Died? How could a healthy person die so suddenly? At such a time when Prince was calling the servant girl.
“What happened?” Prince Ning frowned. There had been a long time since such a great event ever happened.
“I don’t know,” the servant passing on the message kneeled down and said, “When I pushed the door and walked in, I saw she hanged on the hemp rope. Her tongue and eyeballs are swollen. It seems that she has been dead for several hours.”
At that time, Imperial Doctor Zhao, who was examining the gallipot, said, “That’s right. The liner of the gallipot has been soaked in the juice of nux vomica. If it is used to decoct herbal medicine every day, the nux vomica that permeated in its liner will come into the medicine. Besides, there is nux vomica in the decoction too. As a result, Old Madam is ill.”
“Who on earth has the nerve to poison mother,” Prince Ning felt angry. He stood up and looked around. All the people here lowered their head constrainedly except for Qin Yunuan and Princess Ning, who tried to persuade him one by one.
“Father, don’t panic. It’s good that Old Madam is of no harm now. As the schemer did it, there must be some clues.”
“Yes,” Princess Ning patted Prince Ning on his back, “God observes what people do.” Then she turned her head to make an order, “Now that the servant girl responsible for the decoction in Old Madam’s yard is dead. Gather all servant girls and nannies in the Lotus Fragrance Courtyard here. I don’t believe that there’s no clue at all.”
Thinking for a while, Prince Ning nodded.
Before long, the courtyard was full of servants. Even the gatekeepers who usually guarded at the entrance were here now. They all appeared obsequious, lowering their head and keeping as silent as they could.
“Among you, those who have once been to the kitchen or responsible for the purchase, distribution, and storage, stand out,” At Prince Ning’s order, a dozen of people went out from the crowd. Their leader was an older nanny who looked familiar. She must be the chief nanny in the Lotus Fragrance Courtyard. Her family name was Sun. She had been working for Old Madam for years.
“Nanny Sun,” Princess Ning recognized the old nanny at one sight, “You’re responsible for the storage of the warehouse in Lotus Fragrance Courtyard. I ask you, has the gallipot that Old Madam is using ever been replaced?”
Nanny Sun, who felt quite nervous for her name mentioned independently, kneeled down immediately when the question was about the key point. She kowtowed, “I’m guilty. It’s my fault. Recently I fell asleep when I dozed in the warehouse. I broke Old Madam’s gallipot by accident. As Old Madam loved old things, I believed she must blame me if she found out the truth. So… I took another gallipot which was the same as the old one to replace it.”
“How dare you! You replaced it without your master’s permission,” Second Madam upheld justice at this time, “Did you know that the gallipot you took nearly killed Old Madam?”
Nanny Sun trembled, “I dare not. I’ve heard that there was a gallipot which was exactly the same as the one of Old Madam in Third Young Madam’s warehouse. So I found Nanny Li, a countryman whom I was familiar with as well as the chief nanny of Third Young Madam’s warehouse, to borrow the gallipot. The rest, I know nothing at all. I never did other things.”
All eyes were cast upon Qin Yunuan again. She immediately bowed down and explained, “It’s my negligence that there is such a severe mistake of my servants. Maner, take Nanny Li here. I want a face-to-face confrontation.”
Before long, Nanny Li was also taken here. She looked nervous and careless as she nearly fell when she was walking.
“Kneel down,” Qingzhu, who was by the side of Princess Ning, shouted at Nanny Li, which made the latter more scared. The moment she saw Nanny Sun who was still kneeling, she knew what had happened. After Prince Ning raised his question coldly, she was silent. Hesitating for a moment, she suddenly cried out miserably.
“I… I was forced to do it. I will speak. I will speak out all I know.”
“What are you crying about?” Qin Yunuan felt an uneasy sense of foreboding, “If you want to say something, be straightforward.”
Second Madam showed an unpleasant smile, “Yes. Nanny Li, if anyone has ever forced you to do something you shouldn’t do, you should speak out boldly. Prince and Princess are both here. Nobody can trouble you as long as you are telling the truth.” When she finished, she glanced at Qin Yunuan.
Nanny Li kowtowed, “Recently, Nanny Sun found me to borrow the gallipot. The chief nanny of the warehouse as I was, I couldn’t lend my master’s object without permission. So I reported it to Third Young Madam. Although I thought it was a minor matter, Third Young Madam asked me to take the gallipot which was going to be lent out to her. She gave it back to me the next day and agreed to lend it to Lotus Fragrance Courtyard. Ah. Besides, Third Young Madam asked much about Old Madam’s disease and her medicine. I felt strange then. Why didn’t she visit Lotus Fragrance Courtyard directly but chose to ask me in private?”
“Humph! Nonsense,” Qin Yunuan hummed coldly, “When did I find you to look at the gallipot? When did I ask about Old Madam’s disease? I went to Lotus Fragrance Courtyard to greet her every day. If I want to know her situation, why would I need to ask a servant in charge like you?”
Now things were quite clear. Looking at Nanny Li’s testimony, it was clear that there was someone who bought off Nanny Li to frame her up. Taking a deep breath, Qin Yunuan nodded at Prince Ning and Princess Ning, “I have never done what the nanny said. What’s more, Nanny Li was in charge of the outer courtyard. She has never been to the inner courtyard. Father and mother, you can ask all servant girls in my inner courtyard about it.”
At her words, Maner and Ting Xue stepped forward and kneeled down at once. They said together, “I can testify for Third Young Madam.”
Nanny Li raised her head, “Nurse Liao, Maner and Ting Xue in Third Young Madam’s inner courtyard were all her family. Only those servant girls who were loyal to Third Young Madam can work in the inner courtyard. So, of course, they will speak for Third Young Madam. However, I’m telling the truth. If any of my words were to slander Third Young Madam, may I be struck by lightning and split into two halves,” Nanny Li’s attitude was firm and sincere. Her words seemed like truth from every perspective.
At that time, there was continuous cynicism in the hall. Second Madam, who was holding the grudge that East House had taken back the three shops in the east of the city that used to belong to them, felt unhappy when she learned that those shops were now under Qin Yunuan’s management. Therefore, this time she tried hard to add insult to injury.
Leng Suxin, who was always indifferent, looked alone at Nanny Li on the ground. She sneered, “I saw you were quite nervous just now. Why are you so confident now? You are the servant girl in the courtyard of Third Sister-in-law, but you are unequivocal when you indict your master. Well, it’s really hard to be a servant like you.” Leng Suxin took a sip of tea calmly when she finished her words as if she had said nothing.
It never occurred to Qin Yunuan that Leng Suxin, who used to threaten her, would say something fair for her at this key point. Nanny Li trembled, “It’s because my conscience stirs,” when she was saying, she touched her chest with her hand, “Now that I have said it, I’m afraid of nothing.”
At this moment, a cold voice broke out suddenly, “Take out your conscience then. Leng Wu!”
With Leng Changxi’s cold order, Leng Wu plunged into the house from outside. Almost between breaths, he dragged Nanny Li’s wrists tightly. When he was about to use strength, he was stopped by Leng Changxi.
“Enough. Look at her fingernails. What’s inside?” Leng Changxi pointed at Nanny Li’s black fingernails. The black powder in it looked like dirt left when doing work, but with a closer look….
“Prince, it’s nux vomica,” Imperial Doctor Zhao picked out some black powder. He smelled it and assured, “and it’s the part whose medical properties are most severe.”
Qin Yunuan stepped forward and pulled Nanny Li’s fingers open. Finding that her ten fingernails were full of the powder of nux vomica, Qin Yunuan smiled, “Aren’t you working in the warehouse? Why? Is there so much nux vomica in the warehouse?”
At that time, there came people from Qin Yunuan’s courtyard holding a pack wrapped up tightly. It was opened, and there was a pile of clay fragments.
“When nurse Liao was decocting the medicine, she broke the gallipot by accident. In the end, she found some strange things inside. She felt worried about it, so she asked me to send them here,” the little servant girl’s voice was clear. She was not afraid.
Qin Yunuan opened the cloth pack carefully. As expected, she found there was some inexplicable black powder on the liner of the wreckage of gallipot inside. Imperial Doctor Li looked at it and asserted, “It’s also nux vomica.”
At his words, Nanny Li’s heart was cold totally.
Leng Changxi glanced at Nanny Li, “You. Have you got anything to say now?”
“You want to harm two people, Old Madam and me,” Qin Yunuan’s eyes show sternness, “Nanny Li, how dare you?” Qin Yunuan couldn’t help felicitating in her mind. As she wasn’t pregnant, she didn’t drink the nurturing medicine recently. Otherwise, she might like Old Madam now.
“No. It’s not the truth,” Nanny Li shook her head, eyes looking dull, “The gallipot given to Old Madam was an accident. I never thought Nanny Sun would borrow gallipot from me. I really didn’t. I was wrong. I was all the way wrong.”
So the aim of the schemer was to harm Qin Yunuan alone? Qin Yunuan’s heart tightened. However, it made sense. Old Madam was paramount and powerful in the mansion, so everyone tried hard to fawn on her. What good it was for the mansion if she was killed?
“Bring this servant away! I’ll torture her until she confesses,” Prince Ning waved his sleeves. Two strong servants stepped forward to bring Nanny Li who was still shouting away.
At this time, the grand servant girl in Old Madam’s house came to report that Old Madam was awake now. She wanted to see Third Young Madam.
