Chapter 17: The Unreasonable Nie Family

"Yes, as far as I know, it was a small jar of wine. Father only drank one cup; the rest was given to the Eldest Princess and Consort Xiao. If the two of them are not the killers, then there was no poison in the wine, nor did they take an antidote beforehand or afterward. In that case, the poison must have been placed in the wine cup, or Father consumed other food or tea after they left. If that is the case, the poisoner is clearly someone from within the Prince's Manor.

Sister, is Father's wine cup still there?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Yunnuan gave a bitter smile. "Father's symptoms manifested about an hour after the banquet. In that full hour, the cups and bowls had long since been washed clean. However, the personal attendants who served Father are still being held in the dungeon. Let's go; we will return and interrogate them again."

The two sisters left immediately. By the time Xiao Su walked out of the Star-Gazing Tower, they had already vanished.

The people in Ziteng Villa said the Eldest Eldest Miss and the Second Miss had returned to the Prince's Manor.

Xiao Su snorted, "That impolite little Fourth Zhao, leaving without even saying goodbye."

He also had to return to Qingquan. He couldn't help here, and in Qingquan, there was a traitor waiting for him to deal with.

However, for now, he had to represent the Xiao family and go to the Liang Prince's Manor to offer condolences.

Furthermore, once he returned, he would have to keep strictly silent. His eldest brother had said that no one except the Fifth Old Master was allowed to know he was still alive.

Originally, Xiao Zhen did not want to tell the Fifth Old Master, but Consort Xiao was worried that if news of Xiao Zhen's death reached Qingquan, the Fifth Old Master would not be able to bear it—after all, he was an elderly man.

Because of the incident with Jinbao, Xiao Su now suspected everything. He felt that even those close to the Fifth Old Master were not safe. Thus, on the way back to Qingquan, he thought the whole way: a massive purge was necessary. He did not believe that he was the only unlucky soul in the entire Xiao family to have raised a disloyal dog of a servant.

Seeing that the Zhao sisters had already left, Xiao Su could only head to Liang Capital alone. Since he brought no attendants, he had to personally go and purchase the funeral gifts.

Setting Xiao Su aside, let us speak only of Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Shiqing.

When the sisters returned to the Prince's Manor, as soon as they entered the inner gate, maidservants rushed over to drape large, ceremonial mourning robes over their plain white attire.

By the time they entered the mourning hall, they were already dressed in full mourning attire.

In folk custom, mourning usually lasts seven days, but as the Liang Prince was a high-ranking Prince, the burial could not take place until the Emperor's envoys arrived. Therefore, the mourning would last for a month.

Due to the long distance, those currently present to offer condolences were only the various officials and their families from the Liang region, as well as some nearby noble families. The various Princes in the vassal territories and the officials in the capital had either not yet received the news or their envoys were still on the road.

As Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Shiqing entered the mourning hall and had just finished offering incense to the Liang Prince, a maidservant beside Lady Nie approached, saying that the Princess Consort requested their presence.

The two headed toward Suining Palace. On the way, Zhao Yunnuan said to Zhao Shiqing, "Since we left the manor one after the other, Second Aunt is surely badmouthing me to Mother again. No matter what Mother says later, do not speak. I will handle everything."

Zhao Shiqing nodded in agreement.

Upon arriving at Suining Palace and seeing the Liang Princess Consort, Lady Nie, it was exactly as Zhao Yunnuan had predicted. Lady Nie looked haggard, like a climbing vine that had lost its support. She said through tears, "You are the elder sister. At such an important time, you are not in the manor, leaving your brother to face our relatives and friends alone. You have always been sensible; what is wrong with you today? You are truly a source of worry."

Zhao Yunnuan replied, "The Eldest Princess and Consort Xiao are still at the villa. I could not simply leave them there. Besides, Consort Xiao is still ill, so I went to deliver some medicinal herbs."

There were certain things Zhao Yunnuan did not want to tell Lady Nie; if Lady Nie knew, Nie Qionghua would know as well.

Zhao Yunnuan simply changed the subject. She looked around and noticed that, unusually, Nie Qionghua was not by Lady Nie's side. Zhao Yunnuan asked, "Is Second Aunt not here?"

Wiping her tears, Lady Nie said reproachfully, "She has been busy running back and forth these past few days and has worked very hard. She is feeling unwell today and just had the physician examine her; she is lying in her room now."

Lady Nie wanted to scold her a bit more, but Zhao Yunnuan had already pulled Zhao Shiqing up to stand. "The Prince of Chu's brother-in-law has arrived. I saw him talking to Second Brother."

Lady Nie's expression changed. "What brother-in-law? That man Fan Chong—his sister-in-law is merely a concubine of the Prince of Chu, not even a side consort. It is only because of him that he spends all day claiming to be the Prince of Chu's brother-in-law. The Prince of Chu likely doesn't even know who he is. Go and check quickly; don't let him corrupt your brother."

Indeed, as long as there was a possibility of someone corrupting Zhao Tingxuan, even the usually rule-abiding Lady Nie became sharp-tongued and acerbic.

As Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Shiqing gave a hurried salute, Lady Nie urged, "Go quickly. Your brother has been exhausted all day; tell him to come to me."

As the sisters walked out of Suining Palace, Zhao Shiqing winked mischievously. "Sister, you were worried Mother would scold me, but she didn't even act as if I existed."

Zhao Yunnuan patted her hand and said softly, "Don't take it to heart. Whether she sees you or not doesn't matter. She certainly saw me, but listen to the things she said."

Zhao Shiqing did not believe Lady Nie was unaware that Zhao Yunnuan had left the manor for a reason.

Lady Nie came from a prestigious family and had been a Princess Consort for many years; it was impossible for her to be ignorant of everything.

Yet she clearly knew everything, and yet she still called her elder daughter over just to lecture her. One couldn't tell if she was simply bored or just being difficult.

Zhao Shiqing said, "Sister, why do I feel like Mother has become even harder to get close to than before?"

Actually, Zhao Shiqing wanted to say "more unreasonable," but since Nie was Zhao Yunnuan's biological mother, there were things Zhao Yunnuan could say that she could not.

Zhao Yunnuan sighed. "Ever since Father passed away, she picks fights over every little thing, trying to suppress me at every turn. But the reality is that the Prince's Manor cannot function without me now. So, she wants to scold me, but she doesn't dare provoke me for fear that I will simply wash my hands of everything."

Chatting as they went, the sisters returned to the mourning hall.

The second son, Zhao Tingxuan, was not in the hall. Recalling what Zhao Yunnuan had just said, Zhao Shiqing asked, "That man named Fan Chong—besides claiming to be the Prince of Chu's brother-in-law, is his character also poor?"

If not, why would Lady Nie worry about him corrupting Zhao Tingxuan?

Zhao Yunnuan said, "That man is addicted to the Five-Stone Powder and is usually unrestrained. He often walks through the streets with his chest and back exposed. Once, when he came to the manor in late autumn, he wore only an outer robe and didn't even have an undergarment on. With a single movement, half of his chest was exposed, and he happened to be seen by Mother and Second Aunt. They nearly kicked him out."

Zhao Shiqing frowned. "Is Second Brother close with him?"

Zhao Yunnuan lowered her voice. "A-Xuan is only an acquaintance. I only said that to divert Mother's attention."

Since this was the mourning hall, Zhao Shiqing could only suppress her laughter. Her sister certainly had many ways to deal with their mother.