Chapter 11: The Little Black Cat

"The Quiet Concubine's miscarriage was due to chronic poisoning."

Chen Ji's voice, like a stone cast into a placid pond, stirred countless ripples.

Even the incense mist rising straight from the copper censer on the tea table was suddenly thrown into disarray.

Nanny Chunrong stepped forward, "Are you certain? That my lady's miscarriage was indeed caused by poisoning? Speak! Who poisoned her!"

From behind the screen came the rustling of bedding, and the Quiet Concubine seemed to be propping herself up in bed.

The four robust servants beside Chen Ji unconsciously loosened their grip, no longer pulling him forcefully.

Everyone waited for his answer.

However, was the Quiet Concubine truly poisoned or not? Chen Ji was uncertain.

Only in this dead-end situation, if he did not utter something shocking, he would surely perish within the Jing Wang Mansion.

The Quiet Concubine from behind the screen said with a touch of doubt, "Are you certain I was poisoned?"

Chen Ji did not answer. He merely straightened his dishevelled clothes and calmly asked, "Apart from the Quiet Concubine, are there any others in the Late Star Garden who have felt unwell?"

Nanny Chunrong shook her head. "No. Even the maids in the Wang Mansion have their daily routines recorded. If anyone feels unwell, they absolutely cannot enter the Late Star Garden, to avoid transmitting illness to the fetus."

After a moment's contemplation, Chen Ji turned his head to face the screen. "Madam, may I search your chambers for clues?"

"Impudent!" Nanny Xitang, standing beside the Yun Concubine, said angrily, "How can an outsider like you search the Quiet Concubine's chambers? What kind of decorum is this..."

The Quiet Concubine interrupted, "Let him search if he wishes. If he can truly find the culprit who harmed my child, what harm is there in searching? Chunhua, please escort this young physician from the medical hall out first. Chunrong, tidy my clothes and comb my hair, then invite him back in to examine me."

This was the dignity of a noble, and also a way for Chen Ji to gain some time to think.

Chunhua led Chen Ji downstairs. She asked him in a hushed, anxious voice, "Was it truly poisoning?"

Beneath the night sky, Chen Ji stood by the fish pond in the Late Star Garden, gazing at the brocade carp vaguely appearing in the dim water. He did not answer the question, merely pondering.

After a while, Nanny Chunrong called him upstairs again.

By this time, the Quiet Concubine was seated in a chair, draped in a red cloak. She appeared to be around thirty-three years old, her hair not coiled up but simply tied back with a ribbon.

Her face was pale as she stared at Chen Ji. "I just recalled what you said about chronic poisoning. Could the incense have been tampered with?"

"No," Chen Ji shook his head. "Incense drifts everywhere. If it were tampered with, Nanny Chunrong should also feel unwell. Therefore, the poisoner must have used items only you, Madam, use regularly. Otherwise, if the item were not used for a period, the poison would be metabolized by the body."

Seeing his certainty, the others remained silent and allowed him to search everywhere.

Time passed minute by minute. Chen Ji picked up a box of rouge.

"Madam, have you used this rouge recently when making up?" He examined the rouge box in his hand. It was inlaid with butterfly-shaped white shell, exquisite like a work of art.

The Quiet Concubine shook her head. "I haven't used such things since I became pregnant, fearing they would be harmful to the fetus."

Chen Ji put down the rouge box, his gaze sweeping over each item, yet he could find no clue.

Gradually, a thin layer of sweat beads appeared on his forehead.

Where? Exactly where?

At this moment, his mind was constantly reviewing every clue. This was his chance to live!

He didn't know how long had passed when the Quiet Concubine finally lost her patience. "I thought you had a plan, but it seems you were just pretending. Forget it. I suppose you were just boasting out of fear. There's no need to be afraid of being beaten to death; just drag him out and give him ten strokes of the cane."

The Yun Concubine, who had been sitting all along, also lost interest. She slowly stood up. "I'm tired. I'll go back and rest."

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

The cup was as blue as the sea, with a hint of green around it like vague, swirling mist, beautiful as if it did not belong to the human world.

The Quiet Concubine sat up straighter, asking doubtfully, "Is there a problem with this cup?"

Chen Ji asked seriously, "Madam, do you have a metallic taste in your mouth that you cannot get rid of, even after rinsing?"

The Quiet Concubine was surprised. "How do you know? Is this perhaps a symptom of the poison taking effect?"

Chen Ji finally let out a long sigh of relief, his entire being suddenly relaxing from the intense tension. "It's lead poisoning."

Nanny Chunrong doubted, "What does that mean? I've never heard of it."

"My meaning is, this cup contains poison."

Lead poisoning was a strange concept to the people of this era, but Chen Ji was not at all unfamiliar with it.

This cup was formally called a lead-barium glass cup. It was a type of vessel that appeared during the nascent stages of glass craftsmanship in ancient times. The earliest records of its use could be traced back to the Han Dynasty. Its beauty transcended its era and it was beloved by nobles.

However, while this cup was beautiful, it hid poison. Adults might need to use it for many years for problems to appear, but the amount of poison in it was already fatal to a fetus.

At this moment, the Yun Concubine's eyes were bright and spirited, looking at Chen Ji with interest. When this young man said the Quiet Concubine had a metallic taste in her mouth, the Quiet Concubine's expression already indicated that this young man had truly found the cause of the poisoning!

The Quiet Concubine thought, "This cup is mine..."

Chen Ji hurriedly said, "Madam, the source of the poison has been found. As for where the cup came from, it has no relation to me. May I leave now? I have offended you greatly tonight, please forgive me."

The Quiet Concubine was silent for a moment. "Where did Imperial Physician Yao find such a discerning disciple? Rest assured, today you helped me find the culprit who harmed my child, and you will be greatly rewarded in the future. No one in the Late Star 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 difficult to be happy.

The Yun Concubine said softly and gently, "Fortunately, Sister found the source of the poisoning. Otherwise, continuing to drink water from this cup could be dangerous. Ah, I remember this cup was sent by your maternal family, wasn't it? During the spring sacrifice poetry gathering, you even specially took it out for Viscount Liu's madam to admire."

The Quiet Concubine's face slightly changed.

In the subtle atmosphere of the Late Star Garden, Chen Ji dared not utter a word, only lowering his head and quietly observing his surroundings from the corner of his eye.

The black cat and white cat were still fighting. To be precise, the black cat was being beaten from the east side to the west side, and from the west side to the east side. The black cat was too small to retaliate.

How pitiful.

Even cats in deep residences and large courtyards have it tough...

Wait, Chen Ji didn't know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that the black cat, in its escape, would occasionally look towards his sleeve.

Nanny Xitang, beside the Yun Concubine, said softly, "Madam, we should go and rest."

Saying this, she went to hug the white cat and prepare to leave.

Chen Ji was dumbfounded. So the white cat belonged to the Yun Concubine, and the black cat belonged to the Quiet Concubine.

The white cat's mission seemed to be to come and beat the black cat.

"I won't disturb Sister's rest," the Yun Concubine stood up gracefully. "Try not to go out during this period and rest well."

The Quiet Concubine was silent for a moment. "Thank you, Sister."

The Yun Concubine smiled and turned, saying to a young maid, "Xibing, go and see off this... your name is Chen Ji, isn't it?"

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

"Go, Xibing will escort him back to the medical hall."

......

......

By the time he left the Late Star Garden, it was already past midnight, an hour and a quarter into the Hour of the Ox.

The layer of sweat on Chen Ji's back was hit by the autumn wind, and he suddenly felt cold. He followed closely behind the girl Xibing, afraid that walking slowly would cause further trouble.

Tonight's ordeal, while not entirely unfortunate, left him somewhat melancholy.

On that bumpy green train ride towards BJ, his father had once told him the story of ancient Rome's decline, suspected to be due to lead poisoning. From that time, he knew the harm of lead poisoning and also knew that in ancient times, many vessels were crafted with lead to make them gorgeous, so lead poisoning was particularly widespread.

Xibing wore a light yellow ru裙 (skirt) and her footsteps were light like a yellow oriole bird. But this girl seemed to have undergone training; as she walked, the step shake she wore on her head barely shook.

The huge back residence was still bustling with activity, with servants constantly coming and going. Upon seeing Xibing, they all saluted, indicating her high status.

Unlike the understated "Chun" generation servants in the Late Star Garden, Xibing always smiled and returned greetings, in quite a good mood.

As Xibing walked, she suddenly asked, "Do you think the person who sent that cup to the Quiet Concubine did it intentionally?"

Chen Ji did not answer, nor did he dare to answer the question, only smiling as if he hadn't heard.

Seeing this, Xibing hummed. "Fine, if you don't want to say."

Before Chen Ji returned to the medical hall, the girl Xibing sized him up, smiled and squinted her eyes. "Tonight your clothes were torn by the people in the Late Star Garden. Tomorrow I will order two sets for you from the clothing bureau! You must remember, only my lady in this Wang Mansion is the most generous. Being an apprentice in a medical hall has no future. If you can win my lady's favor, your future prospects are promising."

Chen Ji thought for a moment. "Thank you for the Yun Concubine Madam's good intentions, but there is no need to make clothes for me."

Xibing rolled a cute white eye. "Others want to gain my lady's favor but cannot. You, on the other hand, are good, actually pushing it away. Don't refuse. My lady rewards you with things; as a small apprentice, you have no right to refuse. Go!"

Xibing turned and left, and Chen Ji pushed open the door and walked into the medical hall.

The moment he closed the door, he leaned against it, feeling a wave of exhaustion. Since coming to this world, there had been constant crises, and he needed to be on guard with twelve points of spirit to cope.

"Master's Six Lines technique seems to be real," Chen Ji sighed. Whether others believed it or not, he already did.

Tonight's divination image was indeed extremely dangerous. A slight carelessness would have led to a death without a burial place.

He must absolutely not enter the Wang Mansion in the future. He must hide far away.

Chen Ji, dragging his tired body, slowly moved towards the backyard.

Standing beside the apricot tree, he heard the snoring of his senior brothers She Dengke and Liu Quxing from the apprentice bedroom. They were sleeping soundly.

No one was waiting for him to return, and no one cared whether he would die within the Jing Wang Mansion.

In this world, no one would help him. He only had himself.

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

The surge of ice flow within his Dantian, several times vaster than yesterday, was violently rampaging throughout his body. In the blink of an eye, Chen Ji felt his blood, muscles, and bones were all completely frozen.

The Stone Carrying Stance technique!

Chen Ji struggled to stand in the yard, assuming the posture of the Stone Carrying Stance technique, to resist the ice flow.

But the ice flow did not retreat to his Dantian as it had yesterday; it was merely suppressed, no longer so restless.

A warm flow surged out from his waist and back, slowly grappling with the ice flow. Chen Ji could not move, only maintaining the posture of the Stone Carrying Stance.

The feeling of exhaustion and cold intertwined. His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. A few breaths later, he actually fell asleep in this strange posture, standing beside the apricot tree.

On top of the apricot tree, a crow landed, silently gazing at Chen Ji as he turned into a sculpture in the dark night.