Chapter 30 I'm not trying to take advantage of you.
Chapter 30
The next day, the two got up early to accompany the princess to breakfast.
Normally, He Hansheng and Shen Suining would eat light breakfasts, but with autumn approaching, the imperial physician instructed the eldest princess to eat more nourishing foods. Therefore, early in the morning, the kitchen prepared mutton soup as the main dish.
Shen Suining couldn't get used to eating mutton and was staring at the mutton soup in his bowl, looking worried.
Upon seeing this, the eldest princess couldn't help but ask, "Why isn't Ningning eating? Doesn't she have an appetite?"
Shen Suining looked troubled, unsure of how to begin.
Seeing this, He Hansheng, who was sitting next to her, reached out and moved the mutton soup in front of her to his own, and instructed Xiangye: "Madam doesn't like mutton, so have the kitchen bring over the lotus leaf and poria porridge. Madam and I will eat together."
The eldest princess suddenly realized, and with a smile she scolded He Hansheng, "You are so considerate, but you didn't say so earlier, making me think that Ningning was not feeling well."
“I haven’t spent much time with my mother lately and forgot that she likes to eat mutton at this time of year. It’s my fault.”
"You've been busy with official duties and working very hard, which your mother has noticed. I've heard that His Majesty has recently assigned you many tasks, which is a good thing, but you should still try to spend more time with Ningning."
“Mother is right,” He Hansheng paused, then told the Princess, “I plan to take Ningning with me on this trip to Jizhou.”
Upon hearing this, the Princess's expression immediately changed. "Nonsense. You're going to stay in the military camp in Jizhou. Do you expect Ningning, a young lady, to spend all her time with a bunch of grown men? Besides, I heard that you're going to Jizhou to reorganize the Jizhou army and select an elite force to be incorporated into the city defense army of Huadu. Such an important task is being watched by countless eyes in the court. You can't be careless."
"Mother, rest assured, I understand all of this. It's just that Ningning has been in the capital for so long and hardly leaves the house. I was worried that she would get bored at home, so I thought of taking this opportunity to let her go out and have some fun," He Hansheng glanced at Shen Suining and gently comforted her, "I will handle the affairs of the court."
The eldest princess was still a little worried and looked at Shen Suining.
Shen Suining quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mother-in-law. I'm used to being out in the world and can take care of myself. I won't cause him any trouble."
The eldest princess nodded in relief. "Since you both say so, then you can decide for yourselves. As long as you two can live in harmony, what do I, as your mother, have to worry about?"
After the three of them had breakfast, the princess felt a little tired and told the two of them to go back first.
On the way back to Tamei Garden, Shen Suining asked with some curiosity, "He Hansheng, you are a military commander, so do you have military power?"
He Hansheng chuckled. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
“I heard my father say before that in the imperial court, ministers with outstanding abilities and military power are easily targeted. The reason he resigned and left Huadu back then was probably because of this. He was probably only about your age then,” Shen Suining thought of Shen Yan’s face full of pain and helplessness whenever he mentioned more than twenty years ago, “So He Hansheng—”
Shen Suining stopped and looked at him. "You're having a hard time right now, aren't you?"
The two stood side by side in the corridor, the morning breeze barely dispelling the summer heat.
He Hansheng looked at Shen Suining, who was asking him seriously, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, but he didn't know how to answer. He simply turned his face away and said, "I have no military power."
"My father was originally the head of the military officers, with the power to deploy troops in all parts of Huadu. He was also the commander of the city defense army, in charge of the defense of the capital, and had eight thousand elite soldiers under his command. When he passed away, I had not yet come of age. His Majesty, on the grounds that I was too young, took back the control of the city defense army to the central government and placed it under the temporary management of the Ministry of War."
He Hansheng spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him. “Not long ago, the Censorate impeached Zhou Fu, the Minister of War, for allegedly colluding with the Ministry of Revenue to embezzle military funds. Although the matter has not yet been decided, His Majesty has already decided to return the military power of the city defense army to the Marquis of Yong’an’s residence, which is why he ordered me to reorganize the Jizhou Army.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Suining was delighted. "That's a good thing. It's just that the item has been returned to its rightful owner."
He Hansheng shook his head. “It’s not that simple. His Majesty trusted sycophants in his youth, which drove away many loyal ministers. As a result, the factional struggles in the court are becoming increasingly apparent, and they have even surpassed the imperial edicts. There are some things that His Majesty can’t simply do just because he says so.”
Shen Suining had heard Shen Yan mention these words before, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. For the emperor to go to such lengths, he was truly an incompetent person.
The two returned to Tamei Garden, and before they even entered the house, Mingxi chased after them in a panic, "My lord, my lady, something terrible has happened! His Highness...he's been poisoned!"
...
After finishing her breakfast, the princess felt unwell. She went back to her room to rest for a while, but then felt nauseous, vomited, and fainted.
After examining her pulse, the imperial physician told He Hansheng and Shen Suining, "Your Excellency and Madam need not worry. Her Highness the Princess has suffered from food poisoning and is not seriously ill. Once Miss Mingle prepares the medicine for her, it will be effective. However, Her Highness is weak and will likely need to recuperate for some time."
The two breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Shen Suining asked with some doubt, "Have you found out the cause?"
Just as the imperial physician was about to speak, Miao Wei, who was being helped in by Shen Fengyu, spoke up: "It's mutton and calamus."
"Stone calamus?"
"Hmm," Shen Fengyu helped Miao Wei into the house and handed the dregs of medicine she had taken from the kitchen to the imperial physician. "This is the medicine that the Princess has been taking to recuperate recently. There is an extra ingredient in it: Acorus calamus."
The imperial physician took the dregs of the medicine, picked them up, smelled them, and turned to He Hansheng: "My lord, there is indeed calamus in this. Calamus and pinellia are incompatible with mutton and should not be taken at the same time."
Upon hearing this, Miao Wei frowned slightly. "Excuse me, did you prescribe this medicine prescription with calamus for His Highness?"
"No, no, no, Miss Miao has misunderstood," the imperial physician repeatedly denied. "This old servant has served Your Highness for many years and naturally knows that Your Highness likes to eat mutton. Therefore, this old servant always deliberately avoids using calamus and pinellia in the prescriptions he gives Your Highness."
After saying that, the imperial physician seemed to realize something and asked Miao Wei, "So... this calamus wasn't Miss Miao's idea after all?"
Miao Wei nodded. "Although Acorus calamus has a calming effect, it is not suitable for those who are mentally exhausted or spiritually depleted. Your Highness is overly worried, so naturally you cannot use Acorus calamus as medicine. In addition... its rhizome is also poisonous."
Shen Suining and He Hansheng exchanged a glance and instantly understood—
Someone deliberately added a potentially poisonous ingredient called Acorus calamus to the princess's medicine.
He Hansheng asked with a stern face, "Mingxi and Mingle, what's going on?"
Mingxi and Mingle knelt down together, "My lord, His Highness's medicine was all prepared by the two of us personally, and we absolutely did not delegate the task to anyone else."
As she spoke, Mingxi handed the unprocessed medicine packet to the imperial physician and Miao Wei, who each opened it to check. "There is no calamus in this packet."
In this way, Ming Le and Ming Xi became even more suspicious. However, they had been serving the princess since she was a maid in the palace, and it had been twenty or thirty years since then. Naturally, He Hansheng could not possibly suspect them.
“If the medicine is fine, then the mutton porridge is the problem,” Shen Suining noticed something amiss, stepped forward, took He Hansheng’s hand, and whispered, “Don’t worry, I have my own way of finding out who put the medicine in.”
After saying that, she called Mingxi and Mingle to their feet, "You two go and serve the Princess. Sister Miao," Shen Suining looked at Miao Wei, "I'm entrusting this to you."
"Don't worry, Ningning," Miao Wei instantly understood what Shen Suining meant, "Please ask the imperial physician to get me some calamus."
Although the imperial physician did not know what Miao Wei wanted the calamus for, he immediately ordered someone to fetch some calamus and give it to Miao Wei after Shen Suining gave the order.
Miao Wei took it in her hand and smelled it, then separated the rhizome and leaves of the sweet flag and handed it to Shen Suining. "Ningning, the sweet flag has a very special smell, especially the rhizome."
"I understand. Please take care of the Princess here," Shen Suining said to Shen Fengyu. "Bring Dazhuang and the others over and keep an eye on them so they don't frighten anyone."
He Hansheng was somewhat confused, unsure of what Shen Suining wanted to do. Just as he was about to ask, she moved closer to him and waved.
He Hansheng paused, then leaned down slightly, letting Shen Suining whisper in his ear.
“I understand,” He Hansheng said after listening to Shen Suining’s words. He then called Jiang Yuchu over. “Call all the people who went into the kitchen today to the front yard and wait for Madam to ask them questions.”
"yes."
A moment later, the kitchen staff, the servants who helped out, and the maids who had been in the kitchen—more than ten people in total—all stood in a row in the courtyard.
Jiang Yuchu: "Madam, everyone has arrived."
"Understood," Shen Suining placed the stems and leaves of the sweet flag into two bowls on the ground. "Feng Yu should be arriving soon. Go and meet her. She'll probably use the back door."
"Yes, Madam." Although she didn't know why Shen Fengyu wanted to use the back door, Jiang Yuchu still obediently complied.
After everything was ready, Shen Suining clapped her hands and stood up. Suddenly remembering something, she walked up to He Hansheng.
Just as He Hansheng was about to ask her what was wrong, Shen Suining reached out and hugged his waist.
He Hansheng stiffened, but didn't push her away. However, suddenly, in front of so many people, his ears felt hot. "What are you doing?"
"Don't overthink it, I'm not trying to take advantage of you," Shen Suining hugged him from the front and then from behind, rubbing against him tightly. "If you get my scent on you, they won't attack you."
"they?"
While He Hansheng was still confused, he heard Jiang Yuchu's ghostly screams and Shen Fengyu's cursing.
"Aaaaaah, they're so ferocious! Won't they really eat people?!"
"Shut up! If you keep yelling, they'll eat you first!"
Accompanied by the shouts of the two and the chilling howls, the three wolves dragged Shen Fengfeng and Jiang Yuchu to the front yard.
Although the wolves wore muzzles, they were still large and fierce-looking. Even a martial arts expert like Jiang Yuchu couldn't hold them back. In an instant, the people in the front yard panicked and scattered.
“Don’t move,” Shen Suining warned, “Wolves have more than just fangs; they also have claws.”
The crowd immediately dared not move, huddling together for protection, trembling with fear.
Shen Suining then turned around with satisfaction and beckoned to the three wolves, "Dazhuang, Erni, Sanpang, come here quickly!"
Upon hearing the call, the three wolves immediately leaped forward, affectionately nuzzling against Shen Suining as she crouched down, and circling around her.
Jiang Yuchu, who was being pulled around in circles, stared in disbelief and dared not let go.
Shen Suining ignored them and stroked the wolves' heads to comfort them.
"Young Master, could you please stop catching up with them?" Shen Fengyu, who was also being forced to spin around, finally couldn't help but speak up. "If we both get dizzy from spinning, there won't be anyone to hold the rope!"
"Just let go, you don't need to keep holding on."
"..." Shen Fengyu took a deep breath, unable to bear it any longer, "But they haven't eaten meat for many days!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the three wolves broke free of their ropes and headed straight for He Hansheng.
Jiang Yuchu was shocked and exclaimed, "My lord!"
He Hansheng stood still. The three wolves ran up to him and circled around a few times. They didn't seem to intend to attack. Instead, they turned to look at Shen Suining, their fierce eyes seemingly showing a hint of confusion.
Shen Fengyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and patted Jiang Yuchu's shoulder, "Why are you panicking? The Marquis definitely has our young master's scent on him."
"Alright, stop fooling around," Shen Suining said, seeing Jiang Yuchu frozen in shock and the suspects huddled together in fear. She decided to end the farce. "You three, come here."
She held up the bowl of medicine she had prepared beforehand and let the three wolves sniff it, saying loudly to them, "Smell carefully and see if any of these people here have this scent on their hands. If you find it, it will be your dinner!"
No sooner had these words been spoken than some people in the crowd turned deathly pale.
“Young Master, you’re just making empty promises to them again,” Shen Fengyu chimed in from the side. “If you say that, when they actually find that person, they won’t even need you to say anything. They’ll just bite off his neck in one bite, and blood will splatter everywhere. They won’t even have time to dodge.”
"So what?" Shen Suining looked at the three wolves with affection. "They deserve it."
After speaking, a man dressed in gray clothes knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly to He Hansheng, his forehead instantly becoming a bloody mess. "Lord Marquis, spare my life! Madam, spare my life! I was confused for a moment! I beg you, Lord Marquis and Madam, have mercy! I beg the Princess to have mercy! Please spare my life!"
Now that the murderer has been found, Shen Suining's eyes instantly turned cold.
She stood up, exchanged a glance with He Hansheng, and said, "It's your turn."
“Jiang Yuchu,” He Hansheng said without moving, his face equally icy, “the Yong’an Marquis’s Mansion will never let any traitor go unpunished.”
"Take him away and beat him to death."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com