Too high to reach

Chapter 285 Something is fishy
"There is indeed something strange about this," Madam Xu said.

"When Wenwen reacted, it was still before dawn. We called a doctor we knew well and a doctor from a nearby pharmacy. After examining her, they only said that she wasn't doing well."

Later, doctors from the Imperial Medical Academy and Imperial Physician Huang arrived, but the pregnancy could not be saved. As for the cause… the other doctors couldn't quite figure it out. Only Imperial Physician Huang said it was possible that some kind of peculiar medicine had been used. Before becoming an imperial physician, he had encountered several similar patients.

Grandma Xu chimed in, "But that's strange. Wenwen rarely leaves the house, but she went to my sister's house yesterday. How did she manage to ingest the medicine?"

Mo Yi listened silently.

“There’s something else…” Madam Xu frowned. “Jinfang was Xu Ke’s maid. Yesterday, the doorman said her sister-in-law was looking for her. So she went out and never came back. This morning, someone went to her house. They found her and her sister-in-law hanging themselves inside.”

"What?!" Mo Yi exclaimed incredulously. "She did it?"

The old lady shook her head: "This girl was quite well-behaved when she was with me. Later, she went to Xu Ke's room. Xu Ke wasn't married, and she got used to being comfortable in that courtyard, so she became a bit arrogant. But that was limited to just showing a bad face or getting angry over trivial matters. She probably wouldn't dare to poison someone."

Madam Xu agreed: "Doing this will do her no good. What's the point of harming someone and then committing suicide? She has no worries about food and clothing. Your sister has never made things difficult for her. Among the concubines, she has had a relatively good life."

Jealousy, perhaps, is possible. But deep-seated hatred is out of the question. Besides, she has no access to Wenwen's food, clothing, or other necessities... so how could she possibly succeed?

"Furthermore..." Madam Xu said while thinking, "Those doctors are all quite outstanding. If they couldn't find the cause, the medicine must be extremely difficult to find. Jin Fang and her sister-in-law not only don't have the connections to buy it, but the price is also beyond their means."

Mo Yi thought quickly, and finally asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Grandma, perhaps I shouldn't ask this. But... do you think there might be some trouble with your great-aunt?"

The old woman shook her head vigorously: "That's impossible! We've been sisters for decades. Her children and grandchildren are successful, and her life is no worse than mine. How could anyone do such a thing?"

"...What I mean is: back then, my brother-in-law could be considered a young talent in the capital. Could it be that some of his aunts, cousins, or other female relatives had long admired him and were therefore jealous of my sister?"

"You see, since it's said to be caused by drugs, then someone must have done it. Rather than Jinfang, I'm more inclined to believe it was someone else. And someone quite cold-blooded and powerful. They succeeded at the banquet, before you even got home, and here they called Jinfang out. Then, they murdered her and framed her."

The two Mrs. Xus exchanged a glance; they hadn't really thought about this.

But it can't be said to be completely nonsensical!

"Now, one thing is to have the old lady over there investigate whether there was anything wrong with the person who poured water and served food to my sister. The other is to find out if Jinfang's sister-in-law has been acting strangely lately."

After Mo Yi pointed it out, the old lady became a little restless. "This is no small matter. I'll go and ask about it myself."

"Let me accompany you," Madam Xu said, standing up as well.

The three people had just come out of the house.

The maid outside the door replied, "Madam Mo from the Crown Prince's residence has arrived."

Mo Yi frowned. Mo Yuan? What's she doing here?

On a sudden thought, she thought, "I'll go check on my sister's room again."

"Please go ahead. Your Highness, rest assured, my sister is of upright character and reasonable. If it was truly done by a family member, she will not cover it up. She will definitely give an explanation!"

“It’s really a bit embarrassing to have you ask the old lady about this…” Mo Yi said gently. “However, this is no small matter. If there’s such a ruthless person in the family, life wouldn’t be easy. If the investigation results are unrelated to your sister’s family, Mo Yi will personally apologize to the old lady when the opportunity arises.”

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? I would have investigated this matter thoroughly even without you saying so."

Mo Yi returned to Mo Wen Academy.

Wang's face was sullen, clearly displeased with Mo Yuan's arrival.

"Yiyi, what did the Xu family say?"

“Mother, the matter hasn’t been investigated yet, so you and sister-in-law should go back first. I left in a hurry and didn’t bring anything with me. I’ll send someone to deliver some tonics to my sister later. When you get back, talk to Father properly and don’t let him worry.”

Wang hesitated and refused to leave, but Zhou came over and whispered to persuade her, and she finally left reluctantly.

Mo Yi entered the room, where Mo Yuan was speaking softly.

Upon seeing Mo Yi return, Mo Wen quickly asked, "How did it go?" She was so anxious that she didn't even bother to hide it from Mo Yuan.

"Why are you here?" Mo Yi asked Mo Yuan.

“When I got home, I heard about this and came to see you right away. Yi Yi, we are sisters after all. Although we sometimes argue and have disagreements, I genuinely care about you both.”

Mo Yi didn't want to say it to her face.

But Mo Wen could tell something was wrong just by looking at her expression, and she became even more anxious. "Yi Yi, tell me quickly!"

Mo Yi sat down and said in a low voice, "Among the doctors who came, some noticed something strange. They said... my sister might have been drugged."

"...Is that really true?" Mo Wen was dumbfounded.

She couldn't understand it at all. "Was it Jinfang who put it there? That shouldn't be possible... She can't even get in touch with my food. She hardly ever goes into my room. I've never eaten anything that smelled strange..." Mo Yuan blinked, and suddenly, she remembered the information Zhang Debao had gathered.

"Where is Jinfang?! Bring her here for questioning!" Mowen exclaimed excitedly.

“She’s dead…” Moy said.

Everyone fell silent... How could these girls from humble backgrounds have imagined a conspiracy involving human lives?
Even Mo Yuan realized that the two slaps she received were nothing compared to what she had done.

"But... what did she want? She harmed me, and then tried to kill herself? I never humiliated her!" Mo Wen's face was contorted with hatred.

Mo Yuan, however, was somewhat skeptical. "Can you be sure it's her? This doesn't make sense..."

"It's not certain yet. I don't think so... Sister, what did you eat and drink at your great-aunt's house?"

"Huh?" Mo Wen was even more stunned. She was just pregnant, how did it become so complicated?

"...I started with a glass of water. Later, the maid brought me a glass of honey water...I ate the same dishes and snacks as everyone else...and nothing tasted strange. Especially at my great-aunt's house, who would do that?"

Mo Yuan suddenly whispered, "I know something..."

The two men turned to look at her.

“A few days ago…” Mo Yuan’s eyes reddened as she recalled being beaten and almost crippled.

"Consort Zhang in the manor bullied me and almost scratched my face. The Crown Princess helped me out and punished her."

I was resentful, so I sent someone to inquire about her weaknesses. The reply came back saying that her younger brother was contacting a mysterious figure. That person possessed various colorless and odorless medicines. The Crown Princess was newly pregnant, and Consort Zhang wanted to obtain medicine to cause her to miscarry.

The sisters were dumbfounded.

Mo Yuan quickly explained, "Oh, this is just something I investigated and guessed myself. I have no evidence, so please don't spread rumors!"

“But what does this have to do with my sister?” Mo Yi asked.

"I didn't say there was a connection. I just said that if you have this colorless and odorless medicine, you can just put it in water, drink it, and that'll be the end of it. If it tastes bland, you can add some honey to mask it."

"Even if such a medicine existed, Consort Zhang's brother went to seek it because he didn't want the Crown Princess to give birth to a legitimate son. He had ulterior motives! But what was my sister's purpose in causing her miscarriage?"

Mo Wen said excitedly, "Could it be Jin Fang? Did she take advantage of the maid's inattention?"

"Impossible!" Mo Yuan disagreed. "That medicine isn't sold in shops. I heard the process of obtaining it was very mysterious, and no one knows who the seller is. Moreover, the price is extremely high! Even a concubine probably couldn't find someone to buy it."

The three of them discussed it for a long time, but couldn't come to a conclusion.

Seeing that Mo Wen was both agitated and heartbroken, he was already very tired.

"Sister, please rest well first. I'll come again when I have news from Madam Xu!"

Mowen nodded and lay down.

Mo Yi and Mo Yuan left the courtyard and walked out.

"Yiyi, we're already like this, so please don't be angry with me anymore," Mo Yuan said pitifully, her eyes red.

Mo Yi sighed, and after checking that no one was around, she said, "You've only been in the manor for a few days, and you were almost harmed? Do you know how serious this is? Xu Ke isn't the eldest son, and he doesn't have much power. Your sister still has to go through this. Think about yourself... you still have decades ahead of you, how are you going to get through them?"

"Now I understand. I'll be more careful from now on."

"You've decided to release the medicine. What's the next step? It involves the imperial heir, so it's no small matter. If things go wrong, not only will you be finished, but you'll also drag your family down with you."

Mo Yuan said firmly, "No matter what, the Crown Princess saved me. I want to use my sister's matter to remind her. As for how to prevent it and how to catch the person, I can't control that; it's up to her own abilities."

After walking for a while, Mo Yi asked, "You asked Zhang Debao to find out, right?"

"Yes."

"We need to think about what to say. We can't drag him back into this. Not only will it cause him trouble, but if your affair gets out, both of you will be ruined!"

"understood."

Mo Yi shook his head, got into the car, and drove away.

Watching her car drive away, Mo Yuan felt a heavy weight in her heart...

How could such a perfectly good life change so suddenly?