After getting dressed and packing, Minglan did not go directly to see the Wang family. Instead, she took a slight detour and stopped Sheng Hong, who had slept alone last night, on the path leading to the study. She ignored her father's face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and smiled as she walked and talked.
"Dad, isn't that strange? Aunt Kang hasn't come home all night, and the Kang family isn't worried, but the Wang family is."
Sheng Hong walked with his head lowered, refusing to pay attention to her. Ever since that day's argument, the corners of his mouth and eyes had been drooping at a thirty-degree angle.
"In my opinion, this is because the old lady was poisoned." Minglan didn't wait for her father to answer. "But father has seen things clearly. He must understand the reason without me saying anything."
Sheng Hong snorted. His little daughter was so sweet, he couldn't bring himself to scold her in public. He felt deeply annoyed, thinking to himself, "That day, when you learned the old lady was poisoned, you nearly devoured Wang on the spot, yet today you act like nothing happened—you can change your mind so easily, you're a natural for the political world."
Minglan said slowly, "In my humble opinion, there are only two reasons why Uncle Kang didn't come this time."
Sheng Hong suppressed his curiosity and remained silent.
"Either Uncle Kang knew about this but was indifferent and unwilling to stand up for my aunt; or Uncle Kang didn't know about it at all and the Wang family didn't want Uncle Kang to know." The relationship between the couple was already so bad, so it would be better not to give the Kang family more reasons to dislike Kang Wang.
"When we meet the Wang family, Daddy, could you please ask why Uncle didn't come? Well, I guess Cousin Jin would only give two reasons..." Minglan smiled slyly, "Uncle is either unwell and can't come; or, there's something going on at the Kang family and Uncle can't get away."
Sheng Hong wanted to laugh, but he quickly straightened his lips and put on a stern face - what could his brother-in-law, who had been unemployed for many years, do? The only possibility was that he would tire himself out by taking on two more beautiful maids.
Minglan also smiled: "As for the visitor from the Wang family today, I think there are only three possibilities..." Sheng Hong unconsciously slowed down his pace.
"The first possibility is that the Wang family is unaware of Aunt Kang's evil deeds and are simply visiting to check on the old lady's condition. The second possibility is that the Wang family knows the truth and are here to plead with my father about how to let Aunt Kang go..."
Sheng Hong twirled his short beard and nodded secretly, thinking that his little daughter understood things.
"Thirdly, someone with ill intentions wants to put the blame on Madam and the Sheng family."
Sheng Hong suddenly stopped and looked at his daughter with a stern expression.
Minglan said softly, "Father will know the situation clearly in a moment."
Without further delay, the father and daughter hurried to the main courtyard. As soon as they entered the hall, they saw Wang Shi weeping on Old Madam Wang's lap, with her uncle and aunt sighing beside her. Kang Jin stood behind Old Madam Wang with a gloomy face. An elderly woman dressed as a servant stood beside him, appearing quite shrewd and capable. Apart from this, only Liu Kun's servant stood in the corner of the room; the maids and servants had been sent out. No one was allowed to peek into the hall's doors and windows within five meters, and the courtyard gate was guarded.
When Old Lady Wang saw Sheng Hong coming, she smiled with relief: "My dear son-in-law, you are finally here."
The father and daughter walked one after the other, bowing to their elders before standing up. Sheng Hong saw Kang Jin and couldn't help asking, "Where's your father?"
Kang Jin's face froze, and he stammered, "My father...he...he hasn't been feeling well lately."
Sheng Hong resisted the urge to glance at his youngest daughter's expression, and then he greeted Old Lady Wang, saying, "Mother-in-law is so old, and yet you're still so tired and exhausted. It's my fault."
Old Madam Wang lamented, "How can I face you when the Wang family produces such an unfilial daughter!" She glared at Madam Wang with hatred. Madam Wang immediately knelt down and cried, "Mother, I know I was wrong!"
Madam Wang pointed at her daughter and scolded her, "I taught you before you got married that filial piety is the foundation of life. As a son or daughter-in-law, whether managing the household or supporting your husband and raising children, you must give way to filial piety. But you have done something worse than an animal. You have brought shame upon our Wang family!"
Wang burst into tears, "Mother, I was truly wrong! I have brought shame upon my father, mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Mother, you can beat me or scold me if you want, but I only ask that you forgive me!"
Old Lady Wang was heartbroken. She hugged her daughter and cried, "My dear, how could you be so foolish! It's easy for me to forgive you, but how can your son-in-law's family justify it?!" She looked up at Sheng Hong and said, "My dear son-in-law, she has harmed the old lady of your family. This is a serious crime. How do you plan to deal with this matter?"
Because of his little daughter's reminder, Sheng Hong was more cautious. The more he listened, the more confused he became: "Mother-in-law... the implication is that it's all about Bo Ge'er's mother..." He hesitated and turned to look at Minglan.
Inwardly, Minglan cursed her cheap father for skimping on important matters, but she finally spoke frankly, "Old Madam, please understand. The other day, my old lady was fine, but suddenly she fell ill and passed away. We thought it was just a sudden illness from the heat, but after a careful examination by the imperial physician, it turned out to be poisoning."
She and the Wang family had never had anything to do with each other, but since she entered the house, Old Lady Wang had only been talking about her daughter and had never asked about her grandmother's safety. It was obvious what the purpose of her visit was, so she might as well say it directly.
Madam Wang looked ashamed and said, "I already know. The Wang family is truly ashamed to face my in-laws." She then struck Wang hard on the back several times and scolded her, "It's all your fault, you fool! How could you be so ignorant?"
This time even Wang sensed something was wrong, and with tears in her eyes she asked in surprise, "Mom...you...?" The mother and daughter were extremely excited from the moment they met. One spoke and the other cursed, then they hugged each other and cried bitterly, without explaining the matter clearly.
Minglan smiled. "It seems that the old lady thinks that my grandmother's affairs were all caused by Madam?"
Old Lady Wang heard something strange in these words, and seeing her daughter and son-in-law's expressions of shock or anger, she felt puzzled and turned to look at the old woman beside Kang Jin - wasn't it said that Wang was resentful of her mother-in-law, so she gave her some sickening things?
Seeing this, Sheng Hong and Minglan were halfway certain, and the father and daughter quickly exchanged a glance.
The old woman was not at all flustered. She gently pushed Kang Jin, who had been standing there in a daze, as if suddenly awakened. He hurriedly bowed to Sheng Hong and said, "Uncle, please excuse me. My mother hasn't returned home for a day and a night. The family is extremely worried. Could you please ask my mother to come out and see us first?"
Sheng Hong was furious and said in a deep voice, "Minglan, bring the person out first!"
Minglan walked to the door and saw Luzhi waiting there. She waved to her from afar and then went back into the house.
Luzhi was followed by two maids, who came quickly with Aunt Kang in their arms. When they entered the house, everyone saw that Aunt Kang was wearing a thin ginger silk summer dress. There was nothing wrong with her clothes and head, except that her cheeks were red. Minglan knew that this was because the towel that was stuffed in her mouth had just been pulled out.
Wang looked at her sister's clothes without saying a word. She recalled that Liu Kun's family had reported that Aunt Kang had been tied up and sat there for a day and a night, with feces and urine all over her body, which was extremely smelly. She had really suffered a lot of humiliation and pain, and she was even more afraid of Minglan.
Aunt Kang had suffered so much and was originally depressed. But when she saw her mother, brother, and son, she immediately perked up. She struggled to break free from the two maids and stumbled to Old Lady Wang's legs, wailing loudly: "Mother, you're finally here! I've been tortured so badly. The Sheng family... wuwu... They're too much. I really wish I were dead!"
Kang Jin also knelt beside his mother, and the mother and son burst into tears; Minglan curled her lips and waved her hand to tell the two old women to go away first.
Sheng Hong was furious when he saw her. His family had been doing well, with father, son, and daughter all working together to build a prosperous Sheng family. But today, things had gotten so chaotic, all because of this vicious woman. And now she had the nerve to cry to her mother and son. He sneered, "My mother is still struggling on her sickbed. I hope my aunt is doing well!"
Old Madam Wang slowly wiped away her tears. This son-in-law had always been humble and filial, but he spoke in such a tone today. She was afraid there was something else hidden. While she was hesitating, the old woman beside Kang Jin cried sadly, "My poor girl, you have never been so wronged since you were a child!"
Reminded by this, Old Lady Wang's face darkened. "I don't know what's wrong with my daughter. As the eldest sister-in-law, she is inexplicably staying at her younger sister's husband's house. This is truly unprecedented!"
Sheng Hong was scolded and was about to argue, but Minglan took the initiative. She looked at the old woman and smiled, "This must be Madam Qi. She is indeed the most capable person by my aunt's side. Not only is she capable, but her two sons are also very much valued by my aunt."
Madam Wang's face was displeased, and Aunt Kang, filled with hatred, quickly cursed: "What business do you have in what the elders are talking about?! You interrupt without permission, you little wife raised me, you really have no manners!"
When Sheng Hong heard the words "raised by my wife," he was furious and said coldly, "Even a servant from another family can butt in, but my daughter can't speak in her own home? I don't know where this rule comes from?!"
Old Lady Wang was hit lightly but managed to hold it in, while at the same time stopping her eldest daughter from saying anything more.
Mother Qi was shocked and thought that her son had indeed been captured by the Sheng family. This was going to be a big trouble.
She looked up at Minglan and said, "It seems my two good-for-nothing sons are now in the hands of my aunt-in-law. I really don't understand why my aunt-in-law insisted on resorting to such despicable means, kidnapping people in the street and imprisoning my own aunt. If anyone knew this, I wouldn't believe that this was the behavior of the scholarly Sheng family."
What a powerful eloquence! He quickly shifted the focus to the issue of means and bypassed the root cause of the incident.
Minglan didn't take it personally and smiled, "Compared to the person who poisoned me, these little tricks pale into insignificance. Besides, using these extraordinary measures is also for the sake of several families' reputations. Just like Madam Qi said, let's lay it all out and talk it out. I'm afraid the three families, Wang, Kang, and Sheng, won't be able to see anyone again...especially the Wang family."
Uncle Wang frowned the entire time and asked, "What do you mean?"
Minglan sneered twice and pulled a thick stack of papers from her sleeve. She took the first two, addressed to Liu Kun's family, and handed them to Old Lady Wang. At the same time, she continued, "About two months ago, the Kang Mansion's Second Steward, Qi Er, was led by the broker You Da to meet an old Taoist priest in a remote Taoist temple west of the city. This old Taoist priest is best known for concocting all sorts of vile pills and decoctions, and usually supplies them exclusively to brothels and prostitutes."
From aphrodisiacs, hallucinogens, contraceptives, abortion pills, and even red pills to fake virginity, the products are complete and diverse, and the service is thoughtful and the quality is high, so the business is booming.
Minglan pointed at the paper in Madam Wang's hand and said, "This is the signed confession of the broker, You Da, and the second steward, Qi."
Although Mrs. Wang was old, her eyes and ears were still very sharp. The confession was written very clearly. Uncle Wang and his wife also leaned over to take a look. Aunt Wang glanced at Mother Qi from the side, her contempt evident.
Mother Qi's face was extremely ugly, and she said stubbornly: "This useless thing..."
Wang shouted and cursed, "Shut up, how dare you be a servant! Let the master finish what he is saying!" No matter how confused she was, she understood now. She just hoped that Minglan would work harder to nail Aunt Kang to the head, otherwise she would have to be the scapegoat!
She cursed and glared at her sister, but Aunt Kang turned her face away and didn't look at her.
Minglan continued, "For the next fortnight, Second Steward Qi frequently drank and courted the old Taoist priest. Finally, one day, First Steward Qi personally came forward and asked the old Taoist priest to create a poison that wouldn't be detected by a needle, yet would be effective. The old Taoist priest initially refused, but after some persuasion, he finally agreed. He offered a traditional recipe, using a hundred pounds of sprouted ginkgo leaves to create a highly concentrated juice. Even a small amount would be fatal in a matter of moments."
She took the top two or three sheets of paper and asked Liu Kunjia to pass them over. "This is the confession signed by the old Taoist."
As Old Lady Wang looked at the confession, her fingers began to tremble slightly. Uncle Wang took a few glances at it and shook his head repeatedly with a feeling of pity. Kang Jin stared at his mother in disbelief.
"Once the steward Qi paid the two hundred taels deposit, the old Taoist immediately set to work. Since we needed to purchase a large quantity of fresh ginkgo buds, which individual farmers couldn't supply, the old Taoist found four small herbal medicine shops in remote areas and bought out their old, abandoned stocks."
Minglan took over a few more sheets of colorful paper. "These are copied from the delivery lists of those four shops, along with the testimony of the shopkeepers who handled the business at the time. In just seven or eight days, the Taoist priest bought a total of 112 kilograms of fresh budding ginkgo."
"The old Taoist worked day and night and finally refined three bottles of poison. Manager Qi paid another eight hundred taels of silver. The old Taoist handed over two bottles and kept one for himself." Minglan gestured to Luzhi, who carefully took out a small white porcelain bottle and handed it to Sheng Hong. "I've asked the imperial physician to examine it. The poison in this bottle is the same as the poison in the old lady's snack."
Sheng Hong looked at the small bottle with a dark face.
"A long time had passed since Aunt Kang received the two bottles of poison. Early the morning of the day before yesterday, my wife didn't send anyone to buy the old lady's favorite snacks as usual. Instead, a servant named Jin Liu from the Kang residence went to Jufangzhai and bought the first batch of lotus seed cakes. About an hour later, the chief steward Qi personally escorted the Shan family to the Sheng residence and handed them to my wife."
Minglan handed over the last few pieces of paper in her hand. "These are the signed confessions of Steward Qi and his wife." As she watched Old Lady Wang and the others read the confession, she added, "That Shanquan family member was originally my aunt's personal maid."
Having said that, it is very clear.
Aunt Kang's face turned pale and blue. She didn't dare to look at her mother, brother and sister-in-law's expressions. She just leaned against her sleeve and sobbed softly. Sheng Hong glared at his wife angrily. Wang lowered her head and cried in shame, muttering, "I really didn't know it was poison..."
Minglan gave Luzhi a few instructions, and Luzhi hurried out the door. A moment later, two guards came in with a man covered in bruises. When Aunt Kang saw him, she almost fainted.
The man knelt on the ground, crying loudly and shouting to Qi Mama: "Mom, Mom, please save me! We can't make it. I don't know if my eldest brother is still alive. Please save my life!"
Mother Qi looked at her little son with a broken mouth and missing teeth, and half of his clothes stained with blood. She felt heartbroken, but she gritted her teeth and turned away.
The two guards dragged the second steward Qi out, and Minglan smiled at Qi's mother, "Don't worry, mom, the first steward Qi is fine. He only has minor injuries. He will be fine after resting for half a month." In fact, Tu Hu said that before he had the chance to show his strength, everyone confessed. The main reason was that the first steward Qi was the type to beg for mercy silently, and his screams were not as effective as those of the second steward Qi.
She then said to Madam Wang, "If you still have doubts, you can ask these people in person. The old Taoist has also been detained."
The monk who was interested in pharmaceutical work was originally practicing diligently in the Taoist temple. Unexpectedly, a group of masked men came down from the sky in the middle of the night and put him into a sack. He was scared to death and cooperated with them and told them everything before they could beat him. He also took the initiative to provide witnesses who saw him drinking and having fun with Qi Da and Qi Er, as well as several silver bills.
The room returned to silence. Everyone in the Wang family looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Aunt Kang was flustered, looking at her mother and then at her brother pleadingly.
Sheng Hong gradually lost his temper and said in a cold voice, "May I ask my mother-in-law and elder brother, how should this matter be resolved?"
When facing his own children, he first thought about how to cover up the matter; but once the matter spread to his in-laws, he had to act like an angry filial son; if he faced outsiders, he would be even more angry and sad, beating his chest and wailing.
Aunt Wang suddenly spoke up, smiling amiably, "The Kang and Sheng families are the real culprits in this matter. My mother-in-law is old, how can she handle it? Brother-in-law, please don't come after us."
Sheng Hong's heart softened when he thought of the help that Old Lady Wang and his brother-in-law had given him many years ago.
Minglan listened and chuckled, "What my aunt said is true. Unfortunately...from the very beginning, Aunt Kang was determined to drag the Wang family into this."
Aunt Wang frowned and said, "What do you mean, niece?"
Minglan looked at Aunt Kang, who was huddled in a corner pretending to be dead. "Second Steward Qi was making friends with people who knew how to make poisons just as the Wang family announced they were moving back to the capital. First Steward Qi paid the deposit to the Taoist priest just as the old lady and my aunt were returning to the capital. The day Aunt Kang decided to poison was the first time the master chef at Jufangzhai personally opened the furnace since my uncle returned to the capital."
As for the first time Aunt Kang had this idea, it was probably when the concubine of the Kang family became the old prince's concubine.
Old Lady Wang stroked her chest and looked at her eldest daughter dejectedly, her heart full of grief.
"Okay!" Sheng Hong pondered for a moment, immediately understanding the meaning behind Aunt Kang's choice of the murder date. He slammed his palm on the table and sneered, "The Wang family is a prominent family, while our Sheng family is a humble and unknown one. Even if my mother was framed, I still have to be wary of the Wang family and dare not speak out?!"
Uncle Wang hurriedly said, "Brother-in-law, please don't say that. We are a family. We care about each other's face and are afraid of damaging the harmony. How can there be any 'fear' or 'not fear'! This..." He waved his hands repeatedly, "My in-laws' old lady is seriously ill in bed now, and I am very worried about her. Today my mother specially brought a hundred-year-old ginseng, hoping that the old lady can recover and be safe. Otherwise, the Wang family..." He actually cried, "The crime is really great!" When he said the last sentence, his face was full of shame, and his tone was sincere. He did not say a word to plead for his sister. Minglan secretly thought that he still had some conscience.
Seeing that the situation was not going well, Mother Qi quickly stepped forward to help Aunt Kang up and argued, "These confessions may not be credible. Confessions may have been forced under severe torture."
Aunt Kang was reminded of this and stood up, shouting, "That's right, brother! The Sheng family wants to clear my name, so they've slandered me! They've arrested my associates and tortured them severely. How can such a confession be trusted?" She turned around and threw herself on her mother's lap again, pleading, "Mom, please help me!"
Wang jumped up and angrily pushed her sister: "What do you mean? What do you mean by picking me off completely? Are you trying to blame me for everything?!"
Old Madam Wang looked embarrassed.
Minglan had been waiting for this moment. She clapped her hands and smiled, "I knew Auntie would say that. But, it's true. Who knows if those villains will frame Auntie to escape blame?"
When she said this, everyone in the room was surprised. From the beginning to the end of the day, Minglan had been pressing Kang Wangshi step by step, accusing her of crimes brick by brick and nail by nail, but now she changed her tone.
"But..." Minglan's face changed and she said solemnly, "It's true that my grandmother was poisoned, it's true that the snacks were poisonous, it's true that the snacks were given to my grandmother by my madam, and it's also true that the Taoist priest made the same poison. In the end, it all comes down to whether it was my madam who harmed my grandmother or my aunt." Every time she said this, the faces of the Wang family members and the Kang family mother and son became uglier.
"They are all Wang family members. No one knows a daughter better than her mother. The confession is on this table, and the perpetrators are being held in the backyard." Minglan glanced slowly at the faces of the group and said calmly, "My grandmother's life or death is still unknown. We must have an explanation. Please ask the old lady for her opinion. Father, what do you say?"
Sheng Hong said in a deep voice, "To murder one's own father is unjust! To dare to harm my mother in my own family is too much! You must explain yourself!" He wanted to quickly put an end to this matter. Keeping the scandal hidden between the Sheng and Wang families wouldn't be too bad, as it would also allow him to shirk responsibility. He bowed to Madam Wang and said, "I'll leave it to my mother-in-law to decide."
Mrs. Wang suddenly became the key, and Aunt Kang and Mrs. Wang both pulled their mother's arms.
"Mother! You have to save me! You know best how much I've endured over the years. Who could possibly understand the pain in my heart? You have to save me!"
"It was my sister who said it was just medicine that made people sick. I never thought it was poison... Mom, how could I have the guts to do that? I never thought of such a way to harm someone!"
Old Lady Wang was at a loss as to what to do. She was worried about everything and went to see Sheng Hong pleadingly. Sheng Hong turned his face away. She thought that her son-in-law would never let go of such a heinous crime of matricide. She could not hold back her tears and cried, shaking her head.
Uncle Wang was also extremely sad, but he was powerless to relieve his grief and could only kneel at his mother's feet and shed tears.
Aunt Wang slowly took a few steps back and glanced at Minglan calmly, thinking that this little girl was quite scheming.
She clearly hated both the Kang Wang family and the Jisheng Wang family, and even harbored resentment towards the Wang family, yet she chose to kill them slowly and with a steady knife. In the end, regardless of who took the blame, Old Lady Wang, who made the choice, would suffer a lifetime of heartbreak, and her brother would be heartbroken. As for the two sisters, the one who took the blame would undoubtedly resent their natal family deeply, while the one who escaped the blame would find it difficult to continue their mother-daughter relationships.
Killing three birds with one stone, she not only wants to punish the evildoer, but also torture her family who indulged her.
Aunt Kang's face flushed abnormally. She suddenly grabbed Old Lady Wang, her eyes wide open, and she gasped, "Mother! The Sheng family won't make things difficult for my sister. My sister's son is very capable, and her daughter is married into a wealthy family. She will suffer a little at most, but nothing serious will happen! But I can't do that. That heartless man has long since despised me, and all the vixens in the house wish I were dead! If I'm divorced, what will happen to my children? This is the marriage my father arranged for me. Mother, you can't abandon me! You can't let me be dealt with by others!"
Kang Jin threw himself on his mother's skirt and burst into tears.
Wang was extremely angry, her eyes red, and she pointed at her: "You——!"
Seeing her own flesh and blood turning against each other, Mrs. Wang felt heartbroken, her vision blurred, and her lungs ached as if on fire. Her eldest daughter kept shaking herself, wailing and begging "Save me" over and over again.
She gradually focused her vision, and saw her eldest daughter's face, which looked very similar to her own. Then she looked at her anxious and angry youngest daughter, and then she made up her mind, raised her arm and slapped her with all her strength.
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