Volume One, Chapter 17: This Commoner Brings a Complaint—Someone Poisoned the Fifth Young Lady

Qin Weishu loved eating crab-stuffed oranges, and this season was perfect for indulging in crab. Paired with the refreshing aroma of pomelo juice, she could easily eat two or three at once.

Madam Feng took another piece and advised, “Crab is cold in nature, madam; you should eat less.”

Qin Weishu hummed in acknowledgment and then put down her chopsticks. She was always a person of great self-restraint. After suffering a major setback in her youth, she had since become exceptionally disciplined in public.

Even on this joyful day, her expression betrayed no hint of emotion, and she didn’t take an extra bite of her favorite dish.

“Have the letter for the Marquis been sent? Has the Fifth Miss returned?”

“The letter was dispatched early this morning by fast courier. Miss Five hasn’t come back yet.” Madam Feng, feeling the warmth of the bowl, ladled some soup for Qin Weishu and placed it before her, then stepped back to reply, “They’ve been searching all day but haven’t found Miss Five. Just now, Peilan sent word that Dongqing went ahead to the kitchen to order the young lady’s dinner prepared, but after it was ready, she waited a long while without seeing Miss Five return. Dongqing then asked Granny Lü to clean up.”

Qin Weishu glanced up slightly; dusk was settling outside. The constables of Jingzhao Mansion were stationed at the alley’s entrance. Once Wen Yunxiu returned home, she would surely be taken away. If she had the ability, she might as well not come back all night.

“And the Second Young Master?”

“After lunch, he took the new maid, Bai Hong, to visit Miss Five’s place. Peilan said they couldn’t find any clues, so they left. Then they went to visit the Eldest Young Master but didn’t see him either, so they returned.” Madam Feng smiled, “I think Bai’s just been running around all day. After all, she’s still a young lady. Without the Marquis or the Eldest Young Master around, she’s at a loss.”

Qin Weishu nodded, wiping the corner of her mouth. “Dismiss them. I’ll sit alone for a while.”

Though she was only in her thirties and had been married to Marquis Wen for over a decade, it felt as if half her life had been wasted. Her heart was like a still well, leading a tasteless and uneventful existence.

The Marquis treated her not badly, but how could a living person ever compete with a perfect dead one? It was said that the late madam was lively, clever, and beautiful—qualities the Eldest Young Master Wen Xuqing resembled completely. Hence, the Marquis cherished Wen Xuqing as if the other children were not truly his.

Though outsiders claimed the Marquis treated all his children well, the four legitimate offspring were never neglected. Yet, what were fine clothes and sumptuous food within the household? They were not lasting blessings. The rank of the Marquis and the Wen family’s military prestige were the true foundation of their fortune and enduring nobility. The Marquis seemed intent on bestowing all these upon the Eldest Young Master. Even when her own son wished to join the army, he was dismissed with baseless claims that the youngest son, gifted and destined for officialdom, had a brighter future. Despite the Wen family’s deep roots in the military, no high-ranking officer would accept a general lacking even basic strength.

What hope did she and her son have if they relied solely on the Marquis?

Only by becoming the sole heir could one hope to seize the title.

Life, when too dull, left only such matters to occupy one's gaze. Once, she had regarded fame and fortune as worthless, wishing only to be close to that person day by day, content even in plain clothes and simple hairpins.

He once held her hand while writing, painted her portrait under lamplight, shaped her eyebrows before the mirror—memories now distant, but even a vague shadow was enough to make her nostalgic and smile.

“Madam, madam.”

“What is it?”

“That little treacherous Dongqing took a carriage to fetch Miss Five. We thought we could follow and catch her, but the sly girl parked the carriage at Jingzhao Mansion. She grabbed Peilan and beat the accusation drum, claiming Peilan tried to poison the young lady!” Madam Feng said quickly, her hands trembling with excitement. “Listen, they say Dongqing even dragged Granny Lü’s corpse to report to the authorities—”

“Granny Lü? What happened?”

“I don’t know. So many people were watching, and no one saw a corpse when the carriage was hitched—”

“Has the Second Young Master left the house?”

Madam Feng shook her head immediately. Since the Second Young Master had dismissed his own staff, no news had leaked out. Their household was as tightly sealed as a fortress on a battlefield—allowing exit but no entry. With no other options, Madam Feng had arranged for several gardeners to transplant some of the Marquis’s favorite rare flowers in front of the Second Young Master’s courtyard, so the gardeners could watch day and night.

No abnormalities appeared. The doors were open, and everything proceeded as usual. The Second Young Master was indeed in the courtyard, even taking a couple of rounds outside the embroidery tower.

“Underestimating that maid Dongqing—she’s so cunning,” Madam Feng said anxiously. “Madam, what should we do? Peilan is spineless; I fear she’ll break under interrogation and spill everything!”

Qin Weishu raised an eyebrow. “What business is it of ours if someone died in their courtyard? Even if Peilan talks, what could she possibly say? You old woman, you’re getting flustered before anything has happened!”

“Then, what should we do now, madam?”

Qin Weishu quickly wrote a letter. “Send it to the usual place.”

“Yes, I’ll go immediately.”

“Hitch the carriage. We’re going to Jingzhao Mansion.”

“Madam, if Peilan reveals everything this time, should we send someone ahead to inform the old madam? If something’s amiss, maybe—”

“Maybe what? No one is going!”

Madam Feng didn’t understand; a woman only had a natal family when she held power. Once she lost favor, where was there a natal family to turn to?

“Let’s go. Jingzhao Mansion wouldn’t dare detain the Marquis’s wife, would they?”

Qin Weishu remained calm and composed. This matter was neither too big nor too small—it depended on how Chen Lin of Jingzhao Mansion handled it. At worst, it could become a homicide case; at best, a servant’s death. Even if it spared Concubine Zhao and Wen Yunxiu, so what? Once entangled in legal trouble, who would want the Wen family?

“Madam, Prince Tang’s carriage is arriving.” At the front of Jingzhao Mansion, Madam Feng drew back the curtain.

“The prince alone?”

“A little Shiba Inu follows the carriage; the Eldest Young Master is likely inside.”

“Who informed them?”

“The Eldest Young Master has been absent from the mansion for days. Perhaps someone from the Second Young Master’s side leaked the news.”

Prince Tang—what a prince! Acting as if he belonged to the Marquis family! Since Qin Weishu married into the Wen family, Prince Tang had been obliging to Wen Xuqing and Wen Yunmu, siblings. Why did he even meddle in the death of a mere servant?

It seemed the one who said it before was right: Marquis Wen and Wen Xuqing were like grasshoppers on the same rope—their fortunes rose and fell together. Without toppling the big tree, there was no chance to cut the roots beneath.

“Has the letter at the usual place been retrieved?”

“About an incense stick’s time ago.”

Qin Weishu straightened her clothes and smiled lightly, as calm as clouds drifting by. “Then rest assured. Let’s go see how Lord Chen Lin performs his part.”