Chapter 54 : A Family History of Madness, Peculiar Devotion
54: A Family History of Madness, Peculiar Devotion
Qin Wan stared at Yao Xinlan in shock. Someone wanted to harm her?!
"Ninth Younger Sister, someone wants to poison me! My medicine, something was added to my medicine!" As she spoke, two tears rolled from the corners of Yao Xinlan's eyes. She turned to look at Moshu. "Go, go bring the saved medicine dregs!"
Moshu's eyes were also red. She nodded, then walked to a tall cabinet nearby, pulled out a drawer, and retrieved a small silk handkerchief. Moshu hurried to Qin Wan and unfolded the handkerchief. "Ninth Young Miss, look!"
A faint medicinal smell wafted through the silk. When the handkerchief opened, Qin Wan immediately frowned.
The prescription was hers. She knew the ingredients inside all too well. She pushed aside the clumped medicine dregs on the handkerchief and said in a low voice, "This medicine is wrong. Musk and Chinese angelica have been added."
Moshu nodded vigorously, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Seeing Qin Wan spot the discrepancy at a glance, Yao Xinlan also began sobbing.
Qin Wan's brows furrowed tightly.
Yao Xinlan already had signs of a threatened miscarriage, with continuous bleeding. Musk could cause uterine contractions in pregnant women, and Chinese angelica promoted blood circulation and dispelled blood stasis. With these two ingredients added, wouldn't Yao Xinlan lose the fetus or even die?
"Who fetched this medicine? Does Eldest Brother and Grandmother know?"
At these words, Yao Xinlan turned away, weeping sorrowfully. Moshu spoke beside her. "Ninth Young Miss, the person harming our Young Miss is from this Qin manor. Our Young Miss is terrified now, absolutely dares not tell Eldest Young Master and the Old Madam. Firstly, the medicine was fetched by a little maid from our room. The pharmacy and the kitchen where it was decocted have passed through who knows how many hands. There's no way to investigate. Secondly, we don't know if Eldest Young Master and the Mistress would believe Young Miss's words."
Qin Wan's frown deepened. "Eldest Sister‑in‑law carries the eldest legitimate grandson of the Third Household. Right now, these medicine dregs are evidence. How could the Old Madam and Eldest Brother not believe?"
Yao Xinlan wept with hiccuping sobs. Hearing this, she turned and grabbed Qin Wan's hand. "Good sister, Sister's temperament is steady and reliable. That's why I dared to tell you the truth. I also want Sister to look after my child from now on. But for the rest, I can't think about it for now. The person who added the medicine, I'll have Moshu keep an eye out. But the Qin manor is so big, I'm afraid we won't catch them in the act."
Qin Wan's lips pressed together tightly. Seeing Yao Xinlan's aggrieved, sorrowful appearance, her heart was filled with doubts.
Faced with such a vile act, why didn't Yao Xinlan tell Qin Chen or Jiang‑shi? Why tell her specifically?
Could it truly be just wanting her to care for her child?
Seeing Qin Wan deep in thought, Yao Xinlan grabbed her hand again. "Sister, quickly apply the acupuncture. You can prescribe the medicine as before, but I don't dare drink it. Let's see if something is added to this batch of medicine."
Qin Wan snapped back to attention, retrieving the needle case from her sleeve. Meanwhile, Moshu put the silk handkerchief back in the drawer, then loosened Yao Xinlan's clothing to help Qin Wan insert the needles. Qin Wan focused her mind and spirit. After completing a full set of acupuncture, a thin layer of sweat had formed on her back.
After the acupuncture, Yao Xinlan's complexion had improved somewhat. Only then did Qin Wan say, "This acupuncture shouldn't be applied daily. Since Eldest Sister‑in‑law is uneasy about the medicine, I'll go back and personally make some medicinal pills. Eldest Sister‑in‑law can take them daily."
Yao Xinlan's eyes brightened. "Good sister, that would be wonderful."
Qin Wan nodded. "Then I'll return to Tinglan Pavilion now to make them. I'll have Fuling deliver them to Eldest Sister‑in‑law later."
Yao Xinlan nodded, showing signs of exhaustion and drowsiness. Qin Wan took her leave and walked out. Outside the inner chamber, Jiang‑shi and the others were waiting. Qin Wan curtseyed. "The acupuncture is finished. She should be able to rest peacefully now. The prescription remains the previous one. Eldest Sister‑in‑law is somewhat tired now and needs to rest quietly. When you visit, please don't speak too much with her."
Lin‑shi stepped forward and grabbed Qin Wan's hand. "Good Wan'er, you've worked hard. You must be tired too. Go back and rest quickly."
Qin Chen stepped forward. "Ninth Younger Sister, I'll escort you back."
Qin Wan nodded, leading the way out. Fuling was waiting outside and hurried to meet her upon seeing her emerge.
Qin Chen followed closely, walking side by side with Qin Wan out of Linfeng Courtyard.
"Ninth Younger Sister, how is Xinlan's condition?"
A flicker passed through Qin Wan's eyes. "Eldest Sister‑in‑law was frightened by the previous bleeding episode. She's somewhat overly worried."
Qin Chen let out a breath. "That's good, that's good. These past few nights, she often has dreams, saying she keeps dreaming someone wants to harm her."
Qin Wan glanced at Qin Chen. She almost wanted to tell him exactly what Yao Xinlan had said. Matters had reached the point of adding poison to medicine. Qin Chen, as the master of the household, should know and should investigate to find the vicious person who added the medicine. But after a moment's hesitation, Qin Wan ultimately didn't speak. Since Yao Xinlan herself chose not to tell, Qin Wan had no reason to make decisions for her privately.
Perhaps because Qin Wan's expression was too grave, Qin Chen suddenly said, "What is Ninth Younger Sister thinking about? Did Xinlan tell you something?"
Qin Wan's heart tightened, but her face remained composed. "No. Why does Eldest Brother ask that?"
Qin Chen gave a bitter smile. "Ninth Younger Sister may not know. Your Eldest Sister‑in‑law was truly frightened. These past two days, she's been saying strange things." He paused slightly, lowering his voice, a touch of pain in his tone. "Moreover, your Eldest Sister‑in‑law's family... several people have suffered from madness. Her maternal grandmother and her elder sister both died from madness. Even before the wedding, a physician said your Eldest Sister‑in‑law might also... Now I'm just afraid your Eldest Sister‑in‑law can't bear it and the illness manifests..."
A trace of disbelief appeared in Qin Wan's eyes. Madness? Yao Xinlan's family actually had a history of madness?
Qin Chen wasn't speaking nonsense. If Yao Xinlan's maternal grandmother and elder sister both had madness, she indeed had a high likelihood of having it too. Qin Wan looked at Qin Chen. Since he knew about this before marriage, why did he still marry Yao Xinlan?
Qin Chen seemed to see the incredulity in Qin Wan's eyes. He gave another bitter smile. "By then, I had already met Xinlan. I felt she was exactly the wife I wanted. Moreover, she's beautiful, spirited, and has an excellent temperament. The madness wasn't a certainty she would inherit. So I took a gamble. Only recently have I started to worry..."
Qin Wan felt her mind grow somewhat muddled. Yao Xinlan certainly didn't show signs of madness now. But if she had a tendency toward it, her words might not be entirely credible. Yet the medicine dregs from earlier were tangible evidence.
"Eldest Brother, rest assured. Madness indeed isn't something everyone develops. Eldest Sister‑in‑law has reached this age; she probably won't develop it in the future." Though she said this, Qin Wan knew that if Yao Xinlan truly developed madness, even she couldn't cure it. Moreover, this illness wasn't age‑dependent. No one knew when it might manifest.
Qin Chen gave a bitter smile. "I hope so. That would be good."
As they spoke, they had nearly reached Tinglan Pavilion. Qin Chen was about to escort Qin Wan through the gate when a commotion arose from the west. Qin Wan also heard the noise, snapping out of her chaotic thoughts. Looking up, she saw a group of people heading toward the west gate. Though she only saw a few backs, Qin Wan recognized the leader as the Qin manor's steward, Liu Chun.
"What happened? What are they carrying?"
Looking at the direction the group was leaving from, it seemed they came from the direction of the eastern concubines' courtyard. Behind Liu Chun, two male servants carried an object wrapped in a quilt, one in front, one behind. It was too far; Qin Wan couldn't make out what it was.
After Qin Wan asked, there was no answer for a long moment. She turned to look and saw Qin Chen staring at that group with a dark expression, a layer of chilling coldness in his usually gentle eyes, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"Eldest Brother?" Qin Wan called out, puzzled.
Qin Chen snapped back to attention, a smile blooming, the coldness in his eyes instantly gone.
"Probably moving something. Don't worry about it. Go back and rest quickly."
Qin Wan glanced once more in the direction Liu Chun had gone, then walked toward Tinglan Pavilion. Qin Chen escorted the two of them to the gate before turning to leave. As soon as Qin Chen left, Fuling immediately exhaled. "Young Miss, I never imagined the young mistress's family had so much madness. Even this servant knows, if one person in a family gets this illness, others are very likely to get it too!"
Her tone then turned touched. "The young master must love the young mistress deeply. Otherwise, he would definitely mind."
Qin Wan entered the gate, her brows furrowed tightly. On the surface, Qin Chen and Yao Xinlan indeed seemed a deeply devoted couple. But observing the words and actions of this pair, Qin Wan always felt this devotion held an extremely peculiar quality.