Chapter 71: Capturing the Witness
Jinchao clenched her fists in fury!
Song Miaohua had truly overstepped this time, attempting to frame her mother using this opportunity? How audacious!
It was also her own fault—she should have disregarded the lack of solid evidence earlier and directly confronted her father. Then she’d see if Song Miaohua could still come out unscathed!
For a moment, Jinchao was torn between rage and self-reproach. She had underestimated Song Miaohua. Of course, her father’s misunderstanding of her mother was also beyond her expectations. She knew her father had always been cold toward her mother, but she hadn’t realized the depth of the rift between them.
"This matter is already over, Eldest Miss. There’s no need to be angry. That’s not why I came here," Bi Yi paused before continuing, "Tonight, Concubine Song brought a woman in her thirties or forties to the Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion. I found it suspicious right away, so I eavesdropped outside… You wouldn’t believe it—that maid was actually the one who used to serve Concubine Yun!"
She recounted how Yu Ping had exposed Madam Ji’s alleged crimes.
After hearing this, Gu Jinzhao calmed down, but a chill settled in her heart.
"What was Father’s reaction when Yu Ping said all this?" Jinchao asked Bi Yi.
Bi Yi thought for a moment. "I couldn’t hear clearly, but the master seemed to have swept a tea set onto the floor in anger. It startled me!"
Seeing Jinchao’s ashen expression, Qingpu asked softly, "Miss… what do you think we should do…?"
Jinchao murmured, "...Father believed it."
His fury was proof that he had taken the accusations to heart. Sitting on the heated kang, Jinchao’s thoughts raced. Bi Yi had said her father would confront her mother the next day. She still had time to warn her mother first—if her father questioned her directly, her mother might become even more agitated.
But where had this maid Yu Ping come from? How had Song Miaohua found her? And why was she willing to accuse her mother? Moreover… according to Yu Ping’s account, Concubine Yun’s death hadn’t been an accident—someone had orchestrated it. That someone certainly couldn’t have been her mother.
Jinchao knew Madam Ji too well—she would never harm a maid who had grown up alongside her!
If not her mother, then who?
Who would have wanted to kill Concubine Yun back then?
No matter what, she had to find this maid Yu Ping.
But she couldn’t do this alone. She also knew nothing about the events surrounding Concubine Yun’s death—she needed to consult Mama Xu!
Once she had made up her mind, Jinchao first sent Bi Yi back to the Chrysanthemum Willow Pavilion, cautioning her not to alert anyone. Then she instructed Caifu and Baiyun to guard the inner gate, lest Concubine Song try to smuggle the woman out overnight. Finally, she took Qingpu with her to her mother’s quarters under cover of darkness.
Her mother had already retired for the night, and Mama Xu was keeping watch on a small couch behind the folding screen in the inner chamber. Hearing the knock, she dressed and opened the door, only to find a fully dressed Gu Jinzhao standing outside.
"Eldest Miss, it’s so late…" Mama Xu whispered.
"Mama Xu, if it weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t have come at this hour," Jinchao said calmly. "Go find Xue Sixteen immediately and have him secure the inner gate. If anyone tries to leave, stop them at all costs. If you see an unfamiliar woman in her thirties or forties, bring her to me at once!" She feared Caifu and Baiyun wouldn’t be enough to handle it. If Yu Ping was involved, Song Miaohua would surely try to send her away before dawn—lest she expose the scheme during the confrontation the next day.
Mama Xu was stunned. What was the Eldest Miss talking about?Having the guards block their own inner gate to catch someone. Is this something a proper young lady from a secluded boudoir should do?
"Eldest Miss, you're..." Mama Xu wanted to ask for clarification.
Jinchao nodded at Qingpu: "You and Mama Xu go find the guards. Explain everything clearly on the way. Hurry now, if we're late the person might leave."
Seeing Jinchao's grave expression, Mama Xu quickly dressed properly and went with Qingpu to find Xue Sixteen.
Jinchao took a deep breath and pushed open the lattice window to enter the inner chamber.
Madam Ji was sleeping, her gaunt face resting on a brocade pillow stuffed with cassia seeds. Her sleep seemed troubled, constantly murmuring things Jinchao couldn't decipher. Her mother rarely found peaceful sleep at night.
Jinchao hesitated to wake her.
But this was something her mother needed to know. She had to prepare for Father's questioning tomorrow.
She decided to wake Madam Ji after all. With just a light touch on her shoulder, her mother's eyes fluttered open. After a moment of disorientation, she recognized Jinchao and smiled faintly, pulling her into an embrace: "My Chaojie... have you come to visit me in my dreams..."
Gu Jinzhao caught the faint medicinal scent clinging to her mother and felt her nose sting with emotion.
"Mother, I'm really here. Let me help you sit up - there's something important we must discuss." Jinchao fetched a large supporting pillow. After settling her mother comfortably and tucking in the gold-patterned crimson silk quilt, she sat by the bedside and said gently, "Listen carefully, but don't get upset. This isn't worth getting upset over."
Madam Ji smiled faintly: "You're talking to me as if I were a child now..."
Jinchao couldn't bring herself to smile. Clasping her mother's hand, she said: "Today... no, it's past midnight now - yesterday then. Concubine Song found Yun Yiniang's former maid, the one called Yu Ping. Do you remember her?"
Madam Ji sighed: "I remember. When Yun Yiniang died in difficult childbirth, the maid who prepared her medicine, Cui Ping, was beaten to death with clubs. Yu Ping was dismissed from the household. I pitied Cui Ping at the time and tried to plead for her, but your father wouldn't hear of it. How is Yu Ping now?"
Jinchao nodded: "She's well enough. But she came to speak about Yun Yiniang's death... Yun Yiniang died from premature labor caused by mistakenly taking labor-inducing decoction, which led to difficult childbirth. But Yu Ping claims the medicine couldn't have been mistaken - someone must have switched it. Very few people had access to Yun Yiniang's private kitchen then. She suspects you switched the medicine. Father seems to believe this and will come question you tomorrow. Mother, you must think carefully - who else besides you could have entered Yun Yiniang's kitchen? Could someone else have switched the medicine?"
Madam Ji remained silent for a long while, as if stunned or lost in thought.
Jinchao squeezed her hand gently, prompting her mother to shake her head: "That kitchen was behind the rear annex of Yun Yiniang's courtyard. Apart from myself and two maids, not even the cleaning women were allowed inside."
Jinchao continued: "Yu Ping's words may not be trustworthy. It's possible she switched the medicine herself and now blames you. When Father questions you tomorrow, can you explain it this way? Whatever you do, don't admit to anything - this whole matter is suspicious. Just how Concubine Song found Yu Ping is questionable enough, though I haven't uncovered any leads yet. When you speak with Father tomorrow, you mustn't lose your temper... What do you think?"Madam Ji nodded and then smiled, "I know. You're still so young, yet you're trying to teach your mother. Mother still understands."
It was good that Mother could think this way. Jinchao felt a bit more at ease.
Suddenly, a commotion arose outside. Jinchao stood up and walked toward the door, only to see Qingpu grabbing a woman by the collar, while Xue Sixteen and another guard were restraining two maids. Mama Xu stood nearby, her face pale with anger, whispering, "...Eldest Miss, it's just as you predicted."
It turned out that Concubine Song, fearing delays might bring trouble, had tried to quickly send Yu Ping away. Two maids from Concubine Song's courtyard were escorting the woman out of the estate, but they got entangled with Caifu and Baiyun at the Chuihua Gate. These two maids were rough-handed, and Caifu and Baiyun were struggling to hold them off when Mama Xu and Qingpu arrived with Xue Sixteen.
The two maids were no match for the guards and were immediately subdued and brought over.
"Eldest Miss, what should we do with them?" Xue Sixteen asked Jinchao, now showing some respect for Gu Jinzhao.
Jinchao smiled and said, "Tie these two maids up and throw them in the side room. Bring Yu Ping to the East Side Room—I have some questions for her." She then turned to Mama Xu and added, "Mother is awake. She probably won't sleep tonight. Please comfort her well."
Mama Xu nodded. "Eldest Miss, don't worry. This servant understands!"
Hearing about this incident, she was filled with anger and shock. She never expected... Concubine Song would dare to frame Madam like this! For a mere concubine to be so audacious!
Yu Ping was sobbing as Qingpu shoved her into the East Side Room. Her hair was disheveled, and she trembled as she knelt on the oak floor.
Qingpu stood beside Yu Ping, fingers twitching slightly. If Yu Ping dared to turn and run, she could pin her to the ground instantly!
Jinchao sat quietly in the Grand Preceptor's Chair, scrutinizing Yu Ping for a long time without speaking.
By age, Yu Ping should only be around thirty, but she looked much older, cowering so much she wouldn't even raise her head. She must have had a very hard life these years. Jinchao softened her voice and said, "Don't be afraid. Come to think of it, I should have seen you when I was little. I'm the Eldest Miss of the Gu family. Were you really the maid who served Concubine Yun?"
Yu Ping was terrified. The words she had told Gu Dezhao were true, though Concubine Song had urged her to speak more firmly. Afraid she might be confronted the next day, Concubine Song had tried to send her away overnight. When Caifu and Baiyun stopped her, she was already petrified.
Then she was dragged here by a maid with an iron grip, hearing the voices around her but not daring to look up.
The Eldest Miss of the Gu family? That must be the girl Madam took to Tongzhou! Yu Ping finally looked up and saw a young lady of fifteen or sixteen sitting before her, dressed in a deep red embroidered jacket and a pale ivory eight-panel moonlit skirt, her hair simply styled in a hanging bun with only red coral beads on her earlobes. Though not elaborately adorned, her beauty and noble bearing were striking.
Yu Ping whispered, "Eldest Miss, greetings... Yes, I used to serve Concubine Yun."
Jinchao paused, then asked, "I heard you accused my mother of poisoning Concubine Yun to death. Is that true, or... did Concubine Song make you lie?"Yu Ping hurriedly waved her hands. "I'm telling the truth! Concubine Song didn't teach me to say this, I... I just think it's not entirely possible... but nine times out of ten, it was the madam who switched the medicine!"
Gu Jinzhao's voice turned cold. "If you're not telling the truth, the maid beside you won't make things easy for you."
Yu Ping kowtowed repeatedly in fright. "No matter how much I suffer, I wouldn't falsely accuse someone for no reason!"
Seeing how stubborn Yu Ping was, Qingpu walked over to Jinchao and said, "This servant thinks we should torture her a bit. She looks weak, but who knew she'd be so stubborn? People like her won't talk unless they suffer..."
Qingpu's words were deliberately said for Yu Ping to hear.
PS:
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