Chapter 22: The Taste

Watching her son struggle to speak and listening to his account, the Lady of the Marquisate felt words of concern instinctively rising to her lips. It was only the last vestige of her reason that held her back, allowing her to regain a stern expression.

Zhao Xianzhi continued, "I was about to eat when I noticed the smell was off. I hadn't even taken a bite before the poison took effect."

Seeing her son deflect and refuse to admit the truth, the Lady assumed he was merely spinning another web of sweet words to bewilder her. Time and time again—did he truly think she was a fool? She huffed, "Then was that look of terror on your face earlier also a lie?"

She watched as her son lifted his eyes to meet hers and countered, "What did I say to you yesterday, Mother?"

The Lady could not help but recall his words. At the time, her son had spoken with a hint of resentment: "Mother, just wait and see. If my sister doesn't succeed this time, there will surely be a next. If there is a next time, then you may believe me."

That was why she had been so angry; she believed he had poisoned himself to frame Meng Zhenyue and clear his own name, all while manipulating her trust to lead her in circles.

But then, her son’s tone shifted, and with no hint of guilt, he said, "This is a different kind of poison. It was bound to make Father misunderstand my sister, and that was why... that was why I was afraid."

The expression on the Lady's face changed. All her anger seemed to be washed away in that instant. Was it... truly like that? Was that the reality? Yes, of course. Her son was confined to the Buddhist prayer hall; he did not know that she had kept this matter hidden. Perhaps she would not believe this from anyone else, but Zhao Xianzhi was her son. In her heart, she dared not believe that her own son was a devious schemer. He had always been a brother who cared for his sister, and so, she believed him.

The anger on the Lady's face faded, though a flicker of residual resentment remained, born of maternal pride. Just as she was about to question him further, she saw her son struggle to sit up, looking at her with pained eyes as he demanded, "Mother! You have watched me grow since I was a child. I may have had my faults, but are you truly unwilling to believe that I can repent and turn over a new leaf?"

"Why is it that when others put down the butcher's knife, they are seen as becoming Buddhas, yet when I, who have only been momentarily confused, am branded a villain, all the good I have done in the past is dismissed as a lie?"

The Lady watched her son, stunned for a moment. Her heart softened completely, and she wept, reaching out to embrace him. But Zhao Xianzhi pulled away, saying coldly, "Mother, you need not take my word for it now. I will prove it to you with my actions." With that, he bowed to see her out.

The Lady tried to approach him several times, but Zhao Xianzhi avoided her. She had no choice but to speak a few words and leave, looking back at every step. It seemed this matter was indeed Meng Zhenyue’s attempt to harm her son, which had coincidentally overlapped with the poison from the Xiao family! She had to go tell the Marquis and have him handle it personally.

After the Lady left, Zhao Xianzhi sat on the bed like a cornered beast, his eyes brimming with such murderous intent that no one dared to meet his gaze.

"Oleander! Investigate this!"

"Break the arms of everyone involved!"

He and Beilie had spared no effort, even harming themselves to set this trap, and yet, what was the result? He had to expend immense effort just to maintain his lie before his mother. Trust was a fragile thing; it vanished after only a few attempts. Not only had he failed to sow discord between Meng Zhenyue and Zhao Zhizhi, he had actually brought them closer together! Furthermore, he hadn't even been able to step foot outside the prayer hall.

The only thing he had gained was a reputation for being unfailingly trusting and magnanimous toward his sister. But did he need such a reputation? And did Meng Zhenyue even believe it?

Exhausted by the mental strain, Zhao Xianzhi collapsed back onto the couch. Even in his weakened state, his mind was already calculating his next move.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhizhi, who was walking toward Huaxi Courtyard, was also burning with anxiety. "Sister, do you think it was really the eldest Young Master Xiao who poisoned my brother?"

The grounds of the Marquis of Chengwu’s residence were quite beautiful, and since Meng Zhenyue’s return, they had been decorated even more exquisitely. The two walked very slowly, but Zhao Zhizhi kept her eyes fixed on the path beneath her feet as she questioned Meng Zhenyue.

Hearing this, Meng Zhenyue thought to herself: Yes, and no. To be precise, the poison the eldest Young Master Xiao used was intended for the martial arts examinations, meant to be slipped to Zhao Xianzhi then. A small dose of oleander would only cause mild nausea and diarrhea. In the heat, with the exertion of the competition, such minor discomfort would not easily be suspected as poisoning. She had only learned of this because Zhao Xianzhi had uncovered it in her past life.

Therefore, once she had guessed Zhao Xianzhi's goal, she had used the excuse of needing to relieve herself to have Manzhi gather oleander and then have someone create that scene near the residence of Assistant Minister Xiao for the Marquis of Chengwu to witness. It wasn't entirely fabricated; the eldest Young Master Xiao had indeed been testing dosages during this time, albeit very secretly. Had it not been for the clues Zhao Xianzhi discovered in her previous life, she would never have thought of such a scheme.

Furthermore, she had used information from her past life to threaten and bribe that physician. Since Zhao Xianzhi loved to harm others and shift the blame, then bribe physicians to spout nonsense, she would let him taste that same medicine now.

Moreover, through what Zhao Xianzhi had uncovered in her past life, she knew that the eldest Young Master Xiao was targeting others besides just Zhao Xianzhi. By letting the Marquis of Chengwu see the poison, she intended for him to clear it out before the martial arts examinations. As for the rest, it would depend on her "great benefactor."

"I don't know," Meng Zhenyue replied. "Father will investigate everything."

But she knew that this was not what was truly on Zhao Zhizhi’s mind, so she asked, "Is something bothering you?"

Zhao Zhizhi paused, glanced at Meng Zhenyue, and then quickly lowered her head. After a long while, she moved closer to Meng Zhenyue and whispered hesitantly, "Father intends to betroth me to the third Young Master Xiao. I... I do not want to marry him."

This reminded Meng Zhenyue of her past life. Back then, Zhao Zhizhi had been just as unwilling to marry the dissolute Xiao Jichen, and she herself had been unwilling to follow the Marquis’s orders to enter the palace. She had dealt with Xiao Jichen a few times over scripts and plays. When Xiao Jichen learned through her that Zhao Zhizhi was feigning fragility to harm others, he had said in anger, "If I must marry a daughter of the Marquis of Chengwu, I would much rather prefer you."

Because she did not want to enter the palace, she had retorted in a fit of pique, "If I am to enter the palace, I would rather choose someone as dissolute as you."

Thus, they had reached a deal, each getting what they wanted. Just as they were plotting how to get the Marquis to switch the sisters' betrothals, Zhao Xianzhi had come to her with fabricated evidence, claiming that the Eastern Palace was closely linked to her foster parents, and demanding she enter the palace as a concubine to wait for an opportunity. For the sake of her foster parents, she had chosen to become a concubine.

Meng Zhenyue collected her thoughts and lowered her voice as well: "Do not fear. After this incident, Father and Assistant Minister Xiao will likely be at odds. How could the Assistant Minister possibly agree to a marriage between the two families now?"

Zhao Zhizhi felt that this made sense; her heart was largely at ease, and she joyfully took Meng Zhenyue’s arm. "Thank you, Sister." She truly liked this sister; it was as if she possessed some magic that made her unable to help but feel affection for her.

As the two sisters spoke, the Lady of the Marquisate, who had not even returned to her own courtyard but had headed straight for the Marquis’s Rusong Courtyard, finally arrived.