Mu Xueshi did not even know how he had finally left that room. He only remembered that until the moment he walked out, he still had not seen Madam pick up that bowl of medicine.
“Eunuch Shangde.” Mu Xueshi waved at Eunuch Shangde, who was not far away.
Eunuch Shangde hurried over.
“This servant is here.”
“Help me watch here. See whether Madam drinks that bowl of medicine I carried over just now.”
“Yes.”
Mu Xueshi walked past Eunuch Shangde. Eunuch Shangde could clearly feel the gloomy mood radiating from Mu Xueshi’s body. He instantly grew somewhat flustered, thinking to himself just who had been so blind as to provoke this little ancestor. If His Highness the Third Prince saw this when they returned, he would come looking for Eunuch Shangde to demand an explanation again…
Thinking this, Eunuch Shangde quickly concealed himself near Madam’s room and, according to Mu Xueshi’s instructions, worked hard to complete the task entrusted to him.
Mu Xueshi hesitated in the courtyard for a while, but still headed straight for the kitchen to look for that little maid.
“Little maid, do you still remember who Master sent to fetch that medicine?”
The little maid thought for a moment, murmuring, “Zhang Houde… It doesn’t seem to have been Zhang Houde… It’s been so long, I really don’t seem to have much impression anymore…”
Just as Mu Xueshi was about to give up, the maid suddenly widened her eyes and said, “My lord, this servant remembers. It was Ning Yue.”
When Mu Xueshi heard that name, it was as if something struck his heart.
“You’re certain it was Ning Yue?”
“Mm, this servant is certain.” The maid said with complete assurance, “At the time, it was Ning Yue who delivered it to the kitchen. He also instructed this servant to store it properly, saying these were precious medicinal ingredients. Xiao Lian can testify. She was there too.”
As she spoke, the maid called over Xiao Lian, who was busy cooking not far away.
When Xiao Lian heard that Mu Xueshi was calling her, she immediately grew somewhat nervous. As she walked over, even her face changed color.
“This servant greets Judicial Affairs Minister.”
“Xiao Lian, you heard what she said just now, didn’t you?”
“Mm, this servant heard. Everything Sister Xiao Ru said is true. This servant was also present at the time and saw Ning Yue deliver the medicinal ingredients into Sister Xiao Ru’s hands.”
Looking at Xiao Lian’s well-behaved expression, Mu Xueshi also judged that this sort of person would not casually lie, so he let Xiao Lian return to her own work.
After walking out of the kitchen, Mu Xueshi’s mood was still extremely tangled. It was like playing with a puzzle. There were fragments everywhere, and once sorted properly, they would form a complete picture, but he did not know where to begin.
“My lord…”
“Ah!!!” Mu Xueshi cried out loudly and retreated three steps in a row.
Mu Xueshi’s cry also frightened Eunuch Shangde terribly. Eunuch Shangde had been about to report something to Mu Xueshi when he saw him happen to walk over, so he had called out. Who would have thought he would scare Mu Xueshi into this state?
“This servant deserves death. This servant deserves death. My lord, please calm your fright.”
Mu Xueshi let out several long breaths, and his mood had already returned to calm. He said to Eunuch Shangde in an easygoing tone, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Didn’t I scare you too? Neither of us owes the other anything now. Don’t keep saying you deserve death all the time. I hate hearing that phrase the most. If you say it again in the future, I’ll cut off your head.”
“Yes, this servant deserves death. This servant will never say that phrase again.”
“…”
“Right, did Madam drink that bowl of medicine?” Mu Xueshi asked Eunuch Shangde.
Hearing Mu Xueshi’s question, Eunuch Shangde looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he moved close to Mu Xueshi’s ear and whispered, “My lord, this servant watched for you. Madam did not drink the soup you brewed. Not only did she not drink it, she ordered a servant to pour it away.”
“Poured it away?” Mu Xueshi frowned.
Eunuch Shangde nodded. “Yes, poured it away.”
Mu Xueshi began pondering again. Why had she poured away the medicine he had brewed? Was it truly because of morning sickness, because she was afraid she would vomit after drinking it, or was it because she knew there was something in that medicine, so she refused to drink it?
After a moment of silence, Mu Xueshi’s gaze became increasingly firm. That calm and composed expression truly made him look rather like a high-ranking official with strategy.
“We’re going to the Judicial Affairs Manor. I need to continue experimenting. I refuse to believe that with my talent, I won’t be able to see through this little trick.”
“Mm, this servant has great confidence in my lord.”
Hearing this, Mu Xueshi was greatly moved and encouraged. Without any restraint, he gave Eunuch Shangde a hug and even said a whole pile of grateful words.
Even after Eunuch Shangde had left the gates of the Grand Tutor Manor, his heart was still thumping wildly. On one hand, he was excited that he had actually embraced someone whom others would consider a blessing over three lifetimes just to glimpse once. On the other hand, he worried whether His Highness the Third Prince would find out about this.
“Right, Eunuch Shangde, uhm… Eunuch Shangde?”
Mu Xueshi waved his hand in front of Eunuch Shangde’s eyes and discovered that his gaze was still blank.
“Eunuch Shangde, what’s wrong with you?”
Only then did Eunuch Shangde come back to himself, and he quickly bowed. “This servant was thinking about something just now. Does my lord have any instructions?”
“Go to the kitchen for me and tell that maid to prepare another portion of medicinal ingredients. I want to take it away.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Mu Xueshi stood at the gate. The scorching sun hung overhead, making him somewhat uncomfortable. Steward Wang saw him from afar and quickly instructed the attendants in the household to move a chair into the shade under a tree for Mu Xueshi, letting him sit there to enjoy the cool.
“Thank you.” Mu Xueshi said politely to that attendant.
That attendant first froze, then walked back with unsteady steps, as if his legs had suddenly developed some strange illness.
Mu Xueshi felt puzzled. That person had looked perfectly fine just now, so why had he become limping and unsteady after only exchanging a few words with him? Not only him, it seemed this sort of situation happened to other people too. Could it be that he had become some great swindler…
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Eunuch Shangde finally appeared in Mu Xueshi’s line of sight. Very soon, that portion of medicinal ingredients reached Mu Xueshi’s hands.
“My lord, that maid said this is the final portion of medicine. Once it is used, there will be none left.”
Mu Xueshi nodded. “Then I’ll use it sparingly.”
Sitting inside the carriage, Mu Xueshi’s mind was full of the case. When he grew tired from thinking, he leaned back against the seat and continued thinking. Eunuch Shangde sat across from him, constantly asking after his warmth and comfort.
When the carriage was less than one li from the Judicial Affairs Manor, Mu Xueshi suddenly sat upright and said to Eunuch Shangde, “We’re not going to the Judicial Affairs Manor anymore. We’re going back to the small courtyard.”
“This…” Eunuch Shangde looked as if he could not react for a moment.
Mu Xueshi quickly leaned forward and said to the coachman ahead, “Master, we’re not going to the Judicial Affairs Manor anymore. Change course to Qinyi Courtyard.”
The carriage slowly reduced its speed, then turned in another direction and headed toward the imperial palace.
Mu Xueshi’s face began to grow more and more flushed. His nerves, which had originally gone somewhat numb, became excited again.
“My lord, why are you returning to the palace so early today?”
“Yesterday, I took out the old fragrant dew. Right, it was that bottle of fragrant dew. Only with it did the fire start. There must be something different between the two bottles of fragrant dew…” Mu Xueshi muttered to himself, completely failing to hear Eunuch Shangde’s words.
After returning to the small courtyard, Mu Xueshi headed straight for Qingyun Palace.
“Where is the Third Prince?” Mu Xueshi habitually went looking for the Third Prince’s shadow.
Seeing Mu Xueshi’s anxious appearance, Qing Ya quickly said, “Young Master Xue, His Highness went to Linhan Palace.”
“Linhan Palace?” Mu Xueshi asked back.
“That’s right.”
The Third Prince had not gone there for a very long time, so why had he suddenly thought of going there now? Mu Xueshi had no time to think too much and first walked toward the room where he slept.
“Young Master Xue, this place is being repainted. His Highness requested that it be decorated according to how it looked before.” Eunuch Tai’an said to Mu Xueshi with a kindly expression, “There is a lot of dust here. Why don’t Young Master Xue wait in another room for a while first?”
Mu Xueshi shook his head and said, “I’m not here to look at the renovation progress. I want to find that cabinet.”
“What cabinet is Young Master Xue looking for?” Eunuch Tai’an asked, somewhat puzzled.
Mu Xueshi swept his gaze over that group of craftsmen and discovered that none of them were the people he was looking for. He then hurried out the door and turned through several places, but he still did not see the men who had carried the cabinet back then.
“Where have all the guards in this small courtyard gone? Why can’t I find them at the crucial moment?”
Seeing Mu Xueshi anxious, Eunuch Tai’an followed him out.
“Young Master Xue, exactly what cabinet are you looking for?”
“The cabinet I ordered those guards to carry out and clean last night.”
Eunuch Tai’an suddenly understood, then said to Mu Xueshi, “Young Master Xue, do not be anxious. This servant will take you to see that cabinet now.”
When Mu Xueshi heard this, he became even more anxious. “Then hurry and take me there.”
“This…”
The moment he saw that cabinet, Mu Xueshi was completely dumbfounded.
“Where did all the things inside this cabinet go?”
Eunuch Tai’an froze and said tentatively, “Weren’t there only a few bottles left inside?”
“Yes, those few little bottles that were left. Where did they go?”
“They were… cleaned out…”
“Ah!!” Mu Xueshi shouted twice at the sky.
Eunuch Tai’an swallowed and said cautiously, “Was it not Young Master Xue who told the servants to clean it? The things inside the bottles were giving off waves of foul smell.”
“Ah!!” Mu Xueshi shouted three times at the sky.
“Young Master Xue, those things were thrown onto the waste heap behind the mountain. Today is the day for clearing waste. The guards you are looking for are all there burning things. I do not know whether they have already burned those little bottles along with everything else…”
Before Eunuch Tai’an could finish speaking, Mu Xueshi shot toward the back mountain like an arrow loosed from the bow.