Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 16 Are you enlightened?

"Ah! Are you saying that the Poria Cocos Cake was poisoned with the Datura flower and Madam Wen is actually poisoned?" Rong Wanyin said in horror, "It's over, it's over! I just ate so much! Am I going crazy?"

Yan Mingzhang lowered his head and smiled faintly, explaining, "Since the murderer wanted to keep the matter secret, and the poison is chronic, I guess today's Fuling cake was not poisoned."

Doctor Yan nodded approvingly: "Indeed, I didn't find any poison when I was checking the various cakes just now."

Yan Mingzhang confirmed what he was thinking: "It seems that the murderer is targeting more than just Master Wen!"

"Okay, thank you, Doctor Yan, for your hard work. This matter has not been resolved yet, and I guess I will have to trouble Doctor Yan again in the future! Today, I will have someone take you to rest!" Yan Mingzhang saluted Doctor Yan, and then said to Mo Yun, "Mo Yun, please see Doctor Yan off."

Doctor Yan stroked his goatee, looking pleased with Yan Mingzhang's submissive attitude. "If you need anything, just send someone to call me. I will definitely do my best to help if I can."

Mo Yun took Doctor Yan out. As soon as they were outside, Mo Yun pestered Doctor Yan with questions, annoying him so much that several hairs of his beard fell off.
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Yan Mingzhang stroked the smooth jade flute in his hand as he paced back and forth in the room, his brows knitted into the shape of the Chinese character "川" (Chuan). He muttered to himself, "Wen Yi only touched a red date cake and a cup of tea. If the poison was in the tea, then only Yuzhan and Second Miss Wen could decide who to give the cup of tea to. So, they're the most likely suspects. But if the poison was in the cake, and we've checked the other cakes and they're all clean, and the red date cakes don't have any fillings, how could the poison only get into the red date cake and not get on the other cakes?"

"And with these five kinds of cakes, how could the murderer be so sure that Wen Yi would eat the red date cake? If he didn't, wouldn't his efforts have been in vain? What if the master didn't eat them and gave the cakes to a servant, and then accidentally killed him? No, no, how was the poison put in? Could it really be in the tea? But Miss Wen and Yuzhan don't look like they're lying. They wanted to give the poisoned tea to Wen Xin. It's just a few cups of tea, not complicated. There's no reason for them to make a mistake."

Rong Wanyin sat aside, her chin resting on her hand, watching Yan Mingzhang walking around, muttering to herself, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and she was almost falling asleep in a daze.

"Changfeng, guess who I just bumped into?" Mo Yun hurried in, a lunch box in hand. He picked up a cup of tea from the table and gulped it down. Pulling Changfeng aside, he began to talk. Changfeng quickly waved his hand, signaling that he was thinking about something important and asking Mo Yun to be quiet. Yan Mingzhang, however, raised his hand to stop Changfeng, signaling for Mo Yun to continue.

Mo Yun suddenly perked up and began to talk nonstop, "Sir, do you think that having a stepmother means having a stepfather? I just ran into Butler Wen, and he was full of praise for Miss Wen. Miss Wen is truly pitiful. She wasn't loved by her father or mother when she was little. A few years ago, Master Wen suffered several major losses in business, and the family fortune was nearly wiped out. It was Miss Wen's advice that helped him revive the business and even make a good profit. Last year, Miss Wen turned sixteen, and Master Wen was so happy that he gave her this Siyi Garden as a birthday gift."

When Rong Wanyin heard the story, all her sleepiness disappeared and she became energetic instantly.

"Also, Miss Wen had a very hard life. On the Lantern Festival when she was five years old, Master Wen went out for social events and the servants in the family went home to visit their relatives. Suddenly, a fire broke out in the yard and Miss Wen's mother was burned to death. Fortunately, God blessed her and the young lady had a strong life. At that time, because the master went out and the mistress would not let her go with him, she ran to the cave in the rockery in the yard out of anger and hid there. She fell asleep in it and escaped the disaster." Mo Yun said as he beat his chest and stamped his feet, his face full of regret.

"What happened next?" Changfeng was furious and couldn't help but ask. Rong Wanyin also stretched her neck, eyes wide open, waiting for the next words.

"What happened next?" Mo Yun deliberately kept the question a secret and said with a smile, "Make me a cup of tea, and I'll continue."

Changfeng turned and left, leaving behind a sentence: "Forget it if you don't want to talk about it."

"I said, I said it's not possible." Mo Yun hurriedly grabbed Changfeng and continued, "Later, less than a month later, Master Wen actually married into the Xu family! She is the Madam Wen we met today, and she even gave birth to the second daughter."

"I see..." After hearing this, Yan Mingzhang felt as if the clues in his mind were connected by an invisible hand. Many things became clear to him, but there were still some things he didn't understand about the poisoning. Yan Mingzhang turned to look at Rong Wanyin and asked, "Miss Rong, how credible do you think the words of Miss Wen Er and Yuzhan are? Do you think they were the ones who poisoned her?"

Rong Wanyin pondered for a long moment before speaking, "I don't think Second Miss Wen is lying. First, she's a bit of a spoiled brat, but with her intelligence and courage, she wouldn't do something like 'killing her father.' Putting chin beans in Sister Xin's cup, though, does seem like something she could do. As for the jade hairpin, it's hard to say... When people are in desperate situations, they're capable of anything."

"Don't you like Miss Wen?" Yan Mingzhang looked at Rong Wanyin with a smile, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

Rong Wanyin's face flushed with fear after her thoughts were seen through. She said awkwardly, "It's her fault for always bullying Sister Xin. It would be strange if I liked her!"

"Always? Did you know her before?" Yan Mingzhang asked.

"I don't know her. I just met her for the first time today. But I can guess." Rong Wanyin put down the pen in her hand, slowly stood up, rubbed her legs that were numb from kneeling, and handed over the paper recording the confession.

Yan Mingzhang took the paper and glanced at it. He couldn't help but be surprised. Rong Wanyin's calligraphy was not the usual small regular script practiced by ordinary ladies in the boudoir, but the Yan style regular script with strong strokes and powerful lifting and pressing. He couldn't help but praise it, "Excellent handwriting!"

When Rong Wanyin heard this, a look of pride appeared on her face, like a little fox feeling smug after being praised.

"So that's how it is. From what you said, Miss Wen is indeed pitiful." Yan Mingzhang said as he naturally extended his hand, "Let's eat something first!"

Rong Wanyin was initially puzzled as to why Yan Mingzhang had extended his hand. Just as she was about to stand up and take a step, her legs felt numb. Then she remembered they were numb. Her face flushed slightly, and she thanked him. Then she confidently took Yan Mingzhang's arm and got down from the couch. "Go! Alas, I've never liked kneeling since I was a child. It gets numb the moment I kneel, and I can only last a cup of tea at best."

"It was my fault for not preparing a chair." Yan Mingzhang said apologetically, slowing down his pace. "Miss Rong, you'll feel better if you move around more."

Rong Wanyin stood up to stretch her legs, but she accidentally tripped over a stool and nearly fell. Fortunately, Yan Mingzhang was quick to catch her.

Mo Yun and Chang Feng stretched their necks to watch the fun, but Yan Mingzhang glared at them fiercely. They tried to hold back their laughter and quickly retracted their heads.

"I'm feeling better." Rong Wanyin said as she stretched her body.

Mo Yun smiled widely, nudged Chang Feng with his shoulder, and said with a gossipy look, "Tell me, has our master finally come to his senses?"

"Hmm..." Changfeng nodded repeatedly with a look of serious thought on his face.

(End of this chapter)