Is it normal for a two-year-old child to still wet the bed?
Wen Ye had a slight doubt.
Not knowing what to say, Wen Ye bent down and poked Xu Yuxuan's belly, asking, "Have you gained some weight recently?" He had grown taller and was talking more.
It seemed like he understood, as he turned around and said, "I didn't gain weight~"
"It's Father!" Xu Yuxuan blurted out, his words a bit unclear in his haste. "He made Xuan'er drink water~" Xu Yuxuan gestured to his little belly and said, "So it got bigger!"
Wen Ye: "..."
Why does he have an accent now?
With his adorable expression, Wen Ye couldn't help but laugh and added, "And then you peed on him?" Hearing the word "pee," Xu Yuxuan suddenly looked shy, as if he knew it wasn't a good word. He tugged at his little hands and said, "It's drawing~"
After a pause, he added, "Nanny Ji said!"
Without hesitation, he threw Nanny Ji under the bus.
Wen Ye looked at Nanny Ji with amusement and said, "Nanny Ji, did you hear that? Don't spoil him too much. Kids are heartless, and in the end, it's you who'll get hurt."
Nanny Ji: "..."
The Second Madam really knows how to hit where it hurts.
For some reason, Xu Yuxuan suddenly went over and took Nanny Ji's hand, smiling sweetly, "Nanny?" Nanny Ji immediately softened and asked kindly, "What does the young master want to do?" Children have short memories, and since Nanny Ji had been spending the most time with him lately, he naturally clung to her more. Xu Yuxuan looked up and said, "I want Nanny to play with me~"
Nanny Ji's face lit up as she said, "Alright, Nanny will play with the young master now."
Xu Yuxuan tilted his head slightly and added, "I want to play Little Eagle Pecking the Old Chicken!"
Nanny Ji gently corrected him, "Young Master, it's called Eagle Catching Chicks."
Xu Yuxuan nodded, "It's pecking, right?"
Nanny Ji: "..."
Wen Ye couldn't hold back her laughter.
They played in the courtyard, with Nanny Ji assigning a few twelve-year-old maids to be the chicks, while she played the mother hen protecting them. Xu Yuxuan was the little eagle.
Wen Ye sat on the swing under the corridor, enjoying the breeze and sipping fine tea as she watched Xu Yuxuan chase the chicks. It was a leisurely scene.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuejia had just ridden to the Capital Prefecture Office.
Wang Sheng had been waiting for a while. As soon as Xu Yuejia entered the hall, he asked, "The background of the suspect."
The case involved an official half a rank higher than himself, so Wang Sheng spoke carefully and cautiously.
"Xu Muzhi, from Wancheng, a failed candidate in the third year of Jingyuan. He married Madam Deng, also from Wancheng, whose family is in the silk business. Madam Deng is the only daughter, and her family has been funding Xu Muzhi's studies all these years."
Although the Great Jin Dynasty didn't suppress merchants as harshly as the previous dynasty, and merchants' descendants could still study and take the imperial exams, the status of merchants couldn't be changed overnight. Besides encouraging their children to study hard, another way for merchants to elevate their status was to marry their daughters to talented scholars who had passed the preliminary exams at a young age but lacked the resources to continue their studies.
"After Xu Muzhi failed the exam last year, he stayed in Sheng Jing, claiming he wanted to focus on his studies for future attempts. However, my investigation found that he often attended poetry gatherings hosted by his peers and befriended some sons of officials."
Wang Sheng paused for a breath and continued, "Madam Deng came to Sheng Jing three months after Xu Muzhi's failure. Using her dowry, they bought a two-courtyard house in Sheng Jing. I asked the neighbors, and they all said Xu Muzhi treated his wife well, often bringing her favorite snacks when he returned from the academy."
"Yesterday, Xu Muzhi bought snacks as usual, but less than half an hour after Madam Deng ate them, she started experiencing severe abdominal pain." Wang Sheng sighed, thinking of the fetus that had to be aborted. "Madam Deng's wet nurse sensed something was wrong and immediately had the servants detain Xu Muzhi, then sent a maid to report to the authorities."
"I sent Captain Liao over, and sure enough, they found blood-activating medicine in Xu Muzhi's study. He admitted to being tempted but insisted he hadn't had the chance to administer the medicine. The strange thing is, we examined everything Madam Deng ate that day and found no trace of the medicine Xu Muzhi had prepared."
Xu Yuejia asked, "Did you check the food Xu Muzhi handled?"
Wang Sheng replied, "Yes. Xu Muzhi confessed that Madam Deng had recently developed a liking for the pastries from Caiyun Pastry Shop on Nan'an Street. He planned to add the medicine to the pastries in a few days, but the incident happened earlier than expected."
"We had the remaining pastries examined by the best doctor in Sheng Jing, but no poison was found." Yet, Madam Deng did experience pain after eating the pastries from Caiyun Pastry Shop.
"Xu Muzhi looks like a decent man. Who would have thought he could do such a terrible thing? The neighbors even said that after Madam Deng gave birth to a daughter last year, Xu Muzhi became even more attentive to his wife."
To put it bluntly, the Deng family only has Madam Deng as their daughter. The vast family fortune would eventually go to her children. As the father, Xu Muzhi would clearly benefit. What more could he want?
Xu Yuejia interrupted, "She gave birth to a daughter last year? Didn't you say the aborted fetus was five or six months old?" The letter Wang Sheng sent to the Duke's residence only briefly outlined the case, with few details about the people involved. Thus, Xu Yuejia didn't know Madam Deng had already given birth to a daughter before the miscarriage. Wang Sheng explained, "The aborted fetus was her second child. She already has a daughter, about six or seven months old."
Xu Yuejia's eyes darkened as he looked at Wang Sheng, "So Madam Deng became pregnant again shortly after giving birth. Minister Wang, if Xu Muzhi really treated his wife as well as the neighbors said, do you think that's possible?"
Wang Sheng hesitated, "Maybe it's just a coincidence?"
Xu Yuejia, however, said, "Investigate it."
Minister Wang agreed solemnly, then asked, "What about the Xue family?"
"I'll handle that. Also..." Xu Yuejia suddenly stopped.
Wang Sheng: "Please go on, Minister Xu."
Xu Yuejia said, "Regarding the Xue family, I hope that until the case is fully resolved, only His Majesty and you and I know about it. Do you understand?"
Wang Sheng immediately replied, "I understand. I will personally handle the interrogation of Xu Muzhi from now on." The Xue family, Vice Minister of Rites, is a respected family. It's unlikely they would conspire with a failed scholar like Xu Muzhi. What would they gain?
Why would a daughter of the Xue family be willing to lower herself to a married, failed scholar? Yet, Xu Muzhi insisted, even presenting two items as evidence.
With the case involving an official half a rank higher than himself, Wang Sheng was unsure and had to ask Xu Yuejia for help in making a judgment. At that moment, Captain Liao entered with his sword, cupping his hands and saying, "Ministers, the owner of Caiyun Pastry Shop has arrived." The owner, Zou Quan, was from the south.
Wang Sheng had already looked into his background. A wealthy merchant from the south, Zou Quan had connections with some powerful figures in Sheng Jing, which allowed him to establish Caiyun Pastry Shop and make it a booming business in just a few months.
Rumor had it that Zou Quan was an expert at flattery. Wang Sheng hadn't believed it at first, but after questioning him, he realized the rumors were true.
Zou Quan wasn't a suspect, and no issues were found with the pastries in his shop, so Wang Sheng simply questioned him as a routine procedure and let him go.
Wang Sheng was more inclined to believe that Madam Deng had accidentally eaten something else, leading to the incident. However, Xu Muzhi's crime was now clear: attempted murder.
"I need to go to the palace."
Wang Sheng, though confused, agreed.
In the palace, at the Hall of Diligent Governance, the Emperor read through the case report submitted by Xu Yuejia, his eyes deep with thought. "Minister Xu, do you think there's something suspicious about Caiyun Pastry Shop?"
Xu Yuejia didn't dare to assert, only saying, "Your Majesty, I merely noticed that the owner, Zou Quan, seemed unusual."
He had detailed the oddities in his report.
According to Wang Sheng's investigation, Zou Quan was a smooth-talking merchant.
Most merchants are like that, but none would remain completely calm upon learning they might be involved in a murder case. His usual flattery and superficial panic were abnormal.
The Emperor closed the report and said, "Minister Xu, did you know that yesterday I sent someone to buy pastries from that shop again?"
Xu Yuejia frowned upon hearing this.
"Unfortunately, Zou Quan felt a sudden stomachache after leaving the palace and arrived half an hour late," the Emperor continued. "Since Zou Quan couldn't buy the same pastries as last time, he switched to another shop and came back to the palace to apologize to me."
"And the pastries Zou Quan bought for me are exactly the same as those mentioned in your memorial, the ones Madam Deng ate."
What the Emperor didn’t tell Xu Yuejia was that this matter had accidentally reached the Empress. If it weren’t for his status as the Emperor, he might have been punished as well. Xu Yuejia understood and said, "Your servant will thoroughly investigate this case."
To be honest, the Emperor was still a bit shaken. The Empress was right—they really shouldn’t spoil Princess Changle too much.
From now on, they should stick to the imperial kitchen’s pastries. He refused to believe that the palace’s desserts could be inferior to those sold in shops outside.
Thinking of this, he added, "As for the Xue family… you did the right thing. Apart from me, you, and Wang Sheng, there’s no need for a fourth person to know about this."
After all, it concerned the reputation of a young lady from a noble family.
Xu Yuejia replied, "Your servant obeys your command."
"By the way," the Emperor suddenly recalled something, "I heard that Xu Muzhi was caught by your wife?"
Many constables at the government office had witnessed it, so it was impossible to keep it a secret.
Xu Yuejia had no choice but to admit it. "Yes," he said. The Emperor, unaware of the specifics, chuckled and remarked, "Brave and composed, quite impressive."
He looked down at Xu Yuejia and teased, "No wonder you refused when I wanted to arrange a marriage for you. You already had someone in mind, didn’t you?"
The Emperor was well aware of the matters concerning the Duke's household.
It was precisely for this reason that the Emperor had considered arranging a marriage for Xu Yuejia. He had even secretly chosen a candidate—the eldest daughter of the Empress’s brother, known for her beauty and talent.
He hadn’t expected Xu Yuejia to decline.
The Emperor wasn’t insistent on playing matchmaker for his ministers.
Since Xu Yuejia was unwilling, he didn’t press the matter. However, with the Crown Prince growing up, the Emperor worried about how he would manage without a trusted minister by his side.
The Emperor had naturally heard about why the Xu family had formed a marital alliance with the Wen family.
The woman Xu Yuejia had actively sought to marry couldn’t possibly be foolish.
From the incident involving the Ninth Prince, it was clear that the Wen family had a good reputation.
Xu Yuejia’s son would surely inherit some of his intelligence.
The Emperor was already looking forward to the couple’s future son, who would undoubtedly be exceptionally bright.
In front of the Emperor, Xu Yuejia had no intention of explaining further and simply said, "It was my wife’s good fortune."
The Emperor then glanced at Eunuch Li beside him.
Eunuch Li immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Vice Minister of Rites Xue Yangli and his son are waiting outside the hall."
The Emperor nodded, "Summon them."
Outside the hall, Vice Minister of Rites Xue Yangli led his son, Xue Yan, who kept wiping sweat from his forehead, into the chamber.
★
Wen Ye spent the entire afternoon reading *The Eagle-Beaked Old Hen* and even had dinner with Xu Yuxuan. It wasn’t until late at night that Xu Yuejia returned home under the stars.
Upon arriving at the west courtyard, Xu Yuejia was greeted with the highest level of hospitality.
Supper and tea were all prepared.
When she heard that he hadn’t eaten dinner, Wen Ye personally served him dishes. Xu Yuejia looked at the mountain of food on his plate and paused for a moment before saying, "This is enough."
Wen Ye sat down and asked considerately, "Does my husband feel uncomfortable anywhere? I’ll have it fixed immediately."
Xu Yuejia looked at her quietly.
Wen Ye understood but replied, "Except for me."
Xu Yuejia lowered his gaze and began eating. After a while, he asked, "Who did you go spring outing with outside the city today?" Why was he bringing this up out of the blue? She hadn’t hidden the fact that she had gone out with her cousins.
Except for…
Wen Ye’s smile faltered, and she asked tentatively, "Don’t tell me this case involves the Xue family?" Xu Yuejia gave a faint hum but said nothing more.
Wen Ye: "…"
Couldn’t you at least elaborate?
/The case seemed to spread like wildfire. In just two days, the news of a failed scholar attempting to poison his wife had spread throughout Sheng Jing, causing quite a stir.
Madam Lu and the Eldest Aunt returned from a banquet and, after just one night, heard about the incident. Soon after, Wen Ye was summoned.
In the main hall of the central courtyard, Madam Lu frowned and asked, "Isn’t it a murder case? Why did Second Brother get involved?"
Wang Sheng, the governor of the capital, shouldn’t have trouble handling a simple murder case.
The Eldest Aunt was more concerned about the case itself. "Has the scholar been convicted?"
Wen Ye replied helplessly, "Sister-in-law, Eldest Aunt, how would I know such confidential matters?" Madam Lu realized she had overreacted and coughed lightly, pretending to be casual. "Did Second Brother not share anything with you?" If Wang Sheng had called Xu Yuejia over, there must be something more to it. If the Duke had been home, he would have told her already. Wen Ye firmly refused, "Sister-in-law, my husband is a strict and impartial official. We shouldn’t pry into his work."
Madam Lu and the Eldest Aunt: "…"
