Chapter 12: Truth behind the fever
Now that Zi You expressed her concern over this matter, Old General Mu became unsettled.
Could Yi Ping be attempting to get revenge on Zi You? What about that son of mine? Did he know about this? He’d be the worst parent on earth if he and Yi Ping really plotted against Zi You just to go on that trip together.
When Old General Mu thought about this, he felt like his entire body was submerged in ice cold water. He could feel the cold from inside out.
Without delay, Old General Mu commanded his subordinate to investigate the matter. As the investigation commenced, some clues were revealed.
Firstly, Imperial Doctor Qin had some connections to Yi Ping’s birth mother. He was a loyal fan of Yi Ping’s entertainer mother. If it wasn’t for the Prime Minister, Yi Ping’s father could have been Imperial Doctor Qin instead! Additionally, Ying Rui was not close to Imperial Doctor Qin. They were at most acquaintances. So what made Ying Rui look specifically for Imperial Doctor Qin out of all the Imperial Doctors at the Tai Yi Yuan? (TL: imperial hospital, do let me know if you prefer to call it the imperial hospital or Tai Yi Yuan)
Secondly, two nights prior to Zi You falling sick, for unknown reasons, Yi Ping and Ying Rui had an altercation. The maid servants even distinctly heard Yi Ping’s sobs. Xiao Yu, Madam’s Liu’s maidservant, happened to be visiting her sister in Yi Ping’s courtyard on that exact same night. Her sister was a maidservant working under Yi Ping. When the two sisters came out, they passed Yi Ping’s window and heard her saying, “Your daughter….hates me…can you…bear… … see me…bullied …for… three years…”
Following these leads, Old General Mu dispatched his men to secretly inquire at Tai Yi Yuan. From there, he learned of a herb from the West called Wang You Lian. It’s appearance was similar to a regular lotus, but it’s flowers and seeds were golden in color. The flower bloom would be about the size of a young child’s fist, while the golden seeds would be the size of a bean. The Wang You Lian flower is very beautiful.
Upon first seeing the seed, an average person would think that it was a golden bean. However, the Wang You Lian’s seed is soft and bouncy. Beneath it’s golden exterior is a black core. When dropped and boiled in water, the water would turn sweet causing people to often mistake it with a beverage due to the sweet taste. The only catch is that it would cause high fever and unconsciousness. An overdose would induce a rapid fever that would eventually lead to death. Because the flower allowed the consumer to forget all their worries in ‘sleep’, it is aptly named the Wang You Lian.
(TL: 忘=forget,忧=worry,莲=lotus)
While the seed is poisonous, the golden flower is its cure. Boiling two to three petals and drinking it will allow the fever to subside almost immediately.
After investigating to this point, if Old General Mu haven’t figured out what had happened he would be an idiot. Angrily unsheathing his Flying Dragon sword, he wanted to kill his son and daughter-in-law on the spot. However, he was stopped by Ying Yi and Zi You.
With tears streaming down Zi You’s face, she cried, “Grandfather, if you do this the reputation of the general’s estate will be ruined! Both you and second uncle will be affected. Other people will gossip saying, if you can’t even handle your family affairs, how would you handle the army? Grandfather, please don’t ruin the entire reputation of the general’s estate just for those two cold blooded monsters. Besides, they did such things so that I would accept stepmother. If I tried to get along with her there will be no more problems. The only issue is that we should never allow such a woman to follow father on his trip. Can you imagine what could happen if she abuses the influence she has over father? Please think thrice Grandfather.”
After contemplating for a moment, Old General Mu told his second son and granddaughter, “When your father goes on his trip, I will have Butler Zhou follow and keep an eye on him. If your father turns over a new leaf, we shall forget about this incident. Otherwise, I will not let this go! As for that evil woman, Zi You’s right. We must keep her here. I want to see if she has any other ideas up those sleeves of hers. Hence, Zi You, you should stay alert and wary of her. Ying Yi, tell your wife to find some reliable and loyal servants for Zi You.”
