You Stole My Husband, So I Seduced Your Son - Chapter 64

After finishing his instructions, Zhou Minghai gave Ji Moyang another careful look. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Ji Moyang looked somewhat… overindulged. But he quickly dismissed the thought as absurd. A man of Ji Moyang’s upright character could never be guilty of such excess. It must be the result of his relentless studying.

Listening to Zhou Minghai’s flurry of instructions, Song Xuwan found herself both amused and exasperated. Her husband had sent a woman to entertain Ji Moyang, while she was busy planning to brew him a nourishing tonic soup. Their teamwork was truly seamless.

“Yes, Master,” she replied.

If she couldn’t slip the laxative into breakfast, she’d add it to lunch. The soup would be heavily laced with the drug, ensuring Ji Moyang would be bedridden on exam day.

Shortly after returning to her room, a servant delivered several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings. Remembering Ji Moyang’s promise to gift her some artwork, Song Xuwan eagerly unrolled them.

The first scroll displayed wild, illegible cursive script. The next revealed a painting of an old man gazing out at the vast ocean, sighing in awe. Were these truly masterpieces by renowned artists?

Not even a single line of love poetry? Or perhaps the chaotic script was actually a love poem, but she couldn’t decipher it?

Should she ask Zhou Minghai about it?

No, she decided. Better focus on brewing the soup properly.

Ji Moyang’s lunch was still prepared personally by Min Rongxue, leaving Song Xuwan no opportunity to intervene. Her only hope lay in Ji Moyang finishing the soup completely.

After having the soup delivered to Ji Moyang’s study in the front courtyard, Song Xuwan noticed the door was tightly shut. Min Rongxue sat outside, embroidering—was she guarding against interruptions?

Forced to retreat, Song Xuwan went to Zhou Minghai’s study instead. Pushing the soup forward, she smiled and said, “Ginseng chicken soup for Young Master Ji. I didn’t touch it, so he can drink it without worry.”

Zhou Minghai praised, “Madam is truly virtuous,” and carried the soup out.

He presented the soup to Min Rongxue like a treasure, saying, “The kitchen carefully simmered this to nourish Moyang’s body.”

Min Rongxue frowned slightly, politely declining. “We always eat light meals. Suddenly drinking such rich chicken soup might upset his stomach. I’ve heard of scholars who, accustomed to simple fare, try to overindulge before exams, only to suffer nausea and diarrhea during the test. Let’s wait until Moyang returns from the exam. I’ll nourish him properly then.”

Zhou Minghai agreed with Min Rongxue’s reasoning, but he couldn’t bear to waste Song Xuwan’s thoughtful gesture. After a moment’s contemplation, he drank the soup himself.

Song Xuwan waited patiently for Zhou Minghai to return with good news. Soon enough, he reappeared carrying the empty soup bowl, and Song Xuwan smiled in satisfaction.

She hadn’t managed to expose Ji Moyang’s reputation-damaging affair before the exam, nor had she succeeded in draining his energy beforehand. But even getting him to take a laxative felt like a small victory.

In high spirits, she returned to the rear courtyard and spent the afternoon inquiring about events in the front courtyard. She heard no reports of Ji Moyang having diarrhea, but she did learn that Zhou Minghai had been making frequent trips to the outhouse.

Now everything was clear: Zhou Minghai had drunk the soup himself.

It seemed even the heavens were conspiring to help Ji Moyang!

Furious, Song Xuwan smashed a set of teacups to calm her nerves. Resolving to regroup and try again, she reminded herself that there were still several hours before the exam. She believed she still had a chance.

After dinner, she carried another Calming Decoction to the front courtyard and entered Zhou Minghai’s study, where she set the bowl down.

“Why is Young Master Ji’s room so dark? Is he already asleep? I even brewed him a Calming Decoction.”

Zhou Minghai, lying weakly in bed, replied, “I’ve had diarrhea all afternoon for some reason. As it grew dark and showed no signs of improving, I worried that frequent trips to the night pot would disturb Moyang’s rest. I asked him to move to Liyue’s room in the side courtyard, and Liyue moved in with Ningning for the night.”

“How could I not know about this?” Song Xuwan exclaimed, shocked. As the mistress of the household, how had no one informed her?

Zhou Minghai said weakly, “I only just gave the order. I was about to tell you when you arrived.”

Song Xuwan felt as if thunder had struck her. If Ji Moyang were sleeping in the front courtyard, she could visit him at any time. But if he was resting in the side courtyard, what excuse could she use to go there?

“Master, drink your Calming Decoction first. I’ll take the other bowl to Young Master Ji.”

Zhou Minghai trembled at the sight of the bowl Song Xuwan held. “Madam,” he asked in a shaky voice, “about that soup at noon… tell me honestly, was it…?”

Before he could finish, Song Xuwan’s heart leaped into her throat. Had he discovered her scheme? Her face tightened as she demanded, “What are you trying to say?”

“Did you make it yourself?”

“Ah?”

Zhou Minghai continued, “After much consideration, I’ve concluded that only something you personally prepared could have caused such violent vomiting and diarrhea.”

Hearing this, Song Xuwan’s anxiety eased considerably. A stomach upset from poorly made food was far better than being discovered for administering a laxative.

“I only meant well,” she apologized.

“I know you meant well, Madam, so I don’t blame you. But please refrain from sending the Calming Decoction to Moyang again. If he gets diarrhea tonight, it will surely disrupt his exam tomorrow.”

This left Song Xuwan with no room to maneuver. As she left the front courtyard, she was still dazed. Had her plan failed once more, despite coming so close?

She had already taken ninety-nine steps out of a hundred. How could she give up now, just because of this final obstacle? Turning around, she led Baizhi toward the guest quarters.

At worst, I’ll sneak into his room in the middle of the night and wake Min Rongxue. Even that would be a victory.

By the time they reached the guest quarters, the courtyard was pitch-black. Just as Song Xuwan was about to ask Baizhi which room belonged to Ji Moyang, a dark figure emerged from beneath a tree.

“Madam Song, what brings you here?” Min Rongxue asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.

“You startled me!” Song Xuwan clutched her pounding chest, quickly concocting an excuse. “I heard from Master that Young Master Ji had moved to the guest quarters to rest. I came to check if everything was properly arranged, only to find you both already asleep.”

“Oh, Sister Min, you’re still awake? Are the servants not attending to your needs properly?”

Min Rongxue shook her head and gazed up at the moon again, her voice tinged with melancholy. “Mo’er has his exams tomorrow, and I couldn’t sleep. I thought I’d recite scriptures for him, but the moonlight outside the window drew me out. Madam Song arrived shortly after I stepped out.”

So it was just a coincidence, not that she was deliberately waiting for me here, Song Xuwan thought, relieved. She made conversation to fill the awkward silence. “I heard that when scholars take their exams, their parents go to the Confucian Temple to offer sacrifices. Sister Min, you’re a Buddhist, right? Does reciting scriptures help?”

Min Rongxue chuckled softly, amused by Song Xuwan’s question. She shook her head. “I don’t know if it helps, but reciting scriptures brings me peace of mind.”

“Many years ago, when we were first exiled back to our ancestral home, Mo’er fell gravely ill. I spent an entire night kneeling and praying to the Bodhisattva. Fortunately, the Bodhisattva took pity on us, and Mo’er pulled through. Ever since then, I’ve turned to the Bodhisattva in times of trouble. Even if the Bodhisattva can’t help, at least it can’t hurt.”c