Bai Ruozhu frowned and couldn’t help saying, "Even if bitter almonds are poisonous, it is only raw almonds that easily cause poisoning. The almonds you use in your dimsum are baked or boiled, so how could they cause poisoning? Do you still have any of that inventory left? I’d like to see."
Wang Niangzi shook her head, "They were all used up long ago, and the almond pastries we made from them have long been sold."
So, the only place to see the physical evidence is at the Government Office.
"Later the Government Office asked us to find evidence. They said if we could prove that the almonds had nothing to do with us, they would return the shop to us, and my husband could avoid jail. We went to confront the merchant about it today, but couldn’t find him, and on our way back, my husband was hit by a speeding carriage." Wang Niangzi added.
"Did you offend someone and they set you up? Try to remember these things carefully. It would be best if you could find the supplier. Or maybe you could tell the government office directly that the supplier sold you poisonous almonds, and let them arrest the person." Bai Ruozhu suggested.
Wang Niangzi nodded and said, "Alright, I will try to think of a way." However, she looked especially gloomy as she said this. Clearly, she didn’t have any ideas.
It grieved Bai Ruozhu to watch a centenarian shop like this being destroyed. She greatly admired that the way the Wang couple did business; choosing quality over profit. They’d rather lose money than do anything that might ruin their reputation.
She pondered for a moment before asking, "Who is your supplier? What’s their surname, and how do you usually contact them? Let me try to help you find them."
Wang Niangzi looked surprised, "Wouldn’t this be too troubling for you?"
"I’ve always admired your business philosophy, and I don’t want to see someone take over your shop." Bai Ruozhu replied.
Wang Niangzi thanked her gratefully, and then she said, "His name is Zhou Xingye. He supplies us with almonds, peach seeds, walnuts, etc. He’s not a rich merchant, but we’ve heard that he has a relative in the cloth business in Beiyu City who is quite well-known. If his relative’s helping him, we surely won’t be able to find him."
Bai Ruozhu pondered this new information, the Zhou family running a cloth business in Beiyu City on a large scale. It could only be the maternal family of Lady Wang.
Lady Wang was the one who plotted against Yu Hongxiu in the Meng Residence. In the end, her maid accidentally bumped into Yu Hongxiu and almost caused a miscarriage. Fearing punishment, the maid then jumped into the Lake and committed suicide. The government office couldn’t investigate any further, and ultimately Lady Wang was released to return home.
Lately, however, Lady Wang had not been faring well either. The Old Lady of the Meng Residence had been inconspicuously causing her trouble. Still, what puzzled Bai Ruozhu was what kind of grudge could have driven Lady Wang to plot against Yu Hongxiu, not caring about risking a life, and possibly derailing her husband’s official career.
"Is there a daughter from the Zhou family who married a scholar who is a member of the Wang family?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
"It seems there might be..." After Wang Niangzi confirmed this, her face fell. "Why, is this person someone you know, Ruozhu?" Her expression and tone suggested she feared Bai Ruozhu might know this person, and wouldn’t help her anymore.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head, "I’ve just heard about it, don’t worry, I’ll help you investigate." She didn’t usually make such promises, but if it was related to Lady Wang, she would certainly not hesitate.
"Thank you very much." Wang Niangzi said.
Soon, Cui Fan brought back the medicine. Bai Ruozhu instructed Wang Niangzi how to decoct the medicine and the dosages to take, before leaving. She also gave a bottle of medicated oil to Wang Niangzi, "Apply this medicated oil to Wang Da-ge’s injured areas tomorrow. But he can’t keep moping around. Otherwise, even if his external injuries heal, his inner wellbeing would still be in shambles."
Wang Niangzi promptly nodded, promising to ask her husband to let go of his worries.
Cui Fan was waiting at the door and escorted her out of the Alley. They got into Wa San’s carriage, which was parked at the entrance to the Alley. Once she was settled in, Cui Fan left and returned to the yard.
"Cui Fan, if I were to ask you to investigate someone, would you be able to do it?" Bai Ruozhu asked suddenly.
Cui Fan thought for a moment and said, "Generally, I can. If that person holds a particular status, I might need to pull some strings."
Bai Ruozhu nodded slightly. When using connections, one owed the owner of the connection a favor, and she did not want to do that unless absolutely necessary.
"Look for the supplier whose surname is Zhou, and investigate the relationship between him and the Zhou family." Bai Ruozhu instructed.
"Okay, I will handle it immediately." Upon receiving the order, Cui Fan turned and left in a hurry.
Bai Ruozhu turned around and saw Jiang Yichun standing in the yard, looking at her. He raised the corners of his mouth into a smile, "Did you encounter any trouble?"
"No, I don’t dare to bother you." Bai Ruozhu replied, a bit resentfully.
Jiang Yichun chuckled a few times, walked over, and took her hand. "Don’t be angry, I went to arrest Zhou Jue last night," he said.
Bai Ruozhu seemed to forget her anger at hearing this, and hurriedly asked, "What happened? Did you catch him?"
"No, but we destroyed his stronghold and arrested several of his men. He won’t be causing much trouble anymore." Jiang Yichun laughed as he said this. His white teeth were all exposed, making Bai Ruozhu dizzy. She really liked his teeth. They were so beautiful that she even forgot about being angry with him.
"Let’s go inside and talk," Jiang Yichun suggested, pulling her towards the house. Lin Ping’er, who was in the main house, stretched her neck to spy on them. There was a smile on her face. Their family was about to have more children.
"The Prime Minister came, and he questioned me this morning." The moment he went inside, he spoke anxiously.
Bai Ruozhu’s face became serious. The Prime Minister was the one who had issued the order, stating that it was necessary to eliminate her as a threat!
"He’s found out about our relationship, the matter of us having Dengdeng. Even though my master and my junior sister didn’t know about it, he seemed to be very well-informed." Jiang Yichun said quietly, "He even assigned people to watch your residence. That’s how he knows so much."
"Then what should we do?" Bai Ruozhu started to worry. She didn’t want to be eliminated for being considered a threat, she didn’t want to die. Her child was still so small; she couldn’t make him a motherless child, and she didn’t want to leave her family...nor him.
"We can’t panic. I told him that I want to use you as bait to catch Zhou Jue, and that you will cooperate. Plus, Zhou Jue won’t be able to carry you off, so I think this matter can be gradually settled," Jiang Yichun said. "Also, I’m planning to take you and Dengdeng to the Capital. This way, with me by your side during the journey, he will likely not be so ruthless. Once we arrive in the capital, you will meet the Emperor and receive his rewards, and then the Prime Minister wouldn’t be able to easily eliminate you."
Bai Ruozhu was stunned. She would have to go to the Capital so soon, leaving her family. How could she bear to leave? How could she let go? But she couldn’t be selfish. If things got worse, her family might get implicated too. Also, he would probably have a challenging battle to fight once he returned to the capital. She wanted to be with him to support and encourage him.
Thinking about this, she nodded vigorously and asked, "Okay, when do we have to leave at the latest?"