TRBDM -Chapter 157 Creating Something Out of Nothing

“What do you mean by that?”

Xie Yu wiped his mouth, still savoring the taste, and said, “Boss Qin’s sweet soup is just too good. I’ve never had anything this delicious before. If one day Boss Qin closes her shop, I would be heartbroken.”

“Third Brother, I was thinking… I wonder if Boss Qin makes enough silver each day to cover the shop rent. If one day she can’t keep it open, I’ll buy the little shop myself and give it to Boss Qin, so she can make sweet soup for me every day. How about that?”

Xie Yu’s eyes sparkled, filled with nothing but love for sweet soup.

Xie Lan quietly watched Xie Yu, who was completely oblivious to reality, and felt a complicated mix of emotions he couldn’t put into words.

Xie Yu didn’t have to worry about Boss Qin closing down—on the contrary, Xie Lan had to worry about the day Xie Yu might be taken back to his biological family.

He had thought they could be brothers for life, carefree, studying and living together, but now it seemed that countdown had already begun.

“Third Brother? Third Brother?” Xie Yu waved in front of Xie Lan.

“Huh? Oh, if you want it, then get it. If you don’t have enough silver, come to me.”

Xie Lan snapped out of his thoughts and responded along the lines of what Xie Yu said.

He would never refuse any request Xie Yu made.

“I have silver. Third Brother, you can save your silver to marry Third Sister-in-law,” Xie Yu said with a cheeky grin.

Xie Lan frowned. “We’ll talk about the future later.”

“Ohhh—”

Back at the Xie residence, the two of them went to the Anhe Courtyard to visit Wei Zhaorong.

“You went to Boss Qin’s sweet soup shop?” Wei Zhaorong asked.

“Hehe, nothing escapes Mother’s eyes,” Xie Yu giggled.

Wei Zhaorong said, “Yu’er likes sweet soup, and Boss Qin is skilled. It’s fine for him to go every day. Nanny Qi, go to the treasury and send a hundred taels of silver to Lan Courtyard so Yu’er and Lan’er can buy sweet soup.”

Xie Yu was so shocked he waved his hands vigorously.

“Mother, that’s way too much! Sweet soup doesn’t need a hundred taels!”

“Keep it, then. Since Boss Qin’s sweet soup is so good, buy plenty and let the others in the marquis household taste it too.”

Xie Yu’s face lit up with joy. “Great! Now I don’t have to worry about Boss Qin closing her shop!”

Wei Zhaorong thought to herself: silly child, this is an opportunity for you to have more contact with your biological mother.

With her status as a princess, she wouldn’t normally look favorably upon the marquis household. But Xie Yu’s existence had tied the marquis household to the princess.

Wei Zhaorong deliberately arranged for the princess to have chances to meet her son—she would realize it in time.

“Mother, will we also get to eat the rice wine dumplings Big Sister made today?”

Xie Yu, the little foodie, had nothing on his mind but food.

Wei Zhaorong patted his head. “Don’t worry, there’ll be some for you.”

After dinner, Wei Zhaorong received a sealed letter.

The letter detailed everything that had happened in Qingfeng Hall.

The Tenth Prince was struggling within the palace, surrounded by spies, and it was very unfavorable for him.

Outside the palace, Wei Zhaorong could offer money and assistance to secretly help the Tenth Prince.

But inside the palace, she didn’t even have the opportunity to meet him, let alone help him.

After much thought, Wei Zhaorong devised a plan.

Getting the letter into Zhao Jingheng’s hands required quite a bit of effort.

It passed through several intermediaries, and just when it reached Qingfeng Hall, Wei Qing intercepted it.

If Zhao Jingheng hadn’t appeared at the right moment, Wei Qing would have opened the letter for inspection.

The letter could even be coated with poison—colorless and tasteless. If a finger touched it, trace amounts could remain, and if accidentally ingested, the toxin would still act, impossible to defend against.

Everything entering Qingfeng Hall was personally inspected by Wei Qing.

“What are you holding in your hand?”

“Your Highness, it’s a letter—from outside the palace.”

Outside the palace?

Then the letter might be from Wei Zhaorong.

“Give it to me.”

Taking the letter, Zhao Jingheng went to his study.

After opening it, indeed, it was written in Wei Zhaorong’s own hand.

Zhao Jingheng recognized her handwriting. The letter was concise, with no pleasantries, getting straight to the point.

The “creating something from nothing” method!

To get rid of the spies placed in Qingfeng Hall, he could use the previous poisoning incident.

Another round of “poisoning.”

It was risky, but it was undoubtedly the fastest way to achieve results.

If Qingfeng Hall continued to suffer consecutive incidents with the meals, the blame could be shifted to the servants, allowing Zhao Jingheng to openly dismiss everyone.

Finally, Wei Zhaorong specified in the letter that Nanny Ding from the Imperial Kitchen could be trusted, so she could enter Qingfeng Hall to serve without any concerns.

Wei Zhaorong’s thinking aligned perfectly with Zhao Jingheng’s.

The only reason it hadn’t been carried out before was that Zhao Jingheng couldn’t find a trustworthy maid.

Now that Wei Zhaorong recommended Nanny Ding, he knew exactly what to do.

That night, Zhao Jingheng drank a bowl of bone broth, immediately vomiting and having diarrhea, and by midnight, he developed a high fever.

When the imperial physician arrived, the guards in Qingfeng Hall searched the premises and quickly caught the person responsible for poisoning.

It was a junior eunuch placed in Qingfeng Hall by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the beams of his room, they found a paper packet containing poison.

“It wasn’t me! I’m innocent! I truly don’t know where this packet came from. Someone is framing me—please, Tenth Prince, investigate carefully!” The junior eunuch kowtowed desperately, begging for mercy.

Zhao Jingheng, still burning with fever, ignored the eunuch’s pleas and had him kneel in the courtyard all night.

The next day, as Jiang Yuelin arrived at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Zhao Jingheng summoned him to Qingfeng Hall.

The chief steward, Xu Yue, was already there.

Zhao Jingheng sat in the Grand Tutor’s chair, pale-faced, but his aura showed not a hint of weakness.

“Chief Xu, this is the person you placed in Qingfeng Hall?”

Zhao Jingheng pointed to the eunuch in the courtyard, kneeling almost to the point of collapse.

Xu Yue broke into a cold sweat. “Tenth Prince… I—I truly didn’t know. That dog of a servant dared to poison Your Highness! I will punish him severely.”

“Hmph. Perhaps my life has long been in the hands of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

Zhao Jingheng’s words carried a hidden meaning—both poisoning incidents were orchestrated by people within the ministry.

Xu Yue quickly tried to make amends:

“Your Highness, please calm down. This matter requires a thorough investigation. Give me some time, and I will uncover the truth.”

Just then, Jiang Yuelin arrived.

Zhao Jingheng, weak from fever, said: “Master Jiang, you’ve arrived just in time. The Ministry of Internal Affairs sent ten servants—please interrogate each one. Who bribed them, and what was their purpose? I leave it to you to uncover the truth.”

Xu Yue knew things were bad, but at this point, he couldn’t resist further—otherwise, it would confirm corruption within the ministry.

“Rest assured, Tenth Prince. I’ll investigate both poisoning cases.”

Jiang Yuelin was known for impartial law enforcement and decisive measures. Xu Yue had heard of his methods.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was shady, and Xu Yue himself was careless. How could he handle this?

Soon, Jiang Yuelin took away the ten servants from Qingfeng Hall.

With the cost of a high fever, Zhao Jingheng had secured Qingfeng Hall’s cleanliness.

Wei Zhaorong’s plan was brilliant.

“Tenth Prince, if you have a plan next time, you can inform me in advance. I will give it my all.”

Zhao Jingheng asked, “Wei Qing, can I trust you?”