Chapter 384 Poisoning

Chapter 384: The Poisoning

At Zhu Yan's sudden words, Meng Wan's first reaction was disbelief. Though the family had its share of adversaries, none were mortal enemies bent on harming the whole family. Everyone knew the eldest son of the Song family was getting married today—were they out of their minds to poison him and Song Tingzhou's child at the wedding ceremony?

But recalling what Song Tingzhou had told him in bed, Meng Wan abruptly stood up, his expression grim as he lowered his voice and asked, "Where is A Yan now?"

He didn't even bother to inform Nie Zhiyao, striding off, dragging Zhu Yan toward the corridor.

Lady Zhu of the Minister of Revenue's household saw this and was baffled. "Where's Meng Fulang off to?" The guests were still seated—why the sudden departure? He was always so meticulous; such rudeness was unlike him.

Nie Zhiyao, who'd been right next to Meng Wan, caught his grim look as he left and figured something big was up. He stayed behind to keep things steady, saying to placate Lady Zhu, "Maybe someone at the bridal chamber needed him, so he popped over to check. Lady Zhu, how's the leading lady on stage doing?"

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"Once the banquet started, the young master came back from the bridal chamber, then rounded up a few friends to eat in the Hongcao Courtyard. He wasn't the only one poisoned—several other young masters are in bad shape too. Before I left, I sent Gui Fang and Gui Yuan to the front courtyard to get the eldest young master, and told them not to make a scene, just to fetch him fast."

Zhu Yan was young, but Meng Wan had put her with A Yan for a reason. Of all the maids and pages in the house, besides Huang Ye, whom Meng Wan had trained up himself, Zhu Yan had the most initiative.

The Hongcao Courtyard was a little yard west of Chang Jinhua's compound. It used to be A Xun's place, and he'd come up with the name himself. Wei Ying and Yunque had spruced it up recently.

Plenty of guests had brought their kids to the feast. Boys and girls past seven didn't sit together, but seven- or eight-year-old boys were at that rambunctious age—too wild for the front courtyard, but their folks didn't trust them unsupervised, so they were all parked in the back. The Hongcao Courtyard was perfect for stashing the kids. Little ones like Zheng Shushen's Xiao Cao were resting in Chang Jinhua's yard with their nannies and maids.

A Yan had his own table with a few friends, and the kids were having a lively time eating and drinking.

No one knew yet whether it was the food, wine, or pastries that did it, but the kids at that table all got hit with terrible stomach pain right after eating—cramps so bad they couldn't stand it, but no urge to use the bathroom.

Huang Ye had personally picked every dish for today's feast. Everything had a known source and was fresh—the pigs and sheep were butchered last night, the seafood was kept alive in the back building, and they were still kicking when they went into the kitchen. How could that possibly upset anyone's stomach?

Zhu Yan quickly realized something was off and rushed out to get help. She didn't dare make a fuss. Since the eldest young master was a damn good doctor—better than any regular physician—she immediately sent someone to get him, left Zhu Sha to look after the young master, and headed to the main courtyard herself to find Meng Wan.

Zhu Yan was small, and her strides were shorter than Meng Wan's, so she had to jog to catch up. Meng Wan hurried toward the covered walkway to the west courtyard, and as he passed useful servants along the way, like Gui Qian and Zhi Fan, without breaking stride, he gave orders one by one.

"Where are Chi Yu and Xue Sheng? Get them over here."

"Besides not letting the front courtyard know, have Xue Sheng bring men to seal off the main courtyard, back courtyard, and rear building. No matter who they are—royalty or nobility—no one is to leave!"

"Whoever delivered the food to the Hongcao Courtyard—tie them all up and throw them into the courtyard."

"Post more guards around the kitchen. Anyone acting suspicious—don't waste time asking questions, just arrest them."

Meng Wan's face was ashen. The moment he stepped into the Hongcao Courtyard, he heard cries of pain and weak groans from the side chamber. A few maidservants from other families poked their heads out, whether out of curiosity or to gather information.

By now, seven or eight young servants had gathered behind Meng Wan, with more rushing over.

"Invite these nosy ones inside—I have questions for them." Meng Wan's voice was icy.

"Meng Fulang, what is the meaning of this? Our masters aren't yours to command—mmph! Let... mmph!"

The Song family's servants simply followed Meng Wan's orders, swiftly binding the interlopers, gagging them, and tossing them into the Hongcao Courtyard.

The first thing Meng Wan saw upon entering the room was A Yan collapsed on the kang, groaning weakly. His heart clenched as if twisted by a knife—it had been a long time since he'd felt such overwhelming terror.

A Yan lay curled up, his small body trembling, forehead covered in cold sweat, his face pale as paper, but his lips tinged with an unnatural blue-purple. Both hands gripped the brocade blanket beneath him, knuckles white from the strain.

Meng Wan rushed over in three quick strides, carefully reaching out to touch his cheek, his fingertips trembling slightly. "A Yan, A Yan, wake up. Look at Papa."

A Yan seemed to sense his arrival, but the abdominal pain was too severe for him to open his eyes. Tears streamed from the corners of his eyes, and he sobbed and murmured as if trapped in a nightmare, "Papa... it hurts so much... Papa..."

Meng Wan's eyes reddened instantly. He casually wiped away his tears with his sleeve, his voice thick with emotion as he soothed, "It doesn't hurt. Xiao Ci-gege will be here soon."

He turned and ordered Zhu Yan in a low voice, "Go see if the eldest young master has arrived. If not, bring A Yan to the eastern courtyard bridal chamber!"

Five other children lay on the kang, their symptoms identical to A Yan's—agonizing abdominal pain, lips tinged with that same unnatural blue-purple. Clearly, they too had been poisoned.

Their maidservants and attendants huddled around them, terrified and weeping, at their wits' end. Seeing Meng Wan, they fell to their knees as if he were their savior. "Meng Fulang, please save our young masters! They... they suddenly became like this!"

These young masters were the pride of their families. If anything happened to them, the servants' lives would be forfeit.

"Fulang, the eldest young master is here!" Zhu Yan had barely stepped outside when she ran into Chu Ci rushing over. Chu Ci was still in his wedding robes, reeking of alcohol, but his steps were steady—no sign of drunkenness.

Chu Ci excelled at medicine; a little wine wouldn't affect him.

Meng Wan quickly moved aside to let Chu Ci take A Yan's pulse first. Zhu Yan carefully offered him a handkerchief. "Fulang, wipe your tears."

Meng Wan had no mind for the handkerchief. He barely dared to breathe, his eyes aching from being wide open, watching only Chu Ci's expression for any change.

Chu Ci's face was grave. His fingertips rested on A Yan's plump little wrist, then he lifted the boy's eyelid for a closer look. Without answering Meng Wan, he untied the pouch at his waist, took out a small packet of medicinal powder, pried open A Yan's jaw, and poured it into his mouth.

"Bring water, quickly!" Meng Wan urged.

Water was available in the outer room. Zhu Yan brought it over, and Meng Wan first had Chu Ci verify it was uncontaminated before personally lifting A Yan to feed him a few sips.

"Young Master Song, please examine our young master too!"

"And ours—please take his pulse!"

The other servants begged Chu Ci. Seeing that A Yan's lips had already returned to their normal color, Chu Ci rose and went to each of the other children's beds, examining them one by one with swift precision. The alcohol fumes around him seemed to dissipate in the tense atmosphere.

After finishing the last child, Chu Ci wrote out a prescription using the paper and brush Zhu Yan had prepared.

He and A Xun had studied medicine together, and the Song household had no shortage of medicinal herbs—they were stored in the bridal chamber and the rear building.

Meng Wan half-embraced A Yan as he instructed, "Zhu Yan, take this prescription to the bridal chamber and find the young master. Have him personally prepare the medicine. Once it's decocted, bring it back—don't let it out of your sight."

"Yes, Fulang." Zhu Yan tucked the prescription away and hurried off toward the bridal chamber with two servants.

The servants brought by the guests knew that Young Master Song's medicinal powder might work wonders, but they dared not ask for it. They could only ask, "Young Master Song, how is our young master?"

"Will it be life-threatening?"

"Will there be lasting damage?"

Chu Ci gestured to Meng Wan with a few hand signals. "Their poisoning is not deep. It can be cured—no lasting harm."

Seeing this, Meng Wan's suspended heart finally relaxed. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and addressed the anxious servants in the room, "Your young masters are not severely poisoned. Once the antidote is decocted and brought back, their lives will be safe. After a few days of recuperation, there will be no lasting effects. I'll send someone to fetch the ladies now."

One servant, failing to read the room, said, "No need to trouble yourself, Fulang. I'll go fetch my mistress myself."

He was already at the door, but the Song family's servants guarding it made no move to let him pass without Meng Wan's order.

The servant looked bewildered. "Meng Fulang, what... what is the meaning of this?"

Meng Wan ignored him. Rapid footsteps sounded in the courtyard—Song Tingzhou had arrived with Chi Yu.

"Why did you come too?" Meng Wan hadn't alerted the front courtyard out of caution.

Song Tingzhou first noticed his bloodshot eyes, then spotted A Yan unconscious in his arms, having taken the medicine. His expression changed drastically as he rushed forward in three quick strides. "What happened to A Yan?"

Five or six children lay on the kang in dire condition. Rage and shock churned in Song Tingzhou's eyes. "Someone poisoned them?"

Meng Wan cradled A Yan's head with one hand and took Song Tingzhou's hand with the other. "We don't yet know who administered the poison. Xiao Ci gave A Yan some medicine earlier, which has steadied him for now. I've sent someone to the bridal chamber to have A Xun oversee the preparation of the antidote. Xiao Ci says the poison can be neutralized—A Yan will be fine."

Song Tingzhou turned to Chu Ci at that. Chu Ci nodded to him and made a few hand gestures, indicating the poison wasn't deep and there was no real danger. Only then did Song Tingzhou breathe a slight sigh of relief, though his expression remained taut, his eyes cold as ice.

Today was meant to be a happy day, yet this had happened—clearly someone's doing. Though he had taken leave from court these past two days, he had still heard that someone had petitioned the Emperor during the assembly to push through the equal land policy.

The mere rumor of the equal land policy had already stirred up a storm; everyone knew the Emperor's mind was made up and would not easily waver.

Moreover, it was he who had first raised the idea of equal land distribution. The Emperor had deliberately avoided summoning him to court and quietly instructed other ministers to submit the proposal—maybe even to shield him. By settling the matter while he was absent, the Emperor had spared him unnecessary trouble.

He hadn't expected someone to be so impatient—before the court had even reached a conclusion, they had already made a move on A Yan.

A trace of fear flickered in Song Tingzhou's eyes as he gently tucked the blanket around A Yan. A Yan's breathing had already steadied considerably, and his color was slowly coming back. Yet his brows remained slightly furrowed, suggesting his stomach still hurt.

"No need to even talk about our own folks. As for the servants I borrowed—those from Yao Ge'er's household are all trusted retainers he's used for years, and he holds their contracts tight. As for the servants of the Marquis of Zhongyi's estate, there's even less to worry about—all a dozen or so are old soldiers who came off the battlefield. Today is Chu Ci's wedding, and though our household has many people coming and going, every single one has a clean background. If someone made a move, it could only be among today's guests or the servants they brought." Meng Wan had already worked through the logic on his way here, before he had even seen A Yan. He was still more inclined to suspect the guests' servants.

Today's banquet used the two kitchens in the main courtyard and the rear courtyard. Whoever made the move must have been a woman able to move freely through the back courtyards, which was why he had immediately ordered the gates of the main and rear courtyards sealed.

Song Tingzhou's anger had not yet subsided. His face was black as thunder, and his voice was low, almost hoarse. "I'll send the Tao brothers to Shuntian Prefecture immediately, and have constables and bailiffs come to seal every gate of the house, large and small."

Meng Wan gently set A Yan down. Angry as he was, he still had to weigh the considerations. "Among the guests in the front courtyard are two first-rank ministers, and countless officials of the fourth rank and above. We must investigate, certainly, but let's not alarm the front courtyard for now. You go to the banquet and keep everyone calm. Tell them Xiao Ci is staying here because he can't hold his liquor."

Among those people, who knew how many were connected by marriage to the great aristocratic families? In the entire court, there were barely any true commoners.

Song Tingzhou was one. Shen Chongshan was another.

In a few days, Song Tingzhou expected to receive his transfer orders. He knew the timing was critical and could not afford mistakes. "I'll head to the front courtyard now. You stay here and be careful. The Tao brothers will bring men to guard the entrance shortly—you just investigate freely. If anyone gives you trouble, send Chi Yu to find me in front."

A cold smile curved at the corner of Meng Wan's lips. "Don't worry. Since they've stepped through the gates of the Song residence, I'll make sure they don't leave."

After Song Tingzhou left, the room fell temporarily quiet, leaving only the faint breathing of the children. Chu Ci sat by the edge of the kang, tending to A Yan and the other children, while the maidservants and servants guarded their young masters, not daring to breathe too loudly.

About forty-five minutes later, several madams were led into Hongcao Courtyard. The moment they entered the gate, one of them shouted in fury, "What are the servants of the Song family doing? My son came to your home as a guest, and he's been poisoned! If the Song family doesn't give us an explanation today, then even if Lord Song wields immense power, our family won't back down!"

Zhu Sha, the young maidservant who had led them in, was still young and burst into tears at the scolding. But Meng Wan knew these words were not aimed at a mere servant girl—they were a veiled threat directed at him.

Sure enough, Meng Wan's voice came from inside the room. "Madam Zhao's anger is understandable. But this young maidservant of mine is obedient and well-behaved—she's not the one who administered the poison. Even if you harbor anger, Madam, it should be directed at the poisoner."

Madam Zhao did not slow her steps, her heart racing with anxiety. She and the other madams entered the room to find their children lying on the kang, being helped up by maidservants to take medicine, their faces pale and their expressions weak.

They were so frightened that their souls nearly fled their bodies. Had the maidservants beside them not held them back tightly, they would have rushed forward long ago.