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Madam Li had just left when Shengzi rushed in, bringing a gust of cold wind with him. Xing Ruyi shivered, tightened the cotton curtain, and then turned to glare at him, placing her hand over the charcoal fire. Before her palm could warm up, she was pulled over to the counter.
With narrowed eyes, Xing Ruyi shot a displeased look at Shengzi and tucked her hands into her sleeves. "Why are you always acting like a monkey? You seem to be in good health. Are you here for business or personal matters? With the way you're acting, are you perhaps interested in some girl and in a hurry to send her Rouge and Face Powder?"
"Ruyi, don't tease me. With my background and looks, which girl would be foolish enough to take an interest in me? I'm here for business, but there's something strange going on. Brother Chang is having some difficulties, so he sent me to inquire about some news from you and see if I can glean any clues."
Xing Ruyi raised an eyebrow, knowing that Chang Tai wouldn't have sent Shengzi to ask her without good reason. If he was here, it likely meant that whatever was happening was somehow connected to her. It seemed trouble had found her again despite her efforts to avoid it. However, as a business owner, she couldn't avoid such matters entirely. With a slightly serious expression, she looked at Shengzi and asked, "So what happened this time?"
Shengzi rubbed his frostbitten hands together and leaned closer to Xing Ruyi, lowering his voice. "Do you know the proprietress of Li Family Tavern?"
"Si Niang?" A figure as beautiful as jade flashed through Xing Ruyi's mind. Though dressed in coarse cloth, her beauty was undeniable, exuding a faint scent of wine and peach blossoms with every movement.
"This matter is related to Si Niang? To be honest, I haven't seen her for some time. The last time was at the beginning of last month when she bought some dried peach blossoms from me to brew wine. Could it be that something happened with the Peach Blossom Wine?"
"No wonder Brother Chang always says you're clever; you hit the nail on the head." Shengzi chuckled and gave her a thumbs-up.
"Stop flattering me and get to the point. Everyone in Luoyang knows there’s only one proprietress at Li Family Tavern who sells only one type of Peach Blossom Wine. Since you mentioned Si Niang, this must be related to her or her wine. So what exactly is going on?"
"Actually, this matter is quite strange; the proprietress of Li Family Tavern might be innocently caught up in it." Shengzi scratched his head, noticing Xing Ruyi glaring at him again before quickly adding, "Here's what happened: early this morning someone came to our Yamen beating drums and crying out for justice because their husband was killed. Since it involved a life, we couldn't be negligent and immediately went with Brother Chang to the Ma family in the west of the city. The Ma family deals in textiles; the husband is named Ma Guangmo and has a wife and a concubine. His wife Liu takes care of the shop while his concubine named Jade Pearl stays by his side all year round. They seem to live harmoniously as a family of three."
"Get to the point; I'm not one of your Yamen officials who wants to hear all the backstory." Seeing that Shengzi still hadn't gotten to the main issue after so long, Xing Ruyi rolled her eyes and stifled a yawn. It had been cold lately, making her sleep lighter than usual, and after chatting with Mrs. Liu for quite a while earlier, she felt drowsy just standing there without any interest in listening to Shengzi's story.
Noticing Xing Ruyi yawning repeatedly made Shengzi's face turn red as he blurted out something abrupt: "Someone died; a person is dead."
"Speak clearly, who died? Which person died? I asked you to be concise, not to ramble on without a point."
"Ma Guangmo died, right in his own bedroom."
"If he died in his own bedroom, what does that have to do with Li Siniang? He wasn't drunk to death by Sister Si's Family's Peach Blossom Wine, was he?" Xing Ruyi rolled her eyes. She often drank Sister Si's Family's Peach Blossom Wine; it was fragrant and not harsh at all. In her time, it would have been considered more of a beverage than anything else, and it contained no additives or artificial colors. As for the regular patrons, most were there for Li Siniang. If he died from Peach Blossom Wine, it would be more accurate to say he was enchanted by Li Siniang.
Xing Ruyi originally meant this as a joke, but she was surprised when Shengzi nodded repeatedly, nearly causing her to bump her head on the counter.
"Did he really die from being drunk on Peach Blossom Wine?"
"Whether he died from Peach Blossom Wine or not will have to wait for the Coroner's examination. However, it's an undeniable fact that Ma Guangmo died in his own bedroom, and at that time, he was alone in the room. There were no signs of struggle or conflict found. According to his concubine, he was drinking and had even asked her to go to the kitchen to prepare some snacks."
"What about the Primary Wife?"
With one wife and one concubine, if the husband died and there were no other signs at the scene, the suspects would be either the wife or the concubine.
"She was at the fabric shop, and many people can testify to that. The Ma family's fabric shop has always been managed by Ma Guangmo's wife. The concubine has been accompanying him on business for years and has no special standing. As for this concubine, there are household servants who can confirm that she was indeed busy in the kitchen when Ma Guangmo died; there were still unfinished dishes and pastries in the kitchen. Moreover, this concubine has just become pregnant; with such a large family waiting for her child to inherit, she wouldn’t likely harm her husband at this time."
"You say that as if a large inheritance is just waiting for the concubine's child. What about the Primary Wife? Surely she wouldn't just stand by and watch?" Xing Ruyi said coolly, feeling that this case was likely going to be solved by herself.
"The Primary Wife suffers from infertility; it's rare for her husband to have an heir. I doubt she would do anything out of line. Besides, this concubine was chosen by her for her husband; they usually got along well. According to our customs, even if a concubine gives birth to a child, she must still refer to the Primary Wife as 'Mother' and call her biological mother 'Concubine.' There’s no reason for her to kill her husband. Even if she were jealous of the concubine, she could simply eliminate the concubine or harm her unborn child; killing her own husband wouldn’t benefit her at all."
"Smart." Xing Ruyi tapped Shengzi on the head. "If we go by your reasoning, it does make some sense. Could it really be that he was drunk to death by Sister Si's Family's Peach Blossom Wine?"
"This is where Brother Chang is puzzled. According to the Peach Blossom Wine, it shouldn't be able to get anyone drunk, yet Ma Guangmo's wife insists that her husband only fell ill after drinking this wine, and she even accused Li Siniang of killing her husband."
"It does sound quite lively and indeed very strange," Xing Ruyi nodded repeatedly, feeling a flicker of curiosity arise within her. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the fox's White Shadow, and then she stretched lazily and said, "Forget it, I’ll follow your lead. It's better for me to go to the scene myself to make a proper judgment."
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