Being a second wife is difficult

The lights were still on at Songhe Hall, casting a warm yellow glow through the paper windows.

Just as Granny Gui was about to close the door and leave, she looked up and saw Jiang Wan standing under the eaves, with Qing He following behind her carrying a lantern. The light shone in the night and formed a small halo.

She paused for a moment, about to speak, when Jiang Wan nodded to her first: "Granny Gui, please inform the old lady that I have something important to discuss with her."

Granny Gui didn't ask any further questions. She responded and turned to go inside. After a while, she came out, lifted the curtain, and whispered, "The old lady invites you in."

Jiang Wan stepped over the threshold and followed Granny Gui through the main hall, heading straight into the inner room.

The old lady leaned against the pillow, still holding a half-open scroll of scripture in her hand, as if she was ready to rest, but had not yet blown out the lamp.

Seeing her enter, he placed the scriptures on his lap and gestured with his chin, "Sit down." His gaze then fell on the box Jiang Wan was holding, and he paused for a moment, "Why are you here so late? Is there something you need?"

Jiang Wan sat down on the embroidered stool in front of the couch. Without beating around the bush, she opened the box, took out the blue cloth booklet, turned to the page with the folded corner, and turned to the old lady.

"Grandma, your daughter-in-law has come across an old story today."

The old lady glanced down at the page: "What's this?"

"This is a maid who was transferred to Mrs. Gu's courtyard three years ago."

Jiang Wan pushed the booklet forward, her fingertip landing on the two characters "Lotus Heart": "This girl was promoted too quickly, from a janitor to a personal maid in just two months."

"I sensed something was wrong, so I asked Aunt Zhou over to ask her a few questions. Aunt Zhou said that only three days after Madam Gu left, she was already begging Granny Ding to let her leave the mansion, saying that someone from her hometown had come to propose marriage."

Jiang Wan paused, looked up at the old lady, and said, "A maid who was so favored by Madam Gu, even though we only spent three months together, Madam Gu treated her so well and took her everywhere. There must have been some affection between them. But she was in a hurry to leave on the third day after her mistress left, and she didn't even pretend. Aunt Zhou said she didn't shed a single tear."

"I always felt that this girl was moving too fast."

After listening to her, the old lady's gaze lingered on that page for a few moments before she said slowly, "I don't have much of an impression of this maid you're talking about, but now that you mention it, she does seem a bit suspicious."

She glanced at Jiang Wan sideways. "Since you found this page and brought it to me so late, you must already have some idea of ​​what you've planned, right?"

Jiang Wan did not avoid her gaze and said frankly, "I have met Aunt Zhou a few times. She always speaks and acts with discretion and is not the kind of person who speaks carelessly. I think about 70-80% of what she said is believable."

"Furthermore, the personnel transfers that Granny Ding has handled over the years have been shrouded in mystery. Whether Lianxin was deliberately transferred into Madam Gu's room or whether she was related to Madam Gu's death, I can't say for sure right now. But I always feel that this is not a coincidence."

The old lady listened silently without responding immediately. The room was quiet for a moment, with only the occasional flicker of the candlelight.

She was silent for a moment before asking, "You want to investigate?"

Jiang Wan looked up at her, her tone unwavering: "I want to get to the bottom of this. It's not for anything else, but because they should know how Zhao'er and Wan'er's mother died."

The old lady remained silent for a while, glanced at her as if weighing the weight of her words, and after a moment she spoke: "Go ahead and investigate. If there's anything you're unsure about, come and tell me."

Jiang Wan stood up, bowed, and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she seemed to remember something and turned back to ask a question.

"Grandma, do you still have the old files for the maids in the mansion? Lianxin was transferred in from outside, and the register only records the date of her transfer, not her place of origin."

The old lady glanced at Granny Gui. Granny Gui understood immediately, turned and went into the inner room. After flipping through the books for a while, she came out with a yellowed book and turned to one of the pages: "A native of Li Family Village in Qingzhou Prefecture, she entered the prefecture in February three years ago."

Jiang Wan silently recited the address in her mind and memorized it. She stepped out of Songhetang and the night breeze blew in her face.

Back inside, Qinghe turned on the lamp.

Jiang Wan sat down at the table, spread out a piece of paper, and wrote a letter, clearly stating Lianxin's place of origin and the time she arrived at the mansion. She added a sentence: "Investigate what happened after she returned to Qingzhou, as well as the list of doctors who treated Mrs. Gu back then."

She folded the letter, sealed it, and placed it on the table. Only after doing all this did she blow out the lamp and lie down.

She lay there with her eyes open in the darkness for a while, going over those words in her mind again.

Lijia Village in Qingzhou Prefecture is not exactly close, but it's not out of reach either.

This matter should not be publicized. The people in the manor should not be touched. It is better to use people from outside to investigate.

The next morning, she called Xiaoman into the house.

Xiaoman stood by the table with her eyes downcast, quietly waiting for her to speak. Jiang Wan didn't rush to hand over the letter; she glanced at her first, her tone calm but carrying the weight of entrustment.

"I have something for you to do now; it's something from outside."

Xiaoman didn't ask any further questions, only replying, "Just give your orders, Madam."

Jiang Wan pushed the sealed letter on the table forward: "There's a Juxian Teahouse in the south of the city, you went there with me before, remember? Find the owner, Chen Si, and hand the letter to him. That's all."

Xiaoman took the letter, carefully tucked it into her sleeve, and then looked up at Jiang Wan: "This servant will go right away."

Jiang Wan stood by the window watching her back as she walked through the courtyard and out through the side gate. The gate closed behind her, and the courtyard fell silent again.

She stood by the window for a while before returning to the table and sitting down. She opened the account book, looked at a few lines, and then closed it again. Unable to focus her gaze, she simply got up and went to tend to the orchid on the windowsill.

After leaving the courtyard, Xiaoman continued walking towards the side gate without stopping.

As she approached the gate, Old Chen, the gatekeeper, was sitting in the gatehouse drinking tea. Seeing her coming this way, he leaned out and asked, "Miss Xiaoman, where are you going so early in the morning?"

Xiaoman didn't stop walking, but just tilted her head and smiled: "Madam asked me to go out and buy some needles and thread, saying that she wants to embroider some things for the young masters and young ladies. The patterns in the shops outside are more complete than those in the manor."

As she spoke, she turned and walked out of the door, her tone so natural as if it were true. Old Chen responded with an "Oh" and didn't ask any further questions, letting her leave.

On the evening of the third day, when it was almost completely dark, the gatekeeper handed in a beautifully wrapped blue cloth bundle, which was delivered by the tea stall in the south of the city.

It was said that the lady had asked someone to order a few ounces of fine tea a few days ago, and it only arrived today. Qinghe took it, weighed it in her hand, and carried it into the house, placing it on the table.

Jiang Wan opened the bundle, and inside was indeed a can of tea, tightly sealed, with a faint fragrance. She unscrewed the lid, reached in with her fingertips, and touched the hidden envelope beneath the tea leaves.

Jiang Wan unsealed the wax seal, pulled out the letter, and unfolded it. The letter was written in Chen Si's handwriting, which was not neat, but every stroke was clear.

"When Lianxin left the mansion three years ago, she did return to her hometown, Lijia Village in Qingzhou. However, she died of illness less than half a year after returning. The villagers said that she died suddenly, as if she had a sudden illness."

"When I was investigating in Lijia Village, I learned about a young village doctor named Li. He had been an apprentice at Renhetang in Beijing in his early years. He had also come to the Earl’s Mansion with his master to treat Mrs. Gu. So I went to visit Dr. Li himself."

Jiang Wan's gaze lingered on this spot. She brought the letter closer to the light and continued reading.

"Dr. Li said that back then he was just a junior assistant. He remembered that when he and his master were treating Madam Gu at the Earl's Mansion, a maid named Lianxin chatted with him for a few minutes while serving Madam Gu medicine. They discovered that they were from the same hometown."

"Later, when he was about to leave, Lianxin secretly pulled him to a secluded corner, stuffed a cloth bag into his hand, and told him to keep it safe and not to tell anyone. She also gave him a lot of money and jewelry."

"When Dr. Li saw so much silver, he agreed without thinking much about it. When he got back and opened the cloth bag, he found a porcelain jar inside, which contained a portion of dregs from the medicine."

"Although he found it strange, he remembered Lianxin's instructions and sealed the jar. After that, he studied with his master for two more years before returning to his hometown and opening a small clinic in the village, becoming a village doctor."

"One day he suddenly remembered this matter again, so he opened the pottery jar, looked at it carefully, and smelled it."

"Based on his experience, there was an extra ingredient in the dregs of the medicine that shouldn't be there. That ingredient is fine to take on its own, but if it is combined with Mrs. Gu's original prescription, the person will become weaker and weaker over time, and eventually die like a lamp running out of oil."

"But he clearly remembered that when he and his master were checking the dregs of medicine in the manor back then, they used the same prescription, and it had been checked several times without any problems. How come the one Lianxin later gave him had an extra ingredient that shouldn't be there? Could it be that the prescription he checked back then and the one Lianxin left him were two completely different prescriptions?"

Jiang Wan placed the letter on the table, her mind filled with countless questions.

Dr. Li and his master had examined the dregs of the medicine back then and found no problems. However, Lianxin gave him a separate portion of the dregs, and that portion contained something wrong.

In other words, there are likely two prescriptions. When the doctor in the manor was around, Lianxin prepared a prescription that was fine, but the one that Madam Gu drank most of the time was tampered with.

Where did she get the poison from? Why did he poison Mrs. Gu? Why did she leave behind the dregs as evidence?

And why was she in such a hurry to leave, and why did she die of illness not long after?

Each and every one of these incidents exuded an indescribable chill, sending shivers down her spine.

But what she couldn't understand the most was something else entirely.

Could it be that Mrs. Gu, who has spent so many years in the inner quarters, can't even discern the true nature of those around her?

Lianxin had only been by her side for a few months, how could she trust her so much? Her own body was getting weaker day by day, did she really never suspect that bowl of medicine?

She kept these questions to herself, put the letter in a hidden compartment under the bed and locked it, then put the key in the closet.

She sat back down at the table and suddenly remembered someone—Granny Ding.

Lianxin was transferred in by Granny Ding. Without Granny Ding's approval, things wouldn't have gone so smoothly. But the question is: did Granny Ding know what Lianxin had done?

Jiang Wan hadn't known Granny Ding for long, but after their few interactions, she had a clear understanding of her.

Ding Mama was greedy, shrewd, and opportunistic. She had done many shady things, but she never crossed one line: she was the old lady's woman, and she was on the side of the mansion.

She had relayed messages for Madam Fang, changed people, and received benefits, but those things were ultimately just infighting within the household. They damaged face, dignity, and the relationships between different branches of the family, but they did not shake the foundation of the Marquis's mansion.

But Ding Mama couldn't bring herself to kill a wife.

Even if she's confused, she can still distinguish between what's important and what's not.

The death of a principal wife would be reported to the Jingzhao Prefecture, would alarm her family, and would lead to a thorough investigation of the entire mansion. If it was found that someone in the mansion was responsible, not only would she be implicated, but even the old lady would be involved.

Granny Ding had served the old lady for decades; she couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

Therefore, Granny Ding was mostly unaware of Lianxin's situation.

But she didn't know who was behind Lianxin. Who sent Lianxin in? And who was secretly paving the way for her, allowing her to stand beside Mrs. Gu within two months?

As Jiang Wan thought about this, a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

Granny Ding held the personnel transfer register in her hand. If she knew that Lianxin had a problem, she would have tried to erase that page or simply destroyed the entire register. She would never have handed the register to Lianxin when she was desperate.

Because once Lianxin's matter attracts her attention, and if it is discovered, Ding Mama, as the approver of the transfer of people, will be the first to be implicated.

But she still handed over the original book.

That leaves only one possibility: Granny Ding had no idea that Lianxin had a problem.

She simply took it as a favor, a routine job of transferring people, and casually put the person into Mrs. Gu's courtyard. Little did she know that the page she was handling might later cost a life.

Jiang Wan blew out the lamp and lay in the darkness with her eyes open for a long time, going over every detail related to Lianxin in her mind again.

She felt like she had missed some clue, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't grasp that specific clue.

The night breeze slipped in through the cracks in the window, carrying the chill of the autumn night.

She turned over, telling herself not to rush, before closing her eyes, but she still couldn't sleep soundly that night.