After encountering Marquis Dongxiang on the street earlier, Young Master Su’s good mood for shopping was overshadowed.
But his fear only lasted for as long as it took to drink half a cup of tea.
Either way, he couldn’t escape a beating, and might even be punished with a month or two of confinent. This ti when he went shopping, he wanted to have fun.
Realizing this, he decided to just go with it.
Upon returning to the mansion, Young Master Su went to find Mrs. Tang to receive his punishnt.
Even though both his parents were difficult to communicate with, Mrs. Tang was still gentler compared to Marquis Dongxiang.
No matter how much Young Master Su admitted his mistakes, Mrs. Tang refused to punish him, stating that Old Madam Jibei was Marquis Dongxiang’s biological mother. She couldn’t strip the Marquis of his right to discipline his son, suggesting he wait patiently this ti. Next ti, if he ends up in her hands, she would certainly not spare him, declaring she was just there for the spectacle this ti.
Young Master Su felt utterly exhausted.
After worrying for so long and reflecting deeply, he realized he was in the wrong and should confess.
Unexpectedly, his father didn’t punish him.
Thinking of his mother, who was eager to watch a good show—
Young Master Su couldn’t suppress a sense of boastfulness.
Marquis Dongxiang took large strides, and Young Master Su and his friends had to trot to keep up with him.
The Ninth Prince remarked, "Uncle is walking so fast, could sothing have happened?"
"I don’t know, it could be sothing good, or maybe sothing bad," Young Master Su replied.
He was more curious about what was inside the box his father was holding.
In the past, he had often clung onto his father’s thigh.
When he couldn’t shake him off, his father would lift him up by hand.
This ti, he was too focused on the brocade box to pay attention to him.
Clearly, the brocade box was more important than him.
Young Master Su, "...".
Marquis Dongxiang went to the main courtyard, but Mrs. Tang and Su Jin were not there.
The little maid went to the garden to find Su Jin.
As he stepped into the room, he saw Marquis Dongxiang sitting there drinking tea.
Mrs. Tang asked, "What happened?"
Marquis Dongxiang put the teacup down and said, "Nothing happened."
He looked at the box and said, "These are the bottles and jars found incidentally when Ministry of Justice officials searched Duke Chong’s Mansion. I brought them back for Jinjim to check if there’s an antidote for Old Duke inside."
This was one of the reasons Marquis Dongxiang was eager to search Duke Chong’s residence.
Catching Duke Chong off guard might be the only chance to find the antidote needed by Old Duke.
Su Jin opened the box and, besides the dicine bottles, there were also small dicine packets inside.
Anything that looked like an antidote was here.
Su Jin examined them one by one.
So were poisons, so were antidotes, but none were what they needed.
Halfway through the inspection, a servant ran in and said, "Marquis, the Duchess is here, requesting the return of everything except the porcelain."
Hmm.
It was this box.
When Marquis Dongxiang brought Ministry of Justice people to search, except for the porcelain, nothing else could be taken away.
After all, a search is not a confiscation.
The Duchess arrived with an air of righteousness.
Because of Old Duke’s presence at Dongxiang Marquis Mansion, people from Duke Chong’s Mansion wouldn’t be turned away at the door.
Giving soone leverage would provide Duke Chong with an excuse to take back Old Duke.
The Duchess stepped into the mansion, heading straight for the main courtyard.
Marquis Dongxiang and Mrs. Tang ca outside and stopped the Duchess in the courtyard.
The Duchess extended her hand and said, "Hand over that box of items to !"
Marquis Dongxiang frowned and said, "That box of items is related to the porcelain case. Until the case is resolved, I can’t return it."
He had intervened in the case.
If he said it was related, then it was related.
The Duchess gritted her teeth in anger, "That’s just a box of dicine!"
Marquis Dongxiang replied, "The craftsman who made the porcelain died of poisoning, and I suspect it is related to Duke Chong’s Mansion."
The Duchess experienced firsthand what it ant to be unjustly accused without grounds.
Yet, she had no words to refute it.
Because Marquis Dongxiang had said that as long as it was verified not to be related to Duke Chong’s Mansion, he would return everything in full.
The Duchess tightened her hands beneath her cloud sleeves, "You are slandering Duke Chong’s Mansion!"
"The porcelain case was committed by Elder Yong Cheng. Those porcelains were gifts to the Duke. Even if the craftsman’s death is related to the porcelain case, the one to be investigated should be Elder Yong Cheng. What does it have to do with Duke Chong’s Mansion?!"
"If you don’t return the brocade box to today, I will go to the Empress Dowager and accuse you of abusing your power for personal gain!"
Marquis Dongxiang remained silent, but Mrs. Tang began to laugh.
"Who are you going to find?" Mrs. Tang thought she hadn’t heard clearly.
The Duchess gritted her teeth and said, "Naturally the Empress Dowager!"
Mrs. Tang’s smile widened, "If I recall correctly, didn’t Duke Chong surround Prince Qi’s Mansion a few days ago, imprisoning the Empress Dowager’s daughter-in-law and granddaughter? They’re still in the Ministry of Justice Prison, and Prince Qi is accused of poisoning Old Duke Chong."
"If you go to the Empress Dowager, could it be that Prince Qi’s escape from the Capital was just a ploy?"
They had made her son a wanted fugitive, and yet the Empress Dowager was expected to still help Duke Chong; doesn’t that obviously indicate there’s sothing wrong?
In her anger, the Duchess completely forgot about Princess Qi and Mo Chengxian who were in the Ministry of Justice Prison.
Mrs. Tang looked at the Duchess, who gritted her teeth and said, "Prince Qi is Prince Qi, and the Empress Dowager is the Empress Dowager! How can they be confused as the sa?!"
With that, she clutched her chest, her brows tightening.
Nanny Wu, supporting her, looked at Mrs. Tang and said, "My lady has a heart condition, and the Ministry’s search has taken all her dicine. If anything happens because she’s out of dicine, can you bear the responsibility?"
Hmm.
This reason was indeed more convincing than going to the Empress Dowager.
Mrs. Tang truly had no reason to stop her, even knowing that the Duchess was feigning it, because no one could guarantee that the Duchess wouldn’t harm herself to bring trouble to Dongxiang Marquis Mansion.
Marquis Dongxiang replied, "If you’re unwell, then please co inside and have a cup of tea."
By now, the dicines should almost be fully checked.
The Duchess, clutching her chest, coldly replied, "There’s no need for the tea."
Just then, Xingxing ca over with the brocade box.
Nanny Wu took the brocade box, opened it casually, glanced within, and then looked toward the Duchess.
The Duchess fiddled with it and said, "Where’s the other bottle of dicine?"
Marquis Dongxiang’s brow furrowed.
Xingxing quickly ran back, just as Su Jin was stepping out, she said, "Miss, we’ve been found out."
Su Jin, "...".
Su Jin handed over the dicine bottle to Xingxing, "Return it."
Xingxing looked at her, "Should we switch the pills?"
"We can’t fool them," Su Jin said.
Xingxing ran back with the dicine bottle.
She handed the dicine bottle to the Duchess.
The Duchess sneered, "If I hadn’t noticed, was Dongxiang Marquis Mansion planning to keep this bottle of dicine for themselves?"
Su Jin walked over and said, "The dicine bottle was left by ."
"Can a princess be so domineering?" The Duchess coldly asked.
Su Jin smiled and said, "Even a princess cannot. But if you give this bottle of dicine, perhaps with other dicines, I can concoct an antidote for Old Duke."
Duke Chong’s Mansion belongs to Duke Chong, but it was inherited from Old Duke.
Using these items for Old Duke is not grounds for bla, is it?
The Duchess suppressed her fury and said, "There are many skilled doctors in this world besides you. If it could save Old Duke, it wouldn’t have been left unused until now!"
Nanny Wu checked the pills and confird there were no issues.
The Duchess snorted coldly and turned to leave.
Marquis Dongxiang looked at Su Jin, "Did you find the antidote?"
Su Jin shook her head.
She had thoroughly examined all the dicines, and none were suitable for Old Duke Chong.
"What about that bottle of dicine earlier?" Mrs. Tang asked.
Su Jin looked at the direction the Duchess left and said, "I quickly identified the toxicity and dicinal properties of the other dicine packages. But that particular dicine bottle was peculiar, appearing both like a dicine and a poison, and it seed to move when placed in the palm. I didn’t know what it was, so I intended to keep it for further examination."
Unexpectedly, just by keeping one bottle of dicine, they were discovered, which was rather embarrassing.
Marquis Dongxiang remarked, "Perhaps her urgent visit was just for that one bottle of dicine."
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