Chapter 182

Chapter 182 Beside her, Qiukui and several second-class maidservants were all stunned, quickly calling out, "Mistress!" Fang Yuan'er stared at the two wet nurses with dark, heavy eyes. "I was a foolish mother too!" "Not only did I fail to see people clearly, but I entrusted my child to the two of you vile creatures. I wasn't attentive enough, and I nearly harmed my own child!" Her mistakes, she would admit them herself. But these two wet nurses who had made her son sick—she would never let them off easily! Fang Yuan'er gnashed her teeth and said, "Go fetch the Prince!" She stared coldly at the two wet nurses. "You'd best be certain you're telling the truth. If I discover again that you were acting on someone else's orders..." Fang Yuan'er let out a cold laugh. "I'll fight to the death, and I will never let you live!" The two wet nurses were so frightened they shuddered, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. They kept kneeling on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy. Inside the Spring Mountain Courtyard, Xie Run was playing a game of catching the little tiger with Taotao. Taotao could now sit up leaning against a pillow. Xie Run had the servants build a ring of railings around the warm couch, placing a few toys inside for Taotao to play with freely. Although Taotao had been crying and fussing in the morning over his bloated stomach, by the afternoon he was fine, full of energy. He was cheerful the whole time, his laughter never stopping. Xie Run leaned against the edge of the couch watching him play, and even listening to his laughter made her feel much lighter at heart. Dantao brought in a bowl of soup. "Mistress, have some soup to warm yourself up." Xie Run said, "Set it aside for now. I'll have it later." Dantao set the soup down and stepped closer, saying, "Mistress, the gatekeeper just said she saw the Song Imperial Physician summoned to Songya Courtyard, and moments later saw him leave, heading toward the front courtyard." "I think something must have happened, and they've gone to fetch the Prince." The Spring Mountain Courtyard's naturally advantageous location always allowed it to receive news from nearby courtyards first. Xie Run only pondered for a brief moment before understanding everything. She smiled faintly. "It should be that Fang Yuan'er has finally realized something happened to her son." "Speaking of which, I was only able to find out thanks to Concubine Lu." "I just wonder who's behind this, reaching all the way to Third Young Master's side?" Most importantly, Fang Yuan'er, as the birth mother, hadn't known a thing. One had to understand that premature infants needed especially careful attention. At the slightest sign of discomfort, one should go to the imperial physician to ask about the situation. But judging by what the wet nurse said, Third Young Master had been having diarrhea for four or five days, and Fang Yuan'er hadn't noticed at all. That was absolutely negligence on her part as the mother. Dantao said softly, "Mistress, who do you think has that kind of ability?" Xie Run glanced at her and said quietly, "I only suspect Concubine Wan, but I don't know how she did it." "Fang Yuan'er should have taken considerable precautions as well... If she could still find a loophole, I truly can't guess." As Dantao spoke, she couldn't help asking about today's matter. "Mistress, regarding today's business with the tapioca powder and fleeceflower root, I still don't quite understand some things." Xie Run raised her eyes to look at her. "What don't you understand?" But inwardly, she felt a bit amused. It wasn't just Dantao who didn't understand—she herself didn't fully understand either. Dantao said, "Both Concubine Wan and Side Consort Fang are loudly proclaiming their innocence, as if they truly have nothing to do with these two matters." "If it wasn't them, then who is the culprit who harmed our Fifth Young Master?" Xie Run smiled faintly. "What if they both are?" Dantao was startled and said softly, "Mistress, wouldn't they be too good at acting then? I actually believed them." "Not just me—the Prince believed them too." Xie Run's expression was calm. "They both had a hand in it, but it's not what you're thinking." "I don't quite understand what you mean, Mistress." "The fleeceflower root matter probably wasn't Fang Yuan'er's doing." Dantao nodded. "I think so too. That matter was too coincidental, with Qiu Lu drawing everyone's attention—it seems more like someone framed her." Xie Run said, "The fleeceflower root has nothing to do with Fang Yuan'er, but she definitely had a hand in the tapioca powder matter!" Xie Run's tone was absolutely certain. Dantao's eyes showed some confusion. "Does Mistress have evidence?" Xie Run smiled. "No." "But when I made her swear an oath today, I was careful with my wording. I only asked whether she had harmed me and Taotao, without directly pointing at the fleeceflower root matter. She hesitated—which means that of the two matters, the fleeceflower root and the tapioca powder, she must have been the mastermind behind at least one." Dantao immediately caught on. "Mistress means that Side Consort Fang was the mastermind behind the tapioca powder incident?" "But didn't you say earlier that it seemed like Concubine Wan's style? And now the matter has fallen on Ping'an..." No matter how one looked at it, it couldn't be connected to Side Consort Fang. "If it was Concubine Wan's doing, why would she frame Ping'an instead of choosing someone else?" After a pause, Dantao said softly, "Actually, I feel that Concubine Wan doesn't have that much capability. She couldn't produce two thousand taels in silver notes, nor does she have the means to extend her reach into several courtyards at once." The income of concubines in the household was actually quite transparent. Especially for a concubine like Wan Linlang, who had neither favor nor children. They lived day to day on their monthly allowance. If they ate and drank normally, the monthly allowance was roughly enough. If they wanted to eat a bit better, they'd find themselves stretched thin. They only received rewards during festivals and New Year celebrations, and because of their low status, the rewards they received were not much. Wan Linlang had only been a concubine in the household for about a year, and she had never received any major rewards, nor had anyone heard of her bringing a substantial dowry when she entered. Even if she remained a concubine for another twenty years, she could never save up two thousand taels in banknotes! And then there was the matter of meddling in so many courtyards at once... She was just a concubine with only a few attendants by her side—surely she couldn't have sent them all out to do harm? It sounded rather absurd! Xie Run's gaze turned somewhat indifferent. "What you and I think doesn't matter." "If the evidence points to her when the time comes, then she did it. Just like Ping'an is now." She suddenly sat up straight and said softly, "When I saw Yuezhi's tragic death today, I was actually a little startled." The sight of Yuezhi before her death had been quite bloody and gruesome. Xie Run had thought it over at the time, and her first reaction was that such a vicious method of harm could only be Wan Linlang's doing. But after returning, she couldn't help but ponder it more carefully. As Dantao had said, there were too many loopholes and many obvious problems.