Feng Yuyan was caught off guard by their sudden synchronized questioning. She turned to look at Qian Jiaoniang and felt both their words were laced with hidden meanings. Panic made her stammer, “I—I don’t really remember… There was a lot of excitement that night, we just drank too much.”
Ah Da and the others had been worried that Feng Yuyan’s glib tongue might let her talk her way out of everything. But now the Marquis and the Madam were suddenly asking seemingly unrelated questions—like what kind of wine was served that night? What was the point? It was a fact the Marquis had gotten drunk, and Feng Yuyan herself admitted she wasn’t pregnant. So why dwell on that?
A glimmer of admiration flickered in Xing Muzheng’s eyes—Jiaoniang had caught on. He pointed to the seat next to him, inviting her to sit, then calmly asked again, “What wine did I drink?”
Wet Nurse Ye followed Qian Jiaoniang into the room. She approached Feng Yuyan, and both master and servant looked visibly uneasy. Feng Yuyan replied, “I—I don’t remember either…”
Anyone could see they were trying to cover something up. Ah Da scratched his bald head, feeling more and more lost.
“Someone, go bring Zhou Mu here,” Xing Muzheng said without much elaboration, gesturing for the order to be carried out.
“Yes, sir!”
“Wait, wait—it was the Imperial Tribute Wine, Changzi Gongjiu! I remember now! It was the imperial wine granted by the court!” Feng Yuyan blurted out in a hurry.
Xing Muzheng raised his eyebrows slightly. “Are you sure?”
Qian Jiaoniang shot a look at Xing Muzheng but chose to remain quiet. She calmly sat in the same lower seat she had before. Xing Muzheng frowned ever so slightly, subtly.
Feng Yuyan nodded vigorously. “It’s true! It was the precious tribute wine!” She turned to Wet Nurse Ye. “Wet Nurse, you remember too, don’t you?”
“O-of course I do! The Marquis said the young miss’s birthday was a big occasion, so he allowed her to pick any wine from the cellar,” Wet Nurse Ye said, clapping her hands.
This old maid—why mention such useless details? He had never celebrated Jiaoniang’s birthday, but he threw a feast for Feng Yuyan. Xing Muzheng cast a sideways glance at Qian Jiaoniang, who remained calm and composed, as if she didn’t care at all. Xing Muzheng suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. “There was only one jar of Changzi Gongjiu. A single jar of tribute wine… that couldn’t get me drunk.”
“T-then we drank other wine after that too…”
“Enough,” Xing Muzheng cut her off sharply. His eyes turned cold and sharp as blades. “Feng Yuyan, what got me drunk that night probably wasn’t wine—it was a gu.”
“What!” Ah Da and the others were so shocked, their cries almost lifted the roof. Their voices mingled with Feng Yuyan and Wet Nurse Ye’s screams. Both women’s eyes widened in horror, mouths agape in disbelief.
Their reactions did not seem like those of the true culprit. Qian Jiaoniang remained composed—she had already extracted the truth from the servant. Still, she hadn’t expected Feng Yuyan to be one of the masterminds. It made no sense. Why would Feng Yuyan want to harm Xing Muzheng? Him staying alive benefited her the most. He was about to marry her as a wife of equal status, and he had already handed over household authority. What more did she want?
Feng Yuyan snapped out of it, trembling as she cried out, “This is a monstrous injustice! Tanlang, I’ve always been devoted to you—how could I harm you?” Was Xing Muzheng’s brain eaten away by that parasite? Why would she ever hurt him? If she turned her own fiancé into a lunatic, what good would that do her?
“That’s a question I should be asking you,” Xing Muzheng raised his eyes, the cold in his gaze like a blade of frost. “Why did you put a gu in the wine?”
“I did no such thing!” Feng Yuyan clutched Wet Nurse Ye’s arm so tightly her nails dug into the flesh without realizing it. Wet Nurse Ye was in great pain but didn’t dare make a sound.
Xing Muzheng stood up, and his tall figure immediately cast a dark shadow over Feng Yuyan. “Why did you poison the wine with a gu?” he asked slowly again. “Don’t make me ask a third time.”
Feng Yuyan stiffened like a wooden post. Trembling, she said, “Tanlang, I really didn’t…”
“Men!” Xing Muzheng suddenly shouted. “Take Feng Yuyan to the punishment hall. Give her ten strikes with the paddle, crush all ten fingers, and then we’ll ask questions!”
Ah Da clasped his hands. “Yes, sir!”
As Ah Da reached out to seize her, Feng Yuyan backed away, screaming, “Don’t take me! I didn’t harm the Marquis!”
Wet Nurse Ye rushed forward like a hen protecting her chick. “Marquis, Marquis, our young lady has always been true to you—how could she ever hurt you? Please don’t be misled by slander and wrongly accuse her!”
Xing Muzheng ignored the old servant and motioned for Ah Da to take Feng Yuyan away.
“I won’t go to the punishment hall! I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” Feng Yuyan shrieked.
Ah Da paused his steps. Feng Yuyan trembled all over, glancing at Wet Nurse Ye in panic.
“Hurry and speak!” Ah Da barked.
Frightened into submission, Feng Yuyan covered her face and wept. “I did put something in the wine… but I didn’t know it was a gu. I thought it was—it was…”
“What was it?” Qian Jiaoniang asked.
Feng Yuyan glared at her, her face twisting into bitter defiance. “I thought it was a love potion! Fine! You win, are you happy now?!”
Qian Jiaoniang nearly slid off her chair. Blinking in disbelief, she suddenly burst out laughing. “A love potion? What’s that, something the brothel girls use? Goodness, you’re an unwed maiden, how can you think about men like this?” She clicked her tongue. “Men really are bad news.” She glanced meaningfully at Xing Muzheng.
Xing Muzheng’s face turned dark as the bottom of a pot. He wanted nothing more than to cut open Feng Yuyan’s skull and see what exactly was inside. The mourning period had barely passed, and he was already planning to marry her as his equal wife—and yet she, without even a title, was so desperate to sleep with him?
“You shameless woman!” Ah Da shouted.
Xing Muzheng demanded, “Why did you drug me?”
“I—I…”
“Speak!” Xing Muzheng roared, patience gone.
Feng Yuyan flinched and then confessed with her eyes shut, “Someone told me that Princess Jianan was madly in love with you and wanted to take my place. I was afraid if I waited too long, something would happen, so I…”
Wet Nurse Ye quickly picked up the thread: “It’s true, Marquis! Everything the young lady said is true! That Princess Jianan constantly sent you gifts and letters! Even though you returned them all, the young lady heard she kept pestering His Majesty, trying to make you her Princess Consort!”
A princess? A princess consort? Qian Jiaoniang raised an eyebrow. She thought those roles only existed on the opera stage—turns out they were real. As expected, she was only fated to be an observer of the drama.
“Nonsense!” Xing Muzheng didn’t want to believe he’d been ensnared by something so ridiculous. He shot Qian Jiaoniang a quick glance, then asked, “And who told you this?”
Feng Yuyan cowered. “I—I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“Tanlang, I truly don’t! These messages were shot into my room by darts every day. Even that bottle of potion—it was secretly placed on my windowsill without a trace!”
Li Qingquan sucked in a cold breath. “You didn’t even see who it was, and you just believed them?”
Feng Yuyan sobbed, “I had no choice! All the gifts from the Princess came through my hands. I knew what she was thinking! I’m just a weak woman—how could I compete with a royal-born sister? But I couldn’t bear to part with Tanlang. In desperation, I made a mistake. Tanlang, everything I said is true. If even half of it is false, may I be struck by lightning!”
After wailing out her words, she tried to throw herself weakly into Xing Muzheng’s arms.
Xing Muzheng seized her by the throat and shoved her toward Ah Da. “Take her and that wet nurse to the dungeon. They’ll be executed with the rest of the servants on a chosen date.”
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