Chapter Twelve: Clues
In mid-November, the snow in Yangzhou fell even more heavily.
The blue tiles and white walls of the Shen Mansion were covered with snow, and even the usually noisy corridors became quiet.
Only the lamp in Tingxuexuan burns day and night, reflecting the flickering shadows on the window paper, like an isolated island in the wind and snow.
Rong Momo's actions were meticulously planned from the very beginning, leaving no room for error.
Using the excuse that "the young master is ill and needs to be protected from external evils," she surrounded Tingxuexuan, where Shen Rulan lived, like an iron barrel: two guards skilled in martial arts were added to the gate of the courtyard, and no one was allowed to enter without her personal approval.
The maids responsible for delivering medicine and meals were Chun'er and Qiu'er, whom she had raised herself. The two took turns guarding the room and never left Shen Rulan's bedroom.
Even the charcoal in the courtyard was personally selected by her to ensure there was nothing wrong with it.
Such tight security quickly aroused Shen Keqin's dissatisfaction.
That morning, he came to "visit the sick" again with a food box, but was stopped by the guards as soon as he arrived at the hospital gate.
"Where is Rong Momo? Let her out! I am the Second Master, here to see my nephew, and you dare to stop me?" Shen Keqin's face was ashen, and his tone was filled with anger.
The guard bowed and said, "Second Master, please forgive us. Granny Rong instructed that the young master is seriously ill and needs to rest quietly. No one is allowed to disturb him. Please return."
Shen Keqin was trembling with anger, but there was nothing he could do—Rong Momo was the old lady's favorite, and the guards only obeyed her orders.
He could only leave dejectedly with the food box, not forgetting to glare at Ting Xuexuan as he went, his eyes full of resentment.
Meanwhile, inside Tingxue Pavilion, Rong Momo was sitting in the outer room of Shen Rulan's room, deep in thought, looking at a piece of paper.
The note listed all the food and utensils that Shen Rulan had come into contact with before her illness, from her daily medicine and tea to her three meals of porridge and snacks, and even the warm water she used to rinse her mouth.
She used a red pen to check the "safe" items, and what was left was a dense array of red checkmarks—all the food and utensils on display had been strictly checked and there were no problems.
"Could something really have been missed?" Rong Momo rubbed her throbbing temples, her heart filled with anxiety.
Looking at Shen Rulan's sleeping figure in the bedroom, she recalled the old lady's instructions and Shen Rulan's trusting eyes, which strengthened her resolve to find out the truth.
In the stillness of the night, only the occasional crackling of charcoal fire could be heard inside Tingxuexuan.
Rong Momo lay on the couch in the outer room, but she was wide awake.
She repeatedly recalled Shen Rulan's lifestyle before her illness, from morning washing up to nighttime rest, not missing a single detail.
Suddenly, she sat up abruptly, a glint of light flashing in her eyes—she remembered something that everyone had overlooked!
Before her illness, Shen Rulan had a habit of drinking a cup of warm and nourishing medicinal food because she often stayed up late to handle salt affairs.
The medicinal cuisine usually consists of bird's nest or white fungus, paired with ingredients such as red dates, goji berries, and longan, and slowly simmered in a small purple clay pot over charcoal. It has a sweet and refreshing taste, and can both nourish the body and help with sleep.
This habit has continued for many years. Because it is a daily tonic, not a medicinal soup or a thirst-quenching tea, it was not considered a priority in the previous investigation. In addition, since Shen Rulan has been taking medicine since her illness, this medicinal diet has stopped and has been forgotten by everyone.
"Could the problem lie in this medicinal diet?" Rong Momo's heart pounded. Without alerting anyone, she quietly got up, picked up an oil lamp, and like a ghost, slipped through the silent corridor and into the long-extinguished kitchen.
The large kitchen was pitch black, with only the snowlight outside the window casting a blurry outline.
With her memories from years in the Shen family mansion, Rong Momo skillfully located the cabinet, opened the cabinet door, and sure enough, she saw the familiar purple clay jar—the jar was dark purple with simple lotus scroll patterns engraved on it, the very one that Shen Rulan used.
The jar looked clean and tidy, and had obviously been washed.
Rong Momo picked up the jar, brought it to her nose and sniffed it carefully. Apart from the faint smell of earth, there was also a very faint residual smell similar to medicinal herbs, but nothing unusual.
Undeterred, she used the light of the oil lamp to carefully rub the inside of the jar with her fingers.
At first, it felt smooth and delicate to the touch, but when her fingertips slid to the bottom of the jar, she suddenly felt a very subtle roughness, different from that of clay—as if there was something powdery left on it!
Rong Momo's heart sank instantly.
She carefully scraped off the almost invisible powder with her fingernail, wrapped it in the handkerchief she always carried, and held it tightly in her hand.
The light from the oil lamp illuminated her face, which was filled with solemnity and anger.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Rong Momo summoned Liu Zhong, an old servant of the mansion. Liu Zhong was a distant relative of hers, whose hometown was outside the city. He was honest and kind, and was the person she trusted most.
She handed the handkerchief containing the powder to Liu Zhong and solemnly instructed him, "Liu Zhong, immediately ride to Qingfeng Temple outside the city and find that reclusive old doctor. Ask him to help you identify what this powder is. Remember, this matter must not be known to anyone. Go and come back quickly!"
Liu Zhong took the handkerchief, knowing the matter was of great importance, and dared not delay. He immediately led a fast horse and set off in the wind and snow.
Qingfeng Temple is located at the foot of Xishan Mountain outside Yangzhou City. It is in a remote location and rarely visited.
Upon hearing that Liu Zhong was from the Shen family, the old doctor immediately invited him into the house. He took the handkerchief, poured the powder onto a piece of white paper, and carefully observed it with a magnifying glass. He then took a small amount of powder and repeatedly tested it with silver needles, vinegar, wine, and other substances.
Half an hour later, the old doctor's expression became extremely grave. He said to Liu Zhong, "This powder is no ordinary substance; it is an extremely insidious mineral poison! This poison slowly leaches out when heated. It is colorless and odorless, and when mixed into food or drink, it is completely undetectable. If taken for a long time, it will gradually erode a person's heart and lungs, causing coughing, coughing up blood, and weight loss. The symptoms are exactly the same as those of tuberculosis, and ordinary doctors cannot detect it at all!"
Liu Zhong was terrified and quickly asked, "Old doctor, is there a solution?"
The old doctor shook his head and sighed: "This poison is rare and has penetrated very deep into the body. Completely curing it is extremely difficult. The most urgent thing is to stop contact with the poison immediately and then slowly treat the patient with herbs that nourish the heart and lungs and clear heat and detoxify. This may be able to slow down the progression of the disease."
Liu Zhong dared not linger and immediately took the old doctor's words with him, riding back to the Shen residence at full speed to report the situation to Rong Mama in detail.
Upon hearing this, Rong Momo felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
She held the handkerchief, her hands trembling—it was true! Shen Rulan's illness wasn't due to overwork at all, but rather because someone had been poisoning her medicinal meals for a long time! And the person who poisoned her was in the Shen residence!
Suppressing her anger, Rong Momo began to secretly investigate the people in the main kitchen.
Using the excuse that "the young master needs clean food while he is ill," she summoned all the chefs and helpers in the main kitchen and questioned each of them who had been responsible for preparing medicinal meals recently.
"Reporting to Granny, Master Zhang was previously in charge of preparing the young master's medicinal meals. However, Master Zhang had some business to attend to back home last month and took leave to go back, so he temporarily handed over the responsibility of tending the fire and delivering the meals to A-Gui," the head of the main kitchen replied truthfully.
"A-Gui?" Rong Mama's eyes sharpened instantly. "When did he arrive at the Shen residence? Who recommended him?"
The steward recalled: "A-Gui came just two months ago. He was recommended by Second Master (Shen Keqin). He said he was a distant relative of one of his friends. His hometown had suffered a disaster, so he came to Yangzhou to seek refuge. He was honest and hardworking."
The person recommended by Shen Keqin! Rong Momo's heart sank suddenly.
All the clues seem to point to A-Gui and Shen Keqin—A-Gui was in charge of stewing medicinal food, which gave him the opportunity to poison the purple clay pot; while Shen Keqin, as the recommender, had always been eyeing Shen Rulan's position, making his motives very clear!
To confirm, Rong Momo privately questioned several of the helpers who shared a room with A Gui.
One of the helpers hesitated before saying, “Granny, I just remembered something. A while ago, I got up in the middle of the night and saw A-Gui sneaking back from outside, carrying a small paper package. I also heard him muttering things like ‘soon’ and ‘money.’ At the time, I thought he was thinking about his hometown, so I didn’t pay any attention…”
The mystery in Rong Momo's heart was finally solved.
She immediately assigned two trusted confidants to secretly monitor A-Gui's every move, determined to find evidence of his collusion with Shen Keqin.
Shen Keqin was unaware that he was being targeted.
Seeing that Tingxuexuan was heavily guarded and that he had been stopped from visiting her several times, he became increasingly uneasy. He didn't know how well Agui had administered the poison, nor whether Shen Rulan's condition had worsened as he had hoped.
That afternoon, Shen Keqin, under the pretext of "checking the charcoal supply in the mansion," came to the vicinity of the main kitchen. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he winked at A-Gui, who was washing dishes.
Ah Gui understood and, using the excuse of going to the backyard to fetch water, followed him.
The two stopped in a secluded corner. Shen Keqin lowered his voice and asked anxiously, "How is it? Has Shen Rulan's condition worsened? Why didn't you increase the dosage to speed things up..."
"Second Master, you mustn't!" Ah Gui hurriedly interrupted him, his voice tinged with fear. "If the dosage of that poison is too high, it will be easily detected! The slow, gradual erosion looks like a natural illness, which is the safest approach. Besides, Granny Rong has been keeping a close watch on things lately; I can barely even get close to Tingxue Pavilion, let alone increase the dosage!"
"What are you afraid of! With me here, I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!" Shen Keqin said angrily. "If this drags on any longer, things could get complicated! If Shen Rulan recovers, neither of us will be in good shape!"
Ah Gui wanted to argue, but seeing Shen Keqin's ashen face, he could only reluctantly agree: "Alright... I'll think of another way."
Unbeknownst to the two, their conversation was overheard by Rong Momo's confidant, who was hiding nearby.
Just as Rong Momo was investigating the poisoner, the Salt Transport Commissioner's advisor came to the Shen residence again.
This time, he brought Zhao Dexian's "warm concern"—a handwritten letter and a box of precious ginseng.
The clerk handed the letter to Shen Fu, smiling as he said, "My master heard that Young Master Shen is seriously ill and is very concerned. He specially sent me to deliver this box of ginseng to help Young Master Shen recover. In addition, my master also said that the salt tax collection at the end of the year is imminent. If Young Master Shen's health is truly unable to bear the burden, my master is willing to coordinate with other salt merchants to postpone the payment for a few days, but..."
He changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of suggestion: "Sir, you also have your difficulties. Other salt merchants are already dissatisfied with the Shen family's monopoly on most of the salt shore. If you want them to agree to a delay, the Shen family will probably have to show some 'sincerity' and appease everyone's emotions."
Shen Fu delivered the letter and ginseng to Tingxuexuan. Shen Rulan took the letter, forced herself to read it, and then coughed violently in anger, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"Utterly shameless!" Shen Rulan gritted her teeth, threw the letter aside, and said to Rong Mama, "Zhao Dexian is taking advantage of our misfortune! He thinks my Shen family is about to collapse and wants to take advantage of us to squeeze us for benefits! Reply to him... just say that my Shen family can still hold on, and the salt tax will be paid on time. He doesn't need to worry about it!"
Granny Rong quickly handed him warm water, saying with concern, "Young Master, please don't be angry; your health is the most important thing. I understand Zhao Dexian's intentions. Let's keep him calm for now, and settle accounts with him after we find the murderer and cure your illness!"
Shen Rulan nodded, closed her eyes, and felt a chill in her heart.
She never imagined that, while she was seriously ill, she would not only have to deal with betrayal within her family, but also endure external exploitation. The world of Yangzhou salt merchants was indeed fraught with peril.
Lotus Lane - Su Family Courtyard
Su Moqing looked at the snowflakes outside the window, her heart filled with longing.
These days, she keeps hearing rumors about Shen Rulan's serious illness, and there are even rumors that Shen Rulan doesn't have much time left.
She could no longer restrain herself and, disregarding her father Su Wenyuan's worried gaze, decided to go to the Shen residence—even if she couldn't see Shen Rulan, she still wanted to offer her a token of her affection.
Su Moqing sewed a medicinal pillow overnight, filling it with calming and sleep-aiding herbs such as lavender, mimosa flowers, and jujube seeds. She had specially selected these herbs from the pharmacy, as they could both calm the nerves and relieve coughs.
The next morning, she carried the medicine pillow and braved the wind and snow to the gate of the Shen residence.
"Please inform Granny Rong that Su Moqing requests an audience and has something she wishes to give her," Su Moqing said to the guard at the door.
The guard recognized her and knew she was a painter who painted for the Shen family, so he went in to report.
Rong Mama did not want to see her, but remembering that the loquat syrup that Su Moqing had sent earlier was fine, and considering Su Moqing's good intentions, she finally left the mansion.
"Miss Su, what brings you here?" Rong Mama's tone was somewhat distant.
Su Moqing handed over the medicinal pillow and said softly, "Granny, this is a medicinal pillow I sewed. It's filled with calming and sleep-aiding herbs. I heard that the young master has been having trouble sleeping at night, so perhaps it can provide some relief. I have no other intention than to do my bit." Her eyes were full of pure worry, without the slightest ulterior motive.
Looking at this thin and stubborn girl, Rong Momo felt a mix of emotions.
She took the medicine pillow, her tone softening slightly: "Miss Su is very kind. Young Master needs to rest quietly while ill and is not in a position to receive guests, so I will pass this medicine pillow on to her."
She paused, then finally revealed a hint of what was going on, "The affairs of the manor are somewhat complicated, but this old servant will handle them clearly and will not let the young master suffer in vain."
Su Moqing understood the implication in the words and knew that there was a problem within the Shen family. Her heart tightened, but she dared not ask any more questions. She simply bowed deeply and said, "Please take care of me, Granny. I hope the young master recovers soon." After saying that, she turned and left.
Snowflakes fell on her, but she didn't notice them at all, only hoping that Shen Rulan could get through the crisis safely.
Inside the Cao family's villa, Cao Jin was holding a secret letter, grinning from ear to ear.
The letter was written by someone he sent to gather information near the Shen residence. It detailed the situation, including Shen Rulan's serious illness, the panic in the Shen residence, and Rong Momo's increased vigilance.
"Hahaha! Good! Good! That brat Shen Rulan is finally going to fail!" Cao Jin threw the secret letter on the table, picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. "Once he dies, the Shen family will be leaderless. That old hag Shen Qinshi won't be able to handle things at all. At that time, the Shen family's business, and that little beauty Shen Zhiwei, will all belong to me!"
Master Zhou chimed in, "Young Master is brilliant! By joining forces with the second branch of the Shen family and giving the poison to Shen Keqin, we've taken action from within. Once Shen Rulan is dead, no one in the Yangzhou salt market will be able to rival you. At that time, you will not only be able to obtain the Shen family's salt quota, but also leverage the Cao family's influence to become the leading salt merchant in Yangzhou!"
"Well said!" Cao Jin was even more smug. "Go and investigate! I want to know about Shen Rulan's death as soon as possible! Also, prepare a generous gift and send it to the Salt Transport Commissioner's Office. Tell Zhao Dexian that if something happens to the Shen family, my Cao family is willing to take over the Shen family's salt tax, provided that he gives me a share of the Shen family's salt quota!"
Master Zhou bowed and replied, "Yes! I'll take care of it right away!"
Cao Jin watched Master Zhou's departing figure, his eyes filled with greed and ruthlessness.
He seemed to already see himself controlling the Yangzhou salt market and owning the Shen family's businesses, but little did he know that within the Shen residence, a counterattack against him and Shen Keqin was quietly brewing.
As evening fell, Rong Momo reported all the clues she had uncovered—the poison powder in the purple clay jar, the old doctor's diagnosis, A-Gui's unusual behavior, Shen Keqin's collusion with A-Gui, and Cao Jin's movements—to Old Madam Shen and Shen Rulan.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Shen trembled with rage and nearly fainted, only to be supported by Rong Mama in time. "You wretched child! What a disgrace to our family! That ingrate Shen Keqin actually colluded with outsiders to poison his own nephew! And that despicable Cao Jin was also fanning the flames!"
The old lady's voice was choked with sobs, "Lan'er, it's all my fault, I couldn't protect you!"
Shen Rulan remained unusually calm, though her face was pale and her eyes were frighteningly cold.
She looked at Rong Momo and said slowly, "Momo, thank you for finding out the truth. Now is not the time to alert the enemy. Continue to secretly monitor Agui and Shen Keqin, find out the source of the poison, and whether they have a deeper collusion with Cao Jin. I need to know all the enemies, and then... to strike them deadly."
She paused, her tone resolute and unwavering: "Furthermore, inform Shen Fu that, starting today, secretly transfer the Shen family's core assets, especially the account books and banknotes, to prevent Shen Keqin from resorting to desperate measures. As for the salt tax, proceed according to the original plan, and absolutely do not let Zhao Dexian discover any flaws."
"Yes!" Rong Mama bowed and replied, her eyes full of admiration. Even in such a difficult situation, Shen Rulan was still able to remain calm and strategize, truly worthy of being the heir of the Shen family.
The snow was still falling outside the window, and the lights in Tingxuexuan were still on.
A storm is brewing around the Shen Mansion.
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