The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#547 - The non-existent child

"Oh, my poor, short-lived child! You, you are so pitiful. It's all my fault for bringing you into this world. I don't want the Zhang family's fortune anymore, I just want you to come back to my side! From now on, we mother and daughter will depend on each other! Heh heh heh…"

As the dark figure spoke, she began to wail again, banging her head against the wall, creating loud thuds.

Hearing the commotion inside, the steward outside the door was concerned for Lu Jing's safety and called out, "Daoist Yang, Daoist Yang, are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Lu Jing replied casually.

After speaking, he looked at the dark figure crouching in the corner, feeling a headache coming on.

Judging from Yue Ru's appearance, she seemed to have truly gone mad. He just didn't know if she went mad after giving birth, or before.

To be honest, Lu Jing was more inclined towards the latter.

He had initially suspected that the Zhang family was working together to deal with Yue Ru, but after meeting Master Zhang, Lu Jing had basically dismissed the idea.

Because although Master Zhang valued his reputation and didn't want the family scandal to be exposed, he clearly showed joy on his face after seeing Lu Jing.

If he was cooperating with his legal wife to drive his concubine mad, there was no reason for him to hope that Lu Jing could cure her.

Moreover, Master Zhang was getting on in years, and his desire for a son was becoming stronger and stronger. If his legal wife had truly killed his son behind his back, it was questionable whether Master Zhang could continue to tolerate her, let alone help her cover it up.

Besides, even if they wanted to cover up such a thing, they wouldn't say that Yue Ru hadn't given birth at all.

Because childbirth wasn't something that happened overnight.

Before that, there was a period of pregnancy, and it wasn't short. Usually, a pregnancy could be detected in three or four months, and then there were five or six months more. Basically, everyone in the Zhang family would know that Yue Ru was pregnant.

If they were to conceal even this, the difficulty would be too great.

Lu Jing had asked the steward before, and the steward had assured him that the Second Madam had never had a large belly.

Lu Jing still tended to believe him, so Yue Ru going mad because she wanted a son too much was the only explanation.

To confirm this, Lu Jing later went to find several maids and even the stableman of the Zhang residence to inquire. They all said in unison that the Second Madam had never been pregnant.

If it were a normal investigation, one could almost draw a conclusion here.

But this time was different. Lu Jing had come to Lingyang after receiving news of a strange object, in other words, he had already believed in the existence of a strange object.

So, after these three trips, even though it seemed that they were all false alarms, Lu Jing didn't give up.

Therefore, he then had the steward bring Yue Ru's personal maid. The latter had been by Yue Ru's side since she was a courtesan and treated her like a sister. Even though Yue Ru had gone mad, she still didn't abandon her.

In fact, if it weren't for being bitten by Yue Ru while delivering food earlier, she should still be taking care of Yue Ru in the woodshed.

Lu Jing first asked her about Yue Ru's pregnancy, and the result was the same as what the others had said. Even Yue Ru's personal maid admitted that Yue Ru had not been pregnant before.

Although the First Madam was usually a bit strict and had some friction with Yue Ru, there was no deep hatred between them.

Moreover, the First Madam usually followed the Old Madam in chanting Buddhist scriptures, and in the eyes of Yue Ru's personal maid, she couldn't possibly do such a terrible thing as burying a baby boy alive.

Lu Jing then asked the maid if Yue Ru had been to any special places or met any strangers before she went mad.

However, he then received an answer that surprised him.

Yue Ru's personal maid said that Yue Ru hadn't left the house once in the past few months, nor had she met any strangers.

"Why?" Lu Jing asked, "Doesn't the Second Madam like to go out?"

"No, the Second Madam has always liked excitement. She used to take me out shopping often when she was free." Speaking of this, the maid gave a light 'eh' and muttered, "That's right, why hasn't the Second Madam gone out during this time?"

"How long has it been since she went out?"

"Let me think…" The maid recalled, and then the expression on her face became even more surprised, "It's been… it's been ten months, maybe."

"So long?" Lu Jing raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, that's right, why hasn't the Second Madam gone out for so long?" The maid was also at a loss.

"Where did she go the last time she went out?" Lu Jing asked again.

"Uh, she went to the temple, right… to Qingquan Temple, because she heard that it was very effective for praying for a child." The maid said, "The Second Madam has always wanted to give the Master a son."

"So you went there to pray for a child?"

"Yes."

"Was it the first time you went there?"

"No, no, we've been there many times…" Speaking of this, a strange look appeared on the maid's face again, "That's right, why didn't the Second Madam go there afterwards? I clearly remember that she went there once every month."

"When you went to Qingquan Temple for the last time, did you encounter anyone or anything that impressed you?"

"No, no, that day was no different from usual." The maid said, "The Second Madam went to the temple to offer incense, donated half a string of coins, and then we went home."

Lu Jing nodded, but then suddenly asked an unrelated question, "Who is in charge of purchasing for your residence?"

"Sister-in-law Xie, she is the daughter-in-law of Steward Zhang's cousin. Usually, the food, drink, and supplies for the residence are purchased by her." Although she felt a little inexplicable, the maid still truthfully answered Lu Jing's question.

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to ask."

Lu Jing let Yue Ru's personal maid go, and then went to find Sister-in-law Xie.

However, the latter was not so cooperative. After hearing what Lu Jing wanted to ask, she first showed a hint of vigilance, and then said, "Didn't Daoist Yang come to treat the Second Madam's illness? It would be good to prescribe medicine directly after looking at the illness. Why are you asking me about these trivial matters?"

"Of course you don't have the guts yourself, but what if the First Madam instructed you to do it?" Lu Jing said slowly.

Sister-in-law Xie glanced at someone, then shook her head and said, "Let's forget about it this time, but Daoist Yang had better not say such things a second time. You don't understand the First Madam. How could someone like her use such petty tricks that can't be brought to the table?"

"Saying it is not proof, if you really want to prove it, why not let me see the accounts?" Lu Jing finally revealed his true intention.