leave, who'll keep guard? If we delay her business, Baiyun will punish you..."
Yuzhu argued, "We've been here for days without seeing anything. Now that we've finally spotted her heading to the outer courtyard, shouldn't we follow? Staying here is useless."
Yutong huffed, unwilling to go. Seeing Yu Xiang nearly out of sight, Yuzhu frowned. "Fine! You stay here—I'll go alone!" She grabbed her candy box and trailed after Yu Xiang, while Yutong shrank further into hiding, keeping watch on the bluestone path.
Yuzhu stuffed the candy box into her sleeve and cautiously followed Yu Xiang. Though Yu Xiang seemed headed for the outer courtyard, she didn't pass through the moon gate. Instead, she stopped near the artificial hill beside it and took a small path into a grove of twisted willows.
Yuzhu crept in after her, heart pounding, but a mischievous grin spread across her face. Yu Xiang coming to such a secluded spot... who knew what she was up to!
Ahead, Yu Xiang halted, and Yuzhu quickly ducked behind the willows. A neatly dressed young man in servant's attire stood by the artificial hill. Yu Xiang spoke softly to him, but the distance was too great for Yuzhu to hear anything. The sparse willow grove offered little cover, so she dared not move closer. She only saw the man smile before Yu Xiang turned to leave.
Yuzhu retreated from the grove, disappointed. She'd thought Yu Xiang was up to something scandalous, but it was just a secret meeting with a servant...
Still, it would make for an amusing story to tell the Eldest Miss.
Upon returning, Yuzhu reported to Jinchao: "...Who’d have thought Yu Xiang would sneak off to meet a servant? If she were caught, she’d be beaten and thrown out of the manor. Miss, why don’t we tell Madam..."
Jinchao suppressed a smile. "Kicking Yu Xiang out is the least of it. How would you explain how you saw all this? By admitting I had you watching the Waterside Pavilion, so you followed one of its maids?"Yuzhu sighed and stopped speaking. Even if Yu Xiang were driven away, what difference would it make? The truly formidable one by Concubine Song’s side was Qiaowei.
By noon, Jinchao had prepared the medicinal cuisine as usual and brought it to her mother.
Madam Ji asked Jinchao if she had prepared a birthday gift for Gu Dezhao. Jinchao smiled and replied, “...I thought of giving Father a painting of pine and cypress trees. I’ve already asked Shopkeeper Luo to arrange it.”
Madam Ji couldn’t help but sigh. “...Shopkeeper Luo has managed those Hangzhou silk shops exceptionally well. But after all, he’s an uneducated merchant, so his temperament and character are inevitably inferior to Shopkeeper Ge of Changzhou Prefecture. A few days ago, when refugees from the flood arrived in Changzhou Prefecture, Shopkeeper Ge even opened the granary to provide relief. Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Luo swallowed up a neighboring Luzhou silk shop, leaving the family without even a place to live...”
Jinchao smiled without responding. Her mother’s views on such matters differed greatly from hers. She believed that since they fully trusted Shopkeeper Luo, they should leave these matters to him without worry. Not every business transaction could be entirely clean—even her grandmother, who managed the Ji family, had done many things that were both beneficial and harmful. Her mother was simply too kind and merciful, which was why Concubine Song had managed to overpower her.
As they were talking, Mama Xu came in carrying a tianma pigeon belly soup in a purple clay pot.
“You usually avoid anything bitter, but today you must drink this soup with me,” Madam Ji said as she personally ladled a bowl for Jinchao.
Jinchao glanced at the clear golden broth in the bowl and helplessly murmured, “Mother...”
Madam Ji chuckled. “When you were little and refused to take medicine, you’d cling to your grandmother like this. But I won’t be as soft-hearted as she was.”
Jinchao gave a wry smile. As a child, she had been even more averse to bitterness. When she fell ill, the maids had to coax her for ages before she would take her medicine—and even then, she needed a piece of candied fruit after each sip. Well, she might as well treat this like medicine. Jinchao picked up the bowl, furrowed her brows, and gulped it down.
Mama Xu laughed beside her. “Eldest Miss, this is pigeon belly soup, not poison!”
But Jinchao’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. Poison?
She quickly set down the bowl and grabbed a long spoon to stir the soup in the purple clay pot. All she saw were slices of tianma, pieces of pigeon, and a few scattered goji berries. Jinchao turned to Mama Xu and asked, “You said Mother’s medicinal cuisine always includes herbs. Why don’t I see any?”
Mama Xu looked puzzled by the question. “Those herbs aren’t meant to be eaten. They’re removed before serving.”
Jinchao stood up and pressed further. “You mentioned that everything Mother eats, wears, or uses is inspected. But were these herbs checked?”
Mama Xu was taken aback. “Are you suspecting...? The herbs were all prepared by Liu Daifu and delivered here. We usually just take a handful or two when needed. There shouldn’t be any problem.”
Madam Ji urged Jinchao to sit back down. “Don’t worry so much. What could possibly be wrong? Would Liu Daifu really poison me?”
Jinchao didn’t know how to explain her concerns to her mother. After a moment’s thought, she told Madam Ji about Caifu’s visit to Ziling. Of course, she wasn’t afraid of Liu Daifu poisoning anyone—her fear was that Concubine Song might have tampered with things behind the scenes. Mama Xu, who had been listening, chimed in, “...The herbs are all packaged in Qinglian Lane, and Liu Daifu sends them over with his apprentice. The Affairs Office collects the herbs and delivers them to Slanting Cloud Garden. If any poison had been added, it should have been noticeable...”Jinchao said coldly, "I'm afraid they might mix in something harmful, making it impossible to guard against."
Mama Xu immediately became cautious and hurriedly had the maids bring over the remaining medicine. It was wrapped in oiled paper, containing dried herbs and tubules. Since they were unfamiliar with medicinal ingredients, they naturally couldn't discern anything. Without needing Jinchao's instruction, Mama Xu promptly went to fetch Liu Daifu.
Meanwhile, Jinchao summoned Moyu and asked, "...In Slanting Cloud Garden, how many people have access to Madam's medicine?"
Moyu immediately knelt on the ground and replied, "Eldest Miss, in Slanting Cloud Garden, only Mo Xue, Mama Xu, and I have access to Madam's medicine. We would never dare let anyone else touch such things!"
Jinchao thought for a moment and asked further, "What if someone sneaked into your rooms?"
Moyu shook her head. "Our rooms are always locked, and we carry the keys with us."
With this, it was clear that the servants of Slanting Cloud Garden weren't responsible. Jinchao helped Moyu up and said, "Don't worry yet... Let's wait for Liu Daifu to arrive."
Madam Ji lay against a large pillow, smiling at Jinchao. She reached out with her thin, frail hand and grasped Jinchao's, saying, "My Jinchao, don't be anxious. If there's truly something wrong, we'll simply stop using this medicine from now on." She then invited Jinchao to sit beside her.
Jinchao caught the faint scent of medicine on her mother and sighed softly as she looked at her emaciated hand.
An hour later, Mama Xu returned with Liu Daifu. Jinchao carried the medicine to the flower hall to meet him.
Liu Daifu examined the oiled paper package, carefully sifting through the contents with his fingers. His expression suddenly changed drastically. He picked out a tuber-like substance, took a deep breath, and said to Jinchao, "Eldest Miss, this is rhubarb."
Seeing his grave expression, Jinchao asked quietly, "Is this... some kind of poison?"
Liu Daifu shook his head. "Rhubarb has properties that break stagnation, purge fire, cool blood, and remove stasis and toxins. It is commonly used for symptoms like stagnation-induced diarrhea and high fever with yellow coating. It is a cold-natured herb with extremely potent effects. Madam's illness is a deficiency syndrome with spleen weakness and stomach cold. Rhubarb must absolutely not be consumed—its properties clash with the treatment. If taken over a long period... it could be life-threatening!"
Jinchao's face paled slightly. Her mother's recurring illness indeed had an external cause! She suddenly recalled that during her mother's second bout of illness, for nearly half a month, she had personally prepared food for her, and her mother's condition had improved. Could it be that during that time, her mother hadn't been taking the medicine laced with rhubarb, which was why she had improved?
No wonder her mother's illness never fully healed!
Mama Xu asked, "Could it be that you accidentally mixed in the wrong herb when preparing the medicine?"
Liu Daifu shook his head firmly. "I personally wrote the prescription, prepared the medicine, and packaged it before sending it to the residence. There's no way I could have made such a mistake!"
Jinchao naturally trusted Liu Daifu—he had no reason to harm Madam Ji. Even if he had made a mistake, it wouldn't have persisted for so long. Someone must have deliberately tampered with it. She pressed further, "When did you start sending this tonic prescription?"
Liu Daifu thought for a moment and replied, "About a month after Madam fell ill, I began sending the tonic prescription."
That meant Madam Ji had been intermittently consuming rhubarb for over half a year!
Caifu escorted Liu Daifu out, while Mama Xu whispered to Jinchao, "Eldest Miss, I suspect someone from the Affairs Office might have tampered with it..."
Jinchao listened, deep in thought.In her previous life, her mother had died so tragically... Could it also have been because of the rhubarb? And now, because of her, her mother's rhubarb intake had drastically decreased, and her health hadn't deteriorated to that extent.
Who exactly had put the rhubarb in? Was it Concubine Song?
If it wasn't from Liu Daifu's side, nor someone from Xiexiao Courtyard... Jinchao suddenly remembered what Yuzhu had said—Yu Xiang had secretly met a man who looked like a servant in the strange willow grove.
Who was that servant?
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