Chapter 39: The Whole Family Has Stomach Pain

The Marquis of Chengming had arrived in such a hurry that he didn’t bring anything with him.

When he heard that the court would issue another round of stipends before the year’s end, he ordered that all the rice, cloth, salt, pepper, and tea—basic daily necessities—be sent to the Wei residence.

As soon as the old Madam Xie realized that her eldest son had stormed off in anger, she immediately sent someone to investigate what New Year supplies had already been prepared at the marquis manor.

Looking at the back kitchen, where large slabs of meat and cured sausages were piled high, Madam Xie couldn’t help swallowing her saliva.

Life in the capital was indeed far better than what they were used to in their hometown.

Her son was now highly favored by the emperor, and everything in the manor—whether food or clothing—was beyond anything she had seen or touched back home.

And then there was this grand estate with seven entrances and seven exits—how could she not live here and enjoy it?

“Dalang is useless, always circling around his wife and son. Since that family wants to hole up in the small, shabby Wei house for the New Year, we’ll just spend it in this spacious marquis manor.”

Madam Xie issued her decree, setting herself up to become the true mistress of the house.

First, she ordered Yun-shi to tidy up the rooms. The current courtyard was too small and beneath her status—completely unsuitable for hosting guests.

She then told Xin-shi to head to the kitchen and find a chef surnamed Shen to make braised pork knuckle for her precious eldest grandson.

She had heard as soon as she entered the manor that her son and daughter-in-law spoiled their only child. Just because the boy was picky, they had even hired a former imperial chef.

Oh heavens—an imperial chef!

Dalang and his wife were really willing to spend money!

But since the money wasn’t coming out of her own pocket, Madam Xie instantly felt like she had scored a great bargain.

Holding her eldest grandson Yaowu, whose head was covered in swollen lumps, she felt pained. He was still frowning and constantly whining about his headache.

The house physician stood to the side, utterly helpless, only shaking his head. “Young Master Yaowu’s condition is strange. My medical skills are limited, and I truly can’t find the cause.”

“Useless fool!” the old madam scolded.

She immediately ordered servants to go out and bring other doctors to examine him.

Two more doctors arrived in succession, but it was the same result.

Her second and third sons were sweating with anxiety and kept urging her:
“Mother, Yaowu was perfectly fine at home. Nothing happened on the way here—why did he suddenly come down with this strange illness the moment he entered the marquis manor?”

“Mother, something’s not right. Could it be the feng shui of the manor?”

“Pah! This house was bestowed by the emperor—are you so bold as to say imperial property has bad feng shui?” she snapped.

Although Madam Xie herself had suspicions, she dared not say them out loud.

The medicine Yun-shi gave her was only supposed to cause stomach pain—how could it make her dear grandson’s head hurt non-stop?

The second son speculated, “Maybe it’s not the house—it’s the people?”

The third son frowned, “I heard someone say the young heir is a reincarnated demon…”

Madam Xie narrowed her sharp eyes. “That may not be far from the truth. I took care of him briefly before his full moon, and every night during that time, my knees hurt unbearably. No matter what we tried, we couldn’t find the cause.”

“Now Yaowu just arrived and already has a splitting headache. He’s definitely been affected by some unclean force.”

“That child is nothing but bad luck!”

Whenever she recalled what happened back then, the old madam ground her teeth.

At the time, she used the excuse that the house was too small and brought the entire family back to their ancestral home—but it was actually due to a series of strange events.

Her legs and back ached constantly. She even tripped walking on level ground.

Just standing by a pond to get some air, a sudden gust of wind blew her straight into the water.

Eating outside, she once found disgusting worms in her food.

Even the tiniest strand of thread could slice open her finger!

That period was terrifying for her—she was convinced the problem stemmed from her newly born grandson.

But Wei-shi loved her child too much and refused to hear a single bad word about him.

Left with lingering fear, she waited until Wei-shi was in confinement after giving birth, took over the house management, emptied half the storage rooms, and fled to their hometown.

If it weren’t for her eldest son’s steady rise in court and the growing reputation of the marquis manor over the years—which made her believe the bad luck had passed—she wouldn’t have rushed back so eagerly.

But now, right after arriving, her youngest grandson’s head was in agony.

Before she could come up with a solution, Yun-shi came hurrying back, her expression grim.

“Mother, none of the servants in the rear courtyard are listening to me! I told them to prepare some larger courtyards for us to move into, and they actually talked back. They said they’re all born-and-bred household servants of the marquis manor and only take orders from the young heir. If he tells them to go east, they go east; if he says west, they go west. They said no one else’s words matter.”

“Mother, big brother and sister-in-law have gone too far! How could they let a child manage the household? Everything’s in chaos!”

Before Yun-shi finished speaking, Xin-shi returned as well, visibly dejected.

“Mother, that chef Shen said he only cooks for the heir and that girl named Yao Yao. He said Yaowu isn’t worthy.”

“This is outrageous!” the old patriarch slammed the table. “This manor bears the Xie family name! We’re paying that cook’s wages, and he dares cook for outsiders instead?”

The Xie family had thought that moving into the marquis manor meant they could enjoy all its glory and privileges.

But to their surprise, the servants refused to obey, leaving them frustrated and humiliated.

The old madam grew more suspicious the more she thought about it. She grabbed a random servant and interrogated them, finally learning why Yao Yao was at the marquis manor.

“Dalang’s whole family must be insane!” she exclaimed. “If Xing’er felt lonely, getting him a cat or dog would’ve been fine—but picking up a beggar off the street? What if she’s sick? She could infect the whole household!”

“And didn’t Yaowen and Yaowu also come here? The cousins are all around the same age—they could support one another and talk among themselves. Isn’t that better than chatting with an outsider?”

“That girl by Xing’er’s side is full of tricks. Sooner or later, she’ll drag him into trouble. She can’t be allowed to stay!”

Outside, the snow fell harder and harder. Inside, the charcoal in the brazier was nearly burned out.

The cold wind blowing through the room made the old madam rub her hands together. She ordered the servants, “Go to the storeroom and bring a few more baskets of charcoal. Don’t let Young Master Yaowu catch cold.”

A servant hesitated and replied, “Old madam, each courtyard has a fixed monthly allotment of charcoal. You’ve already burned half a basket today.”

The old madam was furious. Her triangular eyes flared with rage. “I’m the marquis’s birth mother! I don’t even have the right to burn extra charcoal?”

The servant stammered, “Old madam, you may not know, but our marquis manor isn’t actually managed by the marquis. All of this is handled by the young heir.”

Although they feared the young heir like mice fear cats, strangely enough, they also respected him deeply.

Under his management, the manor had been peaceful and orderly for years. No one dared to cause trouble, and no one dared to embezzle their wages. During holidays, Madam Wei even gave them red envelopes.

Now, right before New Year’s, with the red envelopes soon to arrive, the Xie family had come in and driven away the very people who gave them bonuses.

Even if the servants didn’t voice their resentment, they all saw the Xie family as a plague and refused to lift a finger for them.

With the manor staff essentially on strike, before Madam Xie could gain control of the household, she found the courtyards eerily empty—there wasn’t even dinner to be had.

Helpless, she had to use her own money and send the old servant who had accompanied them to buy food from outside.

But after the entire family ate the takeout, they all came down with stomachaches in the middle of the night.

The old servant hurried to find the manor physician, only to discover that he had packed up and gone home for the New Year.

As the holiday approached, all the local medical clinics had closed as well.

The old servant wandered around for ages before finally finding a traveling physician. After checking their pulses, he concluded: they were poisoned.

Madam Xie, clutching her flattened, sagging stomach, suddenly remembered the packet of medicinal powder Yun-shi had given her—the one meant to cause stomach pain and diarrhea