Chapter 331 Attendant-in-Ordinary Fang Qidong

After discussing the matter with Marquis Anyuan, Lu Shaocheng returned to his study and instructed his trusted confidants to investigate everything about Imperial Physician Lou and Lou Qingyao. The more information they gathered, the easier it would be to find a starting point.

After his trusted confidant left, he began to analyze the details of the matter to ensure there were no oversights. This was his first chance to prove himself, and he couldn't afford to make a mistake.

"Husband." Madam Liu came over with a tray, placed a bowl of ginseng soup in front of Lu Shaocheng, and said with a smile, "I personally cooked this ginseng soup, please try it, my husband."

Lu Shaocheng accepted the ginseng soup and offered her a seat, then picked up a spoon and began to drink. Liu Shi watched him drink, carefully choosing her words, then smiled and told him about her plans to visit the Duke of Chu's mansion with her mother-in-law the next day. Lu Shaocheng listened, occasionally offering responses.

Their marriage was an arranged one, and they hadn't been married long, having barely interacted before the wedding. Therefore, their relationship was merely one of mutual respect. Seeing his response, Lady Liu's smile widened. After discussing their upcoming visit to the Duke of Chu's mansion, he began to talk about some matters within the mansion.

Lu Shaocheng told himself to listen patiently. Before the marriage, his father had told him that as the heir to the family, he not only needed to achieve something in the court, but also couldn't neglect the inner quarters. He wasn't saying that he and his wife would necessarily be loving, but at least they should respect each other and the household should be peaceful. There must never be any fighting among the wives and concubines, or any chaos and disorder in the household.

He wholeheartedly agreed. Take his uncle, Jiang Chengye, for example. If he hadn't been out chasing after women and taking a concubine, why would his aunt have suffered so much? And why would his cousin, Jiang Jiamu, be plagued by illness?

Seeing her husband's patience, Lady Liu was very pleased. Then she changed the subject and began to reveal the real purpose of her visit, "I heard the other day that my fifth brother is getting engaged to my cousin Yu..."

"Clang!" The sound of the soup bowl hitting the table was crisp and loud, and Lu Shaocheng's face darkened.

Seeing this, Liu's face showed some fear. She opened her mouth to explain, but Lu Shaocheng's voice rang out at this moment, "You actually took your elders' jokes seriously?"

"This humble servant..."

"Who else have you said that to?"

"No, I haven't told anyone else." Madam Liu stood up in fright, but Lu Shaocheng's stern expression did not soften at all. He asked again, "Did you ever tell anyone at the Liu family?"

"No," Liu said, tears welling in her eyes. "I was just saying it casually."

Seeing that she was truly frightened, Lu Shaocheng's expression softened somewhat, and he said, "The Duke of Chu's status is different from that of ordinary women. You should know the saying that trouble comes from careless words."

The words "Duke of Chu" startled Liu, and she quickly added, "I know I was wrong."

Lu Shaocheng hummed in agreement, picked up a book as if to read it, and Liu Shi quickly bowed and took her leave. Even after leaving the courtyard, her heart was still pounding; she truly knew she had been reckless.

What she was really worried about was that if Lu Xiaowu really married Jiang Yu, it would threaten Lu Shaocheng's position. Don't say Lu Xiaowu is a playboy; the heir of the Marquis of Jinyang was also a playboy, yet he's often praised for his progress these days.

Just now, her mother-in-law reminded her that Jiang Yu's status was different and she couldn't treat her like an ordinary cousin. She then recalled what she had overheard at her mother-in-law's door a few days ago. Jiang Yu was the Duke of Chu, a favorite of the emperor. If she really married Lu Xiaowu, then the position of heir to the Anyuan Marquis's mansion might not necessarily be her husband.

Thinking about all this, she got anxious and wanted to come and test the waters, while also reminding Lu Shaocheng. Now, looking back, she realized she had indeed gone too far. Putting aside whether Lu Xiaowu and Jiang Yu would get married, her actions just now were tantamount to disrupting the family.

Back in her courtyard, she sat on the couch, her back drenched in cold sweat. Seeing her like this, the old woman beside her sighed inwardly and softly advised:

“Young Madam, although the Duke of Chu is a woman and the eldest young master’s cousin, she is a powerful duke, just like our old master of the Liu family and the Marquis. She is the head of the family and cannot be discussed by others at will.”

"I...I understand." Madam Liu let out a long sigh of relief. "I was too rash."

Even knowing that Jiang Yu was different from ordinary women, and even though her mother-in-law warned her not to treat Jiang Yu like an ordinary woman, deep down she still didn't place Jiang Yu on the same level as men.

She told herself deep down that it wouldn't happen again.

“You and your son-in-law have only been married for a short time, so there are some things… that are not easy to say directly,” the nanny advised again.

Knowing that she was acting in his best interest, Madam Liu wasn't angry. Instead, she nodded and said, "It won't happen again."

For couples like hers and Lu Shaocheng, whose marriages are arranged by family alliances, interests come first, and then marital affection. If they want to stay together through thick and thin, they can only do so slowly and patiently.

...

Jiang Yu was naturally unaware that Lu Shaocheng and his wife had caused such a commotion because of her. But even if she did know, she wouldn't care.

Upon returning to the Duke of Chu's residence, she received a letter from the steward, addressed to Xie Ning'an. Opening it, she found news of evidence that Xie Ning'an had previously entrusted to investigate the Lingnan Prince's Mansion and its alleged plot against the Duke of Chu's family. Xie Ning'an would be visiting her at the government office the next day.

She closed the letter, a sharp glint in her eyes. She was really looking forward to a direct confrontation with the Lingnan Prince's Mansion.

The next day, Xie Ning'an arrived at the government office study. Today, he was dressed in a gray robe, appearing reserved and composed.

"Sit down." Jiang Yu gestured for her to sit. She sensed that Xie Ning'an was different from usual, as if she had undergone some kind of transformation.

Xie Ning'an sat down opposite her, took out a stack of papers and handed them to her, "The King of Lingnan is cautious in his actions, but... back then, when my grandfather was instructed by him to frame your father, he didn't leave any evidence. It was only because my grandfather's wife, who was a long-time attendant of He Qi, thought of a detail that I investigated and obtained some clues."

Jiang Yu listened attentively and casually poured him a cup of tea. Xie Ning'an took the teacup but didn't drink it, and continued, "He Qi... had some ambiguous relationship with a widow, and his wife, Wang, often kept an eye on his whereabouts. Once, He Qi was ordered to meet with spies sent from Lingnan at night, and Wang suspected that He Qi was having an affair with the widow, so she followed him."

She saw He Qi enter a house, and soon after, he came out with a person wearing a black cloak. Wang Shi assumed the person in the black cloak was the widow and followed him, eventually arriving at the residence of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Fang Qidong. The person in the black cloak entered Fang's residence through the back door. Before going in, the person turned around, and Wang Shi saw that it was a man.

Knowing she had almost ruined everything, Wang Shi dared not tell anyone. Only when He Qi was imprisoned along with my grandfather, and news of the Xie family's collusion with the King of Lingnan spread, did Wang Shi realize that the man in the black cloak was a spy sent by the King of Lingnan.

"So, the Attendant-in-Ordinary Fang Qidong is a man of the King of Lingnan?" Jiang Yu asked.

“Yes, after hearing Wang’s confession, I had someone keep watch outside the Fang residence and intercepted a carrier pigeon.” Xie Ning’an handed a slip of paper to Jiang Yu.