Chapter 180 Separate Investigations
She first looked at Bai Mei:
"Bai Mei, you have a quick temper, but you're skilled and have a sharp eye. I want you to personally keep a close eye on the Earl's mansion, especially the wedding preparations for Fu Langxing and Song Sangyu. Carefully observe Fu Langxing's true attitude towards Song Sangyu."
Bai Mei was very puzzled, and her tone was indignant:
"Young Miss! What are you still looking at them for? That shameless couple..."
Shen Yiqiu interrupted her, looking into the distance:
"Calm down. Knowing Fu Langxing as I do, he's proud and arrogant. After that farce at the Song family mansion, there's absolutely no way he'd willingly remarry Song Sangyu."
“There must be something fishy going on here. Either Song Sangyu has something on him, or he has other plans. I need to know whether this marriage is genuine or just a charade, and what the Earl’s mansion is really plotting.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Mei understood the implications:
"Yes! I understand, I'll go do it right away!"
Chen Yiqiu turned her gaze to the green bamboo:
"Qingzhu, you are meticulous and knowledgeable in pharmacology. I need you to do two things."
"First, I need you to secretly investigate the specific details of how my mother was poisoned in the Song family over the years, and find a way to trace the source of the poison back to the palace. Second..."
"Find a way to discreetly contact trusted people in the Imperial Medical Academy to investigate whether Consort Zhao, or even other high-ranking concubines in the palace, has any record of abnormal medication use in recent years, or whether she suffers from any hidden illnesses that require secret treatment."
She looked at Qingzhu, her eyes unfathomable.
"I suspect that the poison in my body... may have the same origin as my mother's."
Qingzhu trembled, a strong sense of self-reproach welling up inside her. When exactly... had she failed the old Marquis's trust, or had she let the young lady...?
But the next second, she excitedly grabbed Shen Yiqiu's wrist and spoke urgently:
“Miss! You mean... if you and Madam were poisoned by the same kind of poison, then as long as we can find the exact components of the poison, it is very likely that we can find an antidote.”
"Madam's illness is deeply ingrained and incurable, but Miss, you have only been home for a short time, there is still time!"
She immediately let go, stood up, and hastily wiped away the tears on her face:
"I'll get on it right away! I'll start by investigating the old staff in the Song family's kitchen, and then try to get my hands on the fragments of the medical records from back then. As for the Imperial Hospital, I know who to contact! Miss, you must hold on and wait for my news!"
After saying that, she rushed out without even having a chance to give a full bow.
As soon as he opened the door, he almost bumped into Ruan Tianxin, who was about to enter.
Ruan Tianxin carried an elegantly packaged food box, a caring smile on her face:
"Why are you so hasty and impulsive?"
"Sister Yiqiu, I've come to see you!"
She came in, put down the food box, and started chattering away.
"I've heard about what happened at the Song family. That Song Sangyu is so shameless. She got pregnant out of wedlock and still managed to stay at the Earl's mansion. Now she even wants to hold a grand wedding banquet? She's utterly shameless! Luckily, you're smart, sister, and you didn't fall for her tricks or get into trouble."
Shen Yiqiu smiled, her mood easing slightly at the sight of her lively demeanor.
"Sweetheart, what brings you here today?"
Ruan Tianxin leaned closer, her expression becoming serious:
"Sister Yiqiu, I've come to bring you something."
She took out a small booklet wrapped in red cloth from her sleeve.
"As you know, my family has been secretly managing some... shady businesses for members of the royal family. I recently reviewed the accounts and discovered some unusual fund flows and property ownership, which I suspect are related to influence within the palace. I heard you are investigating palace affairs, and these are internal copies of the accounts; perhaps they will be useful to you."
Shen Yiqiu took the ledger:
"Sweetheart, thank you."
Ruan Tianxin waved her hand shyly:
"Sister, why are you being so polite with me? If there's anything I can help you with, just let me know!"
As she finished speaking, she carefully examined Shen Yiqiu's face for a moment, her worried little face scrunching up:
"By the way, Sister Yiqiu, you look even worse than before. Is your wound hurting again, or are you not getting enough rest? Please don't push yourself!"
Shen Yiqiu gently patted Ruan Tianxin's hand:
"It's nothing, I just got a little tired after talking for a while. It's an old ailment, I'll get better with some rest."
Before Ruan Tianxin could press further, she deliberately changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, I remember you love Zhentian Pavilion's pastries the most. When I feel better, let's go together, and I'll treat you to as much as you want, okay?"
Ruan Tianxin, being young, was immediately drawn to the attention and nodded vigorously:
"Okay, okay! It's a deal then! Sister, get well soon, I'm waiting for you!"
She chatted with Shen Yiqiu for a while longer, then turned around and saw Shen Ruyi standing timidly at the door with a bowl of thick white porridge. Seeing this, Ruan Tianxin tactfully said goodbye.
Shen Yiqiu's eyes instantly turned cold.
"What? Has Madam Song come up with another new method of poisoning?"
Shen Ruyi shuddered, her eyes slightly red.
She came in and placed the porridge on the table:
"Qiu'er... I don't ask for your forgiveness. But I have something here that I must give to you."
She took out a stack of well-preserved letters from the wooden box.
“These…these are all the letters your grandmother wrote to me over the years…I…I’ve hardly ever replied to them…”
Her voice was filled with regret.
“I didn’t understand it before, and I didn’t want to look at it. Now that I’m looking at it carefully, there are some things I don’t understand… Perhaps, perhaps it will help to find out about your uncle’s affairs… I beg you, save your uncle, don’t let him bear this stigma…”
Shen Yiqiu frowned as she took the stack of letters, casually flipping through a few pages, her gaze gradually turning cold.
Besides her grandmother's concerned words, there were some simple diagrams mixed in, diagrams that she was all too familiar with!
It was a simplified version of the military deployment in the Longnan area that she had studied while on the frontier.
Why did the grandmother secretly leave these things in her letters to her mother?
She looked up at the anxious Shen Ruyi:
"I understand. I will study these letters carefully. If Madam Song has nothing else to say, please return."
Seeing that Shen Ru had accepted the letter, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes. She stepped forward, wanting to prove herself.
“Qiu’er, there’s one more thing… Mother, no, I… I only truly understand now what you meant by what you said before. I was foolish, I was blind and ignorant, I’ve let down your grandmother, and I’ve let you down, I…”
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yiqiu coldly interrupted her:
"Madam Song, please go back. I'm tired and need to rest."
After she finished speaking, she stopped looking at Chen Ruyi and returned her gaze to the letter in her hand, carefully studying it word by word.
Shen Ruyi's words of repentance choked in her throat. She knew she had no right to ask for anything more, so she sighed and silently left the room.
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