"The reason for Lady Jing's miscarriage is due to chronic poisoning," Chen Ji's voice was like a stone thrown into a calm pond, causing ripples everywhere.
Even the incense smoke from the bronze burner on the tea table, which had been rising straight to the roof, now swirled chaotically.
Nurse Chunrong stepped forward, "Are you sure? Was my lady's miscarriage really caused by poisoning? Tell us, who poisoned her?"
From behind the screen, there was the sound of rustling bedding as Lady Jing seemed to sit up on her bed.
The four strong servants beside Chen Ji unconsciously loosened their grip, no longer pulling him roughly.
Everyone was waiting for his answer.
However, Chen Ji wasn't entirely sure if Lady Jing had been poisoned.
But in this dire situation, if he didn't say something shocking, he would die in the Jing Manor.
Lady Jing behind the screen asked doubtfully, "Are you certain I was poisoned?"
Chen Ji didn't answer immediately.
He slowly straightened his disheveled clothes and calmly asked, "Apart from Lady Jing, has anyone else in the Evening Star Pavilion felt unwell?"
Nurse Chunrong shook her head, "No. Even the maids in the manor have their daily routines recorded. If anyone feels unwell, they are strictly forbidden from entering the Evening Star Pavilion to avoid passing any illness to the fetus."
Chen Ji thought for a moment, then turned to the screen, "My lady, may I search your room for clues?"
"How dare you!" Nurse Xitang, beside Lady Yun, angrily retorted, "You, an outsider, how can you rummage through Lady Jing's room? What kind of behavior is this..."
Lady Jing interrupted, "Let him search. If he can truly find the culprit who killed my child, then what harm is there in letting him look around? Chunhua, please escort this young doctor out for now. Chunrong, tidy up my clothes and help me dress before inviting him back in."
This was the dignity of a noble lady, and it also bought Chen Ji some time to think.
Chunhua led Chen Ji downstairs, anxiously whispering, "Was there really poisoning?"
Under the night sky, Chen Ji stood by the fish pond in the Evening Star Pavilion, watching the koi fish flicker in the dark water.
He didn't answer, just pondered.
After a while, Nurse Chunrong called him back upstairs.
By then, Lady Jing had draped a red cloak over herself and was sitting on a chair.
She was about thirty-three, her hair not tied up but simply tied back with a ribbon.
She gazed at Chen Ji with a pale face, "I just thought about what you said about chronic poisoning. Could it be that the incense was tampered with..."
"No," Chen Ji shook his head, "The incense smoke spreads everywhere. If it were tampered with, Nurse Chunrong would also feel unwell. So, the poisoner must have used something that only you, my lady, use daily. Otherwise, if it were used intermittently, the toxins would be metabolized by the body."
Seeing his certainty, everyone fell silent, allowing him to search around.
Time passed minute by minute.
Chen Ji picked up a box of rouge.
"My lady, have you used this rouge recently while dressing up?" He examined the rouge box in his hand, adorned with a butterfly-shaped white shell inlay, as exquisite as a piece of art.
Lady Jing shook her head, "I stopped using these things after I became pregnant, fearing they might harm the fetus."
Chen Ji put down the rouge box, his eyes scanning over various items, but he couldn't find any clues.
Gradually, a layer of fine sweat formed on his forehead.
Where? Where is it?
At this moment, he kept thinking about every possible clue in his mind.
This was his chance to survive!
After what seemed like an eternity, Lady Jing finally lost her patience, "I thought you were confident, but it seems you were just bluffing out of fear. Forget it, you won't be beaten to death. Just take him out and give him ten lashes."
Lady Yun, who had been sitting quietly, also lost interest and slowly stood up, "I'm tired, let's go rest."
"Wait," Chen Ji suddenly picked up a blue cup.
The cup was as blue as the sea, with a hint of green like mist swirling around it, so beautiful it seemed otherworldly.
Lady Jing sat up straight, puzzled, "Is there something wrong with this cup?"
Chen Ji asked seriously, "My lady, do you have a metallic taste in your mouth, even after rinsing?"
Lady Jing was surprised, "How did you know? Is that a symptom of poisoning?"
Chen Ji finally let out a long sigh of relief, his body slowly relaxing from the intense tension, "It's lead poisoning."
Nurse Chunrong was confused, "What does that mean? I've never heard of it."
"What I mean is, this cup is poisonous."
Lead poisoning was unfamiliar to people of this era, but Chen Ji knew it well.
This cup, known as a lead-barium glass cup, was a type of vessel that appeared when glass-making was first developed in ancient times.
The earliest records of its use date back to the Han Dynasty.
Its beauty seemed to transcend the era, beloved by the nobility.
But while the cup was beautiful, it was also poisonous.
Adults might need to use it for years before any issues arose, but for a fetus, the amount of poison was fatal.
At this moment, Lady Yun's eyes sparkled with interest as she looked at Chen Ji.
When the young man mentioned the metallic taste in Lady Jing's mouth, her reaction had already shown that he had truly found the cause of the poisoning.
Lady Jing pondered, "This cup was given to me by..."
Chen Ji quickly interjected, "My lady, the source of the poison has been found. As for where the cup came from, it's none of my concern. May I leave now? I apologize for any offense tonight."
Lady Jing was silent for a moment, "Where did Physician Yao find such a tactful apprentice? Don't worry, today you helped me find the culprit who killed my child. In the future, I will reward you generously. No one in the Evening Star Pavilion will trouble you."
Though the culprit had been found, she had just experienced the pain of losing a child and couldn't feel happy.
Lady Yun gently said, "It's good that you found the source of the poisoning, sister. Otherwise, continuing to drink from that cup would have been dangerous. Oh, I remember this cup was a gift from your family, wasn't it? You even showed it to Lady Liu during the Spring Festival poetry banquet."
Lady Jing's expression changed slightly.
In the delicate atmosphere of the Evening Star Pavilion, Chen Ji didn't dare to say a word, only quietly observing his surroundings with the corner of his eye.
The black cat and the white cat were still fighting.
To be precise, the black cat was being chased from the east to the west, and from the west to the east.
The black cat was too small to fight back.
How pitiful.
Even the cats in the deep courtyards have a hard life...
Wait, Chen Ji wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like the black cat, while fleeing for its life, kept glancing at his sleeve.
Nurse Xitang beside Lady Yun whispered, "My lady, it's time for us to rest."
As she spoke, she picked up the white cat and prepared to leave.
Chen Ji was speechless.
So the white cat belonged to Lady Yun, and the black cat to Lady Jing.
It seemed the white cat's mission was to beat up the black cat.
"I won't disturb your rest any longer, sister," Lady Yun gracefully stood up, "Try not to go out during this time and rest well."
Lady Jing was silent for a moment, "Thank you, sister."
Lady Yun smiled and turned to a young maid, "Xibing, please escort this... you're Chen Ji, right?"
Chen Ji bowed, "Yes, Chen Ji."
"Go ahead, Xibing, take him back to the clinic."
...
...
By the time they left the Evening Star Pavilion, it was already midnight, the first watch of the Chou hour.
The cold autumn wind blew against Chen Ji's sweaty back, making him shiver.
He followed closely behind Xibing, afraid that any delay might lead to more trouble.
Tonight's ordeal wasn't just luck, but it left him feeling somewhat melancholy.
On that rickety green train heading to Beijing, his father had once told him the story of how ancient Rome might have declined due to lead poisoning.
That was when he first learned about the dangers of lead poisoning and how many ancient vessels used lead to achieve their vibrant colors, making lead poisoning widespread in ancient times.
Xibing wore a light yellow ruqun, her steps as light as a oriole bird.
But this girl seemed trained, as the hairpin on her head barely swayed as she walked.
The vast rear courtyard was still bustling with activity, and the servants all bowed to Xibing, showing her high status.
Unlike the somber "Chun" servants of the Evening Star Pavilion, Xibing always smiled and returned greetings, in a good mood.
As they walked, Xibing suddenly asked, "Do you think the person who gave that cup to Lady Jing did it on purpose?"
Chen Ji didn't answer, nor did he dare to answer, only smiling as if he hadn't heard.
Xibing snorted, "Fine, don't tell me."
Before Chen Ji returned to the clinic, Xibing looked him over and said with a smile, "Your clothes were torn by the people in the Evening Star Pavilion tonight. Tomorrow, I'll go to the tailor's and have two new sets made for you! Remember, in this manor, only my lady is the most generous. Being an apprentice in the clinic has no future. If you can win my lady's favor, your future will be bright."
Chen Ji thought for a moment, "Thank Lady Yun for her kindness, but there's no need to make me new clothes."
Xibing rolled her eyes cutely, "Others would kill for my lady's favor, and here you are, turning it down. Don't refuse. When my lady rewards you, a mere apprentice has no right to decline. Off I go!"
Xibing turned and left, while Chen Ji pushed open the door and entered the clinic.
As soon as the door closed, he leaned against it, feeling utterly exhausted.
Ever since coming to this world, danger had been constant, and he needed to stay alert at all times to survive.
"Master's divination skills seem to be real," Chen Ji sighed.
Whether others believed in it or not, he did.
Tonight's divination had indeed been extremely perilous.
One misstep, and he would have been dead without a burial place.
He must never enter the manor again.
He needed to stay far away.
Chen Ji dragged his tired body, slowly making his way to the backyard.
Standing by the apricot tree, he heard the snores of She Dengke and Liu Quxing from the apprentice dormitory.
His fellow apprentices were sound asleep.
No one waited for his return, and no one cared if he had died in the Jing Manor.
In this world, no one would help him.
He only had himself.
As he pondered, Chen Ji's body froze.
The icy flow in his dantian, several times stronger than yesterday, was raging through his body.
In an instant, Chen Ji felt his blood, muscles, and bones all freeze.
The Stone-Carrying Stance!
Chen Ji struggled to stand in the Stone-Carrying Stance in the courtyard, using it to resist the icy flow.
But the icy flow didn't retreat back to his dantian like yesterday.
It was only suppressed, no longer as violent.
A warm current surged from his lower back, slowly wrestling with the icy flow.
Chen Ji couldn't move, forced to maintain the Stone-Carrying Stance.
Exhaustion and cold intertwined, and his eyelids grew heavier.
After a few breaths, he fell asleep in this strange stance, standing by the apricot tree.
At the top of the apricot tree, a crow landed, silently watching Chen Ji turn into a statue in the night.
(End of Chapter)