The night was as dark as ink, with the pearwood partition carved with gourd vines left half-open. A faint, cool breeze drifted into the room, and the sweltering heat of early August now felt chillingly cold. In the inner chamber of Longevity and Peace Hall, several people stood or sat around. Old Mrs. Sheng lay flat on the bed, her eyes tightly shut, with deep dark circles beneath them. Her face, pale and tinged with a sickly yellow, had sunken cheeks that were once full of vitality. In Minglan’s memory, she had never seen her grandmother appear so aged and frail.
Mama Fang stood listlessly to the side, looking utterly lost and unsure of what to do.
Sheng Hong’s heart churned like ants on a hot pan. He stood rigidly three or four steps from the bed, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Doctor Lin, who was taking the pulse. After a long wait, he finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Doctor Lin, my mother… how is she…?”
Doctor Lin slowly retracted the four fingers of his right hand, stood up, and turned to say, “The elderly need proper rest. It’s not suitable to have too many people in the room. Lord Sheng, may we speak in private?”
Sheng Hong hurriedly followed Doctor Lin out. Minglan hesitated for a moment, glancing at Hai Shi, who was attending to the bedside. Hai Shi smiled gently and said, “You should go and listen as well, sister. I’ll stay here.” Minglan replied gratefully, “Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law,” before quickly stepping out.
In the outer hall, Changfeng was helping Sheng Hong to the seat of honor, while Madam Liu personally served Doctor Lin a bowl of tea. Madam Wang repeatedly pressed, “How is she, really?”
Doctor Lin hesitated before saying, “…It’s… hard to say.” Noticing Minglan’s arrival, his gaze flickered slightly, and he mumbled, “In any case, she’s stable for now.” Sheng Hong let out a deep sigh of relief, his face full of gratitude as he said, “Thank you for your efforts. Whatever is needed, Doctor, just name it. I will spare no expense.” Doctor Lin smiled faintly, “Your filial piety is commendable, my lord.”
Minglan walked over slowly and said softly, “My grandmother has always been in good health, strong and well. How could she collapse so suddenly? Doctor Lin, surely there must be some explanation?” Madam Wang frowned and interjected, “It’s already quite an imposition to trouble Doctor Lin so late at night. How can you rudely press for answers? The doctor has his own considerations.”
Doctor Lin smiled gently, “It’s no trouble. A doctor’s heart is like that of a parent—this is my duty.” Then, he subtly shifted his position, as if unintentionally blocking the line of sight of Madam Wang and the others, and met Minglan’s eyes, speaking softly, “The elderly, as they age, are not as robust as the young. Their bodies are bound to have various ailments. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s wrong at the moment. We’ll need to observe further.”
Minglan stared intently at Doctor Lin and said slowly, “The doctor is right. They say illness strikes like a collapsing mountain…” She gently wiped the corner of her eye, “Grandmother is, after all, getting older…”
Madam Wang nodded in satisfaction, “Exactly. An elderly person’s health is inherently unpredictable. We originally planned to inform you first thing tomorrow morning, but the servants were too quick to speak and called you over in the middle of the night, making it seem as though we couldn’t take proper care of her.” She then turned to Doctor Lin with an apologetic smile, “And we’ve disturbed your peace as well, Doctor Lin. Truly…”
Sheng Hong, seeing Madam Wang’s words growing increasingly inappropriate, whispered sharply, “Enough. The child is showing filial devotion, and you’re still finding fault!”
Noticing the awkward atmosphere in the hall, Madam Liu spoke in a gentle, soothing tone, “Though it’s not too late, since you’ve come all this way, sister, why not stay for the night? I’ve prepared a side room where you can settle in later.” She then turned to Doctor Lin and added, “And as for you, Doctor…”Doctor Lin waved his hand with a smile. "Being called out at night is common in our profession. There's no need for the young mistress to trouble herself..."
At this moment, Minglan suddenly spoke up. "Though grandmother has stabilized, she hasn't woken up yet. We only hope the doctor can stay overnight to ease our worries. Otherwise, if grandmother has another episode during the night, what would we do..."
Madam Wang frowned and was about to speak when Sheng Hong cut in first. "Exactly. We must trouble the doctor to stay longer." He stood up and cupped his hands, preparing to bow. Doctor Lin quickly rose to return the courtesy. Though he held a sixth-rank official position himself, the Sheng family was full of officials with influential marital connections, so he didn't dare act arrogantly. "You honor me too much," he said. After a moment's thought, he continued, "In that case, I'll stay to examine the old madam with acupuncture. First, let my attendant return to the pharmacy to fetch some medicine."
Minglan said softly, "Thank you, doctor. I'll have someone escort your attendant."
Doctor Lin cupped his hands. "I'll go write a prescription." Madam Liu, well-prepared, immediately had someone bring ink and brush. Doctor Lin wrote swiftly, completing the prescription in no time. When Sheng Hong took the prescription to look, he found it contained mostly mild medicines without particularly targeted effects. He couldn't help but frown. Seeing Doctor Lin's completely unperturbed expression, he hesitated for a moment but ultimately held his tongue.
After the attendant left with the prescription, Doctor Lin turned and went back into the inner room to check on Old Mrs. Sheng.
Minglan said, "It's late now. Father and mother should rest early. Third Young Master should return as well." She went over and took Madam Liu's hand. "Third Sister-in-law has just recently finished her confinement period - you mustn't exhaust yourself."
Sheng Hong said, "You should rest too. Your eldest sister-in-law will look after the old madam..."
Minglan suddenly began to weep. "I was raised and educated with great care by grandmother since childhood - her kindness to me is as deep as the sea. But after all, I'm married out now and cannot attend to her day and night. Besides, eldest sister-in-law still needs to care for her young child. Please let me stay with grandmother tonight to fulfill my filial duties."
Sheng Hong thought for a moment. "Very well. You shall look after the old madam tonight." He glanced at Madam Wang. "From now on, your mother will be responsible for serving the old madam her medicine. You can rest assured about that."
Madam Wang's face turned ugly, and she bit her lip - when a mother-in-law falls ill, it should indeed be the daughter-in-law's primary duty to serve her, not the granddaughter-in-law.
Sheng Hong went into the inner room and spoke to the unconscious Old Mrs. Sheng for quite some time, instructing Mama Fang and others to take good care of her, chattering on without end. Minglan smiled and said, "Shouldn't father rest? Don't you have court tomorrow?" Sheng Hong stroked his beard and smiled. "Even if I take one day's leave, it wouldn't be a problem."
Minglan's expression was gentle and tender, her affection overflowing. "Father is getting on in years too - when elders have matters to attend to, the younger generation should serve. I'm here for grandmother. Father is the pillar of our family - you mustn't overexert yourself."
Sheng Hong found this very pleasing to hear and felt quite gratified. After being gently urged several more times by Minglan, he finally led Madam Wang and the others away.
Watching the large group depart, Minglan slowly withdrew her smile. Her eyes turned cold, her face like frost. She said in a low voice, "Mama Fang, seal off the Longevity and Peace Hall completely. Don't let anyone move about or make inquiries."
Mama Fang responded quietly. Minglan walked straight into the inner room, fixed her gaze on Doctor Lin, and said word by word, "Doctor Lin is trusted by our marquis, so I won't beat around the bush. I'll ask just one thing - how exactly did the old madam fall ill?"Doctor Lin seemed to have been waiting for this remark. Upon hearing it, he stood up and said in a low voice, "You are perceptive, Madam. The Old Madam... is indeed strangely ill. Since this afternoon, she has been suffering from severe abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and occasional convulsions. This..." He hesitated.
Minglan said, "Speak freely, Doctor."
"This doesn't resemble an illness, but rather... rather seems like... poisoning."
Minglan felt as if her heart were being twisted in agony. She took a deep breath and slowly sat down, supporting herself on the chair. "Can you be certain, sir?"
"Well..." Doctor Lin said with difficulty, "Although I'm seventy to eighty percent sure, I cannot guarantee it. If we could examine the food the Old Madam consumed today, we might confirm it further."
At that moment, Mama Fang also entered and was greatly shocked upon hearing these words. Minglan asked, "What did Grandmother eat today?" Having been raised by Old Mrs. Sheng for ten years, she was well-acquainted with her habits. Since becoming a widow, Old Mrs. Sheng had devoted herself to Buddhism for decades, maintaining extremely regular and restrained daily routines and diet, never indulging in excessive eating or cold foods. This aspect wouldn't be difficult to investigate.
Mama Fang said resentfully, "I also found the symptoms strange. How could such a robust person like the Old Madam suddenly become so critically ill?!" There were only a few people in and around the Longevity and Peace Hall, and the food procurement was almost entirely independent. Mama Fang knew this all too well. "Today, the Old Madam only ate breakfast and lunch, and not much at that. Since the weather is hot now and food spoils easily, I ordered the servants not to eat the leftovers and had them all dumped into the slop bucket. They're still there now. Only... the smell..."
Minglan raised a hand and said gravely, "Grandmother's daily meals are all prepared by us ourselves, so we'll set that aside for now. Besides the two meals, did Grandmother eat anything else today?" The several matrons in the private kitchen had been Old Mrs. Sheng's longtime attendants for decades, with their lives and fortunes entirely in her hands. For now, suspicion toward them could be postponed.
Mama Fang thought carefully and said, "In recent years, the Old Madam has developed a growing fondness for sweets. There's an experienced master at Jufangzhai who makes lotus seed pastries that are considered the best in the capital, and the Old Madam adores them. However, this master only personally makes them twice a month, and each time the Old Madam sends someone to wait and buy them..." As she spoke, she began to show signs of fear.
Minglan urged anxiously, "Quickly, tell me more."
Mama Fang broke out in a cold sweat. "Early this year, the Old Madam said that Quange was growing up and should learn etiquette, so she had him pay respects to the Master and Madam every day. Madam Wang was overjoyed to see her grandson and voluntarily took over this task. Each time, she would send someone to wait at the door of Jufangzhai before dawn to buy freshly baked pastries to offer to the Old Madam..."
"So, this time the pastries were also sent by Madam Wang?" Minglan's voice trembled slightly.
Mama Fang said in a panic, "It's been several months, and nothing has happened until now!"
Minglan was stunned for a moment before quickly ordering a maid to bring the leftover pastries.
The lotus seed pastries were indeed rich and fragrant, sweet, sticky, and crispy. Even though they had cooled by now, they still exuded an enticing golden-baked hue. Doctor Lin took a silver needle and carefully pierced through the pastry skin, examining it from the outside in. Finally, he poked and turned over the filling. Under the lamplight, the silver needle remained shiny without the slightest change in color. Minglan breathed a sigh of relief—she hadn't wanted it to be Madam Wang who poisoned them either.To everyone's surprise, Doctor Lin grew increasingly grave, poking the filling to shreds with a silver needle and continuously sniffing it. Minglan's heart tightened once more. After a moment, Doctor Lin set down the silver needle and approached the bed. He lifted Old Madam's eyelids for a careful examination, then retrieved a fine downy feather from his medicine chest, placing it under her nostrils to observe her breathing.
The fine feather trembled rapidly and irregularly, accompanied by hoarse nasal sounds, clearly indicating the patient's labored breathing.
After pinching her limbs, tapping her joints, and bustling about for a long while, Doctor Lin finally stopped and let out a long sigh. "What a cunning scheme."
"Doctor...?" Minglan held her breath.
"It is indeed poison," Doctor Lin said, his face pale. "But not common poison like arsenic. It's an extract from ginkgo sprouts. Dozens of pounds of sprouts are refined into a small, concentrated amount that can be fatal."
While ginkgo nuts are edible, their sprouts are not. Theoretically, this counts as food poisoning, which is why the silver needle couldn't detect it. Doctor Lin pointed to the remaining pastries and said, "Fortunately, the weather is hot now, and the pastries are overly sweet, so Old Madam didn't eat much. Had she consumed a bit more, even a deity couldn't save her."
Minglan asked in a trembling voice, "Is there still hope for recovery?"
"First, we'll induce vomiting with medicine, then apply acupuncture. After that, we can slowly administer detoxifying decoctions," Doctor Lin deliberated. "But Old Madam is advanced in years, and her constitution isn't as robust as a younger person's. It's uncertain whether she can pull through..."
Minglan clenched her fists tightly, cold sweat uncontrollably beading on her forehead. Suddenly, she bowed in a respectful curtsy. "We place all our hopes in you, Doctor!"
Though the Lady of Gu Manor before him was younger than his own daughter, Doctor Lin hastily returned the gesture. "It is my duty." To be thorough, he proactively suggested examining the food in the slop bucket, and Mama Fang had someone accompany him.
Step by step, Minglan emerged from the inner room, standing stiffly in the hall. Behind her followed Mama Fang, already in tears. "...That heartless beast... Miss, what... what should we do?"
Minglan steadied her trembling body and smiled gently at Cuiping. "Cuiping, you've always been meticulous. These next few days, I'll trouble you to stay close to Old Madam and assist Doctor Lin."
"Rest assured, Liu Guniang. I understand," Cuiping wiped her tears.
These past few days, Rulan had accompanied Old Madam Wen to visit relatives in the countryside. Magpie had taken the eldest young miss along, so Rulan gave her and Oriole a few days off to visit their families. Cuiping's parents were originally Old Mrs. Sheng's accompanying servants, so she always came to Longevity and Peace Hall to pay respects and catch up with her former sisters.
No one expected such an incident to occur, throwing the entire household into panic. It was Mama Fang who remained calm, pointing out that she was no longer a member of the Sheng household and could leave without a pass. She urgently sent someone to the Marquis Manor to deliver the message.
Watching Cuiping enter the inner room quietly, Minglan turned and said, "Mama Fang, please have everyone in Longevity and Peace Hall kept under watch. Not a word of what's happening here should leak out."
Mama Fang's eyes flashed with hatred as she said sternly, "If anyone dares, I'll have their tongue cut out immediately!" With that, she turned and left.
Minglan took out a small token from her sleeve, rubbing it slowly in her palm, and said to Xiaotao, "You know all the gates in this manor, don't you?"Xiaotao swallowed and nodded, "I know. Five in total: the main front gate, the main back gate, the side gate next to the front gate, the side gate on the west for carriages and horses. Oh, and there's a small gate at the far end of the garden by the pond in the back." Having grown up in the countryside, she was lively and active since childhood. Everyone saw her as young and simple-minded, allowing her to roam freely around the mansion. She probably even knew how many dog holes there were in the Sheng residence.
Minglan handed over the token. Xiaotao took it blankly, looking at her in confusion.
"Go find the Tu family brothers," Minglan said with a face as still as water, enunciating each word clearly. "Take the mansion guards with you. First, have them open the main gate, then block the Sheng residence from the inside! Don't let a single person out!"
Xiaotao, always bold and straightforward, straightened her chest and declared, "Don't worry, Madam. I'll go right away."
After Xiaotao left, Lüzhi stared blankly, tears welling in her eyes. "Madam, could it be that Old Madam..." She didn't dare to continue.
Minglan stood before the luohan bed, her hands braced on the small bedside table, staring vacantly at the worn peachwood prayer beads on it. Beside them lay the gleaming sandalwood Wooden fish, a cherished item of Old Madam's that she had used for decades.
She slowly turned it over and indeed saw several faint white scratches on the bottom—a memory from when she was seven years old, during a harsh winter. She had been writing at this small table, a short-limbed child who tripped over the bedding while getting off the bed, sending both her and the table tumbling down. Old Madam had turned pale with fright, ignoring everything else, she scooped her up, patting and soothing her to calm her fears.
Minglan looked at the white porcelain teacup on the small table, feeling nothing but overwhelming fury, a stifling rage that threatened to burst from her chest.
Acting on impulse, she snatched the teacup and hurled it violently against the wall, shattering it into fragments. Only then did she let out a heavy breath—"Bastards!"
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