Chapter 108: Sad Clouds

The Duke's Mansion was in chaos because of Lu Qian's imprisonment. Naturally, the Chu family could not sit still and sent several groups of people to inquire about the situation, but they were all sent back by Lu Tanwei.

A cold wind suddenly blew in Kyoto, and the palace was filled with gloomy clouds.

The crabapples in Zhilan Garden were scattered all over the ground. Yun Yao led a group of maids to sweep the yard. Seeing her daughter coming back with a gloomy face, she hurriedly grabbed Hongju to ask. When she learned that the young master was in prison, she was so scared that the broom fell to the ground.

"How could this happen?"

Hong Ju pursed her lips and said, "My lady and I passed by Jinzun Tower and saw a dozen Jinyiwei surrounding the young master. That was a very creepy scene."

"Does the Duke not intend to save the young master?"

No matter how much trouble the young master got into before, the Duke always turned a blind eye. Now that he's been imprisoned, why hasn't anyone done anything about him?

"I heard it was an order from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. As servants, we should not ask too much."

After Hongju finished speaking, she went into the main room to serve. The tea stove next to the couch was boiling tea. Song Lingyi sat beside the couch, her eyes fixed on the floor, looking like she was worried about something.

Hongju walked over lightly to pour tea and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, young lady. The old lady is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. Maybe she'll go to the palace to plead for mercy tomorrow..."

Song Lingyi took the teacup and held it in her palm, with the steam of hot tea filling the air.

After a long while, she finally spoke: "Hongju, do you know what a 狁香 is?"

Hearing this, Hongju frowned in thought and hesitated for two breaths. "I heard that this is a spice that was banned by the late emperor. It is impossible for it to be found in the capital. The young master opened the Chufang Pavilion to sell spices. He must be unaware of the pros and cons."

"You also think something is fishy?"

Song Lingyi looked at Hongju from the side, her dark eyes clear.

From her understanding, Lu Qian was not a confused person, and as a young master who had lived a life of luxury since childhood, he would not cross the high-voltage line even if he was short of money for a while.

Thinking of this, Song Lingyi thought of the tourmaline and white jade bracelet.

No wonder he could give her such an expensive bracelet. It turned out that he bought it with the money he earned from selling spices.

The days are short in winter, and the sky is gloomy and looks like it is going to rain before dinner time.

Song Lingyi packed up simply and rushed to the old lady's yard to have a meal and to test the old lady's opinion.

Outside the window, the north wind blew violently, making the window frames creak. In the room, copper candles as thick as a child's arm were lit.

The grandfather and grandson sat around the round table and ate quietly.

During this time, the teaching nanny had been pushing Song Lingyi to learn the rules and regulations. She was now much more sensible than when she first entered the mansion, sitting upright and with a graceful demeanor. While eating, she took small bites of her meal while paying attention to the old lady's expression, which did not seem to fluctuate much.

After the meal, the nanny brought a bowl of tea. The old lady cleared her throat and calmly glanced at her granddaughter who was sitting on the crescent stool.

"Are you here to persuade me?"

Song Lingyi raised her lips and smiled: "How dare I? You've already given the order."

The old lady glanced at her meaningfully and chuckled, "In that case, you can go back to Zhilan Garden and rest. I don't need you to serve me here."

“…”

Song Lingyi pursed her lips, glanced at the nanny standing beside her, and said with a wry smile, "Grandma, I think my cousin must have been wronged. If you don't do anything, no one can save him."

The old lady shook her head and sighed, "I'm afraid that this time, even my face won't be enough."

After the crown prince came to power, he intended to rectify the atmosphere in the court. In just half a year, countless officials were dismissed.

The Duke's Mansion is a big tree that attracts wind, and people are afraid that the prince wants to make an example of it to scare the monkeys and intimidate the dignitaries in the capital.

Seeing the old lady's helplessness, Song Lingyi felt depressed. When she returned to Zhilan Garden, she passed by the main courtyard of the Duke and his wife. The servants were sweeping the floor silently, and the courtyard was hushed.

The next morning, Song Lingyi got up on time to pay her respects to the old lady. Suddenly, she heard the bad news that Wang had fallen ill. When she rushed to the main courtyard, Lu Yu was already by her bedside, her shoulders twitching slightly, as if she was crying.

Wang, lying on the bed, was wearing a headband, her face was haggard, and there was an abnormal blush on her cheeks.

Lu Tanwei was in the outer room, discussing the patient's condition with the doctor and watching the doctor prescribe medicine.

The atmosphere in the inner room was solemn. Song Lingyi sat on the crescent stool beside the couch, quietly looking at her sleeping aunt and her crying cousin, feeling very uncomfortable.

After the doctor finished prescribing the medicine and giving the medical instructions, she led Hongju out of the main courtyard, instructed the maid to prepare some easy-to-digest soup, and asked the boy to prepare the carriage at the back door.

"Girl, where are you going?"

Hongju looked at the girl rummaging through the drawers in front of the antique display cabinet with a puzzled look on her face, until she saw the girl pull out a few bottles of golden wound medicine, and then she suddenly realized what was going on.

"Are you going to the Imperial Prison, Miss?"

Song Lingyi looked up at her and said calmly, "Everyone in the mansion is in a mess. I have to do something."

Her aunt treated her very well, and now that she was ill, she felt bad seeing it.

"But ordinary people can't enter the imperial prison." Hongju hesitated.

Song Lingyi quickly packed up the things she was going to take with her, and after a moment's hesitation, she said, "Let's give it a try. What if we can get in?"

"Even if you can get in, the Imperial Prison is filled with evil spirits. Aren't you afraid, young lady?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Song Lingyi thought without hesitation. She'd been wandering around since the beginning of the year, and she'd seen dead bodies before. Even if a dead person were to hit her in the face, she wouldn't scream. So why would she be afraid of the evil spirit of the Imperial Prison?

Hongju wanted to say a few more words of advice, but was interrupted by Song Lingyi: "Good Hongju, stop nagging and go see if the carriage is ready."

"..." Hongqiu frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then went to the back door.

…

The sky was gloomy and dark clouds covered the city.

As soon as the master and servant got on the carriage, it started to rain heavily.

Halfway through the journey, the carriage suddenly stopped, and the driver outside the curtain called out, "Miss, Master Pei's carriage is in front."

A month and a half had passed since the betrothed couple last saw each other. Pei Zhao was busy with court affairs and didn't ask Song Lingyi out for outings as often as before.

Song Lingyi should have been happy to see her fiancé for the first time, but something happened in the Duke's Mansion, and she was really not in the mood to talk about love. What's more, Pei Zhao was depressed and spoke seriously, so he didn't know how to talk about love.

It was raining heavily, the streets were deserted and people were hurrying by.

The two carriages met.

Song Lingyi opened the car window and just happened to see Pei Zhao sitting in the car opposite.

"Lingyi, where are you going?"

After not seeing each other for many days, my fiancé is still as elegant and refined as ever, with a jade-like and golden appearance, without any classy airs.

Song Lingyi hesitated for two breaths before speaking: "Go to the Pacification Office."

Pei Zhao frowned slightly, his voice gentle, "Is it about the young master's matter?"

Song Lingyi nodded, lowered her brows and said softly, "There's been quite a stir in the mansion these past few days because of my cousin's affairs. I want to help my uncle and aunt share their worries."

"The Pacification Office is not a place you can just enter. How about you give me the thing and I'll ask someone to deliver it for you?" Pei Zhao said.