Chapter Thirty: Who Exactly Drugged It?

Mu Ziyu was growing restless, his patience reaching its limit.

"Who does she think she is? My word is law. If she dares to give you trouble, I can divorce her just as easily as I married her!"

With this assurance, Qiu Ling’s heart blossomed with joy. She relaxed her resistance and, as if guided by instinct, quickly learned the ropes, leaving the young heir feeling thoroughly satisfied.

...

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" The urgent knocking on the door shattered the intimate atmosphere inside.

"Open the door!" It was the voice of Madame He. Mu Ziyu felt a jolt of alarm; his reason returned in an instant. He hurriedly pushed Qiu Ling aside, stood up, and scrambled to tidy his clothes.

Madame He pounded on the door again, shouting, "Open up at once!"

Mu Ziyu whispered to Qiu Ling, "Is there a back door?"

Qiu Ling shook her head, her face pale with dread.

Mu Ziyu cursed under his breath, panicked. If Madame He and the others discovered this, he would be ruined. He had to find a way out. He scanned the room, but aside from under the bed, there was nowhere to hide. To think that he, a noble heir, would be reduced to hiding under a bed—who would ever believe it?

But necessity demanded compromise. Casting aside all notions of dignity, Mu Ziyu lowered himself and crawled underneath.

Qiu Ling hurriedly gathered herself and smoothed out the bedsheets, trying to appear as natural as possible before going to open the door.

As the door swung open, Madame He and Song Wei rushed in, with Song Tang trailing closely behind.

"What is the meaning of this? Why did it take so long to open the door?" Madame He asked, her face cold as she scrutinized Qiu Ling.

Song Tang had not seen Mu Ziyu, but everyone present had heard the sounds of pleasure coming from the room just moments ago; Qiu Ling could not deny it.

Qiu Ling lowered her head, feigning composure. "Replying to Madame, this servant was just tidying the bed, which is why it took some time."

"Nonsense! Where is the man? Where is the man who was just in this room?" Madame He stared at Qiu Ling with a fierce gaze.

Half an hour ago, Song Wei had come to her, claiming she had a gift for Song Tang but was too afraid to deliver it herself. Thinking that both Song Tang and Song Wei would soon be marrying into the Mu household—where they would be seeing each other daily—Madame He thought it would be a good gesture for the sisters to bury the hatchet before the wedding, so she accompanied her.

Upon entering the courtyard, they found Song Tang asking the servants where the young heir had gone. It turned out that, at the suggestion of Marquis Mu, Song Tang had invited the heir over for a conversation to ease the awkwardness of their future meetings. Unexpectedly, he had disappeared midway through his meal.

When the heir went missing, it was a grave matter. They all joined the search, until a maid mentioned she had seen the heir enter the maids' quarters near the east wing. Thus, the group had descended upon this room.

"Madame, how could there be a man here? You have misunderstood me," Qiu Ling tried to argue.

Mother Chen pushed Qiu Ling aside and yanked back the blankets. The fresh bloodstains on the sheets were plain for all to see.

Qiu Ling stammered, "I... I have my monthly courses, so..."

Before she could finish, Mother Chen slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut your mouth, you shameless hussy! How dare you lie!" Mother Chen’s strike was heavy, and Qiu Ling’s cheek instantly swelled.

Hiding under the bed, Mu Ziyu was gripped by terror. He squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to draw a full breath.

Madame He sneered, "Speak! Where is the man? If you don't confess, I will have you dragged out and beaten to death!"

Terrified by the threat, Qiu Ling collapsed to her knees, weeping, "I was wrong! I was wrong! Please, Madame, spare my life!" She dared not name the heir; she could afford to offend neither of them.

Madame He commanded, "Search! Turn every corner of this room upside down!"

Song Wei, standing to the side, looked ghastly. She could not, and would not, believe that the heir would engage in such illicit behavior with a maid. But a moment later, Mother Chen shouted, "There’s someone under the bed!"

Mu Ziyu, who had been facing the wall, realized there was no escape. He crawled out from under the bed, his face flushed with shame.

"Heir! It really is you!!!" Seeing Mu Ziyu emerge, Madame He’s face turned ashen. The surrounding servants were stunned, and the atmosphere became excruciatingly awkward.

Mu Ziyu stood up, brushed off his clothes, and gave an embarrassed cough. He wanted to blame Song Tang, but the words died in his throat. Song Tang had also drunk the tea, and there had been nothing wrong with it. Furthermore, she hadn't intentionally sent a maid to him; he had barged into the room himself.

Song Wei, standing next to Madame He, was deathly pale, her eyes filled with shock. She had never imagined that the heir would truly commit such an act with Qiu Ling. She had brought Madame He here to catch Song Tang in a scandal, but now, seeing the situation, she had a sinking suspicion that she had been outmaneuvered by Song Tang. A rush of blood surged to her head; she felt the world spinning and nearly fainted.

"Wei'er!" Mu Ziyu stepped forward instinctively to support her, but after receiving a cold glare from Madame He, he retreated to his original spot.

Song Wei braced herself, trying to shift the blame to Song Tang. "Mother, what is going on? This is my sister’s courtyard."

Madame He, furious and flustered, turned sharply to Song Tang. "Why did you invite the heir over today? Was this your doing?"

"Mother, if I were intentionally setting a trap for the heir, why would I do it in my own courtyard? Wouldn't I be incriminating myself as well?" Song Tang retorted, her face a mask of innocence.

She then turned to Mu Ziyu. "Heir, how could you do such a thing with my maid in my own courtyard? You are ruining my reputation!"

"If you truly liked her, you could have just asked me. I might not have refused to give you this girl. Why resort to such underhanded, shameful behavior that brings disgrace to the Marquis's house?"

Mu Ziyu looked flustered, his mouth twitching. "No... it was someone else who drugged me."

"Drugged?" Madame He frowned. Song Wei felt a surge of anxiety; she was the one who had told Qiu Ling to buy the drug. If this were truly investigated, she might not escape unscathed.

"Who drugged you? Heir, do not go around making false accusations!" Song Tang said coldly.

Mu Ziyu’s face flickered between red and white. "I didn't say it was you!"

Song Tang gave a cold laugh. "How curious. You say it wasn't me, yet you insist you were drugged. Since this happened in my courtyard, we must get to the bottom of who administered this drug!"