Chapter 69: Don’t Be Afraid

Chu Mingyu had been sent away by her elder sister to eat lunch. Qingdai accompanied her. She was a little unwilling, but her sister had taken her hand and promised that whatever was discovered during the interrogation would not be kept from her, telling her to go and eat properly.

But what she was reluctant about wasn’t this matter. Their cousin had never been of good character since childhood; how could she not know? What she was unwilling about was that whenever her sister got busy, she inevitably neglected her own meals.

Everyone was still waiting. No matter how unwilling Chu Mingyu was, she couldn’t act willfully at a time like this. She pouted, leaned close to her sister’s ear, and tattled in a teasing tone: “If you don’t eat properly, I’m telling my brother-in-law later! Only he can manage you anyway!”

Chu Mingxi glared at her. She pretended not to see, grabbed Qingdai’s hand, and headed off toward the side hall where lunch was being served.

Watching her younger sister’s swaggering figure disappear into the distance, Chu Mingxi shook her head, both amused and rueful. “To think she’ll be getting married next year, yet she’s still this mischievous. I wonder if the Third Young Master can rein her in.”

Yining accompanied the Eldest Young Miss toward the study, holding a small chest in her hands. She also smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter if the Third Young Master can rein in the Second Young Miss. What matters is that our Second Young Miss can rein in the Third Young Master.”

Chu Mingxi’s brow arched slightly. In agreement, she said, “Well said.”

The study was just a few steps away. Chu Mingxi restrained her smile, raised her hand, and pushed the door open herself.

Although the study at the Zhengning Branch wasn’t as elegant as the one in the Capital City, it was spacious and bright. Manager Hong had been locked in here for quite a while now, without even a cup of tea left for him. But at this moment, hunger was the last thing on his mind. He paced back and forth in the room, pondering how he could shift all the blame onto the Eldest Young Master.

Before long, the study door was pushed open from outside. He looked up and, sure enough, saw the Head Proprietor walk in. Right behind her, Miss Yining closed the door tightly. That click sound hit his nerves like an alarm bell, making his mind buzz involuntarily. He watched as the Head Proprietor walked unhurriedly up to him, looking at him with an expression that was stern yet tinged with faint disappointment. A belated flush of shame rose on his face, but a prickly layer of cold sweat crawled up his back.

It was like a duel between masters. With just one look, the Head Proprietor had already defeated him.

“Head Proprietor.” Manager Hong called out bitterly, slowly kneeling down. Without waiting for the Head Proprietor to speak, he hung his head and confessed everything in detail. “This batch of Tiger Bone, it was the Eldest Young Master who asked me to procure it. He said his friend was in debt and needed to offload these goods at a low price to fill the gap. It just so happened our Medicine Hall could use them. A mutually beneficial deal.”

“This isn’t the first batch of goods, is it?” Chu Mingxi sat down in the curved armchair. Yining walked to her side and placed the small chest she was carrying on the table by the Eldest Young Miss’s hand, then listened as she continued, “Manager Hong has been with the Imperial Medicine Hall for quite a few years. You wouldn’t be this careless.”

“Yes. This is the third batch. The first two were five chests each. I inspected them myself at the time and confirmed they were all good before I accepted them. He is the Eldest Young Master, after all…” A flicker of hope ignited in Manager Hong’s heart. He raised his head slightly, peeking at the Head Proprietor’s expression. “We… we dared not defy him, right?”

“You personally inspected them. Did you inspect every single piece?” Chu Mingxi asked deliberately.

Hearing this question, Manager Hong lowered his head again in shame. “N-… no.” After a moment, he added, “But before this, no one had actually brought a lawsuit to the yamen against us. Those medicines… should have been genuine.”

“An ordinary person can hardly tell the difference between Tiger Bone and dog bone. Three batches of Tiger Bone. Manager Hong, business is thriving, isn’t it?” As Chu Mingxi spoke, she flipped open the small wooden chest beside her. Casually, she asked, “Does Manager Hong know what is in here?”

Sweat was already covering Manager Hong’s forehead. Hearing her question, he slowly raised his head and saw the Head Proprietor take out a ledger from the not-so-large chest. He couldn’t clearly see the title on the ledger, but after being a manager for several years, observing this setup, he could roughly guess what it was. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he paused.

Chu Mingxi glanced at him coldly. He knew then that the game was up. Once again, he hung his head. His mouth felt as if filled with bitter herbs, the taste even more bitter than before.

“It’s the account book,” he said weakly.

Chu Mingxi flipped through it casually. “Just now, you said Chu Xiu had you buy these goods at a low price. But looking at this ledger, the amounts you reported for expenses over the last couple of years are only higher than before, not lower.” She smiled faintly. “Manager Hong, what percentage of the profit did Chu Xiu give you?”

After Manager Hong had been led away and Yining closed the door upon returning, she saw the Eldest Young Miss standing with her back to the door, an aura of coldness emanating from her. Yining cautiously approached and waited for a while. Seeing no sign the Eldest Young Miss would speak, anxiety gnawed at her. She had no choice but to risk admonishment and plead: “Eldest Young Miss, what the Eldest Young Master did was despicable. When we return to the Capital City, it’ll be easy whether you want to report him to the authorities or petition the Clan Chief. But you… please don’t make yourself sick with anger.”

Chu Mingxi looked out the window at the desolate courtyard, her expression mirroring the austere winter day. “Why would I report him to the authorities? This Imperial Medicine Hall doesn’t belong to me alone. They all wish for the Imperial Medicine Hall to collapse. If it collapses, there won’t be so much trouble.” She let out a cold snort, finally revealing a trace of anger. “Today, they used dog bone to replace Tiger Bone. Fortunately, dog bone has at least some minor effect, so no lives were lost. If the Imperial Medicine Hall doesn’t fall, who knows if tomorrow they’ll substitute Licorice Root with arsenic.”

“Eldest Young Miss!” Yining immediately knelt down.

Chu Mingxi took a deep breath, calming her emotions somewhat, though her voice remained cold. “You haven’t done anything wrong. Why are you kneeling for them?”

“I… I’m not kneeling for them. I’m kneeling for myself,” Yining said, her head drooping, her voice mournful. “Failing to take good care of you, that is my fault as your maid.”

From some passageway or another, the faint sound of a wooden watchman’s clapper echoed. Yining silently counted the strikes. It was already past the hour of the Monkey (3-5 PM). The Eldest Young Miss had only drunk half a cup of tea since morning!

But the Eldest Young Miss was clearly still fuming. No matter how anxious Yining was, she dared not overstep her bounds. Just as Yining was fretting, not knowing what to do, a knock came at the study door.

“Sister. Are you in there?” It was the Second Young Miss’s voice.

Yining’s heart leaped with joy. She quickly looked up at her mistress.

The voice from outside paused for a moment, then sounded again moments later, this time in a coquettish tone. “Sister, please open the door, won’t you? My hands are tired.”

Chu Mingxi sighed helplessly. “Go open the door.”

As if granted amnesty, Yining scrambled up. Her legs were a little numb, but she didn’t dare rush too hastily. With difficulty, she opened the door. Sure enough, the Second Young Miss stood outside, holding a food container, and winked at her.

Inside the container was nothing more than the usual snacks and food. Chu Mingxi could guess without looking and had absolutely no appetite. Chu Mingyu shot Yining a meaningful look. Yining glanced worriedly at the Eldest Young Miss but finally nodded and obediently withdrew.

The desk in the study was large. Although she might not necessarily be doing calligraphy, the four treasures of the study were essential. Chu Mingyu walked over to the large desk, set the food container on it without opening it, and sat down, propping her cheek on one hand. Blinking her big, luminous eyes, she asked slyly, “Sister, what about what you said earlier? Why don’t you keep your word?”

Chu Mingxi thought back for a moment and immediately understood. She truly had no heart to eat right now. Since her sister was asking about the Imperial Medicine Hall matter, she might as well tell her about it.

As Chu Mingyu listened, her brows furrowed into little knots. Growing increasingly angry, she burst out cursing: “That old scoundrel actually wants to take the fall for Chu Xiu??”

Chu Mingxi swept a glance at her. She huffed, furious. “It’s obvious. This is already so clear. What benefits did our elder cousin promise him that he’s so eager to fill the hole himself?”

Chu Mingxi said, “Chu Xiu promised him thirty percent of the profit. The problem now is that Manager Hong says it was a cash-on-delivery deal, and the person who delivered the goods left no receipt or voucher whatsoever. I’ve had people look carefully. Those chests indeed have no markings. If Chu Xiu denies everything, we indeed have no way to pin it on him.” Her voice paused, then took on a sardonic tone. “Do you think Chu Xiu will admit it?”

Chu Mingyu sneered. “He dared to accept goods like that. He must be blinded by greed.”

The two sisters sat sulking in the study for a while. Chu Mingyu suddenly said, “That old scoundrel…” Her sister glared at her again, so she was forced to correct herself. “This Manager Hong, how should we handle him?”

“Naturally, report him to the authorities.”

“Report him to the authorities??” Chu Mingyu’s eyes widened in surprise. Seeing her sister remain imperturbable, she paused and then asked, “Reporting something like this to the authorities, won’t it affect our Imperial Medicine Hall?”

“It will,” Chu Mingxi answered frankly.

Chu Mingyu was even more confused now. Tilting her head, utterly baffled, she asked, “Th-then… why do you still…”

“If we don’t report it, how can we warn others against doing the same?” Chu Mingxi said calmly. “The Imperial Medicine Hall has several hundred people under it. How many eyes are watching? Not to mention the eyes of the entire city. If selling fake medicine doesn’t even constitute a crime, what integrity can our Imperial Medicine Hall rely on in the future?”

Chu Mingyu opened her mouth and, after a long moment, managed, “Then… what about eldest brother…”

Chu Mingxi turned her face away and gazed at the cold, desolate scenery outside the window again, a sense of loneliness in her heart.

Watching this, Chu Mingyu felt a pang in her heart. Her gaze shifted and landed on the food container. Ah, the food was getting cold!

“Sister…” She lifted the lid and called out.

Chu Mingxi didn’t turn her head. “I’ll eat later.”

Chu Mingyu bit her lip. Suddenly, recalling a tactic from their time in Peaceful Ease Prefecture, she decided to try the old trick again. “But sister, you didn’t eat properly this morning, and now you’re not eating again. Are you trying to starve yourself so your husband will feel sorry for you?”

Hearing her mention Wei Qingchen, Chu Mingxi’s heart stirred slightly. This separation, worlds apart, felt as if she hadn’t seen her for an eternity.

Chu Mingyu craned her neck to look at her. Seeing the cold, hard look on her sister’s face finally soften a little, she deliberately added, “Last time, when my brother-in-law came back just a little late and saw you hadn’t eaten, he was as anxious as if his eyebrows were on fire. It’s now past the hour of the Monkey, and you haven’t even had lunch. If you starve yourself sick, the Heir’s Consort of the Jingyuan Marquis Mansion, what will happen if the Heir comes looking to settle accounts with our Chu Family?”

Chu Mingxi shot her a sideways glare. Seizing the moment, Chu Mingyu placed a bowl of White Ginkgo and Old Duck Soup in front of her sister, putting on a deliberately cheeky air. “Here, Heir’s Consort, please do me the honor of drinking this bowl of soup.”

How could Chu Mingxi not know her intentions? She obediently accepted the spoon and stirred it lightly in the soup bowl, but countered, “No fear. If he really comes to the Chu Family to settle accounts, you’ll already be married into the Marquis Mansion by then. Right, Third Young Madam?”

Her utterly serious tone made Chu Mingyu freeze for a second before she reacted. She immediately threw down her chopsticks and lunged to pinch her sister’s cheek.

Chu Mingxi caught her hands and pressed her back into the chair, finally revealing the hint of a smile.

Chu Mingyu huffily drank half a bowl of soup, the warmth settling her stomach. Chatting idly, she said, “Speaking of which, brother-in-law and the others have been gone for quite a while now. Where do you think they’ve reached by now?”

Chu Mingxi was chewing a ginkgo nut delicately, her lips pursed. After swallowing, she smoothed her brow and said thoughtfully, “Yes, indeed. I wonder where he is at this very moment.”