The Apothecary Diaries: Volume 2 (Light Novel)

Maomao didn’t know exactly what had been stolen, but it would have been something appropriate to the celebration of an important ritual. Something no doubt produced by a master craftsman. And she happened to have heard of one of those recently...
“You’re not saying...the metalworker’s family?” Jinshi said, startled. Maomao knew he was quick.
“That’s right,” she said.
She had a fairly good idea of what had killed the old craftsman. Lead poisoning, she suspected. It would be easy enough to dismiss it as an occupational hazard, but there was always the possibility that it was something more. It was conceivable that this, too, was deliberate. Give him some wine and a lead drinking cup as a gift, then wait for him to waste away. That would be one way to do it, anyway; there were others.
“The old man didn’t personally teach his apprentices—his sons—about his most secret discovery. It’s possible the art would have gone with him to his grave, a riddle no one else ever solved. Someone might have found that very convenient.”

Basen was the first to open his mouth: “What in the world is going on here?” He was staring straight at Maomao, looking unusually angry.
“Basen,” Gaoshun said sternly. The soldier only clucked his tongue and took a seat. Jinshi positioned himself on the couch, his expression carefully neutral.
His master was in considerable danger, after all, Maomao thought. But she had done nothing to warrant being yelled at, so she simply sipped her tepid water, her expression as cool as her drink.
Jinshi looked at Maomao, his hands stashed in his sleeves. “I’d like you to explain a few things for me. What brought you to that place at that time? How did you know that beam was going to fall? Tell me.”

“Master Jinshi brought you here, did you know? He couldn’t stand to leave you to rest in the medical office.” Suiren chuckled and passed the cup to Maomao.