Chapter 11: Little Black Cat

"The reason Concubine Jing suffered a miscarriage is precisely due to chronic poisoning."

Chen Ji’s voice was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, stirring up countless ripples.

Even the wisps of ash smoke rising from the copper incense burner on the tea table, which had been drifting straight toward the ceiling, suddenly swirled into a chaotic mess.

Nanny Chunrong took a step forward: "Are you certain? My mistress’s miscarriage was truly caused by someone poisoning her? Speak, who did it!"

There was a rustling of bedding from behind the screen; Concubine Jing seemed to be bracing herself to sit up.

The four sturdy servants beside Chen Ji instinctively loosened their grip, no longer pulling at him so roughly.

Everyone was waiting for his answer.

However, was Concubine Jing actually poisoned? Chen Ji wasn't sure.

But in this dead-end situation, if he didn't say something shocking, he would die right here in the Prince Jing estate.

Concubine Jing asked from behind the screen, her voice filled with doubt: "You are certain I was poisoned?"

Chen Ji did not answer. He simply began to slowly straighten his disheveled clothes and asked calmly, "Besides Lady Jing, has anyone else in Wanxing Garden felt unwell?"

Nanny Chunrong shook her head: "No. Every servant in the estate has their daily routine recorded. If anyone is unwell, they are strictly forbidden from entering Wanxing Garden to avoid passing any sickness to the unborn child."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, then turned toward the screen: "My Lady, may I search your room for clues?"

"Presumptuous," Nanny Xitang, who was beside Concubine Yun, snapped angrily: "You are a man from outside the inner quarters; how can you rummage through Concubine Jing’s room? What kind of decorum is this..."

Concubine Jing interrupted: "If he wants to search, let him search. If he can truly find the culprit who killed my child, what does it matter if he rummages through a few things? Chunhua, please show this young doctor from the clinic out first. Chunrong, tidy up my clothes and help me dress, then invite him back in to examine."

This was the dignity of a noblewoman, and it also bought Chen Ji some time to think of clues.

Chunhua led Chen Ji downstairs. She anxiously lowered her voice and asked: "Was there really someone poisoning her?"

Under the night sky, Chen Ji stood by the fish pond in Wanxing Garden, watching the koi fish appearing and disappearing in the murky water. He didn't answer her question, lost in deep thought.

After a while, Nanny Chunrong called him back upstairs.

By now, Concubine Jing had draped a red cloak over her shoulders and was sitting in a chair. She was about thirty-three years old, her hair not coiled up but tied back with a ribbon.

She stared at Chen Ji with a pale complexion: "I was just thinking about what you said regarding long-term poisoning. Could it be that the incense was tampered with..."

"No," Chen Ji shook his head: "Incense smoke drifts everywhere. If it had been tampered with, Nanny Chunrong should also be feeling unwell. Therefore, the poisoner must have utilized items that you use exclusively, and they must be items used daily; otherwise, if left unused for a period, the toxins would be metabolized by the body."

Seeing his certainty, the others stopped speaking and let him search.

As time ticked by, Chen Ji picked up a box of rouge.

"Has my Lady used this rouge while dressing recently?" He examined the rouge box in his hand; it was inlaid with white butterfly-shaped mother-of-pearl, as exquisite as a work of art.

Concubine Jing shook her head: "I haven't used these things since I became pregnant, fearing it would be bad for the child."

Chen Ji put down the rouge box and scanned item after item, but he still couldn't find a clue.

Gradually, a fine layer of sweat beaded on his forehead.

Where? Where on earth was it?

At this moment, he was constantly turning every clue over in his mind. This was his chance to survive!

He didn't know how much time had passed before Concubine Jing finally lost her patience: "I thought you were confident, but it turns out you were just bluffing. Forget it. I suppose you only made such a bold claim out of fear. There is no need to beat you to death; just drag him out and give him ten strokes of the cane."

Concubine Yun, who had been sitting upright the whole time, also lost interest and slowly stood up: "I am tired. Let us go back and rest."

"Wait," Chen Ji suddenly picked up a blue cup.

The cup was as blue as the sea, with a streak of green like ethereal mist winding around it; it was so beautiful it seemed not to belong to this world.

Concubine Jing sat up straight and asked suspiciously: "Is there a problem with this cup?"

Chen Ji asked earnestly: "My Lady, do you have a metallic taste in your mouth, one that doesn't go away even after rinsing?"

Concubine Jing was startled: "How did you know? Is this a symptom of the poison taking effect?"

Chen Ji finally let out a long breath, his entire body slowly relaxing from its state of high tension: "It is lead poisoning."

Nanny Chunrong was confused: "What does that mean? I have never heard of it."

"I mean, this cup is poisonous."

Lead poisoning was foreign to people of this era, but Chen Ji was not unfamiliar with it at all.

This cup was known as a lead-barium glass cup, a type of vessel that appeared when glass craftsmanship first emerged in ancient times. The earliest records of its use date back to the Han Dynasty. Its beauty seemed to transcend the era, and it was beloved by the nobility.

But while this cup was beautiful, it harbored poison. An adult might need to use it for years before problems arose, but the dosage was already fatal to a fetus.

At this moment, Concubine Yun’s eyes were bright and alert, watching Chen Ji with great interest: When the boy mentioned the metallic taste in Concubine Jing’s mouth, Concubine Jing’s reaction had already confirmed that he had truly found the cause of the poisoning!

Concubine Jing mused: "This cup was..."

Chen Ji hurriedly said: "My Lady, the source of the poison has been found. As for where the cup came from, that has nothing to do with me. May I return now? Please forgive my offense tonight."

Concubine Jing was silent for a moment: "Where did Physician Yao find a disciple who knows when to advance and when to retreat? Rest assured, since you helped me find the culprit who killed my child, there will be a generous reward in the future. No one in Wanxing Garden will make things difficult for you."

Although the culprit was found, she had just experienced the pain of losing her child and found it hard to be happy.

Concubine Yun said softly and gently: "It is fortunate that sister found the source of the poison; otherwise, continuing to drink water from this cup would have been dangerous. Oh, I remember this cup was sent by your family, wasn't it? During the Spring Festival poetry banquet, you even brought it out specifically for Lady Liu to admire."

Concubine Jing’s expression shifted slightly.

In the subtle atmosphere of Wanxing Garden, Chen Ji didn't dare to say a word, only lowering his head and observing the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

The black cat and the white cat were still fighting—or to be precise, the black cat was being beaten from the east side to the west, and from the west to the east. The black cat was too small and had no power to fight back.

How miserable.

Cats in deep courtyards don't have it easy either...

Wait, Chen Ji didn't know if it was his imagination, but he felt that the black cat, while fleeing for its life, kept looking toward his sleeve.

Nanny Xitang, who was beside Concubine Yun, whispered: "My Lady, we should go and rest."

As she spoke, she picked up the white cat, preparing to leave.

Chen Ji was stunned; so the white cat belonged to Concubine Yun, and the black cat to Concubine Jing.

The white cat’s mission seemed to be just to beat up the black cat.

"I won't disturb sister’s rest," Concubine Yun stood up gracefully: "Try not to go out during this time and focus on recuperating."

Concubine Jing was silent for a moment: "Thank you, sister."

Concubine Yun turned with a smile and said to a young maid: "Xibing, go and see this... your name is Chen Ji, right?"

Chen Ji lowered his head: "Yes, Chen Ji."

"Go on, Xibing, escort him back to the clinic."

...

...

When he left Wanxing Garden, it was already midnight, the first quarter of the Chou hour.

The sweat on Chen Ji’s back was chilled by the autumn wind, and he felt a sudden coldness. He followed closely behind the girl named Xibing, fearing that if he walked too slowly, more complications would arise.

This ordeal tonight was not a stroke of luck, but it left him feeling somewhat melancholy.

On that rickety green-skinned train heading to Beijing, his father had once told him the story of how Ancient Rome supposedly declined due to lead poisoning. It was from that time that he learned of the dangers of lead poisoning, and he also knew that in ancient times, many vessels required lead-based processes to be vibrant, which was why lead poisoning was particularly widespread in antiquity.

Xibing wore a pale yellow ru-skirt, her footsteps as light as an oriole. But the girl seemed to have been trained; as she walked, the hairpins in her hair barely swayed at all.

The vast inner courtyard was still bustling with people coming and going. The servants bowed to Xibing as they saw her, indicating she held a high status.

Unlike the somber servants of the "Chun" generation in Wanxing Garden, Xibing was always smiling as she returned greetings, in quite a good mood.

As they walked, Xibing suddenly asked: "Do you think the person who gave that cup to Concubine Jing did it on purpose?"

Chen Ji did not answer, nor did he dare to answer that question; he just smiled as if he hadn't heard.

Seeing this, Xibing hummed: "Forget it if you won't say."

Before Chen Ji returned to the clinic, Xibing looked him over and said with a smile: "Your clothes were torn by the people in Wanxing Garden tonight. Tomorrow, I will go to the garment bureau and have two sets custom-made for you! You must remember, only my mistress is the most generous in this estate. There is no future in being an apprentice at a clinic. If you can win my mistress’s favor, your future will be promising."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Thank you for Concubine Yun’s kindness, but there is no need to make clothes for me."

Xibing rolled her eyes in a cute way: "Others would give anything to win my mistress’s favor, and here you are, pushing it away. Don't refuse; my mistress is rewarding you, and as a mere apprentice, you have no right to decline. Let's go!"

Xibing turned and left, and Chen Ji pushed open the door to enter the clinic.

The moment he closed the door, he leaned against it, feeling a wave of exhaustion. Ever since he arrived in this world, the crises had been non-stop; he needed to keep his guard up at all times to cope.

"It seems Master’s art of the I Ching is real after all," Chen Ji sighed. Regardless of whether others believed in this stuff, he already did.

The divination for tonight was indeed extremely dangerous; a single misstep would have meant death.

He must never enter the Prince’s estate again; he had to stay far away.

Chen Ji dragged his exhausted body and slowly moved toward the backyard.

Standing by the apricot tree, he heard the snoring of She Dengke and Liu Quxing coming from the apprentices' dormitory; his two fellow disciples were sleeping soundly.

No one was waiting for him to return, and no one cared if he died in the Prince Jing estate.

In this world, no one helped him; he only had himself.

Just as he was thinking, Chen Ji’s entire body stiffened.

The icy current in his dantian, several times more powerful than yesterday, was raging violently through his body. In the blink of an eye, Chen Ji felt his blood, muscles, and bones being completely frozen.

The Art of Carrying Stones and Holding the Post!

Chen Ji struggled to stand in the courtyard and assumed the posture of the Art of Carrying Stones and Holding the Post to resist the icy current.

But the icy current did not retreat into his dantian as it had yesterday; it was merely suppressed, no longer quite as restless.

A warm current surged from his lower back, engaging in a tug-of-war with the icy current bit by bit. Chen Ji could not move and had to maintain the posture of Carrying Stones and Holding the Post.

Exhaustion and cold intertwined. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. After a few breaths, he actually fell asleep standing by the apricot tree in this strange posture.

A crow landed on the top of the apricot tree, silently watching Chen Ji as he turned into a statue in the dark of the night.