The Hexagram Jian (蹇) - The Hexagram of the Lowest Inferior
Chapter 39, the Hexagram Jian (蹇), the lowest of the low – a standoff.
The Marquis was the first to slam his fist on the table and shout, "Rong Yan, don't talk nonsense!"
Xie Ningling shook her head, seemingly unable to tell for a moment who was lying.
Fang's mother insisted it was Rong Yan, but Rong Yan said it was her second aunt.
Xie Chengzhi remained silent, staring intently at Rong Yan, without drinking a drop of tea. No one knew what he was thinking.
Wang couldn't stand it any longer. "This show is really interesting. I'd like to hear who's right and who's wrong. Is it my newlywed wife who wants to kill me, or my former sister-in-law who has always been kind and benevolent to me?"
Upon hearing the term "former sister-in-law," the Marquis's anger flared again. His clenched fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly, clearly showing his extreme restraint. Having managed soldiers for many years, he was already quite irritable.
He has changed a lot for Wang Shi, and he is also getting older and is no longer a hot-blooded young man. Over the years, he has realized that he owes Wang Shi some debts, so he can only lower his head and be more tolerant.
In those few seconds, Auntie's eyes filled with tears, and she looked at Rong Yan with an incredulous expression. "You, how could you spout such nonsense! I just spoke up for you, and now you're trying to harm me to get yourself out of trouble?"
"Harmed you? Then where were you at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) on the day it happened?"
“I am in the mansion, and at this time I am usually in my grandmother’s room with her copying scriptures. My grandmother can also be my witness.”
Grandma Xie was honest; she obediently hummed in agreement.
Rong Yan wasn't surprised at all. She had witnesses and evidence. She simply said casually, "Do you know that no one else could remember their testimonies in such detail? Some even lied to varying degrees because no one could remember exactly what they did a few days ago at what time. Second Aunt, only your testimony is so meticulous. Only a carefully planned scheme could make it so airtight. Don't rush to deny it. I'll ask you again, what scriptures were you copying in Grandmother's room?"
My aunt covered her mouth with her hand and coughed a few times. "I can't remember for a moment. You can't let my regular schedule stop me from remembering..."
She seemed to be running out of things to say, because she had to memorize her plans but didn't pay attention to the details of everyday life. This created a glaring flaw: she only acted incredibly realistically when it came to matters concerning herself, using the excuse that she hadn't noticed others.
If she answered that she didn't know what scripture she was copying, it would be considered insincere, forcing her to say that she couldn't remember it at the moment.
The second aunt's previously confident and resolute expression began to soften slightly, and a hint of sorrow appeared in her gaze as she looked at Rong Yan.
"The person Aunt Zhou is most wary of in the mansion is Mother, but she is most unguarded with you, Second Aunt. Because you have no children, you pose no threat to her. According to the maid's testimony, you sat to her left, and to her right was Madam Wang. Throughout the meal, you thoughtfully served her food three times, always the same dish, her favorite stir-fried shredded pork with winter bamboo shoots. Second Aunt, are you going to say that I remembered wrong? There were five maids here, and their testimonies all indicate that only you served her food. And these five maids were not even from the same courtyard."
Wang's expression suddenly turned grim. She said with a sullen face, "It is true. Although I am ashamed that the concubine is so wary of me, it is understandable. Because I am on good terms with you, and you know that I am dissatisfied with the Marquis's many concubines, you still took the initiative to serve them food. I noticed this that day and have long harbored resentment."
Rong Yan hadn't expected that Madam Wang was such a straightforward person. She usually seemed dignified and self-possessed, but now she could say something like, "I've been unhappy for a long time about watching my sister help my rival in love."
The second aunt blushed, but did not argue. "I did serve the food for her, but that does not prove that I administered the labor-inducing drug."
"Whether you made it or Aunt Fang made it doesn't matter. What matters is that you know there was a labor-inducing drug in that dish."
"Nonsense! I simply served her that dish because I saw she liked it, since I know how difficult it is for her to be pregnant, and I understand the pain she feels from being so cautious! Don't assume that the dish contained labor-inducing drugs just because I served it!"
Rong Yan didn't waste any more words. She walked to the front of the hall and called out, "Huali."
Hua Li didn't hear it from outside the courtyard, but Xie Chengzhi had already passed her and called out loudly, "Hua Li."
The voice was very clear, and Huali actually heard it. She saw Rong Yan lean close to her ear, and she nodded and went over.
No one understood what she was going to do. When Huali returned, she was carrying a plate of food.
Auntie's eyelashes were still glistening with tears when Rong Yan brought up a dish of food. "Auntie, this is the dish you had immediately disposed of. You didn't expect that, did you? Because you're so clever. Only you thought of disposing of this. None of the maids in the kitchen explained how the dish was disposed of, because your people disposed of it. They thought their testimony was fine, but unfortunately, it was this small daily task that betrayed you."
Rong Yan didn't lay out her testimony, but she repeated it word for word without missing a single detail: "Fei'er's testimony: At 5 PM, I saw everyone in the kitchen busy. Zhu'er and I are always on good terms, and she was still busy, so I helped her pour the food into the slop bucket. Zhu'er can testify to that. Second Aunt, when has your personal maid ever bowed her head like this to do slop work?"
"You think you can slander me as a vicious woman from one of my maids' quarters based on this alone?"
"Second Aunt admitted that it was a vicious creature?"
Wenjun paused for a moment after realizing she had been tricked by her words.
Rong Yan was deliberately aggressive and relentlessly pressed him with questions, because it would be easy for someone who wasn't professionally trained to make linguistic inconsistencies.
Wenjun clearly still wanted to struggle, but Rong Yan casually added, "In this kind of weather, the dishes won't spoil. If you want to taste the dishes yourself to prove your innocence, that's fine too. However, I must remind your second aunt that ordinary people can die if they take labor-inducing drugs."
Wenjun shook her head, her lips trembling and eyes filled with tears, as if she had suffered endless injustice. At this moment, Madam Fang suddenly kowtowed heavily to the ground and cried out loudly, "It has nothing to do with Madam Wen, it was me, it was me who poisoned her..."
Rong Yan's smile was now truly radiant. "Aunt Fang, you mentioned earlier that the medicine was placed closest to Aunt Zhou to prevent accidental injury. But let me tell you, if it were the closest dish, why would Second Aunt need to help set the table?"
Upon hearing these words, not only Fang's mother but also Wenjun's face turned pale!
Rong Yan turned around, walked behind her second aunt, and looked at everyone. "Because only in the farthest place can she have the opportunity and smoothly use the excuse of serving food to help serve the food without seeming to do it out of the ordinary. Am I right, second aunt?"
Wenjun felt her voice coming from behind her, and her back suddenly went cold. Her legs even felt weak, and she touched her forehead, feeling dizzy.
Mrs. Fang quickly changed her story, "No, no, I misremembered, it was placed at the farthest point!"
Even Xie Ningling couldn't help but say, "Aunt Fang, the dishes were placed in front of Second Aunt. Many dishes were prepared in double portions that day. I thought it was Mother's intention."
Fang's mother was stunned, as if struck by lightning. She had been completely fooled by Rong Yan's few words, and everyone had witnessed it all.
Yes, if it weren't just placed in front of my second aunt, wouldn't it be easier for others to get their hands on this dish too?!
Wenjun had bent down, but suddenly burst into laughter.
Her second aunt's sudden laughter rang out in the hall. Rong Yan didn't even see when Xie Chengzhi appeared behind her. He pulled her up and made her stand behind him.
It seemed she was wary of her second aunt making any moves against her.
Wang could no longer sit still. She suddenly stood up, pointed angrily at Wenjun, and shouted, "Is it really you?!"
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