“Cough, cough, cough…” As she spoke, Shen Qingluo suddenly began coughing, her little face turning pale. Madam Bai quickly poured a cup of water and helped her drink.
The itch in her throat eased, but the chill soaking her body surged again. Even with charcoal burning in the brazier, Shen Qingluo shivered.
Nanny Bai called urgently to Douzi: “Fetch the young lady’s white fox fur from the rack.”
Douzi froze for a moment, then dashed off to bring it. He draped the fur over Shen Qingluo’s shoulders. Her frame was so thin she looked like a paper figure standing in the wind—one gust could blow her away.
“You’re always mocking me as a little bean sprout. I think you’re the real flat bean.”
That white fox fur had been made from a fox Steward Li’s son hunted in the mountains. Shen Qingluo feared the cold, and the fur kept her safe through Jiangnan’s damp winters.
Hearing Douzi’s awkward but caring words, Shen Qingluo smiled: “Have you ever seen such a pretty flat bean?”
Douzi turned his face aside. “No one calls themselves pretty.”
He was already at the age to know beauty. Chun Niang, who sold tofu on the east side of town, had skin like cream—people called her the “Tofu Beauty.” She was lovely. Steward Li’s youngest daughter had eyes like a deer—she was lovely too.
Douzi glanced back at Shen Qingluo. She was still smiling, with black hair, red lips, and curved brows. He silently compared them, unwilling to admit she was lovelier than the other two. That was something he must never say aloud. Shen Qingluo would grow smug.
Nanny Bai looked at her with worry. “It’s only a chill, yet why does it linger so long?” She added, “Perhaps we should call for a doctor?”
Shen Qingluo agreed.
Nanny Bai did not know: this chill would claim her life—only to return her ten years later.
The doctor arrived quickly, took her pulse, and prescribed medicine. “By rights, the young lady should not be ill for so long. May I see the prescriptions she has already taken?”
Nanny Bai brought out the prescription. “Our young lady’s illness has always been treated by Doctor Chen of Baohe Hall.”
Doctor Chen was the finest physician in Shanyang County. The man before them, Doctor Wang, was second best.
He examined the prescription and said, “There is nothing wrong with the formula.” Then added, “Perhaps the young lady simply neglects her health.”
Doctor Wang gave careful instructions before taking his leave.
The medicine was prepared and decocted. Nanny Bai carried the bowl to Shen Qingluo, then placed candied fruits on the table, speaking gently:
“Miss, drink it quickly.”
Shen Qingluo drained the bowl in one go, then popped a candied fruit into her mouth—the sweetness covering the bitterness. This was a habit she had only formed after her grandmother took her back.
At the Marquis’s household, the Marchioness never cared for her. The servants treated her harshly. When she was ill, she swallowed bitter medicine alone, with no one to ask after her. She often envied Shen Qingyi. When Shen Qingyi was sick, the Marchioness would cradle her in her arms, pat her back softly, and tell her stories.
The Marchioness, born in Jiangnan, called Shen Qingyi “Nannan.”
But when it came to Shen Qingluo, it was only the faint, indifferent “Ah Luo.”
Pitiful and laughable—Shen Qingluo had never imagined parents could be so partial.
Seeing her spirits sink, Nanny Bai wiped her hands on her clothes, then stroked Shen Qingluo’s head. “Miss, don’t be sad. If the old madam’s spirit in heaven sees you grieving, she will be heartbroken.”
“Mm…” Shen Qingluo swallowed back her sobs and nestled into Nanny Bai’s arms. “I’m not sad. They’re not worthy.”
By evening, the old residence was lit with lamps. Suxin and Suyue had set the table—six dishes and one soup, all Shen Qingluo’s favorites. Beside the dishes lay a single pill. Since she had caught a chill, the doctor said her body was too frail and needed nourishment. When Grandmother heard, she brought out the *Ginseng Nourishing Pills* she herself had taken for over a decade.
Nanny Bai handed the thumb-sized, pitch-black pill to Shen Qingluo.
“Miss, take this first before you eat?”
The pill carried a strong medicinal fragrance, tinged with bitterness. Shen Qingluo was about to put it in her mouth, but suddenly paused, her gaze deepening. “Nanny Bai, go and invite Doctor Chen here.”
Nanny Bai did not understand, but she was used to obeying Shen Qingluo’s orders. She went at once.
Doctor Chen arrived, treading through the snow. Behind him trailed a young girl, her hair in twin buns, no more than thirteen or fourteen, with large eyes that darted about.
“This is my youngest daughter,” Doctor Chen explained, his tone indulgent. “She’s mischievous and always insists on following me on visits.”
Shen Qingluo nodded, unconcerned.
She dismissed the servants, leaving only Nanny Bai. Then she held out the *Ginseng Nourishing Pill* to Doctor Chen. “You have been Grandmother’s physician for more than ten years. I trust you. Please examine this pill carefully—tell me if there is anything wrong with it.”
Her question was solemn. Doctor Chen’s expression grew grave. “Rest assured, Miss.” He examined it closely. His young daughter, imitating her father, picked up a tiny bit with her fingertip and brought it to her nose. She confirmed firmly: “The pill is mixed with cinnabar.”
Shen Qingluo did not understand medicine, so she asked: “Is it harmful to the body?”
“Of course it is,” the girl blinked. “Cinnabar hidden in a pill is a slow poison—it can kill. And it cannot be diagnosed.”
“How could this be…” Nanny Bai turned to Shen Qingluo. Her face was like frost, eyes fixed on Doctor Chen, seeking confirmation.
Doctor Chen nodded. “The little one is right.”
Shen Qingluo’s heart plunged straight into the abyss, as if she were standing outside in a raging winter wind, her whole body chilled. Her suspicion was correct. Her grandmother had been murdered!
She did not even notice when Doctor Chen left. Only when Nanny Bai returned, her voice trembling, did she hear: “This… this *Ginseng Nourishing Pill* was sent from the Marquis’s household.”
In the hushed room, Nanny Bai choked back tears: “The Old Madam may resent the Marquis’s household, yet when the Marquis sent over those Ginseng Nourishing Pills, though she said nothing, this old servant could see—she was truly happy. Flesh of her own flesh, though she could not see him daily, every bit of filial piety from the Marquis she cherished deeply.”*
“Yes,” Shen Qingluo spat each word, her voice laced with hatred, “how could Grandmother have imagined that the Marquis’s residence was full of wolves and tigers, bent only on her life?”
In her past life, she had already harbored doubts. Grandmother’s health had always been sound; even with minor ailments, she was never so frail as to be bedridden. How was it that in a single winter her body declined so sharply, until death claimed her?
The thought struck her just as she was about to swallow one of those pills. Uneasy, she tested it.
The Marquis’s household had begun sending the Ginseng Nourishing Pills three years ago, and Grandmother had taken them daily. The timing was calculated: three years ago she was thirteen, old enough to begin managing affairs. With the slow poison accumulating in her organs, she would be just grown when Grandmother entrusted her with the ancestral estates and shops. And at that moment, once the Marquis’s people came to fetch her back, with Nanny Wang’s constant whispering in her ear, she would feel indebted to the Marquis’s household and willingly hand over everything, just as she had in her previous life.
But in that life, she had never imagined the Marquis’s household would not even wait for Grandmother’s natural passing. Faces flickered before her eyes—who was it? Her father? Her mother? Or perhaps Madam Wei, who had usurped the place of mistress?
“The Marquis’s household is crowded with many hands; a single pill passes through countless fingers. Miss, don’t torment yourself with suspicion.”
Nanny Bai was urging her not to rashly doubt her own parents—after all, they were Grandmother’s son and daughter-in-law. Could human hearts truly be so vicious?
Shen Qingluo repeated this to herself. No matter who it was, she would never let them go.