Chapter 126: Defaming the Second Branch
The Chengming Hall was brightly lit.
Guards stood solemnly from the doorway all the way to the main hall, their posture impeccable and imposing.
The Emperor wore a simple sky-blue robe, sitting upright in the main seat; the Dowager Madame sat beside him.
Huan Qingtang and Madam Song stood quietly by the side, heads bowed low; on the floor knelt two wet nurses and two maidservants.
The members of the Second Madam’s household entered, first kneeling to perform the grand salute.
Yet the Emperor and the Dowager Madame remained silent, no one beckoning them to rise.
After a long moment, the Dowager Madame finally spoke, still not calling them to stand, but asking, “Have you heard that the Secondary Wife’s child was lost?”
The Second Master responded promptly, “This is indeed a grave matter for the Duke’s household. We have heard, Mother.”
Not “Mom,” but a very formal and respectful “Mother.”
“The Secondary Wife’s miscarriage was unusual—it was caused by someone,” the Dowager Madame said.
The Second Madam already knew about the incident a few days ago at Lijing Courtyard, where Zhou Yuanshen had struck Mu Jiang with a bead, forcing her to kneel.
Could the Dowager Madame be attributing Mu Jiang’s miscarriage to that event?
Before she could say anything, the Dowager Madame continued, “There is a box of lip balm in the Secondary Wife’s chamber, containing bitter apricot kernels and sweet gardenia.
Doctor Feng said that although it looks fresh and fragrant, it is poisonous. The Secondary Wife may have mistakenly ingested it, which caused the miscarriage.”
The Second Madam looked up in surprise.
The Dowager Madame asked, “Fan, do you know the truth behind this?”
She was actually asking her.
The Second Master quickly answered, “Mother, Fan does not know. She never meddles in Lijing Courtyard affairs—you may investigate this.”
“I’m giving her a chance now!” The Dowager Madame’s face showed no outward rage, but her eyes were dark and full of murderous intent. “If she confesses honestly, I will ask His Majesty to be lenient.”
She added, “But if I send someone to investigate and find evidence, the law of the land and the family code will show no mercy!”
“Mother...” The Second Madam could not help but speak.
Cheng Zhao, standing behind her, subtly tugged at her sleeve.
Startled, the Second Madam recalled how her daughter-in-law had told her not to panic or speak recklessly; she also remembered how, despite being clearly in the right before, a few words from her mother-in-law and elder sister-in-law always found fault with her, ultimately slapping a heavy accusation on her.
After over twenty years in the Zhou family, she still hadn’t learned their way of speaking.
The Second Madam wanted to ask the Dowager Madame: Mu Jiang is a concubine, Zhou Yuanshen’s aunt by marriage; no matter who found her or raised her, is she still not a concubine?
Mu Jiang is a junior, a concubine. No matter how precious her unborn child was, how could family law be applied to the Second Madam herself, the mother-in-law?
At this moment, has the Zhou family abandoned filial piety?
Filial piety is always spoken of so highly.
And the law of the land!
What law? A concubine’s unborn child—no matter if the Emperor is sitting here—how could the law apply?
All these questions the Second Madam wanted to ask, but Cheng Zhao gripped her sleeve tightly.
Without turning around, she could imagine the worried frown on her daughter-in-law’s face—so breathtakingly beautiful.
Seeing that worry, the Second Madam couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
She simply kowtowed, feigning tears and said, “Mother, your daughter-in-law is confused and knows nothing.”
The Second Master added, “Mother, you may investigate carefully. Fan truly does not know about the affairs of Lijing Courtyard; she’s always been a scatterbrain.”
The Dowager Madame glared coldly at him.
Her gaze was like a sharp sword, aiming to pierce through the Second Master: “Second Master, are you defying me?”
The Second Master lowered his body submissively: “Your son dares not. Mother, if you wish to punish the daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law, it is entirely your prerogative. Your son dares not utter a single word of complaint.”
By retreating to advance, the Dowager Madame’s cheek twitched slightly.
The Emperor sat silently, his expression dark and unsettled, like the sky before a storm. It seemed calm now, but the next moment a tempest would break loose.
After the Second Master finished speaking, the Second Madam said nothing, and the room fell into silence.
The stillness was terrifying.
Everyone felt as if they were trapped in a steam-filled chamber, stifling and suffocating.
Suddenly, someone announced, “Lord Duke has returned!”
The Dowager Madame lifted her eyes.
But the Emperor frowned. “Isn’t Yuanshen supposed to be at the Jingji Camp?”
How could he be returning home at this late hour? By this time, all the city gates had long been closed.
The Emperor recalled that there had been a mutiny at the Jingji Camp—a faction loyal to the previous commander was trying to send Zhou Yuanshen a warning.
Reports about the incident had flooded the imperial study over the past two days like snowflakes. The Emperor believed Zhou Yuanshen should still be at the camp.
No one could open the city gates at night without special orders.
The Emperor’s eyes darkened even further.
As Zhou Yuanshen just stepped inside, everyone caught the scent of makeup and alcohol; his steps were unsteady.
The Emperor furrowed his brow.
The Dowager Madame’s face grew even more displeased.
“Your Majesty, I apologize for my late return,” he said, bowing to the Emperor.
He continued, “After finishing matters this afternoon, I was pulled into drinking by some people. When my household sent someone to look for me, they found out that Concubine Mu had suffered an accident.”
Huan Qingtang, who had been silently standing to the side, looked up at him.
So, even in front of the Emperor, he refused to address her as “Secondary Wife”?
He was reckless, yet remarkably resolute, always standing firm in his views.
Huan Qingtang felt as if she was seeing him anew.
“You were out enjoying yourself while Ah Jiang nearly died!” the Dowager Madame snapped, tears welling in her eyes. “You truly deserve to die!”
Those words were heavy with accusation.
The Emperor sighed.
He said, “Mother-in-Law, Yuanshen going out drinking isn’t a grave offense. Even if he had stayed home, it wouldn’t have stopped someone from deliberately causing harm.”
He was defending Zhou Yuanshen.
He did not follow the Dowager Madame’s wishes to punish him.
The Dowager Madame’s grip tightened.
“Your Majesty, Grandmother, I want to know exactly what happened,” Zhou Yuanshen said. “Once the truth is uncovered, I will make sure Concubine Mu receives justice.”
“You explain it!” The Dowager Madame pointed at a nanny kneeling on the floor.
It must have been her.
“Lord Duke, the rouge and cosmetics supplied to Lijing Courtyard have always come from the official household. Someone mixed poison into the lip rouge. Because it’s a sea product, none of us knew. That’s why Secondary Wife suffered a miscarriage,” the nanny said.
Zhou Yuanshen didn’t ask about the “sea product,” but instead asked, “Who said it was poisonous? And who confirmed that this was the cause of Concubine Mu’s miscarriage? Since the miscarriage already happened, it’s unlikely anyone would immediately suspect the lip rouge.”
The nanny hesitated for a moment: “...It was the Eldest Young Madame who discovered something was wrong with the rouge. She took it to Doctor Feng, who confirmed there was a problem.”
“So, after Concubine Mu’s miscarriage, you investigated the cause. Lady Huan pointed out the lip rouge, and Doctor Feng confirmed it as the cause. Is that correct?” Zhou Yuanshen asked.
The Emperor frowned.
The Dowager Madame’s face turned pale.
Huan Qingtang stood quietly by the side. Some glanced at her, but she said nothing rashly. If no one asked, she would remain silent.
Zhou Yuanshen reeked of alcohol, his cheeks flushed as if drunk, yet his mind was clear and his speech precise, without a hint of confusion.
“I want to confront Doctor Feng,” Zhou Yuanshen said. “Ask him directly whether he is certain that Concubine Mu’s miscarriage was caused by this jar of ointment.”
The Emperor nodded. “Summon Doctor Feng.”
Soon, Doctor Feng entered the Chengming Hall, carrying his medical bag and dressed in his official physician’s robe. He knelt and kowtowed.
“There are indeed signs of poisoning in the Secondary Wife,” Doctor Feng confirmed.
“Where did this ointment come from?” Zhou Yuanshen pressed.
A nanny spoke up, “I don’t know. I heard someone say it was bought by the Fifth Young Master.”
Like a thunderclap, the Second Master and Second Madam suddenly looked up sharply at the nanny.
“Nonsense! What are you talking about?” the Second Madam snapped angrily.