Chapter 386 Offense

Chapter 386: Offense

Lady Zhu, the Revenue Minister's wife, was shocked and unsettled. "Lord Meng, what do you mean by that?"

Meng Wan sat calmly before the assembled ladies and said in a measured, orderly way, "When I learned that a poisoner had struck, I kept thinking—our own servants wouldn't have the guts. The ones we brought in from outside are all honest, decent folks with clean records..."

These words put the Lady of Marquis Zhongyi at ease, and even Nie Zhiyao cracked a knowing smile.

Meng Wan pivoted. "So the only outsiders present today are you ladies."

"You've got some nerve!" Princess Qin slammed the table, her voice sharp with fury.

The other ladies also wore displeased expressions. "Lord Meng, what do you mean by this? Are you implying we did it?"

Second Madam Shen couldn't hold back a cold sneer. "Your son was poisoned, and you blame the guests at your door? Since when does that make any sense?"

Facing the crowd's furious questioning, Meng Wan showed no panic. His legs were sore from all the walking he'd done, and he sank into the big chair to rest, yet he didn't come off as sloppy or rude—rather, he radiated a dependable, everything-under-control vibe.

Meng Wan cleared his throat. Huang Ye came over from the kitchen and quickly poured him a cup of tea. He'd been bustling about all over the place, nowhere to be seen, and had just gotten the full story from Gui Cheng before hurrying over to see what Meng Wan needed.

Meng Wan took a sip of tea and spoke with solid reasoning. "No need to get so worked up. Of course I know none of you would show up at someone's house and poison anyone. But each of you has brought at least three to five servants along. Can any of you guarantee all those servants have clean backgrounds?"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spine. But even if something was off, no one could admit it now—otherwise, it wasn't just the Song heir—there were also the young masters of the Zhao family and other officials. Who could afford to offend them?

Better to play along today, go home, and thoroughly check their maidservants. If any were suspect, get rid of them quickly—that was the smart move. They absolutely must not get into a public spat with Lord Meng at the Song residence. He wasn't someone you could mess with.

Especially Princess Qin, who hadn't been in the capital long. She traveled with the most fanfare and brought the most people, so right now she was the most uneasy of all.

The current emperor had called their family to the capital on the pretext of mourning the late emperor, so they hadn't brought a big staff from their fiefdom. Many had been hired after they arrived in the capital—who's to say someone with bad intentions hadn't slipped in among them?

The Prince Qin's household was already in hot water. The emperor seemed to have it out for them for some reason. The last thing they needed was to stir up more trouble at a time like this.

"When it comes down to it, Lord Meng doesn't have a shred of evidence. You're just guessing and pointing fingers at your guests—isn't that ridiculous?" Princess Qin clenched her handkerchief in her sleeve, but her words came out sharp and unyielding.

With her taking the lead, the others quickly echoed. "Exactly!"

Nie Zhiyao stepped out of the crowd and stood by Meng Wan. "Ladies, no need to be so outraged. Since we didn't do anything, we've got nothing to feel guilty about. Just have your servants come forward and let Lord Meng question them, and that'll be the end of it. Why ruin the goodwill over this?"

Ningping County Lady gave a cold laugh. "Earl Consort, easy for you to say. Everyone knows you and Lord Meng are best buddies. He'd naturally go easy on you. But why should the rest of us let him push us around?"

Of everyone here, she was the highest-ranking after the wives of princes, marquises, and earls. Her father, Prince Min, was a cousin of the current emperor, and her grandfather had been the late emperor's elder brother. Because Prince Min had lost his father young, the late emperor had shown him great favor. Though Prince Min was only a commandery prince, his treatment rivaled that of a full prince.

Though Ningping County Lady ranked one step below Nie Zhiyao, she did not fear him—her family were true imperial relatives, not like Le Zhengqi's dubious connections.

Zheng Shushen and Gu Zhiru also wanted to step forward in Meng Wan's defense, but he stopped them. "Sister-in-law, Ru Niang, no need. You and Zhiyao just watch."

He was determined to offend this crowd today; there was no reason to drag Nie Zhiyao and Zheng Shushen into it.

Meng Wan cast a sidelong glance at Princess Qin and Ningping County Lady at the front. "You ladies and lords may have misunderstood something. I said I came to discuss with you—but I don't require your consent. The Shuntian Prefecture officers are waiting at the gate. I didn't bring them in directly only because there are unmarried young ladies and boys present. It's not that I dare not have people arrested."

Meng Wan's lips curled into a brilliant smile. "After all, this is the Song residence."

Ningping County Lady had grown up within the imperial city and had never seen anyone so arrogant. She sputtered furiously, "You wouldn't dare!"

Having already said the words, what wouldn't Meng Wan dare?

"Bring every outside servant—male and female—in this courtyard before me."

Meng Wan added with mock courtesy, "Oh, and don't startle our honored guests."

Gui Qian immediately ordered his men to act. The Song servants paid no heed to which maid was the county lady's personal attendant or which page was the princess's trusted aide—they herded them all before Meng Wan and forced them to kneel. Dozens upon dozens of servants.

With so many people, and their masters having been slighted, they naturally refused to stand quietly without resistance. Pushing and shoving broke out, noisier than a vegetable market—until an arrow flew and embedded itself between Princess Qin and her page. A row of Shuntian Prefecture bailiffs stood atop the courtyard wall, Xue Sheng lowering his short bow with a composed expression. The scene suddenly fell silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Princess Qin nearly fainted from rage, trembling as she pointed at Meng Wan. "You... you..."

"Xue Sheng, what's the matter with you? Even if the magistrate sent you out to catch thieves, you can't go loosing arrows into your own residence! You nearly struck the princess's page." Meng Wan scolded Xue Sheng with feigned displeasure.

Xue Sheng stood on the wall and clasped his hands in salute. "This subordinate failed in his duty." With that, he leapt lightly down from the wall, and the row of bailiffs followed suit. But everyone knew they hadn't gone far—they were stationed at the foot of the wall.

Madness.

Lord Song, for all his wisdom, had married such a reckless husband!

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. After a brief stretch of silence, someone attempted to play peacemaker, their attitude doing a complete one-eighty as they began to counsel in gentle tones.

"Lord Meng, why go this far? We understand that the young master was poisoned by a villain, and your fury is understandable. But with such bold actions today, are you not afraid of Lord Song being reported to the emperor?"

"Why not... let bygones be bygones? Or question people in private. Everyone is here—there's no need to blow this out of proportion."

The faint strains of opera from the front courtyard drifted to the back, grating on Meng Wan's ears with a sense of weary annoyance. He wiped the smile from his face and rose from the chair. His tall figure stood poised in dark red robes, his sharp gaze sweeping over those who confronted him. The bright red gem on his gold hairpin was not half as striking as the danger in his eyes.

"My husband is an upright gentleman—appointed Magistrate of Shuntian Prefecture by the late emperor and Vice Minister of Justice by the current emperor's own decree. He has neither bent the law for personal gain nor neglected his duties. Why should he fear being reported to the throne?"

Meng Wan shed his veneer of amiability like a sword discarding its scabbard, every inch of him radiating sharpness. "Ladies, I understand what you're really saying. I know Shengjing City is not short of clever people. But the cleverer one is, the more likely one is to trap oneself in a dead end. I am no different from you—two eyes, one nose, an elderly mother at home, a son to raise. But there is one thing you ladies and lords lack compared to me... I don't value the face you hold so dear! A dragon may be ridden when it appears as a worm, but beneath its throat lies a foot-long scale of defiance—touch it, and it kills. Whoever dares to harm my mother or my son, I will drag them out and deliver them to the authorities. There is no principle in this world that says the victim must hide in shame!"

Why blow it out of proportion?

Meng Wan thought to himself: I intend to blow it up so large that every noble in Shengjing knows the Song family is not to be trifled with—and that he, Meng Wan, is not to be trifled with.

The equal-field policy had not yet fallen into Song Tingzhou's hands, and already someone was testing the waters. If he didn't stand firm now, would Chang Jinhua be next?

The assembled ladies and lords: "..."

We're not just inferior to you—none of our families would dare act with such overbearing audacity!

Princess Qin, whether from rage or fear, was panting like an ox and could barely stand. Her servants had already dragged her to a chair to rest. Among the remaining ladies who had stepped forward, Ningping County Lady's face was ashen as she took a step back—a silent retreat.

With the two most honored imperial relatives backing down, no one else dared to take the lead.

The Lady of Marquis Zhongyi was the first to break the silence. She scolded her own servants, "What are you standing around for? Go to Lord Meng's side. Answer whatever he asks, and hold nothing back."

There was no anger in her voice—only a hint of appreciation.

With her taking the first step, the others reluctantly handed over their maidservants and pages, inwardly cursing themselves for coming to the Song feast and landing in this mess—and for being humiliated by Meng Wan, which would be a disgrace to spread abroad.

Exactly as Meng Wan had said, for these people, face was everything.

Several dozen maidservants and pages now stood in orderly fashion. Doukou was summoned by Meng Wan to identify them one by one.

In truth, Doukou had already said the person she saw was a maidservant. But to ensure the woman had no accomplices here, Meng Wan let no one go unchecked. While Doukou searched, Gui Qian and Huang Ye worked in tandem, politely inquiring about servant counts from the reluctant guests while cross-checking names and numbers.

The guilty are always nervous. As Doukou approached the nearest row, a short maidservant in pink suddenly bolted toward the wall. She knew the bailiffs were behind that wall, so she deliberately chose a direction farther away.

Gui Qian immediately ordered men to pursue. The maidservant was quick on her feet, light of step, and reached the wall in an instant. With a burst of momentum, she leaped onto the walltop—she was trained in martial arts!

Meng Wan showed not the slightest concern. He didn't even turn his head. In the span of a breath, Gui Qian had just reached the foot of the wall when Tao Ba's voice came from beyond it: "Tell the Lord—the person is caught."

Just then, Huang Ye finished his count and announced in a voice audible to all: "Lord, everyone else checks out—no discrepancies. The only one who ran is a maidservant brought by the Shen family."

They actually caught someone, and it turned out to be from the Shen family.

Huang Ye's announcement caused an uproar among the guests. In a mix of shock, relief, and confusion, everyone turned to look at Madam Shen the Second and Miss Shen the Third.

Miss Shen the Third was shaken and uneasy. She had recognized the maid the moment the girl fled—it was indeed a servant from her second aunt's household. The maid had come with them from Yangzhou and was skilled in martial arts, but she had always been loyal and never once slipped up. How could this be possible!

"You say she did it, but where's your proof?" Madam Shen the Second couldn't contain herself and shot back as soon as Huang Ye finished speaking.

In truth, everyone understood that even without evidence, the maid's escape in full view of everyone left no doubt she was involved in today's poisoning.

The lady standing near Madam Shen the Second quietly eased away from her. Madam Shen the Second was just loud-mouthed, but Young Master Meng—now he had a razor-sharp tongue and wasn't afraid to use it. He wasn't afraid of even the Prince Qin's consort or the County Lady Ningping. This reckless woman was in for a rough time if she ended up in Young Master Meng's hands.

Sure enough, Meng Wan, who had been looking down in thought, immediately looked up and sneered in response. "I wouldn't have anyone arrested without proof. Your maid, Madam Shen the Second, quietly poisoned the soup sent to the Xingcao Courtyard. Doukou, a maid from the Earl of Hui'en's household, can testify to it. You can't deny it even if you try!"

"Impossible! Qionghua had no grudge against your young master—why would she do such a thing?" Madam Shen the Second could only spout nonsense and panicked the moment she faced a real crisis.

Meng Wan's face was expressionless, his voice laced with suppressed anger. "So the maid's name is Qionghua. What you're asking, Madam Shen the Second, is exactly what I want to know. Our Song family has no grudge against the Shen family..." He paused deliberately, his eyelids half-lowered to conceal his emotions, before speaking enigmatically, "After much thought, the only thing I can think of is that I offended Lady Rong at the New Year's banquet. Could it be that for such a trivial matter, the Shen family would resort to murder and harm my son?"

"How could that be? You misunderstand, Young Master Meng. There must be something off about this. Our Shen family would never do such a thing!" Miss Shen the Third broke out in a cold sweat as she desperately tried to find a way to salvage the situation. Though her father was a third-rank Salt Transport Commissioner, he was still beneath Song Tingzhou in rank. Moreover, the Song family had merit in supporting the emperor, and the emperor and empress held Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan in high regard. Even if her elder sister was a favored consort in the harem, she couldn't stop Meng Wan if he decided to press charges against her family.

Meng Wan, hearing this, remained fierce and unyielding. "Miss Shen the Third, there's no need to explain to me. Just wait until I change into my ceremonial robes, and we'll settle this before His Majesty!"

No one dared to provoke Meng Wan. The situation was overwhelmingly one-sided, and no one dared to interject. With the true culprit caught, it was only a matter of interrogation before Young Master Meng would take the case to the emperor against the Shen family.

When the ladies were finally released, they couldn't get out of there fast enough. Ignoring all propriety, they rushed out, not even waiting for their husbands still at the front courtyard banquet, and ordered their carriages to take them home immediately.

Miss Shen the Third, pale-faced, helped Madam Shen the Second out the door and said to the attendant at the gate, "Young Master Meng, there must be some misunderstanding here. My father and Lord Song are both from respectable families—how could we commit such a vile act over my sister's matter? Please..."

Meng Wan interrupted her coldly, "Miss Shen the Third, these are matters for the adults. Please, both of you, take your leave..."