Chapter 132: The Constables Arrive at the Estate

Pang Yunche hurried back, his mind still filled with the warning Xie Yuheng had given him: someone was poisoning people within the Pang estate. Furthermore, the culprit was highly likely to be someone from the Chen family. His mother was on close terms with the Duchess of Hanguo; if he were to bluntly accuse the Chen family of harming the Pangs, his mother might very well reprimand him.

Pang Yunche glanced at his elder brother. He could not stand by and watch his mother be deceived by those she trusted. Knowing that his mother cared most about his brother, he had no choice but to use him as a pretext.

"Mother, Elder Brother has been poisoned. The two imperial physicians I summoned are experts in toxicology from the Imperial Hospital. They informed me that the poison in his system likely originated from Linhai—or more precisely, from Wa—and is not a toxin found in our Southern Chu."

Pang Yunche watched his mother’s expression. Seeing her face darken with gravity, he feigned confusion and continued, "How could Elder Brother have been exposed to a Wa poison while here in the capital? Southern Chu and Wa have always been enemies, with no history of contact. It is truly bizarre that a poison exclusive to Wa should appear in the capital, so far from Linhai. Mother, where do you think this poison came from? I am too slow-witted to understand."

He had dropped enough hints; he might as well have named the young Miss Chen, who had just returned from Linhai, as the one who poisoned his brother.

Madame Pang remained silent, her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves, her heart burning with rage. She understood her son’s implication, but she refused to believe a Chen would poison Yunjin. It must be those vermin hiding in the shadows, colluding with the Wa pirates.

Pang Yunjin looked at Pang Yunche with deep significance. Though he did not know why Yunche would lie to their mother, he knew his brother well—Yunche would never say such things without cause. He must have discovered something. Just a moment ago, when Miss Shen awoke, he had asked the estate physician to check her pulse again, but the physician had detected no signs of poisoning. Out of concern for her reputation, Miss Shen had quietly left the Pang estate before the imperial physicians arrived. However, the estate physician was a native of Southern Chu; if Miss Shen had truly been struck by a bizarre Wa poison, the physician might indeed have failed to detect it. Miss Shen was in danger.

Inside the carriage, Chu Mu frowned at the blood-jade bracelet on her wrist. When she first awoke, she had been so preoccupied with having the Pang estate physician check A-Zhao’s health that she had forgotten to return the bracelet. Now, seated in the carriage, she saw the unsightly piece of jewelry. She had also forgotten to retrieve the portrait of A-Zhao. Intent on protecting A-Zhao’s reputation, she had fled that place of trouble early, only to find that she had failed to accomplish any of her intended tasks.

She tried to remove the jade bracelet, but while it had slipped on easily, it now seemed as if it had grown into her wrist. Could her unexplained fainting spell be related to this bracelet? After chafing her wrist until it was red and sore, Chu Mu gave up in resignation. She tucked her hand away, out of sight and out of mind; if it were not for the fact that she could not afford a direct confrontation with the Pang family, she would have smashed the bracelet to pieces.

Upon returning to the Grand General’s mansion, before she could even step into the courtyard, the steward hurried toward her. "Madame, this is terrible! A messenger from the capital garrison, sent by a commander named Shen Tianci, has arrived. He says the General has suddenly fallen into a coma for no apparent reason."

"When did the message arrive?" A-Zhao had also fainted.

"Shortly before you returned, Madame. What should we do? Should I prepare the carriage to take you to the garrison?" Ordinarily, it was improper for a woman to visit the garrison, but these were no ordinary times. The General was in distress.

A flash of insight crossed Chu Mu’s eyes. "No need. The General has always been a stickler for protocol. You wait; it will not be too late to act when further word arrives." With that, she strode toward the study. The person she had sent to protect A-Zhao yesterday had returned.

The steward watched her departing back, feeling like weeping. That the Madame could be so heartless as to ignore the unconscious General was surely the General’s own doing. He had always been cold and indifferent to her, allowing others to bully her; now that he was in trouble, it was only natural that the Madame would be unconcerned. He could only pray the General would be alright.

Back in the study, a dark guard appeared before Chu Mu. "What happened to the General?"

The guard knelt and recounted everything that had transpired at the garrison in meticulous detail. Chu Mu calculated the timing: she and A-Zhao had lost consciousness at the exact same moment. It appeared they were not poisoned, but rather that some unknown change had occurred within their bodies—a shift far more worrying than any toxin.

"Return. Protect the General well, and do not leave his side." She did not know if this would happen again. With A-Zhao inhabiting her body and frequently out in public, the dangers were far greater than those she faced.

"Knock, knock..."

A knock sounded at the door, followed by a servant’s report: "Madame, this is bad! Bailiffs from the Jingzhao Prefecture have arrived at the mansion, and the Second Master is currently leading them toward the Old Madame’s courtyard."

Chu Renjie was quick indeed; in just two days, he had reported the wicked woman to the authorities. "Go inform the eldest master to head to the Old Madame’s courtyard," Chu Mu said, opening the door and heading straight out.

As she reached the gate, she ran into Yu Zihuan, who was preparing to leave. "Zihuan, where are you going with that bundle?" Having confirmed her relationship with him, she knew he was likely the only person left with whom she shared blood. With the Yu family reduced to only him, she could not turn a blind eye.

Yu Zihuan bowed and said, "I have troubled you for two days; thank you for your hospitality, General and Madame. I am prepared to leave. I wish you both well."

The Grand General’s mansion was not a place he could stay forever; it was better to leave early.

"Your Elder Brother Chu has not yet returned from the camp. To leave now would be to depart without saying goodbye. Come with me now. If you still wish to leave afterward, I will not stop you." Yu Zihuan did not know the truth of what had happened all those years ago; if he did, he would surely not be so quick to walk away. Zihuan was her mother’s nephew, the last surviving bloodline of the Yu family—she had to protect him.

Confused, Yu Zihuan followed Chu Mu. When they reached the Old Madame’s courtyard, sounds of smashing and the Old Madame’s shrill, frantic cursing echoed from within: "Chu Renjie, you unconscionable beast! I am your mother, the one who bore and raised you! Is this how you repay me, by dragging me to the magistrate's office?"

Then came Chu Renjie’s disdainful roar: "Old woman, how dare you claim to be my mother? You are nothing but a base concubine who climbed into my father’s bed through treachery and caused my own mother’s death!"

Yu Zihuan was utterly bewildered. Family scandals were not meant to be aired in public; why had the Madame brought him here to witness this farce?

"You beast! The woman surnamed Yu was not your mother, I am!"

Yu Zihuan looked up sharply. What did the Old Madame mean? Was the woman she referred to a member of his own Yu family?

Chu Mu observed Yu Zihuan’s shock and said, "Come, follow me inside. You will soon understand why I brought you here. Rest assured, I would never harm you."