Chapter 23: Suicide to Escape Punishment?

"This is for you." Zuo Lang handed a money pouch to the youth. "Remember to collect the bamboo slips from the others as well. Don't go around blabbing outside."

"Yes, yes!" The youth beamed as he took the pouch. "It’s not our first time doing this; we know the rules. You can rest easy, Brother Zuo."

Zuo Lang nodded. "In a few days, the 'Money Arrives' business will be handed over to you as well."

"Absolutely, absolutely!"

Watching the youth in red walk away with the money pouch, Zuo Lang sighed. His Young Master Jiang was truly something... shrewd and stingy, coming up with all sorts of schemes. Could it be that a fox had transmigrated into his body?

Zuo Lang closed the door and turned back, only to see a familiar figure furtively slipping into the kitchen. He instinctively wanted to follow, but remembering Jiang Luan’s instructions from that morning, he halted his steps.

*He even guessed this would happen?* Zuo Lang mused with wonder. *Could he really be a fox spirit reincarnated?*

The person who had slipped into the kitchen soon followed a group of maids and servants, carrying bowls of soup toward the inner courtyard. The banquet was nearing its end. Many guests, having drunk too much, were being guided to the guest chambers by maids. The tables were becoming sparse, occupied mostly by the Qi family relatives.

If there was one person who had stolen the spotlight at this birthday banquet, it was Jiang Luan. Many distinguished guests were fascinated by the "lucky draw" and "number lottery" games he had proposed and kept coming forward to strike up conversations. Jiang Luan took the opportunity to secure several business partners.

What was he most in need of right now? Money, of course! This maneuver could be described as catching a wolf with empty hands—achieving his intended goals without shedding a drop of blood. Jiang Luan sipped his tea, feeling quite smug.

Qi Shaoyang eyed his triumphant expression and muttered, "Enjoy it while you can! In a moment, you’ll see what happens, you idiot..."

Qi Shaolin, who had been fiddling with the chopsticks on the table, pricked up his ears and glanced at Qi Shaoyang. Qi Shaoyang didn't notice, feeling only that the surrounding air had suddenly dropped several degrees, causing him to shiver inexplicably.

"What’s wrong, Brother Lin?" Jiang Luan asked.

"I'm so bored, my wife," Qi Shaolin said listlessly. "Let’s go back and rest."

"Is Lin'er bored?" Qi Yuheng laughed. "There’s nothing else to do anyway, you two should head back first."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhou also said to Qi Yuheng, "Tianxing’s health is poor. If the patriarch allows it, we shall also take our leave."

Qi Tianxing patted his wife’s hand. "I am fine."

"Don't force yourself, Tianxing, I know your condition," Qi Yuheng said. "You two should also head back. You’ve been sitting all day, go get some good rest."

Seeing everyone preparing to leave, the Prince of Suping, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up in a hurry: "Patriarch, Baili hasn't arrived yet."

"When has Baili ever not been late?" Qi Yuheng said helplessly. "No need to wait for him. Tell the kitchen to keep his food warm."

The Prince of Suping frowned and gave a look to Huazhao, who stood beside him. Huazhao signaled him to remain calm and glanced toward the kitchen. Jiang Luan took note of their subtle interaction. He sipped his tea in silence, thinking, *If you don't start trouble now, I'm not going to wait for you.*

Just as Mrs. Zhou stood up, supporting Qi Tianxing, Huazhao immediately said, "The snake soup stewed in the kitchen is ready. Patriarch, please try the soup first!"

Qi Yuheng was taken aback. "I don't recall ordering the kitchen to stew snake soup."

Huazhao stepped forward proactively, directing the maids and servants to enter in an orderly fashion. Several servants served the snake soup to everyone at the table. The soup was steaming hot and smelled incredibly fragrant. Mrs. Zhou had no choice but to help Qi Tianxing sit back down.

"Patriarch... please enjoy," a servant whispered.

The one serving Qi Yuheng was a thin man. He kept his head bowed, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, looking highly suspicious. This suspicion wasn't just due to his stuttering; his hands were shaking so violently that most of the soup spilled out. His behavior was so odd that even Mrs. Zhou, who was focused on caring for Qi Tianxing, couldn't help but look over.

Yet, Qi Yuheng seemed completely unaware, picking up the bowl and using his spoon to scoop up the soup to his lips.

"Grandfather, don't drink it!" Qi Shaoyang shouted.

Qi Yuheng paused and looked up at Qi Shaoyang. "Yang'er, what is it?"

Qi Shaoyang strode forward, kicked the servant beside Qi Yuheng to the ground, and demanded, "Which courtyard do you serve? Why haven't I seen you before? Your hands were shaking so hard just now, are you hiding something?"

The servant scrambled up and knelt on the floor. "N-no, I am..." He trembled, his eyes darting repeatedly toward Jiang Luan.

Jiang Luan ignored him, calmly sipping the soup in his own bowl. Facing this sudden commotion, the remaining guests gathered around. "Clan Leader Qi, what is this..."

Qi Yuheng waved his hand, signaling the guests to remain calm. The servant's focus on Jiang Luan was so obvious that everyone’s gaze shifted to the composed Jiang Luan.

Qi Shaoyang said suspiciously, "Why do you keep looking at my sister-in-law?"

"B-because I am..." The servant stuttered, seemingly unable to form a coherent sentence.

Jiang Luan couldn't wait any longer and simply said for him, "This fellow is a servant from my courtyard." The servant immediately bowed his head and fell silent. He was one of the two servants Jiang Luan had caught earlier with the "erotic novels."

Qi Shaoyang turned to Jiang Luan and bowed respectfully. "Sister-in-law, forgive my rudeness. This servant’s actions were strange; there might be something wrong with the soup. May I examine it?"

Jiang Luan looked puzzled. "If you want to examine it, then do so. Why report it to me?"

The Prince of Suping sneered from the side. "Are you trying to distance yourself in advance? This servant is your person; if not you, who should I ask? If there is truly something wrong with the soup, can you explain yourself, Jiang Luan?"

"Prince, you are overstepping. That is not what I meant," Jiang Luan said, neither humble nor pushy. "Since he is my servant, if there is a problem, I will naturally take responsibility. I just don't know why you and Yang'er are so certain that there is something wrong with the soup?"

"..." The two were rendered speechless by Jiang Luan.

Huazhao said softly, "Young Madam, whether there is a problem with the soup can be verified easily. This is for the Patriarch's safety. Why are you blocking the examination?"

"Eh, I never said that." Jiang Luan glanced at Huazhao. *Good heavens, this girl would be a master at Werewolf; she twists my words with such righteous indignation.*

"Since sister-in-law has no intention of obstructing us..." Qi Shaoyang looked meaningfully at Qi Yuheng on the main seat.

Qi Yuheng’s expression remained unreadable. He said flatly, "Then examine it."

The Prince of Suping actively removed a silver hairpin from his head. "A test with this silver hairpin will suffice. If the soup is poisoned, it will surely turn black."

"Father is so thoughtful!" Qi Shaoyang stepped forward to take the hairpin. Before he could even reach the bowl, he heard Jiang Luan chuckle.

"The Prince is indeed 'thoughtful.' You usually wear a head full of gold ornaments, yet on a day like this, you happen to wear a plain silver hairpin." Many in the crowd looked thoughtful upon hearing this.

Those present were mostly from prominent families; who hadn't experienced internal family strife? The seasoned ones knew exactly what was going on. But with both "witnesses" and "evidence" present, they wondered how the young mistress of the Qi family would defend herself.

Seeing his father looking uncomfortable, Qi Shaoyang turned and glared fiercely at Jiang Luan, then held the silver hairpin and thrust it into Qi Yuheng’s soup without hesitation. After a long moment, he pulled it out and displayed it to the crowd. Under everyone’s gaze, the hairpin "lived up to expectations" and turned black.

"The soup is poisoned!" the Prince of Suping shouted. "Jiang Luan, you have such audacity! Yang'er, seize this unfilial person immediately!"

"Yes, Father!"

Qi Shaoyang, relying on the bit of martial arts he had learned, reached out to grab Jiang Luan’s arm. But Qi Shaolin stood in the way. Qi Shaolin moved his leg as if by accident, tripping Qi Shaoyang and causing him to fall flat on his face. It was a strange coincidence that Qi Shaoyang’s fall left him kneeling directly in front of everyone, startling them all.

Jiang Yanshu, the mother and son of the Jiang family, were standing in the crowd watching the drama. Jiang Yanshu hated both Jiang Luan and the Prince of Suping’s father and son; when was a better time to be sharp-tongued? He sneered, "It’s not a holiday or a festival, why is Young Master Qi offering such a grand kowtow?"

A few people in the crowd couldn't help but laugh. Zheng Peiluan tugged on her son's sleeve in annoyance. Qi Shaoyang, flushed with shame and anger, stood up and decided to add this grudge to his tally against Jiang Luan.

The Prince of Suping, seeing his son humiliated, roared, "Jiang Luan, how dare you!"

Jiang Luan looked wronged. "I’m just standing here. I haven't done anything, have I?"

Seeing the conversation drifting, Huazhao quickly stepped forward. "The soup brought by the servant from the Young Madam's courtyard is poisoned, this..." Her words were a clever distraction, pulling the focus back. Jiang Luan glanced at Huazhao, who met his gaze calmly, her eyes filled with cold amusement.

The servant on the ground seemed to receive a signal and immediately kowtowed. "I didn't know, I really didn't know! The Young Madam told me to put it in. I didn't want to harm the old patriarch!"

*Wow!* Now it was a case of "caught red-handed." All eyes turned to Jiang Luan, wanting to see what the sharp-tongued young Master Jiang had to say for himself.

Under the focus of all eyes, Jiang Luan remained calm. He felt Qi Shaolin move closer and, thinking the little fool was scared by the scene, patted his shoulder for comfort. Qi Yuheng noticed Jiang Luan’s gesture, and his expression softened slightly.

He sipped his tea and asked, "Young Jiang, what else do you have to say?"

"Nothing to say," Jiang Luan replied lazily. "I was the one who told him to put it in."

*Gasps!* The crowd erupted. Jiang Yanshu was even more incredulous. "Has Jiang Luan really lost his mind?"

No one had expected Jiang Luan to admit it so brazenly, including the Prince of Suping and Huazhao. After the initial shock, the Prince of Suping assumed Jiang Luan had no choice but to confess and seek the Patriarch's mercy. A malicious smile flickered on his face, but how could he let this little bitch off so easily?

Compared to the Prince’s optimism, Huazhao looked grave, eyeing Jiang Luan with suspicion. After "confessing," Jiang Luan left his seat and walked calmly toward Qi Yuheng. Qi Shaoyang immediately blocked his path. "Grandfather, be careful! This little bitch is going to jump over the wall like a cornered dog!"