Chapter 33: Poisoned

Upon hearing his five- or six-year-old nephew casually threaten to beat someone to death, the Marquis of Chengming abruptly lowered his gaze, and the expression in the center of his brows instantly turned sharp and fierce.

A child like that would surely grow up to be cold-hearted and ruthless.

Not to mention that even Xing’er couldn’t stand it—even he, as the boy’s uncle, felt the urge to discipline him.

At that moment, Xie Yixing’s dark lashes cast a shadow under his eyes, the cold gleam in his gaze was terrifying.

He stared intently at the stubborn, unrepentant little face opposite him, clenching his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked audibly.

If it hadn’t been for Yaoyao being afraid he might dirty his clothes, the boy wouldn’t have had a chance to say a single word.

Yao Wu shifted his gaze away from Yaoyao’s little face and met Xie Yixing’s jet-black eyes. Before he could say a word, his complexion suddenly turned pale.

Before anyone could react, Yao Wu’s sturdy little body abruptly went limp.

Madam Xie let out a sharp scream.

By the time everyone came to their senses, Yao Wu had already collapsed to the ground.

When the servants turned him over and lifted his little face, they found that his lips had turned a bluish-purple black.

“My darling grandson, what’s wrong with you?”

Madam Xie panicked and quickly pulled Yao Wu into her arms, pulling out her handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

Only to see white froth continuously bubbling from the corners of his lips. Wei shi stood to the side, her brows tightly furrowed.

From the looks of it… could it be poisoning?

But she wasn’t a physician—she could only make a guess based on appearances. So she quickly ordered someone to fetch the estate doctor. The meeting was forced to an abrupt halt.

Everyone crowded into the small courtyard that had been temporarily arranged for Madam Xie. It felt cramped, though it would suffice for just the two elderly people living there.

Wei shi didn’t feel there was anything wrong with the arrangement made by Xie Yixing, but Madam Xie looked around and revealed a displeased expression. She remarked sarcastically, “There are so many courtyards in the marquis’s estate—big and small—and yet Eldest Daughter-in-law specifically chose one that’s neither here nor there for this old woman. You’ve really put thought into it, haven’t you?”

Wei shi couldn’t be bothered to argue.

No matter what she did, her mother-in-law always found fault with her.

But Madam Xie didn’t have the time to keep targeting her—after all, her precious grandson’s life was hanging by a thread.

After two injections from the estate doctor, Yao Wu’s grayish face finally regained some color.

Madam Xie anxiously pressed, “What illness does my dear grandson have?”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s not an illness—it’s poisoning.”

“Poisoning?”

When she heard the word “poisoning,” Madam Xie’s mouth opened slightly in shock. Then her triangular-shaped eyes sharply narrowed, their corners tinged with angry red.

Her accusing gaze turned straight to Wei shi, and she immediately began condemning her, “If you didn’t want our family here, you could have just said so! There was no need to threaten us with a child’s life! Yao Wu is only five years old. He’s already weak—now you’ve poisoned him and taken half his life!”

Xie Sanlang’s wife, Xin shi—the youngest of the group—burst into tears as soon as she heard Madam Xie’s words. In a soft, gentle voice, she said, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I nearly lost my life giving birth to Yao Wu. What you’ve done to him… how is that any different from killing me?”

Xie Erlang and his wife eagerly joined the commotion, fanning the flames. Xie Erlang began, “Eldest Sister-in-law, I used to think you were gentle and virtuous—turns out it was all an act.”

His wife, Yun shi, immediately interrupted him, “What do you know? Eldest Sister-in-law is clearly trying to assert dominance over our family!”

The Marquis of Chengming couldn’t listen any longer. He first shot a cold glance at his younger brothers and their wives, then turned to his mother and said, “Mother, I believe in Minglan’s character. She didn’t do this.”

“If not her, then who? She’s the only outsider in this estate!”

Madam Xie funneled all her dissatisfaction with Wei shi into this moment and let it explode. “Eldest Son, not to criticize you, but back then, you had a promising future. Even a noble lady—a princess—was willing to marry you, yet you were blind and insisted on marrying the daughter of a fallen household! You said things like ‘a starved camel is still bigger than a horse’—but I asked around after coming to the capital. The Wei family can’t compare to our Xie family at all! You said she’d help your career, but I say she just fooled you. You were completely bewitched by this vixen!”

“These past years, aside from sending a few letters home, have you ever thought about honoring your parents? You said the estate was being managed by Wei shi, and that she was filial—that she’d send money home for us. But for years now, your younger brothers and their families have barely scraped by washing clothes and doing laundry. Your brothers and their wives have suffered, and so have the children—especially Yao Wu. He’s always been frail…”

As she spoke, Madam Xie started to cry, her once-sharp eyes now full of tears. She choked out, “I originally didn’t want to tell you, since I know your life hasn’t been easy either. But Wei shi has gone too far!”

“She can bully this old woman if she wants. I don’t have many years left anyway. But Yao Wu is your blood nephew! Are you going to just watch him die in the marquis’s estate?”

Seeing her so emotional, the Marquis of Chengming’s brow twitched slightly.

He had been married to Wei shi for many years and naturally trusted her.

Even if his mother and Wei shi didn’t get along, he knew Wei shi would never stoop so low as to poison someone to drive them away.

And as for his mother’s claims about sending money—pure nonsense.

Back when the Emperor gave him rewards, he had sent half of them home and kept the other half to maintain the marquis’s estate.

Later, he learned that when his mother left the estate and returned to their hometown with the whole family, she had taken two-thirds of the estate’s wealth.

To avoid putting him in a difficult position, Wei shi had used her dowry to keep the estate running.

Afterward, any further rewards he received were managed by the estate.

As for the money and gifts he had sent with his own hands—they were more than enough to support his mother’s branch of the family in prosperity for a dozen years. How could they have been scrubbing clothes to make ends meet?

He might not be a scholar, but just because he was a soldier didn’t mean he was stupid.

“Mother,” he said, his voice low, “Wei shi has always acted with the Xie family’s best interests at heart. She would never poison Yao Wu. There must be another explanation. You and my sisters-in-law should think carefully: what did Yao Wu eat today? What did he use or touch?”

The Marquis’s tone turned grim.

Though he didn’t want to believe his mother was just using him, her words and actions chilled his heart.

Seeing that he was standing up for Wei shi, Madam Xie became even angrier.

“Eldest Son, are you accusing me of poisoning my own grandson?”

“Why take it personally, Mother?” he responded coldly.

The Marquis of Chengming had spent years training soldiers in military camps. He carried a commanding presence.

Once he straightened his face, the sharp angles of his stern features exuded an undeniable authority.

Wei shi hadn’t expected her usually obedient husband to side with her so openly. In that moment, all the resentment from their earlier quarrels vanished like smoke.

Behind the folding screen, Yaoyao and Xie Yixing stood quietly, not entering the room.

Hearing the shouting inside, Yaoyao couldn’t help but tug on Xie Yixing’s sleeve and softly reminded him, “Persimmon Brother, they’re ganging up on Aunt Wei. Aunt Wei is so pitiful!”

Originally, Xie Yixing hadn’t wanted to come—it was Yaoyao who had dragged him here.

She had insisted, “We can’t let outsiders bully our family.”

When he heard Yaoyao call them “our family,” Xie Yixing’s eyes lit up like stars.

Yaoyao had finally accepted him as part of her family!

Just as he was basking in the joy of that thought, a shrill curse came from inside the room:

“You two are determined to anger me to death, aren’t you? Fine! If anything happens to Yao Wu—if he even has a scratch—I’ll hang myself in front of the marquis’s estate! Let the whole capital see just how heartless the two of you are!”

Before Madam Xie could finish speaking, the little girl who had been holding onto Xie Yixing’s sleeve suddenly let go. With her chubby little legs, she rounded the screen and ran straight into the room.