Rebirth and Rewriting Fate

"And what about you? How is your health?" Yun Chu asked after a moment of silence.

"Me? I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine." Although Liu Da was puzzled, he still answered truthfully.

Yun Chu pushed Mo Han and Nan Rao aside, stepped forward, and half-squatted down. "Lingdang, come here, let me take a look."

"Miss!" the crowd said disapprovingly.

"Come here," Yun Chu said gently.

Lingdang looked up at Liu Da, then slowly moved towards Yun Chu.

Yun Chu placed her fingers on Lingdang's pulse, remained silent for a moment, then stood up. "May I see your kitchen?"

"Of course, it's this way." Liu Da hurriedly led the way.

Yun Chu pondered to herself that Liu Da had stayed with them all along without getting sick, but Lingdang had. If it were an epidemic, it shouldn't have spread so slowly. It was more likely that they had food poisoning, and the problem lay in what they ate.

However, after searching the kitchen, they found nothing unusual.

"Father, I'm hungry. Shall we have millet porridge again today?" Lingdang asked, sitting outside the kitchen.

Yun Chu had a sudden inspiration and walked towards the jar where millet was stored. Nan Rao quickly followed.

“Miss, this is a mixture of old and new rice,” Nan Rao said in surprise.

"Liu Da, did you mix this yourselves?" Zisu asked, puzzled.

"No, I bought this on East Street a few days ago," Liu Da said, scratching his head in confusion.

Yun Chu tied up the rice bag. "I'm taking this rice with me. We won't eat this millet for the next few days. Let's make noodles for Lingdang today."

"Okay, okay," Liu Da hurriedly replied.

After leaving Liu's house, Yun Chu wanted to go to the next one, but Mo Han stopped her, "Miss, you can't go anymore. Although it may not be an epidemic, but food poisoning, there is still a risk."

“Yes, Miss, you were just recovering from your illness a few days ago,” Nan Rao advised.

“Miss, I’ll take care of the rest,” Zisu said hurriedly.

Looking at the concerned faces, Yun Chu couldn't refuse.

"Nanrao, you go with Zisu to visit the remaining households, and while you're at it, collect some millet from each of them. Tell them not to eat it for the next few days. Then, go and fetch a doctor to visit each household one by one," Yun Chu instructed.

"Don't worry, miss."

After returning to Shili Pu, Yun Chu instructed Zhu Ling and Xu Li to go to the rice shops on East Street and West Street respectively to buy some rice and inquire about the patients at the pharmacies and clinics in the past few days.

After sunset, Shili Pu closed its doors, but the rooms inside were still brightly lit.

Yun Chu looked at the millet placed on her left and right sides, lost in thought.

"Miss, we've found out." Zhu Ling and Xu Li walked in.

"The number of sick people in the pharmacies and clinics on West Street is about the same as usual," Zhu Ling said.

“It’s different on East Street; there are twice as many sick people as usual,” Xu Li said, taking a sip of water.

"Does this have anything to do with the millet?" Zhu Ling asked.

“Miss, today Zisu and I asked the sick family’s servants again, and they all bought their millet from East Street,” Nanrao said.

Yun Chu's thoughts gradually became clearer; the food poisoning was probably indeed caused by these millet grains.

West Street was known for its high prices and bustling business, attracting wealthy officials and other affluent individuals who frequented the area and bought rice there. East Street, however, was different. Prices were lower, making it a popular shopping destination for ordinary people. Even if someone suffered from diarrhea, they would attribute it to food poisoning rather than the rice. The workers at Shili Pu ate all their meals at the shop. Yun Chu believed that to make a horse run, it must be well-fed, so Shili Pu's rice and grain were all purchased from West Street. This explained why Liu Da and his family remained healthy; only their relatives fell ill.

Yun Chu's gaze fell upon the rice bags of ten households on East Street to her right. Seven of them had problematic rice. Who was behind this? Rice was a matter of national importance; what were they trying to do? Moreover, the merchants' opening ceremony was in three days; at this crucial juncture, it was hard not to suspect something.

"Ruoxiao." Yun Chu called out subconsciously. In the past, when she couldn't figure something out or didn't want to think about it, she would throw the question to Gu Ruoxiao. But this subconscious action just now made her smile bitterly.

Everyone was startled by Yun Chu's words and all eyes turned to her. But Yun Chu kept her head down and remained silent.

Nan Rao and Mo Han's eyes flashed with heartache. They were thoughtful and knowledgeable. They looked at each other and read helplessness in their eyes.

Yun Chu cleared her throat and said, "Tomorrow is the first day of the month, which is the day when many shops settle their accounts. Xu Li, arrange for some people to keep an eye on those seven rice shops on East Street that have problems. I suspect that they are all owned by the same boss."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Miss, who is behind this? How dare they be so bold? Could they be someone from the imperial court?" Zhu Ling asked curiously.

Yun Chu fell silent, pondering. If it were someone from the imperial court, she probably wouldn't be able to investigate, since she was no longer the Regent's Consort. But Luo Yan could investigate, only if she had solid evidence so that Luo Yan could have a legitimate reason.

"Let's keep an eye on the rice shop for now," Yun Chu said.

"Miss, this is an invitation from the Chamber of Commerce for their opening ceremony in three days." Xu Li respectfully handed over a booklet.

Yun Chu took it and looked at it, then said, "As usual, you and Zisu will represent Shili Pu. I'll go and join in the fun."

Since marrying Gu Ruoxiao, Gu Ruoxiao didn't want her to be watched by too many people, but he never forbade her from going out. He just kept his anger to himself. Later, Yun Chu realized this. She wasn't a person who liked insincere flattery, so she turned down most of the invitations and let Xu Li and Zisu handle them, while she stayed behind the scenes and enjoyed her leisure.

“Miss, it’s getting dark, let’s go back,” Nan Rao said, stepping forward.

Yun Chu nodded.

Xu Li went to make arrangements for tomorrow, while Mo Han, Nan Rao, and Zhu Ling accompanied Yun Chu back to Wangyou Residence.

The carriage sped through the increasingly dark night.

"Whoa!" The horse neighed and stopped, as a noisy commotion came from ahead.

"Miss, there's a traffic jam ahead." Mo Han's voice came from outside the carriage.

"Miss, I'll go take a look." Zhu Ling skipped out of the car.

Yun Chu lifted the curtain and saw a group of people gathered in front of her, and it looked like a woman had been pushed to the ground.

The sounds of cursing and swearing continued to come.

"Stop shouting in front of our Luo residence! Get out of here right now!"

"Who do you think you are? Daring to steal our young lady's husband? Have you lost your mind?"

"You're nothing but a lowly countrywoman, yet you dare to cause trouble here!"

"Let me see Yan Lang, I want to see him!"

"What do you mean, 'see'? Young Master Yan is my master's son-in-law, how could you lowly people even dream of him!"

The insults and curses reached Yun Chu's ears, which she found extremely grating, and she frowned.