Chapter 163

Chapter 163 Concubine Lu said helplessly, "Side Consort Fang is busy with the affairs of the Prince's residence these days. I'm afraid she may have neglected the care of Third Young Master for the time being." Xie Run immediately caught on: "Could something have happened that the wet nurse failed to report truthfully?" "Exactly!" Concubine Lu seemed somewhat angry as well. "I went to Luoshuang Courtyard today and happened to pass by Feihe Pavilion when I overheard two wet nurses chatting there." "They said Third Young Master has had diarrhea for two days now, and it's getting worse." "But Side Consort Fang is so busy all day that her feet barely touch the ground, and her temper has grown worse too. They're all afraid of being punished, so they're trying every way to remedy it themselves, not daring to tell Side Consort Fang." Xie Run was left speechless upon hearing this. After a long silence, she said, "Putting the cart before the horse." This was, of course, not directed at the serving women. The power of the Prince's residence was certainly important, but could it possibly be more important than one's own flesh and blood? The authority of household management would eventually be handed to the Princess Consort anyway, but a son born from one's own womb was something that could never change for a lifetime. To neglect the care of one's own son for the sake of a bit of power—if disaster were to result, regret would come far too late. Xie Run vaguely sensed that Fang Yuan'er was becoming somewhat impatient. Perhaps it was because of the new Side Consort about to arrive at the residence, or perhaps for other reasons. Fang Yuan'er was no longer content to simply be an obedient, well-behaved Side Consort. Concubine Lu said, "The Princess Consort has only just relinquished her authority, and both Third Young Master and Fifth Young Master have fallen ill one after another... I'm afraid this is no coincidence." Xie Run naturally knew this as well. She was silent for a moment, then immediately said, "Investigate!" After a pause, she added, "I can hardly manage my own affairs right now, so I'll have to trouble you to inquire about Fourth Young Master, Second Young Miss, and Third Young Miss on my behalf." "If possible, also look into the meals of them and their wet nurses." Concubine Lu smiled and said, "This servant has received so much care from Sister Xie—it's about time I did my part!" Cuiniao was right. With so few people in the residence right now, if Concubine Lu didn't seize the opportunity to latch onto Xie Run's coattails... Once more people filled the residence, she wouldn't even be able to squeeze her way in! Concubine Lu came in a hurry and left in a hurry. Xie Run began inspecting Taotao's food, even turning the small kitchen upside down. Zihu knelt before Xie Run alongside the wet nurse, her expression cold and grave. "Reporting to Mistress, this servant failed in her duty and has betrayed your trust. Please punish this servant!" Xie Run was holding Taotao and soothing him, a hint of contemplation in her eyes. Hearing Zihu's words suddenly, she looked at her and said calmly, "Rise first!" "The most important thing now is not assigning blame, but finding out where the problem lies." Zihu kept her head lowered, her face full of guilt: "Mistress, this servant has investigated everyone who could possibly come into contact with the Young Master's food, but found not a single trace!" Xie Run wasn't anxious. She paced back and forth in the room twice with Taotao in her arms. She also felt she had been careful enough—the maidservants and matrons caring for Taotao were checked every two days, and the small kitchen was inspected in three shifts. How had someone managed to find a loophole? She suddenly paused, thinking back to the beginning. "If Zihu can't find anything, perhaps the other party didn't use poison or medicine at all." "Perhaps they simply tampered with something in some small place... something not easily discovered?" As long as it wasn't poison or medicinal powder, a silver needle wouldn't detect it, and there would be no powder or residue left behind—indeed, it wouldn't be easy to discover. Infants were weak in every way; even a little too much or too little of something could lead to serious consequences. Xiaoshu's face was stern. "Then we can only look for problems in the people." But how easy was that to find? After Xie Run gave birth to Taotao, five more attendants were added. After she was promoted to Side Consort, the number of maidservants and matrons in Chunshan Courtyard doubled again. All told, there were thirty or forty people—how could that be easy to investigate? Xie Run shook her head. "No. Searching that way, we'd never find out even if we searched for ages!" "Taotao hasn't been sleeping well these past few days, so it must be something he eats every day!" Dantao was slightly stunned: "But Mistress, aside from drinking milk, the Young Master only eats some supplementary food, and it's made differently every meal—never repeated?" The wet nurse kneeling on the ground turned pale with fright upon hearing this. Wet nurse: "This servant's meals are all arranged by Miss Zihu. On ordinary days, I don't even dare drink an extra sip of water!" "Wait!" Xie Run paused, staring at the wet nurse: "You said water..." Dantao and Xiaoshu also caught on: "Does Mistress mean the water used to make the Young Master's supplementary food is the problem?!" There were several wells in the residence, but what the masters drank and used was all purchased from outside. Taotao was a young master of the Prince's residence, and his water was even more particular—it was mountain spring water carried down from the nearby hills. This kind of premium water was something only the nobility of the capital could enjoy. If there were a problem with the source of the spring water, a large number of the capital's aristocrats would likely be affected. Xie Run said, "If the water really is the problem, then the issue must have arisen after it entered the residence. That means we need to investigate whose hands it passed through!" Zihu suddenly said, "The third-class maidservant in charge of the Young Master's water is a girl called Yuezhi! This servant will summon her for questioning right away?!" "Not so fast. First, go fetch the water and have it examined before we talk!" Zihu nodded and added, "This servant can first send someone to sound out Yuezhi." Xie Run nodded and said, "Handle it as you see fit." "The wet nurse's side must also be investigated!" Part of the wet nurse's meals were prepared in the small kitchen, but some special lactation-promoting dishes came from the main kitchen. That was also the easiest place to tamper with things. Xie Run thought for a moment. "First, summon a household physician to examine the wet nurse." Xie Run dared not be the slightest bit careless—every possible point of suspicion had to be thoroughly investigated! After taking the wet nurse's pulse, Physician Zhao found nothing wrong at all. It was only when examining the breast milk that he noticed something amiss. After much deliberation, a thin layer of sweat formed on Physician Zhao's forehead. He quickly rose and bowed to Xie Run. "Reporting to Consort Xie, there is medicinal properties in this breast milk that will cause the infant gastrointestinal discomfort and easily trigger Soul-startle." "This medicine is roughly converted into milk through the wet nurse's diet. The medicinal potency is extremely low, so the wet nurse feels nothing at all, but the young master's stomach is delicate—after drinking it for several consecutive days, only then did the discomfort appear." Xie Run said, "Please examine the wet nurse's meals as well!" Xie Run had already sent someone ahead to the main kitchen to bring a bowl of pig's trotter soup. Physician Zhao could detect nothing by smelling it or testing it with a silver needle. So he had no choice but to taste it himself. After drinking nearly half a bowl, he finally reached a conclusion. "It's fleeceflower root." "Fleeceflower root?!" The people in Spring Mountain Courtyard were all stunned by this answer. Xie Run: "Isn't that a tonic?" Physician Zhao said, "Sometimes a great tonic is also a great poison!" "This medicine does nothing to the wet nurse—it can nourish essence and blood, and fortify the liver and kidneys. But if she drinks it daily, the medicinal effects will inevitably enter the young master's body." "Fleeceflower root has a laxative effect, but it also carries mild toxicity." "An infant's spleen and stomach are fragile—how could they withstand drinking medicated breast milk every day? That is how a tonic turned into poison."