Chapter 2: She’s The Killer!
Night had just fallen, right when people from the He Family who went out were returning home one after another. A shout of “The Eldest Young Master is dead” exploded like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, resounding through every courtyard!
Yue Tang was ladling medicine under the corridor, the handled pot steady in her hand.
The maidservant tumbled in panic to deliver the news to the main chamber. Madam He let out a sharp scream and then collapsed in the room, then overturned the kang table and rushed out of the main chamber without even putting on her shoes!
Yue Tang then steadily poured the ladled medicine back into the pot, crossed her arms, and looked toward the panicked crowd rushing outside the door.
Then, she brushed her sleeves and followed the crowd to the main house.
Madam He saw the scene inside the room and was already clinging to He Xu’s corpse, crying and shouting.
The He Family only had two sons, and in the time it takes to eat a meal, half were dead! How could she not cry?
Yue Tang stood in the doorway and saw the corpse still maintaining the posture at the time of death, sprawled on the ground, eyes wide in anger, mouth open, with blood all over the ground in front of him.
Because it had rolled off the kang, his arms were bent, sleeves slid up, and the ferocious purple-red long scar on his left arm was fully exposed, just like a knife aimed at his heart.
Just half an hour ago, this He Eldest Young Master who had boasted of immediately taking her was now like a pig with its neck slit, gone to the underworld to drink Madam Meng’s soup.
Yue Tang glanced at the people filling the room, squatted down on the other side of the corpse, and considerately comforted Madam He: “Madam, don’t cry so hastily first. Let me take a look; there might still be a chance of survival.”
Madam He, who had been crying herself half to death, immediately stopped her sobs!
Zhang Shi also held her breath and looked over.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each hung on tenterhooks, watching Yue Tang gravely examine He Xu’s breath, flip open his eyelids, and pinch his jaw to check his mouth as well as the bloodstains and vomit at the corner of his mouth.
Finally, she sighed and looked over: “Madam, please restrain your grief.”
Madam He wailed and howled in anguish!
Zhang Shi also began to wail.
The two hearts they had been holding finally died completely!
Yue Tang wiped a fingerful of blood from the ground: “This is an extremely potent poison synthesized from several kinds of drugs, and the dosage was very heavy, so it took effect quickly. It shows the murderer hated the Eldest Young Master to the bone to use such a vicious method!”
Second Young Master He Hui had lipstick marks at the corner of his mouth and two faint nail scratches on his neck, not knowing from where he had rushed over.
He stared fixedly at Yue Tang: “Then, in this lady’s view, who was so bold?”
“Who else could it be?!” Madam He suddenly stopped her cries, roared furiously, and grabbed Zhang Shi’s hair: “It’s you, you vicious wretch! You’ve been riding on top of your man for years, and today in my courtyard you still dared to quarrel!
“Who doesn’t know you’re arrogant and lawless?
“He was poisoned while eating with you, so it was you harboring resentment who killed my son!”
At this moment, General of Martial Virtue He Jianzhong, who had just entered the residence, also strode over.
Upon seeing the corpse, his eyes bulged red, and he roared at the people in the room: “Why would a perfectly fine person end up like this!”
Zhang Shi was disheveled and collapsed on the ground, crying herself hoarse.
“I didn’t! It wasn’t me, why not ask the people in the Kitchen Department? It has nothing to do with me!”
As soon as she shouted this, from the Kitchen Department cooks to the old women and maidservants in the main house, they all knelt down with a thud: “Master and Madam, please see clearly! We all tasted the meal when it was handed over, and the sources of all the wine, dishes, and meal are all crystal clear!
“The stewardesses’ people saw it with their own eyes; we are truly wronged!”
The stewardesses also knelt: “Indeed it is so!”
The finger of blame turned back to Zhang Shi.
Zhang Shi saw Yue Tang in the crowd and suddenly pointed at her, howling: “That’s you! It must be you who poisoned him when you seduced him! You cheap slut! You harmed me!”
Everyone in the room looked at Yue Tang.
Zhang Shi’s maidservant also timidly spoke up: “Earlier, the Eldest Young Mistress and the Eldest Young Master did argue in Madam’s courtyard, then the Eldest Young Mistress was taken back to the room by the Eldest Young Master, and they argued fiercely, but this servant heard it was because of Lin Niangzi…”
Yue Tang looked shocked: “Master, please investigate clearly! When the Eldest Young Master came to see Madam earlier, he ran into this servant on the way and, worried that this servant, new to the residence, wouldn’t serve well, instructed a few words. Madam knows about this.
“Moreover, the Eldest Young Master was so filial; how could he have improper thoughts toward the healer treating his birth mother in his parents’ quarters?
“This servant firmly believes the He Residence’s Eldest Young Master would never have such low character!”
Madam He was immersed in the pain of loss of a son, and naturally fully agreed with Yue Tang’s words!
She turned again to strangle Zhang Shi’s neck: “The facts are right in front of you, you poisonous woman still dare to drag others in? You still want to splash dirty water on my son’s head!”
He Jianzhong pulled her away, and she turned to tug at Zhang Shi’s hair.
Zhang Shi was already disheveled, bruised and swollen-faced, yet still hysterically cursing Yue Tang as a vixen.
Yue Tang sighed.
The others were also speechless.
Whether this young widow was a vixen or not aside, earlier He Xu hadn’t spoken more than five sentences with her; how could she have poisoned him?
Moreover, since she entered the residence, she had always been staying in the main chamber and hadn’t gone anywhere.
Even she could be accused as the murderer; Zhang Shi’s problem was bigger, right?
He Jianzhong angrily pointed at Zhang Shi: “Lock her up! Immediately send someone to the Zhang Family to urge them to roll over here! Let the Zhang Family pay with their son’s life!”
Although the He Family was just a small household before, they had earned merit three years ago, and He Jianzhong is now a proper fifth-rank General of Martial Virtue, a confidant of the Marquis of Guangling who takes charge of the Imperial City Department.
This account must of course be properly settled with the Zhang Family!
Zhang Shi was dragged back to the side room and locked up.
The servants finally came back to their senses from the shock and bustled about handling the aftermath under Second Mistress Liu Shi’s directions.
Liu Shi instructed Yue Tang: “You help Madam back to the room and take good care of her.”
Madam He was grief-stricken all the way, and even lying down, she beat the pillow and cried out.
Yue Tang sat by the bed, feeding her Calming Soup.
Until the maidservants had advised until they had no more words, she picked up: “Master and Madam sincerely joined in marriage with the Zhang Family, but the flesh and blood raised with one’s own hands vanished just like that in front of the Eldest Young Mistress.
“It’s reasonable no matter how Madam scolds.”
Madam He was overwhelmed with sorrow: “If I don’t personally send that poisonous woman to her death, I would be unworthy of being a mother!”
Yue Tang gently blew on the soup in the bowl and slowly fed a spoon to her mouth.
“Matters of the residence originally shouldn’t be spoken of by this servant, but Second Mistress supported me and allowed me to enter the residence, and Madam has treated me kindly; I can’t help but boldly say a few words.
“In the past, I’ve seen in-laws quarrel elsewhere; the side at fault, unable to win the argument, took their daughter back home along with the dowry, not leaving a single penny for their own grandchild.
“The Eldest Young Mistress’s maternal home shouldn’t be so barbaric.
“But the Eldest Young Master has already passed, and with Eldest Young Mistress like this, leaving the little brother would be pitiful. I think the Eldest Young Master under the nine springs surely also hopes Madam shows more care to him.”
“They dare!”
Madam He slapped the bed board and jumped up: “If the Zhang Family dares to have such thoughts, I’ll shake out all the things at the bottom of that poisonous woman’s trunk!”
Yue Tang glanced at her, twirled the spoon at the bottom of the bowl, and scooped another spoonful of soup to her lips.
