31. A complicating factor
Rushuang hurried back to the large pavilion the following morning. Su and Yunchuan looked up from the work they were doing. Yunchuan was telling Su about the different ladies at court, the princess consort Qi was expected to spend the majority of her time in Beirong at social engagements with the different ladies of the court. It wasn't something Su was looking forward to, as she still felt slightly anxious at these social engagements. "We've got to talk." Rushuang said, sitting down. Fei Yuan had followed her. The men were busy somewhere else. "Fei Yuan, could you get brother Pei, Shuomo and Xie, they'll want to hear this as well." Fei Yuan hurried to fulfill Su's order.
"What did you find?" Su asked, not waiting for Fei Yuan to return.
"The minister was poisoned with the rare poison that was stolen from Xunan's poison garden. And I did identify one of the substances found in the supervisors office as that poison." This last comment was picked up by Shuomo who led the other men to the pavilion and he commented: "So it was the supervisor who poisoned the minister." Rushuang shook her head: "It can't have been the supervisor."
"Why not?" Su asked.
"Because he most likely had dipped the spikes in the poison and scratched the minister with it. This poison does not work that fast especially not if it is introduced in small quantities through a scratch. That is what had been bothering me from the start: There aren't a lot of poisons that will work so quickly. Remember: after he went to the market he went home directly and had died within a short amount of time. This particular poison is most effective when ingested. It requires only a small amount, which would make it difficult to taste. After someone eats some it will generally take up to six hours for that persons to die. Which would put the actual poisoning…" Rushuang looked at her friends.
"At the imperial palace." Yunchuan sighed, looking at her brother. Shuomo remained silent, thinking about the implications and running through staff and people at the palace. Then he turned to Rushuang: "Are you sure, lady Xie?" he asked, holding her gaze. Rushuang solemnly nodded: "The symptoms that were reported match this poison. There are others, but they would have resulted in a quicker death or needed such a large dose to be effective that it is highly unlikely the minister wouldn't have noticed something strange about his drink or food."
"This complicates the matters." Shuomo stated. The others knew this was putting it mildly. If someone in the palace was willing and able to murder someone in the palace without anyone noticing it, it put the entire royal family at risk. After all it had happened in Liang eight years ago, when Prince Yun murdered his own brother the then emperor of Liang. "So it's something he ate or drank? We could find out what was served that day." Yunchuan suggested.
"But by this time you won't find any poison. As the emperor didn't fall ill we can be sure only the food or drink of the minister was poisoned. The perpetrators will have disposed of the food or drink immediately after the minister left." Su told Yunchuan. "The best place to start is with the staff, the maids and cooks. They had the best opportunity to put the poison in the food or drink." She continued. "from there we have to figure out who ordered the poisoning…It's just…I'm not sure we can be of any more help. Especially not from tomorrow on, we can't put on a disguise because unknown persons, even unknown maids or guards won't be allowed in to the palace." Su said, looking at Pei, who nodded.
"You're right, we'll have to think of a different way to get the required information." Shuomo acknowledged.
"Is there anything we could do t get some more facts. We can't really prove anything, can we?" Xie commented. Rushuang told the others that with the required dosage a person might think the food or drink was slightly bitter. "So we could go back to the wife of the minister and aske her if her husband said anything about the food at the palace. That way we would have a bit more corroboration. But it is a long shot." Su sighed: "I just don't see when we could go back to her. I've just gone through the social gatherings I have to attend. It leaves no room to go out on my own. Let alone with Pei."
"I could do it." Yunchuan suggest, at which everyone looked at her. "You could tell me what I need to ask and I can go even today. After you leave I have no other engagements to attend to." It was clear Shuomo didn't like the suggestion and Yunchuan saw it. "It's not dangerous, his wife certainly won't attack me. I'll just go to see how she is feeling and talk about what happened that day."
"It isn't a bad idea." Su admitted hesitantly.
"Only if Zihou accompanies you." Shuomo ordered. Su could see Yunchuan loved being included and doing something in this investigation. And so it was decided. The ladies retired to freshen up for the midday meal, after they'd shared the meal Yan, Su, Rushuang, Xie Beiming and Fei Yuan would leave for the inn.
"The wife of the trade minister said her husband had told her the tea was bitter. He had already written a letter asking the palace to check the tea. He was worried because the tea came from Liang. But he didn't send the note, because he died. She gave me the letter." Yunchuan gave the letter to Su. Su, Rushuang and Yunchuan sat together in one of the many pavilions of the imperial palace. Earlier that day Su, Yan, Rushuang and Xie had been welcomed by the emperor. This had been done in front of the court and the princes and princesses of Beirong. This meeting between Su, Rushuang and Yunchuan was one of the many social gathering Su, and in some cases Rushuang, were expected to make. This was one of the few where the number of people didn't exceed three. The men were elsewhere being occupied. As with her own schedule, Yan's was also very full, with military matters, trade discussions and talks about all the other aspects of running an empire. During the daytime there would not be much time for Yan and Su to meet, only a very few social gatherings required them both to attend. Luckily they would spend the dinners together. Shuomo had managed to arrange two dinners at his mansion, the others would be held in the palace, starting wit a grand reception and dinner that night, where the honors would be bestowed on Su and Rushuang. Brother Xie and Zihou had no engagements at the palace, though Su knew from Rushuang that brother Xie was going to look into some business propositions for Feiyun Manor and Zihou was going to discuss palace guards with the captain of the guard in Beirong. But for the rest they were free to come and go.
Su and Rushuang read the letter Yunchuan had given them. "You've done very well Yunchuan." Su complimented her. "Who could discreetly ask if there is any problem with this tea?"
"Actually, I think that would be Little Yue." Yunchuan said, both Su and Rushuang looked at her surprised. "Little Yue has proved before that she can talk and listen carefully with other maids. She has to be here more often because I have to be here as well. And her older sister is a maid to my mother." Su nodded, seeing the sense in this proposal.
"Little Yue?" Yunchuan asked her to step closer.
"Yes, your highness." The young girl curtsied.
"Could you try and find out if there was a problem with the Liang tea recently or a few weeks ago?"
"Yes, your highness. Your highness, my sister told me that a few maids fell ill a few weeks ago. Are you trying to find out what happened to them?" This information was new to the three ladies.
"Did the maids recover?" Yunchuan asked.
"Oh yes, they did. But it was a mystery how such a large group of maids could all fall ill at the same time. The doctor said they had all had the some disease. He believed something they drank or ate something that had gone bad. The maids shared the same sleeping hal. But it did cause a problem a shortage of maids, so maids from other places in the palace had to cover the sick maids. The even loaned maids from outside the palace to help. My sister said they came from manors close the emperor. My sister had to stay with the empress as she is one of the personal maids of the empress. I'll ask my sister if there was something wrong with the tea. Maybe the maids drank it and fell ill."
"That could well be the case." Su acknowledged.
"When I've spoken to my sister I'll tell you." Little Yue curtsied and stepped back.
"Shall we walk? I've sat for long enough." Rushuang suggested, Su and Yunchuan followed her example and stood. The path was wide enough to let the ladies walk besides each other. "Sister Su, the tea can't have poisoned the maids. If it was a tea drank by the emperor the maids surely wouldn't been allowed to drink it." Rushuang said quietly, making sure they weren't overheard.
"You're right." Yunchuan confirmed Rushuang's guess.
"I know, but for her safety and as cover it's best if Little Yue thinks we're looking into the case of the sick maids. It would be good if Rushuang could talk to one of the maids and the physician." Su said. Rushuang nodded.
"Leave that to sister Rushuang and me." Yunchuan suggested.
"Alright." Su sighed.
"Why the sigh? Are you tired? I can ask Little Yue escort you back to the inn where you are staying." Yunchuan said, slightly worried.
"it's not that, we simply don't have much time left to find out the truth of what has happened. These maids could be a complicating factor and Yan and I really do have to return to Liang after this week."
"As do Xie and I. I need to get back to my patients and Feiyun manor business requires Xie to be in the capital more." Rushuang added.
"We'll see what Little Yue can find and take it from there. I think it's time for us to retire to the inn and get ready for the banquet tonight." Su said, the others nodded and they made their way to the gate of the palace.
Three days later Prince Qi's carriage and the Feiyun carriage halted at the mansion of Prince Shuomo. As this was a personal visit to dine together there were no official s or other courtiers present and Su sighed a sigh of relief once inside. Yan looked at her with a smile: "Enjoy this evening, my dear." At night, when they were laying in each other's arms, Yan and Su had told each other about their days. And it hadn't escaped Yan's notice that SU was much more interested in the discussions and conversations he'd had. She didn't seem to care for the conversations the women had when they met, which wasn't surprising to Yan. Su knew how to behave and converse in those situations, but she had never had much interest in cooking or clothing or jewelry. She knew others would find this odd or maybe even disqualifying, she'd even warned him about her lack of womanly attributes that would make her a good wife. Even though she was okay with this, it did sometimes make her feel unsure especially in these conversations and social gatherings. Su had told him last night she found the social gatherings she had to attend very tiresome and tiring. They took a lot of energy. So he was glad this evening would allow Su to be herself and relax. When they sat down for dinner Yan pulled Su a bit closer to him.
"Sister Su, little Yue told me that there was no problem with the tea from Liang." Yunchuan began halfway through dinner.
"Yunchuan and I spoke with some of the maids and the physician. Their symptoms don't match the ministers. The doctor believed the water had been contaminated, that's how the entire hall fell ill." Rushuang added.
"And because a lot of maids fell ill, other maids had to be brought in from outside the palace?" Xie asked.
"Yes, I asked the empress about it and she said it had been necessary to borrow maids from other families. I think we could find a list of all the maids that were working that day." Yunchuan looked at her brother.
"But how are we going to make sure no one questions why we want to know all this?" Shuomo looked at Yan and Su. "Sister Su, what do you think happened?"
"I think the minister was poisoned at the palace. It is most likely that the poison was in the tea, since he noticed an unusual bitter taste, for which his letter could stand as proof. Rushuang has identified the poison, we know someone obtained it out of the poison garden. Before his death the thief would have had enough time to pass the poison on. Whether or not the altercation with the markets supervisor was a planned attack to obscure the real cause of death or was unrelated to the first attack on the minister is unsure. I think it was very likely a part of the plan, otherwise the palace would have been implicated directly. It is also likely that the contamination of the water of the maids hall was part of the plan. A large number of maids unable to do their duties, would allow the person behind this to ensure the poison was added to the tea by someone that had been sent specifically. Convincing, bribing or blackmailing a maid to add an unknown substance in the teas would be a possibility as well. In that case it would have to be someone very close to the emperor."
"What option would you say is most likely?" Shuomo asked.
"Contaminating the water to be able to place a maid who will do your bidding gives the best possibility to ensure it really get's done. But how could they be sure the maid would wait on the minister?" Yan contemplated. Yunchuan interjected: "The maids that fell ill all serve guests in the palace. But I also know only maids employed by the palace are allowed to serve guests. That's why several maids of the empress were asked to do the serving, the duties by these maids would be take over by maids from outside the palace."
"The person behind all this, must have known this. And it makes it more likely that the contamination was part of the plan." Su said. Shuomo thought about all he had heard and seen and came to a decision: "Alright, we're going to talk to the emperor tomorrow and explain this. We'll see where we go from there. I'll makes sure you get a summons from the emperor to excuse you from you engagements." Shuomo said to both Su and Yunchuan. "Sister Rushuang and Yunchuan will also join us." Everyone was silent for a few moments and then Xie spoke up: "There is one thing I don't understand: Why did they kill the minister?"
"To weaken the trade agreement between Beirong and Liang. This minister worked very hard to make sure the agreement was upheld. It isn't at all sure the next will do as well, especially with all the reports we've been getting on the transgressions. And with the mark of Xuan appearing in Liang, that is very troubling." Yan explained.
"Because Liang could take the mark of the Ghost Army as a provocation from Beirong, because the mark has a Beirongian root." Xie nodded.
"Precisely." Shuomo answered.
"We've got to figure out who is behind all this, or this may very well turn in the war they want." Yan concluded, looking at Shuomo, who gave a terse nod.