Chapter 175: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 

 Chapter 175: 

 

Now, Mian Tang had forgotten Aunt Lian's abilities and curiously asked, “What has she been making a fuss about?”

Manager Gao replied in a low voice, “Naturally, she suspects the servants of being disloyal and greedy, and she has been insisting on entering to inspect the accounts for the Old Princess Consort.”

Mian Tang smiled and said, “So she is indeed a caring elder. It’s really inappropriate to have kept her from entering just now. I’ll go and catch up with Auntie, at least to check on her well-being!”

Cui Xingzhou raised his eyes to look at her, feeling that his princess’s excessive politeness was a bit suspicious.

After thinking for a moment, he guessed Mian Tang’s intentions and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Mian Tang shook her head and replied, “Without any solid evidence, if you go, it might really hurt the family’s feelings. It’s better for me to go; after all, my head has been injured. If she goes back to the clan and complains, you can just say that I fell and was acting irrationally, and they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

Cui Fu, listening from the side, was confused and wiped her tears, asking, “Mian Tang, what are you planning to do?”

In fact, this question was soon echoed by Madam Lian, who shouted it out. She had already been stewing in frustration at the villa, and now, with her daughter, Lian Binglan, married and becoming more independent, she felt increasingly ignored. Recently, the children in the family had been involved in a lawsuit, leaving her with no choice but to go and get support from her sister.

As a result of her sister’s illness, Madam Lian felt increasingly powerless. If it weren’t for her younger brother returning from the south recently and mentioning that the situation in Beihai was dire and that Cui Xingzhou would likely not return, she would still be in the dark about everything.

If Cui Xingzhou really didn’t come back, then his only son would have to take over, and with her sister ill, wouldn’t that mean that Liu Mian Tang would have to assume the role of Princess Consort?

However, she quickly reconsidered. If Cui Xingzhou died in battle, Liu Mian Tang and her son might also not return.

In that case, the Cui family’s lineage would be left with only her son-in-law, the Fifth Lord. Thinking of this, Lian Chu felt elated, realizing that, after all these twists and turns, her daughter still had the fortune to be a princess!

Yet, when she mentioned this to her daughter, she was met with Lian Binglan's reprimand, who unceremoniously asked her to leave the residence.

Although Lian Chu was annoyed with her daughter’s stubbornness, she couldn’t overlook her family’s assets. If those cunning servants swallowed everything up, wouldn’t they be left with nothing but an empty royal house to inherit?

Thus, for over a month, Madam Lian had been causing a scene every few days. Unfortunately, Manager Gao had been working in the household for over ten years and had become almost a master in his own right; he showed no fear of the clan elders, making it difficult to deal with him.

Who would have thought that all her plans would fall apart? While they were still waiting for news of a great victory in Beihai, Cui Xingzhou had already made his way back safely by water and land, along with his wife and child!

Madam Lian had been busy for over a month, only to find her efforts amounting to nothing, leaving her utterly disheartened.

As she sat on her way back to the residence, she suddenly heard the sound of hooves approaching from behind.

Curious, Madam Lian leaned out to take a look and saw a spirited young woman riding on horseback, accompanied by maids and guards, charging toward her.

When she recognized it was Liu Mian Tang, she snorted coldly, pretending not to see her and refusing to get down from her carriage.

To her surprise, Liu Mian Tang didn’t even dismount; instead, she waved to the maid behind her. The maids, Fangxie and Bicao, rushed forward, pulled Madam Lian down from her carriage, and dragged her into a nearby thicket to strip her of her clothes.

A group of Madam Lian's servants rushed to help her, but they were held back by the royal guards, unable to move.

Madam Lian had never expected to be robbed in broad daylight, leaving her both furious and anxious. She screamed in protest, but a few of the maids quickly managed to strip her of her clothes and even removed her rings, bracelets, and hairpins without hesitation.

Although they had brought spare clothes for her to wear, Madam Lian had never endured such humiliation. With her hair disheveled, she shouted that she would rather die than live like this and demanded that the clan leader seek justice for her before her demise.

Outside the thicket, Liu Mian Tang carefully examined the clothes and jewelry she had taken from Aunt Lian. The poison, which was a living thing from the southern barbarians, was said to be kept in water, according to Zhao Quan's words.

However, Madam Lian didn’t have any water containers or bags on her. Even if someone had indeed tampered with her, it would be futile if she couldn’t identify how it was stored.

Suddenly, her gaze fixed on Madam Lian’s jade bracelet. The bracelet, made from an unknown type of jade, was translucent and sparkled in the sunlight, appearing as if it contained water. It looked incredibly valuable, and someone as vain as Madam Lian would surely wear it every day.

Liu Mian Tang didn’t know if any sinister items were hidden among Madam Lian’s belongings, and she didn’t dare to take them to the other courtyard. Instead, she packed Madam Lian’s clothes and jewelry into sealed boxes, keeping only the jade bracelet in her hand, and ordered someone to summon the Marquis.

At that moment, Zhao Quan hurriedly arrived outside the thicket. Zhao Quan took the jade bracelet, examining it closely. "This bracelet seems a bit suspicious; it looks like it really contains water," he remarked. 

Liu Mian Tang replied, "I suspect there might be a mother bug inside it. But the jade is hard and brittle; if it shatters, it would be difficult to find anything inside."

Zhao Quan said, "This matter is simple."

The Marquis took out a piece of finely textured and tough cloth, laid it on the medicine box, and placed the jade bracelet on top. He then retrieved a small bottle from his tool kit and poured some yellow powder onto the bracelet. After a while, he wiped away the powder and took out a silver needle, gently puncturing the bracelet. In no time, the delicate silver needle managed to create a small hole in the hard jade, and indeed, water began to flow out from inside the bracelet.

Zhao Quan held the cloth up to his eyes for a closer inspection, and after a moment, he finally discovered a small, transparent object on the cloth that had been stained by the powder—so tiny it was almost indistinguishable. Excitedly, he exclaimed, "This is the mother bug! Although I have never seen one before, I heard that unusual person mention it. The mother bug is transparent and very small, so much so that it can't be detected even when placed in front of ordinary people. Now that we have the mother bug, I can eliminate the poison!"

Liu Mian Tang wore a dark expression as she ordered the soldiers to take the still-wailing Madam Lian away in a carriage, temporarily sending her to the main residence for confinement. Her accompanying attendants were also brought back to prevent any leaks of information.

In the courtyard, Cui Xingzhou, Cui Fu, and Li Guang sat beside the Old Princess Consort, with Cui Fu holding the Old Princess consort’s hand and weeping uncontrollably.

While keeping an eye on his mother, Cui Xingzhou anxiously awaited Mian Tang's return. When Mian Tang entered the room and revealed the discovery of the mother bug, Cui Fu sighed in relief, and her dislike for Madam Lian peaked.

Due to the presence of the mother bug, Zhao Quan did not enter the courtyard; instead, he was arranged by Cui Xingzhou to stay in a nearby house to prepare the antidote with the mother bug overnight. By midnight, he finally concocted the antidote and hurriedly delivered it to the The Old Princess Consort for her to take.

By dawn, the child bug had been dissolved by the antidote, and the Old Princess Consort slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if she had merely taken a long nap. She was surprised to find her son, daughter-in-law, daughter, and son-in-law all gathered around her.

Especially the little child in Mian Tang’s arms, who was chubby and adorable, with a round face happily munching on a pastry.

This was the first time in so long that the Old Princess Consort had seen her precious grandson, and her heart was filled with joy, her previously listless spirit lifting significantly.

Zhao Quan carefully examined the Old Princess Consort's condition. Aside from being somewhat weakened due to her prolonged coma, she showed no serious issues. The maids and servants had been diligent, massaging her body daily, and while her muscles had atrophied somewhat, it was not severe. With proper care, she could fully recover from the residual effects of the poison.

Meanwhile, the Old Princess Consort kept urging Mian Tang to bring little Yi'er over for her to see.

Seeing his mother truly improving, Cui Xingzhou turned and rode to the main residence in Zhenzhou, heading to the courtyard where madam Lian was being held.

At first, Madam Lian had been shouting and cursing upon her confinement, but after spending a night in the cell, with neither the prince nor the princess paying her any mind, she had not eaten or drunk anything, and panic began to set in. Due to her thirst and the heat, blisters had formed around her mouth.

When she saw Cui Xingzhou enter, she could no longer maintain her stance as an elder. She hurriedly approached him, grasping his hand and saying, "Your Highness, you’ve finally come! I don’t know what kind of devilry your princess is up to. Broad daylight, she had her maid drag me to the woods and stripped me of my clothes and jewelry, leaving me locked up here. My poor sister, once she wakes up and finds out how I've been treated, who knows how heartbroken she'll be!"

Hearing her mention the Old Princess Consort again, Cui Xingzhou's anger flared even more. He forcefully pushed Madam Lian away and coldly said, "I have already found out that the Old Princess Consort did not catch a cold; rather, someone deliberately harmed her. That jade bracelet you wear is the tool used to harm the Old Princess Consort, and it contains the mother gu that serves as a trigger! Honestly tell me, who gave you the poison, and how did you administer it? If you cannot explain, you will be the mastermind behind the Old Princess Consort’s poisoning, and I will have your entire family executed."

His heart was filled with murderous intent, and his face was naturally cold and threatening.

Madam Lian, however, burst into tears, exclaiming, "What are you saying, child? How could I have poison? Why would I harm my own sister? This is an enormous injustice!"

She looked shocked and cried hoarsely, seeming genuinely unaware of the situation.

At that moment, Mian Tang, who had been waiting outside, walked in and looked at the sorrowful Madam Lian, asking, "You claim to be unaware, so tell me, who gave you the jade bracelet on your wrist?"

Madam Lian wiped her tears and said, "That bracelet was given to me by my nephew a while ago as a token of gratitude for helping him with something. He said this jade bracelet was blessed by a high monk under the Giant Buddha in Leshan and should not be easily changed or removed. Wearing it for a year would allow one to receive the Buddha's light, greatly benefiting the body... I didn’t believe it at first, but seeing how beautiful and translucent the bracelet was, I started wearing it... Who would have thought... I was truly harmed by malicious people!"

To be honest, cultivating gu is no easy task; even in the local tribal villages, it isn’t something just anyone can obtain.

While Madam Lian was clever and loved to take advantage, she wouldn’t have the skill to procure such a cunning poison.

Cui Xingzhou saw that he wouldn’t get any useful information from the crying woman and decided to send someone to capture her nephew who had given her the gift. He thought that by following the trail, they might catch the real mastermind behind this incident.

However, not long after, the people he sent returned with bad news. They reported that her nephew had gone to a brothel in Hualiu Alley yesterday, where he got into a fight with another patron out of jealousy. In the chaos, he was stabbed in the chest and bled to death on the spot, and the assailant had disappeared without a trace.

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