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The death of that old mammy was indeed not so simple.
Lin Zhiqing narrowed her eyes.
Just now, Lin Congli had repeatedly spoken of the "Lin family's reputation." This matter definitely involved members of the Lin family.
If she hadn't found the poison that caused her elder female cousin to fall unconscious, Lin Congli and Fourth Master Lin would likely have maintained a united front, not wanting her to interfere any further.
To make her usually proper First Uncle help cover this up, it seemed that if this matter were exposed, it would most likely affect the Lin family's interests.
It was precisely because of this that Lin Congli had used both carrot and stick, warning her not to spread these matters outside.
As Lin Zhiqing was thinking, Lin Congli spoke: "What poison exactly was your cousin afflicted with?"
Fourth Master Lin also looked at her, but the corners of his eyes drooped, showing little trust in his gaze.
"I request First Uncle and Fourth Uncle to make a trip to the kitchen." Lin Zhiqing gracefully turned and walked towards the door.
Lin Congli and Fourth Master Lin exchanged a glance and immediately followed.
The few people outside the door saw Lin Zhiqing come out and quickly gathered around; even Lin Shi'an had appeared at some point.
Such a large entourage made Fourth Master Lin raise an eyebrow.
Inside the Lin family's East Kitchen.
It was still early, and several kitchen helpers were chatting idly while preparing vegetables.
"Have you heard? Mammy Zhao actually dared to harm Young Miss Yangyang!"
"Truly, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Mammy Zhao usually seemed quite kind."
"Did you think that old crone was any good? Just a few days ago, I saw her sneaking around, stealing things."
"Oh, dear, her little granddaughter is so lovely. Now that she's done something like this, what will happen to her relatives?"
…
When Lin Zhiqing stepped through the door, she happened to overhear some of the discussion.
Seeing so many masters arrive at once, the group of old women knelt on the ground with a rustle.
Soon, the gaunt East Kitchen steward came forward with a look of panic, asking:
"Young Miss Zhiqing, the rhododendron and lotus seed soup you requested earlier is almost ready. What brings you here now…?"
As he spoke, his eyes darted around, and his lips tightened slightly, clearly showing some nervousness and guilt.
Lin Zhiqing was not highly regarded in the Lin family, and the servants were not attentive when carrying out her orders. This serving of rhododendron and lotus seed soup might have only just been put on the stove.
However, she didn't care.
"You've been here before?" Lin Congli's expression was as calm as an old well.
Lin Zhiqing nodded: "I had nothing to do this morning, so I came for a stroll."
She said it lightly, but everyone knew there was more to it than that.
Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, she walked into the inner room of the East Kitchen and immediately saw the pot emitting wisps of white steam.
After the others followed her in, the first thing they smelled was a strong floral fragrance.
Lu Huai's nose twitched: "Such a strong rhododendron scent."
"The rhododendrons in Shengjing City are slightly smaller and have a milder scent. This must be a rare variety." Lu Nanyue closed her eyes and fanned the air with her hand, easily identifying it.
Hearing this, the East Kitchen steward immediately took two steps forward: "Replying to Young Miss Lu, this is rhododendron that our Fourth Master specially brought back from the Nanzhao Kingdom. One tael of dried rhododendron costs over a hundred taels!"
His eyebrows rose, a sense of superiority in his tone, mixed with a hint of flattery. He completely failed to notice the increasingly unsightly expressions on the Lin family members' faces.
Lu Huai raised an eyebrow, his gaze towards Fourth Master Lin deeply intriguing.
Jiang Liuyun coughed lightly: "Zhiqing, this rhododendron and lotus seed soup is indeed very fragrant."
The change of topic was truly abrupt.
For officials in the court, the biggest taboo was flaunting wealth.
Lin Zhiqing, however, didn't care about this. Her gaze was fixed on the East Kitchen steward as she went straight to the point:
"This Nanzhao rhododendron is indeed rare. I tasted some today, and it reminded me that I seemed to have smelled this fragrance when I was having tea with my cousin before."
She said "smelled," not "tasted," otherwise she couldn't explain why she was still standing here.
The East Kitchen steward was taken aback, then, as if remembering something, immediately replied: "This Nanzhao rhododendron tea is precious. After Fourth Master brought it back that day, he distributed some to various places."
Speaking of this, he seemed to recall something else and shrank his neck.
Lin Zhiqing, of course, knew why he reacted this way; it was simply because she hadn't received any of the tea.
However, she didn't care.
Watching this silent exchange of glances, Lin Congli and Fourth Master Lin both frowned.
But their thoughts were quickly brought back by Lin Zhiqing.
"Who was responsible for delivering the rhododendron tea to my cousin's place?" Her tone was momentarily sharp.
The East Kitchen steward immediately cupped his hands: "Young Miss Zhiqing, I personally delivered the tea to each courtyard."
"Oh?" Lin Zhiqing raised an eyebrow: "Steward, you are in charge of the East Kitchen, yet you don't even know you delivered the wrong thing?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at the steward, their faces showing doubt.
The steward's heart leaped in fright, and he quickly knelt on the ground: "Young Miss Zhiqing, I checked carefully before delivering anything. This rhododendron flower is precious; even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare to make a mistake!"
A layer of fine sweat beads appeared on his forehead, his eyes wide with evident terror.
He was most likely not lying.
After observing for a moment, Lin Zhiqing continued: "Then tell me, why is my cousin still unconscious?"
"Wasn't the Young Miss harmed by that Mammy Zhao? That Mammy Zhao is a cleaning mammy in the Young Miss's courtyard. Apart from times when there weren't enough hands and she helped with cleaning, she almost never came to the East Kitchen!" The steward mentioned the deceased Mammy Zhao in just a few words.
"I am asking you now, not Mammy Zhao." Lin Zhiqing really disliked talking to people with muddled minds.
She pointed to the rhododendron and lotus seed soup simmering in the pot: "Do you know that the rhododendron tea you sent to my cousin was poisonous?"
The moment the words "poisonous" came out, everyone gasped.
The first person to refute was Lu Nanyue: "Zhiqing, rhododendron flowers are non-toxic. Many young ladies in Shengjing City enjoy drinking rhododendron tea to regulate menstruation and nourish their beauty."
She said this in the tone of a physician, and quickly received everyone's agreement.
The first person to express dissatisfaction was Fourth Master Lin. His thin lips parted slightly: "Zhiqing, you are an idler who can't tell grains apart, and now you're treating us like fools. Truly detestable!"
Lin Congli did not refute his words and even showed a hint of agreement.
Lin Zhiqing felt a little like laughing. Just moments ago, these two were all about the "Lin family's reputation," but now they were casually criticizing her in front of several outsiders, completely disregarding her own reputation.
Yet they wore expressions of righteousness, not at all feeling that this behavior damaged Lin Zhiqing's reputation.
The original owner had truly struggled to survive alone in this Lin family, which was so full of malice towards her.
Based solely on the fact that the original owner had opened a medical clinic with Lu Nanyue, Lin Zhiqing did not believe the original owner was the kind of person they described.
Seeing Lin Zhiqing remain silent, Jiang Liuyun immediately stepped forward, shielding her: "First Master, Fourth Master, Qing'er is not that kind of person."
Lu Nanyue and Lu Huai looked serious and also stood in front of her, in a protective stance.
Just as Fourth Master Lin was about to speak, he saw Lin Zhiqing push aside the people blocking her.
Her tone was very cold: "Fourth Uncle, for all your extensive reading, you don't even know that there is a type of highly poisonous rhododendron in the Nanzhao Kingdom?"