Chapter 44: Eastern Kitchen
After returning to the mansion, Qiandeng went to Jinzhutang first and met Cui Fufeng.
"Master Cui is truly formidable. You know every aristocratic family in Chang'an like the back of your hand. You've got the Meng family's affairs completely figured out." Qian Deng's tone brightened as he recalled the Meng family's disgraceful appearance today. "It's a shame you didn't go see that wonderful show and missed out on the excitement."
"The county lady used to support Meng Lanxi, but I have no official background, so it's better not to go." Cui Fufeng smiled slightly and said, "I have heard a little about the Meng family's affairs, so I sent people to investigate. I didn't expect that the Meng family is so strong on the outside but weak on the inside. I wonder if the county lady will gain anything from her visit today?"
Qian Deng nodded and asked him, "Are Cui Shaoqing and Meng Yongshun familiar with each other?"
"I'm not familiar with him. I just had contact with him when I was selecting a husband for the county lady."
"Did you know that he was injured in his left foot just before the selection?"
"That's true. I went to the Meng family to check it out myself. Seeing that he wasn't pretending, I allowed the Meng family to replace him with Meng Lanxi." Talking about choosing a husband for her, Cui Fufeng was quite helpless. "Although I have always been in charge of choosing a husband for the county lady, due to the situation, I can only choose the best men now."
Qian Deng didn't care about these things and just asked, "Don't you think... this is too coincidental?"
Cui Fufeng thought she was referring to Meng Yongshun, who happened to have an accident before the selection, and said, "Back then, Wang Xianzhi also mutilated his feet to avoid marriage with Princess Xin'an."
"No, I mean—" Qian Deng said thoughtfully, "He has an injury on his left foot, and the injury happened around the time I was choosing a husband."
Cui Fufeng raised his eyebrows slightly. "The county lady is saying that the body found in the canal is not Su Yunzhong as we previously suspected?"
"Not necessarily. After all, Meng Yongshun was far away, and he often wrote home. I even saw a letter he sent from Taihu Lake to Chang'an a month ago. If it was delivered by the post station, it would have been around this time."
Cui Fufeng calculated the time. "According to the speed of the post station from Jiangnan West Road to Chang'an, it would take about a month for the letter to arrive. But if he had set out in person, he could have reached Chang'an in about twenty days... So, the person waiting outside the East Corner Gate could really be Meng Yongshun?"
"Outside the east corner gate?" Qiandeng didn't know.
"When the county lady went to the Meng family to question them, I also found some clues - it turns out that the deceased who was fished out of the canal was seen outside the palace on the day of the accident."
When these words came out, Qian Deng couldn't help but let out a low "Ah": "The day when the palace held a memorial ceremony for my ancestors and hosted a banquet for the prince?"
"Yes, people passing by the palace at that time saw a man in bamboo green clothes waiting under the eaves of the east corner gate of Changhua Palace."
"Bamboo green clothes..."
Cui Fufeng nodded in confirmation, "Exactly. The people watching nearby didn't know his identity. He was dressed quite well, so he wasn't a beggar or a vagrant. But he was standing by the East Corner Gate. They couldn't help but laugh at him, and that's why they remembered him."
Qian Deng didn't understand the meaning: "Why are you laughing at him?"
"Of course, the County Lady doesn't know about this. In fact, I didn't know the ins and outs of this either," Cui Fufeng explained carefully. "The east produces wood, and wood produces fire. Therefore, kitchens are usually located on the east side of the mansion, near the east corner gate. For this reason, ordinary people don't stay by the east corner gate for long, because it's often where beggars and refugees gather, waiting for leftovers after the host has finished their meal."
"I see..." Qian Deng pondered and asked, "Then, is it the same over in Jiangnan West Road?"
"No, the western part of Jiangnan is mountainous and water-rich, so most houses are built according to the terrain. Unlike the concentrated settlements in the various districts of Chang'an, beggars mostly beg on the streets. There aren't such large gatherings. Meng Yongshun grew up there and studied in Chang'an for half a year before returning home to recuperate due to a leg injury. Therefore, it's very likely that he doesn't understand the customs of the capital."
"So, do those people remember his face? Could it be Meng Yongshun?"
Cui Fufeng shook his head. "It's impossible to be sure. He covered his face with a cloth, as if he didn't want to be seen by strangers. Everyone laughed at him for a moment, but then the east corner gate opened and the people from the palace took out the offerings and distributed them. The idle people on the street rushed over to grab them. After all, these were offerings made to Prince Changhua, and with the Crown Prince also present, they were sure to bring good luck, fortune, and longevity. And that man was waiting at the front. As soon as the gate opened, he grabbed the bamboo basket first and picked out the best. Only then did the others realize he had come prepared."
Distributing sacrificial offerings after a grand sacrifice is a tradition among aristocratic families. The sacrificial rituals of wealthy families are complicated, and the rice sculptures and pastries offered will crack and mold over time, so they simply distribute them to people on the street after the worship is completed in the hope of accumulating virtue and longevity.
And if it was a tribute from the royal palace, the residences of the various princes, or the aristocratic families, the people in the capital would often scramble for it in an attempt to get a share of this great fortune and longevity.
Qian Deng pondered, "Could it be that the man took the offerings distributed by my mansion and died of poisoning after consuming them, leading to him leaving behind those last words?"
"No, that's not possible." Cui Fufeng acted quickly. Although it was a trivial matter, he had already investigated it thoroughly. "Quite a few people took the sacrificial offerings. Some took them home and ate them, while others still kept them at home. But there was nothing wrong with those offerings. Moreover, because they were hosting a banquet to entertain the Crown Prince that day, everything entering the palace was repeatedly inspected. Even the Crown Prince's eunuchs personally tested for poison. No one else in the palace or outside of it had any problems. How could there be a problem with the one that person took?"
Qian Deng nodded silently. Indeed, even if someone could have found an opportunity to poison the banquet, how come the people dining inside the mansion were fine, while someone outside the mansion was poisoned to death?
Since there was no clue in this direction, Qian Deng changed his angle and asked, "Since Meng Yongshun was once one of the candidates, he must have seen the Phoenix Sign?"
"The Ministry of Rites did send him one. However, it was his certification for admission to the palace as a candidate for the prince's husband. Therefore, after the change of candidates, his Phoenix-Attracting Lot was handed over to Meng Lanxi. When we checked earlier, Meng Lanxi's was definitely delivered." Cui Fufeng said, "Don't worry, County Lady. I have quickly sent people to Jiangnan West Road to search for Meng Yongshun. Whether he is there now or not, we will have news soon."
"If the man who died in the canal was indeed Meng Yongshun, then where did Su Yunzhong go, and how did the Phoenix Sign he carried with him appear next to Meng Yongshun?" Qian Deng pondered. "Furthermore, how could he be poisoned to death in the canal, and why did he leave behind such a message? After all, I've never met him, so why would he think I killed him?"
"Maybe Fufeng is just being suspicious, but if it was really Meng Yongshun who died in the canal, and if he and Jintang died from the same poison, I might have to suspect the man in the county lady's backyard..."
He didn't say the man's name, but Qiandeng naturally knew what he meant.
Meng Lanxi.
Apart from Meng Lanxi, there is no one else who might have had a conflict with Meng Yongshun or might have attacked him.
"However, his suspicion is based solely on the fact that the deceased in Caoqu was indeed Meng Yongshun. However, he was with us at the palace that day, accompanying the Crown Prince for a banquet. There was nothing unusual about him. Furthermore, like everyone else, he absolutely never left the banquet hall, let alone the possibility of having the time to go to the East Corner Gate and kill someone."
As for Jin Tang's death, the two of them had already pondered and deduced it over and over in their minds for a long time. Apart from the method of falling from the sky, they could not find any other possible means of attack.
Finally, Qian Deng stood up and said, "Instead of sitting here and making deductions, it's better to investigate on the spot. Let's go to the kitchen and ask about all the details of that day and sort them out again."
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