Chapter 19: Pitiful — You, what exactly do you intend to do?

Shen Xingwan saw Wei Zihui’s thin and frail figure standing upright, the one arm he could still use protectively stretched behind him, shielding the wailing little Lingdang.

Her heart ached. She felt sorry for this child.

Just how many crises and dangers must one have experienced to develop such composure in the face of peril, and a heart strong enough to protect the weak?

She walked over, first giving Wei Zihui a comforting glance, then crouched down to embrace little Lingdang.

Shen Xingwan pulled out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears from Lingdang’s face, softly coaxing, “Alright, it’s okay now. Don’t be scared, Lingdang. I’ll protect you, alright?”

Lingdang, being an obedient child, nodded and stopped her loud crying. But she was still just a child, unable to control her emotions, and continued sobbing pitifully.

Shen Xingwan gently patted her back. “What delicious treat do you have wrapped up in that oiled paper bundle? Can you share a little with me too?”

Lingdang froze and looked down into her arms. Only then did she remember she was still clutching the bundle of puffed rice candy. She nodded and hurriedly held it out to Shen Xingwan.

“Here, Miss, you eat.”

“How sweet you are.”

Shen Xingwan smiled as she took the crumpled paper package from the child’s hand. Upon opening it, she saw the common puffed rice candies typically found.

She picked up a piece and inspected it closely. Something seemed off with the icing on the candy. She brought it closer to her nose and sniffed carefully—there was a faintly unripe, greenish smell.

She looked toward the few birds lying dead on the ground nearby, her expression growing colder. After making eye contact with Wei Zihui, she handed the candy package to Feiyun.

“Go find a trusted doctor to identify this thoroughly. Take a good look and see exactly what was mixed in.”

Feiyun answered and left. Shen Xingwan patted Lingdang’s little head and gently asked her, “Tell me, who gave you this bag of candy?”

Lingdang looked at her and replied, “I picked it up.”

“Picked it up? Where did you find it?”

Lingdang turned her head and pointed outside. “In the garden.”

Shen Xingwan frowned. The garden of the Prime Minister’s residence was large and not off-limits, with many people coming and going. If Lingdang had truly picked up the candy there, it would be very difficult to find out who had deliberately placed it.

Just as she was about to send someone to investigate who had been in the garden today, the kitchen maid came stumbling in, panic-stricken.

She rushed forward and hugged Lingdang, her peripheral vision catching the dead birds on the ground. She was so anxious she nearly cried, wringing her hands in plea.

“Lingdang doesn’t understand, she didn’t know anything! It’s all my fault for not watching her properly. Let me take all the blame. Miss, if you must punish someone, punish me…”

After speaking, the kitchen maid fell to her knees and began bowing repeatedly.

“Mother… waaa…”

Lingdang, frightened, began crying again, clutching the kitchen maid tightly.

Shen Xingwan felt as if a knife had stabbed her heart. She sighed and quickly pulled the kitchen maid up, stopping her from continuing.

“I have no intention of blaming Lingdang. There’s no need for this. Just take better care of her in the future. Don’t let her be used so easily again.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you, Miss, for your mercy. This servant will watch her closely and never let her leave the kitchen again.”

The kitchen maid pulled Lingdang over, pressed down her little head in a bow to Shen Xingwan, and was about to leave, holding her hand.

“Wait.”

A soft voice from Wei Zihui made the kitchen maid’s legs give out; she nearly fell to her knees again.

These past few days, she had seen clearly—Miss Shen treated this little boy with meticulous care. Despite being frail and injured, he had an extraordinarily noble air about him. One look and you could tell he was no ordinary child.

Tears streamed down the kitchen maid’s face. She wasn’t stupid. Seeing the state of those dead birds, she’d already guessed part of the truth. Most likely, someone had taken advantage of Lingdang to try to poison that noble child.

Realizing she couldn’t escape the consequences, the kitchen maid turned and knelt, weeping bitterly.

“My lord, this servant does not dare beg for forgiveness. I only ask that you show mercy for Lingdang’s youth and ignorance—please let me take her place!”

Wei Zihui gave a slight laugh. When he smiled, two small tiger teeth showed, finally making him look like a proper child.

“Why would I need you to take her place? Get up.”

He walked over and used his good hand to help the kitchen maid up. Then, pulling a few delicate candies from his pocket, he stuffed them into Lingdang’s hand. He also straightened her lopsided pigtail and said with a smile, “Don’t be scared. It’s alright. Come find me again tomorrow, I’ll be waiting. I’ll even save some candy for you, okay?”

Lingdang looked at him in a daze, then nodded. “Mm.”

The kitchen maid was stunned, uncertain and confused. “You… you’re not blaming her?”

Wei Zihui smiled calmly. “It was a person who tried to kill—what’s the point of blaming the knife? Go, protect her well.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Oh my, for someone so young, your outlook is so broad. You’re truly extraordinary!”

The kitchen maid was overjoyed with gratitude. She thanked him profusely, picked up Lingdang, and left with endless bows and blessings.

Shen Xingwan walked over to Wei Zihui apologetically.

“I’m truly sorry. I promised the Prince Regent I would protect you well, and yet something like this still happened. I will investigate this thoroughly. But for your safety, it would be best to send you to the Prince Regent’s manor as soon as possible.”

Wei Zihui looked into the distance at Lingdang, who was lying on the kitchen maid’s shoulder, crying softly. He replied casually, “I want to stay here.”

After speaking, his shoulders suddenly drooped, and he seemed dispirited. He pressed his lips together.

“But… if staying here would endanger the safety of the Prime Minister’s residence, then it’s okay if I leave.”

Such sensitive thoughts could only grow in a heart that had endured suffering in a harsh environment.

Shen Xingwan noticed the disappointment in his heart. She stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and leaned in to tell him, “I’m only worried your identity and whereabouts have been exposed, and there might be danger. But if you trust me and wish to stay, I will do everything I can to protect you.”

“Can I?”

Wei Zihui raised his head, and despite himself, a glimmer of hope gradually appeared in his eyes.

His hands clenched tightly into fists within his sleeves, filled with nervous tension, afraid of once again being met with disappointment.

“Can I really… stay here?” he asked cautiously.

Shen Xingwan nodded solemnly. “I will protect you.”

After arranging for someone to take care of Wei Zihui while he rested and recovered, Shen Xingwan personally began investigating the suspicious rice candy.

Feiyun found three doctors from different clinics. The doctors examined the candy thoroughly for a long while and unanimously concluded that the rice candy had been dusted with a poison resembling powdered sugar—arsenic.

And not just any arsenic—it was of the highest grade, refined multiple times from ordinary arsenic until it crystallized into snowflake arsenic. It tasted sweet and had almost no scent, making it nearly undetectable.

This snowflake arsenic was extremely toxic; even a tiny amount could cause immediate death.

“How vicious!”

Shen Xingwan slammed her hand on the table. “Send people to investigate all the pharmacies. Find out if anyone from the estate has purchased snowflake arsenic recently.”

Mobilizing manpower and resources, Shen Xingwan quickly had every pharmacy in the capital investigated. Strangely, none of the many reputable pharmacies in this prosperous city had any snowflake arsenic for sale.

Just when it seemed the trail would go cold, Feiyun, who was growing increasingly anxious, heard one shopkeeper recall, “I did hear of snowflake arsenic in the past. Refining arsenic into snowflake form is incredibly difficult. It was a secret method passed down by an old master in Yangzhou.”

“Yangzhou? Which pharmacy? Do you remember?” Feiyun asked quickly.

The shopkeeper shook his head. “It was a traveling doctor, surnamed Yang. Later, I think he passed the technique on to his daughter.”

“And what about his daughter? Do you know where she is now? Does she still sell snowflake arsenic?”

“I vaguely heard she became a concubine to a county magistrate, but something happened afterward. The whole family died. I don’t know the details.”

Yangzhou… County magistrate…

Feiyun’s heart skipped a beat. She asked urgently, “Was that magistrate surnamed Tang?”

“Yes, he was. Eh? How do you know?” the shopkeeper asked curiously, stroking his beard as he was about to question further, but Feiyun had already dashed off like a gust of wind.

That night, Shen Xingwan and Feiyun brought a bowl of medicine to Tang Lin’er’s room.

Tang Lin’er was under the lamp, embroidering whiskers onto a tiger-head shoe, and was startled by the door being suddenly flung open. She clutched her chest and stood up in alarm. “Sister, why are you here?”

Shen Xingwan sneered and said nothing. She turned around and took the bowl of medicine from Feiyun’s tray, strode forward, and yanked Tang Lin’er’s hair, forcing the bowl to her lips and pouring it down her throat.

“Mm… you… help…”

Tang Lin’er struggled and whimpered. Beside her, Ruyi was frozen in shock, but by the time she came to her senses and tried to intervene, Feiyun had already pinned her down to the floor with force.

“Shen…” Tang Lin’er shoved the bowl away and collapsed to the ground, retching in a mess. Crying, she demanded, “What… what did you just make me drink?!”

Shen Xingwan chuckled coldly, her eyes looking down on her from above. “Snowflake arsenic.”

Tang Lin’er’s pupils shrank in horror. She frantically stuck her fingers down her throat, scratching until they bled, but she wouldn’t stop.

Only after a long while did she realize—why wasn’t she dead yet?

She looked up at Shen Xingwan, whose eyes were icy cold, without a trace of warmth.

“So you do know what snowflake arsenic is,” Shen Xingwan leaned down slowly. “It’s your mother’s concoction, isn’t it? Tang Lin’er, you dare touch someone under my protection?”

Tang Lin’er’s face turned deathly pale. Beside her, Ruyi suddenly fell to her knees and tearfully begged, “Miss, please have mercy! It was me! A few days ago, I accidentally spilled the snowflake arsenic while organizing the chests. I threw out everything that might’ve been contaminated, but I didn’t realize a packet of rice candy fell in the garden—and that Xiaolingdang picked it up. It’s all my fault! My lady knew nothing of this! Please punish me instead, Miss! Have pity—my lady is with child!”

“Have pity?” Shen Xingwan let out a cold laugh. She picked up the nearly completed tiger-head shoe from the table and examined it. “Your child is a child—but others’ children aren’t?”

“I never mentioned the rice candy or Xiaolingdang’s involvement, nor did I permit anyone else to speak of it.” Shen Xingwan turned her gaze on Ruyi. “So how did you know?”

Ruyi froze in place, stunned and speechless, then collapsed limply to the ground.

Shen Xingwan set down the tiger-head shoe and looked at Tang Lin’er. “With a mother so venomous, do you really think the child in your belly would be willing to come into this world through you?”

Tang Lin’er trembled uncontrollably with fear, her hands clutching her belly tightly. “You… what exactly are you going to do?”