In the flower hall of Prajna Hall in the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion, Hong Yingrong delicately and carefully inserted a freshly picked pink crabapple branch into a blue and white jade vase.
The dew-covered crabapple blossoms resemble the rising morning glow, contrasting beautifully with the blue and white patterns on the vase. Flowing like a landscape painting, they add a touch of vivid color to this quaint interior.
"Madam, Mother Han is here." Aunt Zhao came in from the outer courtyard and announced softly.
"Yeah." Hong Yingrong responded lightly, put down the scissors in her hand, washed her hands beside the basin, then walked into the main hall and sat in the main seat.
Mother Han came in with a small bag and handed the things to Madam Zhao.
After receiving it, Madam Zhao placed it on the tea table and slowly opened it. Inside the bundle was a stack of prescriptions, some of which had yellowed due to age.
"I went to several big pharmacies in Beijing and asked the doctors to look at these prescriptions. I said that my daughter-in-law has been childless for many years and has been taking care of herself according to this prescription. I wanted to ask if there was anything wrong with it. After looking at it, the doctors said it was an excellent medicine for pregnancy." Mother Han reported in detail.
"Could it be that things will turn into the opposite when they reach their extreme?" Hong Yingrong frowned slightly and asked in confusion.
"I've asked this question before, wondering if taking too much tonic would make the medicine less effective. But the doctors all said that this worry is unnecessary," Mother Han explained hurriedly.
However, Hong Yingrong's doubts did not dissipate.
She gently picked up a few prescriptions and examined them carefully, but it was still in vain and she could not find any clues.
In the past few years, there are not many pulse records and prescriptions left by the imperial physicians who came to the Xingyuan Marquis's mansion to check his health. Instead, there are some left by his daughter-in-law Jiang Shuxiu.
Hong Yingrong once asked Jiang Shuxiu to sort out these prescriptions in the name of his wife asking for medicine and send them all to Prajna Hall.
"Let's leave it at this for now. Don't let the news leak out." Hong Yingrong ordered in a deep voice, then signaled Zhao Ma to put the prescription away properly.
Just as Madam Han was about to leave, Hong Yingrong instructed, "Qiao Jia He'er is dining at Fanghua Garden. Go to the kitchen and tell them to prepare some fresh vegetables and the best pastries. When she returns home, be sure to send a guard from the mansion to accompany her in the carriage to ensure her safety."
"Yes, old lady. I will make proper arrangements and there will not be any mistakes." Mother Han responded respectfully and then withdrew.
Yesterday, the young lady of the Guards' Office met with misfortune. The news has spread throughout the capital, causing panic among the people.
At this critical moment, Hong Yingrong must act with caution to ensure the safety of everyone in the mansion.
In the Fanghua Garden of the Marquis' Mansion, Qiao Heyuan, Xue Huichun, Xue Shanqiu and many maids gathered together, and laughter and joy could be heard everywhere.
"The quality of this white jade frost is even better than that produced by Liuxinzhai."
Qiao Heyuan came to the Marquis' Mansion as a guest today, bringing a few boxes of her daily white jade cream as gifts. "If your cheeks itch in the summer, apply this and they'll be back to normal overnight."
Xue Shanqiu curiously picked up a box and opened the lid. An elegant orchid fragrance immediately filled the entire room. She exclaimed, "It smells really good! This scent is even more refreshing than the one from Liuxinzhai."
Xue Huichun also tried to pick up some cream powder with her fingers, and the cream powder melted away immediately after a light touch on her fingertips.
She asked Qiao Heyuan with a hint of sarcasm, "Don't you usually dislike these perfumes and rouges? How did you get such a good thing this time?"
Qiao Heyuan sat down proudly, waving the silk handkerchief in her hand lightly as she explained, "My grandfather met a doctor from the Imperial Hospital while in the Ministry of Justice. We hit it off immediately and became close friends, regardless of age. This White Jade Frost was personally concocted by that doctor, and I heard the ladies in the palace all use it. I asked him for some, and brought it to you today, as a token of my gratitude."
As she spoke, Qiao Heyuan picked up a kumquat and tasted it. The sweet and sour taste made her frown slightly.
After listening to Qiao Heyuan's story, Xue Huichun seemed to understand something and couldn't help but smile.
But the younger sister Xue Shanqiu was still bewildered and asked curiously, "Sister, what are you laughing at?"
Xue Huichun chuckled and covered it up by saying, "I'm just happy because I got such a good ointment."
Xue Shanqiu really thought so, nodded slightly, picked out a piece of pine nut milk pastry from the pastries on the table, then sat lightly next to Qiao Heyuan, picked up the nine-ring puzzle on the table, and the two of them started playing together.
"Fifth sister, I heard that you caught a cold the day before yesterday, but today, you look pretty good and your appetite is good too." Qiao Heyuan said as she looked at Xue Shanqiu with concern.
Xue Shanqiu responded with a guilty conscience: "Well, it's much better now..."
At the same time, Xiaohe and Xiaozhou exchanged glances with each other.
Xue Huichun turned to Qiao Heyuan and said, "I was worried that there might be a murder in the capital, so Aunt Qiao wouldn't let you go out. Otherwise, the snacks the kitchen prepared specially for you would be wasted."
"That's right. My mother was so scared that she didn't dare to go out. Fortunately, my grandfather and father were sensible and asked the servants to accompany the carriage and escort us all the way here."
Hearing this, Xue Shanqiu was slightly startled, then pretended to be curious and asked, "Did Mr. Qiao mention in the Ministry of Justice that the victim was the daughter of the Guard Commander's family?"
This question piqued Qiao Heyuan's interest. She was ready to tell the story with great enthusiasm, and everyone in the room was also very curious.
The maids gathered around and listened attentively, not wanting to miss a single word.
"That's true. When Vice Minister Dong and his wife went to the Ministry of Justice to identify the body, they recognized it as their daughter right away. They were devastated. Mrs. Dong, in particular, held her daughter tightly, unwilling to let go, and even fainted several times from crying."
Qiao Heyuan narrated the incident in a heavy tone, but omitted the details of her presence as an assistant in the coroner's office.
Mrs. Dong was unwilling to let her grandfather perform an autopsy, she just wanted her daughter to be buried in peace as soon as possible.
However, when the body was first sent to the autopsy room, my grandfather Qiao Sanhe took a rough look and found that Miss Dong had a fatal knife wound on her back, which went straight to her heart. Based on the size and thickness of the wound, he inferred that the murder weapon should be a thin-bladed dagger, and that she was pushed into the water after she died.
This undoubtedly means that he was murdered.
Xue Huichun propped her cheek with her hand, lost in reminiscence. "Come to think of it, this Miss Dong rarely goes out. I heard she's been frail since childhood. However, I met her once at the palace's Qianqiu Banquet a few years ago. She was incredibly elegant and graceful."
Xue Shanqiu picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea silently, but his mind was filled with the scene he saw by the river in the farm the night before.
Although she couldn't see the face of the floating corpse, the hands floating on the water were painted with bright red nail polish and the nails were decorated with pink daffodil foil.
This is really far from the image of "pure and elegant".
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