Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 366: Questioning
The polished silver spoon, once gleaming like freshly fallen snow, suddenly turned pitch black—so unmistakably dark that it could not be ignored.
“Miss! Don’t drink it… it’s poisoned!” the little maid Baozi cried out, her voice trembling with terror. She had just watched her young mistress scoop up the sweet porridge, only to see the silver spoon darken in her hand.
Li Shu seemed entirely oblivious to the change. She rolled her eyes at the panicked maid and, with a teasing pout, said, “Nonsense! This is the sweet porridge my dear Sixth Sister carefully prepared for me.”
With that, she lifted the spoon toward her cherry-red lips, ready to taste the sweet concoction.
“Really! Look! The silver spoon has turned black! Poisoned things turn black!”
Baozi’s little hands shot out, grabbing her mistress’s delicate fingers, her round face drained of color as panic gripped her. She could not bear to see Miss Li Shu drink the porridge.
Finally, following Baozi’s frantic warning, Li Shu’s gaze drifted downward, resting on the spoon in her hand. Her eyes widened as if she had just witnessed the most unbelievable sight. The water-bright pupils shimmered like rippling pools, and her rose-colored lips parted slightly in an astonished “Ah!”
With a heavy clink, she set the sweet porridge down on the table, her gaze now shifting to the maid who had brought it.
From that moment, the entire world seemed to shift in the eyes of the little maid.
The Fifth Miss, usually as radiant as a spring peach and soft with gentle smiles, now looked at her as if a winter frost had descended, her gaze cold enough to bite.
“Hehe… don’t be afraid. Come, tell me—what exactly is going on here?” Li Shu toyed with the blackened silver spoon in her slender fingers, smiling sweetly, though her tone carried a chilling undertone. “Why, my dear sister, would you send me a bowl of poisoned porridge?”
Her smile, which might have seemed kind at another time, only made the chill more severe.
“It wasn’t Miss,” the maid who had delivered the porridge said repeatedly, shaking her head, her voice quivering.
“Oh? Hehe… so the sweet porridge grew legs and ran to me on its own?” Li Shu’s eyes glinted with a cold, mocking amusement.
“No, no, that’s not what I mean!” the maid protested again, her words tumbling out in panic.
“Oh? Then what exactly do you mean?” Li Shu’s red lips curved lightly, smiling as if coaxing a secret.
“I mean… my lady did not poison it,” the maid explained, shaking her head.
“Oh? Your lady did not poison it, huh,” Li Shu repeated, nodding slowly.
The maid’s head nodded frantically in relief, only to feel her heart seize the next moment.
“The sweet porridge was brought by you. Your lady did not poison it. But the porridge itself is poisoned… so that means you did it?” Li Shu suddenly stood, a cold laugh escaping her lips as she fixed her gaze on the trembling maid.
“Ah! So it was you who poisoned it! Why would you dare harm my lady?” Baozi shrieked, her round eyes blazing with indignation, itching to jump at the maid and tear her apart.
“No… no… I didn’t!” the maid stammered, her face as pale as paper, vehemently denying the accusation.
“Ridiculous. You brought the sweet porridge. Your lady didn’t poison it. You didn’t either. So… does that mean I poisoned it myself?” Li Shu’s cold laugh cut through the air.
The poor maid’s head bobbed and shook in a dizzying, panicked dance, until she herself seemed utterly confused.
“Ah, so you little minx are stubborn, huh? Fine, if you refuse to drink willingly, let’s try some punishment wine. If I allow someone to harm me and do nothing, who knows how much worse it could get!” Li Shu’s expression hardened, and her voice dropped to a chilling command: “Bring this treacherous little wretch who tried to harm her mistress here and bind her.”
“Send a message to my dear Sixth Sister. I want to ask her myself, see if there’s been some misunderstanding.”
“And fetch my Great Aunt to arbitrate. I traveled all the way from the South, and thanks to the protection of the elders, I’ve avoided a lonely, helpless life. My heart is grateful… but today, I merely wished to enjoy a bowl of sweet porridge, yet I was nearly poisoned. If Great Aunt cannot stand for me, I dare not stay in this residence any longer.”
“Bring Second Sister, Third Sister, and Fourth Sister here, quickly! I’ve heard that Liu wanted to give each of us a portion of sweet porridge. I was lucky… but if anything happens to my three sisters, I could not bear to live.”
The maids and housekeepers in Li Shu’s courtyard were poised and ready, eager to act. As soon as Li Shu finished her instructions, each set about executing her orders in perfect, disciplined coordination, eager to prove themselves before their mistress.
The maid who had delivered the sweet porridge was seized by two housekeepers, her arms twisted behind her back, and dragged into the courtyard, tied firmly to a tree.
Soon, the Lady of the Linhuai Marquis arrived, accompanied by several maids and housekeepers, entering Li Shu’s courtyard. Shortly after, Second, Third, and Fourth Misses arrived as well, each escorted by their own attendants.
“Great Aunt, you must stand for me! Just now, I nearly—nearly wouldn’t have seen you again… I only asked Sixth Sister for a bowl of sweet porridge, and yet… yet someone poisoned it…”
Li Shu, seeing the Lady of Linhuai arrive, hurried over with timid, skittish steps, wrapping her arms around the elder lady’s arm in a display of helpless fragility. Her watery eyes were blurred with unshed tears, as if any moment she might break down completely.
At that very moment, Sixth Miss of the Marquis’ household arrived, escorted by her maids. Her presence immediately cut off Li Shu’s lamentation, her expression full of righteous indignation.
“Fifth Sister! I was only trying to give you sweet porridge! Why accuse me of poisoning you?”
The onlookers’ gazes shifted instantly to Li Shu, eager to see how she would respond.
“Why would you say that, little sister? When did I ever claim the poison came from you?” Li Shu looked at Sixth Miss, her expression full of bewilderment, as if she could not fathom why the younger girl would speak so. Then, with moist eyes, she turned to the Lady of Linhuai and the other sisters:
“I never said the poison came from her, Great Aunt. Second Sister, did you hear me say otherwise?”
Under Li Shu’s watchful gaze, the Lady of Linhuai and the others shook their heads. Indeed, Li Shu had only recounted the facts: she asked Sixth Sister for a bowl of sweet porridge and it had been poisoned, without ever naming the culprit.
Seeing their denial, Li Shu’s lips curved ever so slightly. She bowed gracefully to the Lady of Linhuai before gliding over to Sixth Miss, her dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on her.
“You’ve seen it too, little sister. Great Aunt and the elder sisters have testified on my behalf. Earlier it was nothing, but now… thinking carefully about what you said, I want to ask—why claim I accused you of poisoning me? Could it be that you know something…”
“Sis… sister, why say such things? I feel so wronged…” Sixth Miss’s soft, round face looked injured and pitiful, her big eyes glimmering with hurt.
“What did I say? I only asked! If your elder sister nearly had her life taken by poison, is it forbidden to ask a single question?” Li Shu’s eyes glistened further with misty emotion.
“You…” Sixth Miss faltered, speechless.
“Shu’er, Zhu’er, stop arguing. One at a time, calmly. Shu’er, you first,” the Lady of Linhuai intervened.
Li Shu had Baozi fetch the sweet porridge and the spoon from her room, placing them in view of all. Then, standing before the bound maid, she asked four questions:
Did you bring this sweet porridge?
After you delivered it, did it ever leave your sight?
Did I, in front of you, notice the spoon turning black when I scooped it?
Did you poison it?
For the first three questions, the maid nodded vigorously. For the fourth, she shook her head with equal force.
“Great Aunt, I have no more questions. Please stand for me,” Li Shu said, her gaze settling silently on the Lady of Linhuai.