“So, the reason why black spots appeared on the bodies of the deceased was simply because the wild vegetables in the porridge were poisonous.”
“Correct,” Xiao Jingduo nodded confidently. “I once heard from local villagers at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain that this wild vegetable is poisonous, but it looks very similar to fiddlehead ferns, so people often eat it by mistake. I heard that after poisoning, even a strong adult male would suffer for three days, let alone plague patients who are already weak. Eating this wild vegetable would only make things worse for them. Ordinary people would gradually overcome the toxicity after three or four days, but for plague patients who died, the toxins didn’t have time to be metabolized, so they settled on the skin, causing black spots that looked like ghost handprints.”
After hearing Xiao Jingduo’s explanation, even someone with a good temper like the Crown Prince felt his blood boiling. He pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, “According to what you’re saying, the rumors that have been causing such a commotion lately were just because these officials’ wives accidentally added poisonous wild vegetables when distributing porridge?”
Xiao Jingduo didn’t speak, silently confirming.
In the end, the so-called ghost soldiers appearing, the supposed revenge of the sympathetic Crown Prince, the alleged heavenly omens, were all just coincidences. The poisonous wild vegetables happened to coincide with the plague, misleading all the physicians at the Imperial Medical Office, and even causing the Eastern Palace to endure so much criticism and impact for so long.
Rong Ke was also speechless for a long time. Finally, she sighed helplessly, “An undeserved disaster.”
Yes, this time the Eastern Palace was extremely wronged, it was truly an undeserved disaster. The Crown Prince silently sighed, these officials’ wives, not only did they not help, but they actually caused trouble.
But apart from complaining privately, what could the Eastern Palace do? Not to mention that these officials’ wives originally had good intentions, but ended up doing the wrong thing, could the Crown Prince and the Eastern Palace behind him afford to offend so many high-ranking officials’ wives at once? Among them were even the Prime Minister’s wife.
The Crown Prince naturally didn’t dare. He was only the heir apparent, not the emperor, how could he do something that would offend so many people? So this time, the Eastern Palace could only grit their teeth and bear the injustice they suffered.
Seeing that the Crown Prince was too angry to speak, Xiao Jingduo tactfully withdrew. He didn’t leave, but stood outside the courtyard, quietly waiting for someone.
A moment later, Rong Ke came out. She was listening intently to a maid’s report when suddenly a clear voice came from behind her.
“Princess, please wait.” Xiao Jingduo walked out from the corner of the wall, slowly approaching Rong Ke. “I have a way to punish the instigator. I wonder if the Princess would like to hear it.”
Rong Ke slightly raised her eyebrows and smiled, “I’d be glad to hear the details.”
“Although family scandals shouldn’t be aired publicly, the Princess also knows about our family situation, so there’s nothing to hide. To be frank with the Princess, in June when I just returned from Qingyuan Temple, my stepmother put smallpox scabs in my teacup, intending to infect me with smallpox. And in this plague, Wu Junru can be said to be the behind-the-scenes culprit. She was the first to add poisonous wild vegetables to the porridge, and other wives just followed suit. Moreover, most of the poisoned people came from her porridge stall.”
Rong Ke more or less understood. She smiled and asked rhetorically, “You mean…”
Xiao Jingduo sighed. These princesses in the palace, they clearly understood but refused to admit it, afraid of leaving any evidence. They always wanted others to take the initiative to propose, and then they would agree accordingly.
So Xiao Jingduo stepped back and made a deep bow to Rong Ke: “The Eastern Palace has shown me great kindness. I ask the Princess to reprimand Wu Junru in my name, to vent anger for the Eastern Palace.”
Rong Ke looked at Xiao Jingduo for a long time without speaking. After a moment, she called Xiao Jingduo to rise and said, half persuading and half sighing, “If we use your name, the Eastern Palace can indeed vent their anger, but you should know that a son should not speak of his mother’s faults. If you really do this, even though she wronged you first, you will be labeled as unfilial, and your reputation will never be good again.”
“I know,” Xiao Jingduo lowered his head and said with unusual determination, “But I don’t care.”
As long as Wu Junru gets the retribution she deserves, what does it matter if his reputation is ruined?
Rong Ke nodded and said, “Very well, the Eastern Palace accepts your offer.”
Rong Ke couldn’t help but feel angry. These past few days, the Eastern Palace had been treading on thin ice. To resolve the matters of the ghost soldiers and the sympathetic Crown Prince as soon as possible, the Crown Prince hadn’t returned to the palace for several days, constantly rushing about outside. But they never imagined that the impact and rumors they had endured were simply due to the presumption of an ignorant woman.
Wu Junru had presumptively wanted to make the porridge nutritionally balanced, so she added wild vegetables. As a result, her single action caused such serious consequences.
It would be strange if Rong Ke wasn’t annoyed. Now that such a convenient handle had been delivered to their doorstep, how could someone of Rong Ke’s temperament not seize the opportunity to strike back fiercely? Perhaps the Empress Cui of the Central Palace could also devise a plan or two.
Rong Ke concealed her smile and lowered her eyes without speaking, clearly already considering her next move. Seeing this, Xiao Jingduo felt inexplicably relieved. He said softly, “Princess, I’ll take my leave.”
Rong Ke nodded slightly, waving her hand to signal a maid to see the guest out.
After returning to his mansion, Xiao Jingduo felt completely relaxed. He ignored the puzzled looks from others and didn’t explain why he had suddenly returned. After returning to Qingze Court, the first thing he did was take a bath, burn incense, and have a comfortable sleep.
The next day, a medical official from the Imperial Medical Office came to visit Xiao Jingduo. He conveyed greetings from all the physicians at the Medical Office to Xiao Jingduo, and when leaving, he took away the set of tea utensils that had been contaminated with smallpox.
Ever since Xiao Jingduo’s sudden appearance, Wu Junru had been plunged into an inexplicable unease. Not to mention that Xiao Jingduo was unharmed and didn’t seem to have contracted smallpox, or that people from the Medical Office had suddenly come to visit him, just Xiao Jingduo’s relaxed and carefree attitude was enough to make Wu Junru suspicious and uncertain. But before Wu Junru could investigate anything, an imperial edict arrived from the palace.
Wu Junru had taken the lead in distributing porridge in the city, making a grand gesture that earned widespread praise. It was said that even the Empress in the palace had commended this act. Wu Junru was proud, thinking this was clearly an edict of praise from the Empress.
When the imperial edict arrived, everyone in the Marquis of Dingyong’s mansion had to come out to receive it. The elder madam, Second Madam Xiao, Third Madam Xiao, and others all changed into their most formal attire. Even the recently born girls in the mansion were brought out. Xiao Jingduo arrived unhurriedly. As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw Wu Junru surrounded by people, like the moon among stars, sitting high above others.
Wu Junru also saw Xiao Jingduo. She sneered disdainfully and turned her head away. Xiao Jingduo held back a smile and quietly waited for what was to come.
Wu Junru, holding an official title, knelt at the very front alongside the old madam. Moreover, everyone knew that this was likely a commendation from the palace, so Wu Junru rightfully knelt at the front of everyone, her back straight as she waited for the upcoming reward.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the palace eunuch cleared his throat before slowly unrolling the imperial edict. Wu Junru wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw the eunuch glance at her, his eyes filled with an inexplicable pity.
“The edict declares: Wu, the wife of the Marquis of Dingyong, born of a noble clan and married into the Xiao family, should have been taught propriety and virtue by her wise parents, and instructed in the classics for women. However, Wu has been willful and self-indulgent, taking advantage of her position. She has not been filial to her parents-in-law, nor has she been fair in educating her children. The eldest son, Jingduo, is intelligent and virtuous, respectful and sincere. He mourned his mother for three years with utmost devotion, yet upon returning home, he nearly contracted smallpox, his life hanging by a thread. Wu should have treated all children equally, without discrimination, yet she favored some and neglected others, almost causing a great disaster by neglecting the son of the former wife. The palace, considering this is Wu’s first offense, issues this warning without severe punishment. Wu is hereby ordered to manage the household strictly, discipline the servants, dedicate herself to educating the children, and cultivate her virtues in seclusion. She must not show favoritism or act tyrannically. This is the imperial will.”
Wu Junru had been confidently waiting for a reward, never expecting such an edict. As the eunuch’s shrill voice rang out, Wu Junru’s heart grew colder and colder. By the end, she could no longer support herself and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
How could this happen? The Empress and the Wu family were long-time friends. How could she issue such an impolite edict to reprimand her? She had set up porridge stalls in the city to do good deeds, greatly promoting the reputation of noble families. How could the Empress treat her like this?
This question not only puzzled Wu Junru, but also left other women in the Xiao family bewildered. They had thought they were just coming to join in a celebration, but instead heard such a severe reprimand, issued from the palace no less, harshly criticizing Wu Junru for being too biased and mistreating the child left by the first wife. In aristocratic circles, face was the most important thing. No matter what was done or said in private, one had to maintain a just and virtuous appearance in public. Yet Wu Junru was criticized mercilessly by the Empress, openly stating that she lacked wifely virtue. This was almost a devastating blow. How could Wu Junru face others in the future?
The elder Madam Xiao was so frightened that her hands and feet turned cold, losing all feeling. Xuelan, kneeling beside her, quickly reached out to support her. The elder madam leaned on Xuelan, still muttering, “We’ve angered the Empress, what are we going to do now?”
Second Madam Xiao and others also felt this was serious. She glanced at Wu Junru, who had collapsed on the ground, and quickly moved away from behind her, distancing herself. The Empress’s edict reprimanded Wu Junru, and it had nothing to do with their second branch of the family. Xiao Yufang and Xiao Yuli were about to be married off, and they couldn’t be dragged down by Wu Junru.
In the time it took to read one edict, Wu Junru’s status in the marquis’s mansion had plummeted from the heavens to the ground. Wu Junru had always presented herself as a noble and virtuous lady from a prestigious family, but in an instant, she had become a biased stepmother rebuked by the imperial court.
Especially since Wu Junru, in order to show off, had specially summoned everyone in the mansion, she ended up hurting herself instead. Being reprimanded in front of so many people, how could Wu Junru bear such a fall from grace?
Wu Junru felt dizzy, but she forcibly suppressed the feeling of vertigo. Still clinging to a glimmer of hope, she asked the eunuch, “Sir, all these years I’ve served my in-laws wholeheartedly and even took the initiative to fund aid for the plague. How could the Empress blame me? Has there been some mistake?”
The eunuch who read the edict snorted, “You dare to mention the disaster relief? Do you know how much criticism the Empress has faced in the palace because of the porridge distribution? And you, the main culprit, still hope for a reward?” The eunuch was displeased, and his tone carried some anger: “Madam Wu, Her Highness has made everything clear in the edict. I hope you’ll behave yourself and stop doing these unconscionable things.”
Wu Junru collapsed to the ground, dispirited. The eunuch unceremoniously withdrew his sleeve, folding his hands behind his back. He showed no courtesy to Wu Junru, but in the next moment, he changed to a smiling face and asked, “Is the eldest young master of the household present?”
Xiao Jingduo then stood up and bowed slightly to the eunuch from a distance: “Xiao Jingduo is here. May I ask if the eunuch has any instructions?”
“Young master is too polite. How could I dare to instruct you?” The eunuch smiled and said, “His Majesty heard from the Crown Prince about your righteous deed and was greatly pleased. The edict of reward will be issued in a few days. I’m just giving you some advance good news.”
Xiao Jingduo smiled and bowed slightly to the eunuch: “Thank you for the information.”
The eunuch stepped aside, smiling: “It’s nothing. I have other duties in the palace and must return. Take care of yourself, young master.”
“Thank you.” Since Xiao Ying was on duty today and not at home, Xiao Jingduo was the most important person in the house. He took the initiative to see the eunuch out, “Thank you for your trouble today. Have a safe journey back.”
As Xiao Jingduo left chatting and laughing with the eunuch, Wu Junru remained collapsed on the ground, unable to recover for a long time. A maid carefully approached her and gently called, “Madam, the ground is cold. You should get up.”
Wu Junru tried to push herself up with her hands, but suddenly her strength failed, and she fell face-first onto the ground.
Shrill cries from the maids filled the hall: “Madam! Madam! Someone come quickly! Madam has fainted!”
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