Chapter 3: Interrogation

A sharp, resounding slap echoed through the room.

The blow stunned Doukou, a young girl barely past her teens, and sent ripples of shock through Qingyi Garden. Shen Tang, known for her gentle nature and kindness towards her servants, rarely punished her maids. To strike Doukou, her personal attendant, was unprecedented. Whispers spread through the courtyard, speculating about what transgression could have angered the usually mild-mannered Second Miss.

Doukou, tears streaming down her face, retreated after the slap.

Shen Tang’s expression remained grim. Ginkgo , believing her mistress was still angry at Doukou, cautiously tried to intercede, “Miss, please don’t let this upset you. Doukou was only trying to show her concern for the Eldest Miss…”

“Don’t bother pleading for her.”

The slap was merely the beginning. Shen Tang wouldn’t tolerate a treacherous maid like Doukou in her presence, a potential threat lurking in the shadows.

Besides Doukou, she couldn’t be sure how many other servants in Qingyi Garden were Second Madam’s spies. For years, she had lived under their watchful eyes, every word she uttered possibly relayed to Second Madam.

Second Madam, unwilling to see her own daughter, Shen Juan, become a widow, yet afraid of offending Prince Jingyang and Consort Ye, had resorted to manipulating Shen Tang. Now that Doukou’s scheme had failed and she had been punished, Second Madam would undoubtedly be aware of Shen Tang’s stance. But with so many daughters in the Pingyuan Marquis Manor, besides Shen Tang, there were also Third Miss, Shen Ran, and Fourth Miss, Shen Luo, all of marriageable age. Second Madam could easily push one of them into Prince Jingyang heir’s arms.

Second Madam might be scheming, but Shen Tang wouldn’t allow anyone, including Shen Juan, to be carried away in Prince Jingyang’s palanquin.

She would ensure that the palanquin arrived empty and departed empty!

She would force Prince Jingyang family to break the engagement!

Shen Tang had thought that Second Madam would back down after her refusal, considering that her father, the Marquis, still held the final say in the matter. If she didn’t agree, he wouldn’t force her to take Shen Juan’s place. It would be far easier for Second Madam to manipulate her own daughter, Shen Ran, or the third wife’s daughter, Shen Luo. Yet, Second Madam seemed to have a vendetta against her, resorting to one scheme after another.

Shen Tang’s head still ached from the injury she sustained in her previous life. She had been carried to the palanquin with a wound, and the journey had been a living hell, filled with agonizing pain and relentless vomiting.

Tomorrow would be another arduous battle. She needed to conserve her energy.

Suppressing her urge to see her father, Shen Tang took her medicine and lay down to rest. To ensure a good night’s sleep, she instructed Ginkgo  not to disturb her.

Ginkgo  readily agreed, but her attempts to rock her to sleep were particularly vigorous, causing Shen Tang’s injured head to bump against the pillow repeatedly. The pain was excruciating, making her wish for death.

Shen Tang awoke in a rage, but before she could unleash her fury, Ginkgo  rushed in, “Miss, something terrible has happened! The Eldest Miss has fainted and is vomiting blood!”

The anger building in Shen Tang’s throat dissipated.

Ginkgo was always obedient. In her eyes, Shen Juan was the closest person to Shen Tang in the world. If Shen Juan was in trouble, even if Ginkgo  had a thousand lives, she wouldn’t dare let her mistress sleep and not inform her.

But Shen Tang knew that Shen Juan’s fainting and vomiting blood were merely a ploy to avoid being forced into the marriage with Prince Jingyang’s son. It wasn’t a genuine emergency.

Shen Tang sat up, her voice laced with indifference, “How did she faint and vomit blood?”

Ginkgo hurriedly replied, “The maids said that the Eldest Miss was feeling unwell and didn’t eat much this morning. The Old Madam was very worried, so she specially ordered the small kitchen to prepare bird’s nest soup and asked Second Madam to deliver it to the Eldest Miss. But after only a few bites, the Eldest Miss suddenly started vomiting. The bird’s nest she vomited up contained blood, and then she fainted…”

Ginkgo couldn’t bear to keep Shen Tang asleep, and now that she was awake, she couldn’t go back to sleep.

Shen Tang knew that Shen Juan wasn’t her biological sister, but the rest of the world didn’t. If her elder sister fainted and vomited blood, and the younger sister continued to sleep soundly, it would be seen as heartless and uncaring.

Gossip could be a powerful weapon.

Shen Tang threw off her covers and got out of bed. Sitting at her dressing table, she allowed Ginkgo  to comb her hair.

Her head injury made the combing process akin to torture. Despite Ginkgo ‘s carefulness, the pain caused Shen Tang to gasp several times.

Before her hair was fully done, a young maid rushed in, her face flushed with panic, “Miss, Second Madam has sent people to arrest Doukou…”

A flicker of cold determination flashed in Shen Tang’s eyes.

Shen Juan’s incident had just occurred, and Second Madam was already sending people to arrest Doukou, clearly targeting her.

Whether or not she had poisoned Shen Juan, Second Madam was determined to pin the blame on her.

Her hair was now neatly styled, Shen Tang selected two plain hairpins and fastened them in her hair. She stood up and walked out.

Shen Tang resided in Qingyi Garden, while Shen Juan lived in Qinglan Garden. The names were similar, but the distance between the two courtyards was considerable. Even taking the shortcut, it would take at least half an hour. Qinglan Garden was smaller than Qingyi Garden but more elegantly decorated. More importantly, it was much closer to Second Madam’s residence and the Old Madam’s Pine Crane Hall.

The difference in size between Qingyi Garden and Qinglan Garden wasn’t immediately apparent, but the extra distance Shen Tang had to cover for her daily morning and evening greetings to the Old Madam was undeniable.

It was only natural, after all, for a mother to favor her own daughter with the best things.

The Pingyuan Marquis Manor was ostensibly under the Old Madam’s control, but in reality, Second Madam handled all the affairs, big and small. The Old Madam, who doted on Shen Juan, never questioned Second Madam’s actions, even when she showered Shen Juan with gifts. No one would accuse her of partiality, only of being selfless.

As Shen Tang approached Qinglan Garden, she saw the Old Madam being supported by her maids as she hurried towards them. The Old Madam was genuinely worried about Shen Juan, her face etched with concern, and her steps quickened with each stride.

Shen Tang slowed her pace, her mind racing. She wondered if the Old Madam knew that Shen Juan was not her mothers’s biological daughter.

She believed that the Old Madam was unaware. Second Uncle was the Old Madam’s own son, and her father was also her son. Big Brother had been lost at the Lantern Festival, and the Old Madam had been deeply ill for a long time. Her father, childless, had been her constant worry. After her mother’s passing, the Old Madam had relentlessly pressured her father to remarry.

Her father and mother had shared a deep love, and he had been reluctant to remarry. The Old Madam had even threatened to take her own life to force his hand.

Finally, her father relented, but the marriage never took place. After the betrothal ceremony, just as they were preparing for the wedding, war erupted on the border. Her father left for the battlefield, and the marriage had to be postponed. When he finally returned and was ready to proceed with the wedding, the woman he was to marry fell ill and died.

Her father didn’t even know what his future wife looked like, and she had passed away. As a general who had witnessed countless deaths on the battlefield, he was accustomed to the cycle of life and death. Yet, for some reason, the rumor of him being a “wife killer” spread. This, coupled with his age of twenty-eight or twenty-nine, made it difficult for the Old Madam to find a suitable match for him, even if he was willing to remarry. The idea of him taking another wife was eventually abandoned.

With no mistress in the main house, the Old Madam took charge of the household affairs. But she was getting old and couldn’t handle everything. She initially entrusted the embroidery room to Second Madam, then added the garden, followed by the kitchen, and finally, the entire household management was handed over to Second Madam.

The main house had no son, so not only would the household affairs be controlled by Second Madam, but the entire Pingyuan Marquis Manor would be passed down to Second Madam’s family after her father’s death.

Shen Tang could sense the Old Madam’s genuine desire for her father to have a son, even a bastard. In her previous life, her father had died from a “relapse of his old ailment.”  The Old Madam, unable to bear the loss, had fallen ill and passed away a month later.

Dismissing these thoughts, Shen Tang entered the courtyard. From a distance, she saw Doukou kneeling on the ground.

The Old Madam asked Second Madam, “Have you interrogated her thoroughly?”

Second Madam shook her head, “This maid is very stubborn. She won’t confess without torture.”

“Then torture her!”

As soon as the Old Madam gave her order, Second Madam gave a subtle nod to two elderly maidservants, who immediately dragged Doukou up and forced her onto a long bench.

Doukou’s face turned pale with fear. She cried out, “I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! It was Second Miss who told me to put the poison in the bird’s nest soup…”