Chapter 48 Chapter 48: Aphrodisiac Again

The Jiang residence was filled with laughter and joy, except for the bedroom in the main house, which was filled with desolate wind and rain.

Jiang Ran, who hadn't been home for a long time, stood by Jiang Wenhuan's bed and said sarcastically, "Father, why are you sick? You got promoted thanks to the success of the Xinyang Marquisate. You should be so proud of yourself, but why are you bedridden?"

Jiang Wenhuan looked at Jiang Ran, only to see that she was as thin as a bamboo pole, trembling and looking like she would fall down if the wind blew.

Jiang Ran looked even worse. His cheeks were yellow, his eyes were dark blue, his chin was much sharper, and his face was full of resentment.

Jiang Ran's words were rude, and Jiang Wenhuan wanted to scold her, but seeing her expression, he couldn't bear it. He coughed and said, "Today is your third sister's day. Just be quiet and don't cause any trouble."

Jiang Ran sneered. Jiang Shu and Jiang Rong were both concubines' daughters, but they were able to marry in grand ceremony with phoenix crowns and red robes. Why should she, a legitimate daughter, be humiliated?

Jiang Ran's life is completely ruined, and Jiang Rong won't have an easy life either.

She flashed a smile uglier than tears and whispered to Jiang Wenhuan, "Father is right. Today is a lucky day for my third sister. As her elder sister, I have to go and see her off."

After saying that, he turned and left the dormitory.

Jiang Wenhuan had a bad feeling and called out, "Someone, come quickly!"

The Jiang family didn't have many servants to begin with, and they were all busy entertaining guests. Jiang Wenhuan called out several times before Mrs. Zhou responded and came into the house.

Jiang Wenhuan said, "Go find the wife quickly and ask her to take good care of the Second Young Miss. On such a happy day, please don't cause any trouble."

Mrs. Zhou said yes and strode to the main hall to look for Yang.

Jiang Ran stepped into the side room, and the bright red curtains in the room hurt her eyes.

She looked straight at Jiang Rong and whispered, "Third sister, you look so stylish today. Look at this red wedding dress that looks like a flying phoenix. It's so dazzling and radiant. I'll never have the chance to wear it in my lifetime."

There was something strange in Jiang Ran's eyes. Jiang Shu was afraid that she would hurt Jiang Rong, so she stepped forward, stood in front of Jiang Rong, and whispered, "Second sister, you finally come home. Why don't you go to the flower hall to see mother? Mother has been thinking about you all the time!"

Jiang Rong ignored Jiang Shu completely. She raised her head, smiled, and said softly, "I have no chance of becoming the legal wife, and Third Sister has no chance of getting married either. Third Sister and I will just rot in the mud together!"

Jiang Ran pulled a dagger from his sleeve pocket, raised it high, and stabbed it straight into his lower abdomen. "I want to see if Minister Lin's love for my third sister is truly as strong as gold. If he doesn't mind the bad luck, he can step over my corpse and marry my third sister!"

Jiang Ran fell to the ground with a bang, blood gushing out from his abdomen, falling onto the bright red carpet on the ground, blending with the carpet and giving it a seductive color.

Fear emanated from every part of his body, stimulating Jiang Rong's nerves. Jiang Rong looked at the scene in front of him, and the string in his heart became tighter and tighter, and suddenly broke.

Her vision went dark, and she fell straight to the side. Jiang Shu quickly supported her and said urgently, "Third sister, today is your good day, you have to hold on. If you fall, it will really satisfy Jiang Ran."

In a moment, Jiang Rong's eyes were filled with tears. She fell onto the bed, wrapped her arms around Jiang Shu's waist, rested her head on her belly, and whispered, "Big sister, is my marriage still possible?"

Jiang Shu was unsure. On such a good day, a bloody disaster struck the Jiang family, clearly ruining the luck. If the Lin family minded, the marriage would be cancelled.

The Jiang family is the party at fault, and whether the marriage is successful or not depends entirely on Lin Yunzhi's wishes.

Men do not attach as much importance to feelings as women do.

Jiang Shu always holds a pessimistic attitude towards men. She feels that this marriage will not be successful, but she does not want to discourage Jiang Rong, so she just comforts her gently.

At this time, Mrs. Zhou pushed the door open and brought Yang in. Seeing Jiang Ran lying in a pool of blood, Yang's face turned pale and her body began to tremble.

After all, having been the mistress of the household for over twenty years, Yang quickly calmed down even though her heart was broken. She whispered to the maids in the room, "Why are you so flustered? Hurry and carry the Second Young Lady to the back room."

Blood was flowing from Jiang Ran's chest, his face was completely pale, and it was unknown whether he was still alive.

The maids were all temporarily sent to the Yang family to assist with the marriage. They had never seen such a scene before. They huddled together trembling, stunned.

After Yang scolded him a few more times, the maids slowly came to Jiang Ran's side and lifted him up as if he were a plague god.

The maids tremblingly carried Jiang Ran towards the door. When they finally reached the eaves, they saw Lin Yunzhi, wearing a bright red wedding dress, entering the yard with her best man.

The two sides walked towards each other, Lin Yunzhi stopped and looked at Jiang Ran.

Lin Yunzhi didn't say anything, but the best man on his left spoke up: "It's a good day, why is there blood in the Jiang family? This is a bad omen. How can this marriage go ahead today?"

As he spoke, he walked towards the flower hall, wanting to seek advice from his elders.

Jiang Shu saw the situation outside, and her heart was in her throat. She walked to the corridor in two steps, pretended to be relaxed, and said nonsense: "My second sister was drunk and passed out, which made you all laugh.

"My family's hangover soup is incredibly effective. My second sister drank a bowl of it and everything was fine. Don't worry about her, everyone. Go home quickly."

Although the words were smooth, Jiang Shu had no idea what was going on. She looked at Lin Yunzhi nervously, fearing that he would turn around and leave like the best man.

Lin Yunzhi paused for a moment, then turned his gaze away from Jiang Ran and said with a smile, "It's normal for someone to get drunk on a wedding day. Everyone, stop watching the fun and quickly follow me to pick up the bride."

Jiang Shu's tense heart suddenly relaxed. It turned out that not all men were as heartless as Lu Lin and Lu Changyi.

When Lin Yunzhi entered the new house, he saw Jiang Rong sitting on the bunk bed. Although she was covering her face with a round fan, he could still sense her nervousness.

Lin Yunzhi walked to Jiang Rong, bent down, and whispered, "Other people's affairs have nothing to do with us. Don't be nervous, just be happy to be a bride."

His words blew into Jiang Rong's heart like a spring breeze, soothing Jiang Rong's nervousness and helplessness bit by bit.

Jiang Rong's lips curved up, and she placed her hand on Lin Yunzhi's palm. Before the two of them left the room, the best man who had just gone to the hall to ask questions of the elders came in.

The best man walked up to Lin Yunzhi and said in a low voice, "Yunzhi, Secretary Lin wants to tell you something."

Lin Zhanshi was Lin Yunzhi's uncle. Lin Zhanshi came to talk to Lin Yunzhi at this juncture, simply to prevent him from getting married.

After all, it was the Jiang family that made the mistake, so it is understandable that the Lin family regretted it.

Lin Yunzhi seemed not to understand the best man's implication. He held Jiang Rong horizontally in his arms and said to the best man in a gentle voice, "It's important to welcome the bride home. If there's anything else, let's talk about it after we return to the Lin Mansion."

The best man paused, but ultimately said nothing more.

There were many people talking in the front yard, and the maids worked together to carry Jiang Ran to the back room.

Yang burst into tears. She looked straight at the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how is my sister? Is her life in danger?"

The doctor threw a ball of bloody cotton on the ground and whispered, "The Second Miss is seriously injured. I can only do my best and dare not speak nonsense."

While he was stopping Jiang Ran's bleeding, he asked the maid to press the ginseng slices under the root of Jiang Ran's tongue.

The room was in a mess, and the doctor was sweating profusely from exhaustion. Fortunately, Jiang Ran was lucky enough not to be stabbed in the vitals, and he survived.

Yang stayed by Jiang Ran's side, holding his hand and sobbing, "Mrs. Cui has a great reputation. I know it's not easy for you to make a living under her control, but no matter what, you can't just ignore your own life."

Speaking of Madam Cui, Jiang Shu's already pale face became even more sluggish. The light in her eyes also dimmed.

Madam Cui was the mistress that Zheng Zuhe married into officially. She was tough and had her mother-in-law as her backer, so she controlled Zheng Zuhe very tightly.

Zheng Zuhe felt aggrieved, but he didn't dare to vent his anger on Madam Cui. Whenever Madam Cui went out, he would go to his concubine's room to vent his anger.

He had been in brothels a lot and had picked up many dishonest tricks. Every time he stayed in Jiang Ran's room for a night, Jiang Ran would be unable to get out of bed for five or six days.

Jiang Ran couldn't speak out his grievances and had to endure Cui Niangzi's anger.

Jiang Ran is an official's wife. If anything happens to Madam Cui, she is the only one among the concubines in the backyard who can be promoted to the main wife. Therefore, Madam Cui targets her in particular.

Lack of food and clothing was a common occurrence, and Madam Cui often made Jiang Ran kneel in the courtyard as punishment, crushing her dignity to pieces. Even the servants of the Zheng family would step on her when they saw her.

Everywhere he looked was gloomy. Jiang Ran saw no hope and could only get through the days bit by bit.

She finally waited until Jiang Rong's wedding and had an excuse to return to the Jiang family.

It was Jiang Shu who made her neither human nor ghost. Even if she sacrificed her life, she would not let Jiang Shu and her loved ones be happy.

She originally thought that risking her life could prevent Jiang Rong from getting married, as no one would be willing to get married by stepping on a corpse and blood. However, she did not expect that Lin Yunzhi had such deep feelings for Jiang Rong that he carried Jiang Rong into the bridal sedan without any hesitation.

Jiang Ran gave a bitter laugh and said in a hoarse voice, "Mother, what's the point of me living? As soon as I step into the Zheng Mansion, I will be humiliated. I might as well die."

Yang looked at Jiang Ran with eyes full of pity. She knew that Jiang Ran was not living a happy life, but she didn't expect that Jiang Ran would fall to such a state.

Rather than letting her daughter live in disgrace, it is better to give it a try.

Yang hesitated for a moment, then took out a talisman from her sleeve pocket and stuffed it into Jiang Ran's hand, whispering, "Sister Ran, while the Zheng family isn't paying attention, run away quickly. The farther away the better, and never come back."

As she spoke, she called over two maids and said softly, "This taller one is called Hongmei, and the shorter one is called Luzhu. I bought them from the government market. Although maids from the government market are more expensive, they are all registered with the government. Not only if they are alive, but even if they die, their bodies will belong to me."

Yang looked at the two maids and said in a deep voice, "Today I am giving you to the Second Young Miss. You must protect her with your lives and serve her well.

If you serve me well, I will prepare a generous dowry and send you off. If you don't serve me well, even selling you to a brothel is not a problem."

Yang used both kindness and force to intimidate the two maids into submission.

The people attending the wedding gradually left. Yang took advantage of this gap and asked the maid to carry Jiang Ran out from the back door.

She boarded the carriage, handed a silver note with a face value of two thousand taels to Jiang Ran, and whispered, "Please keep this money. When you go out, you need to use the change to buy things.

Don't show off your wealth. Don't let others know how much money you have. With money on hand, you won't be too bad off.

After Yang finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Ran deeply and strode out of the carriage.

Jiang Ran was seriously injured, and the coachman drove the carriage very steadily. Jiang Ran lay in the carriage, with neither the energy nor the mind to think about why Yang had the token, why she had two thousand taels of silver notes, and why she had already prepared a carriage for escape.

She was only secretly glad that she could finally get rid of Zheng Zuhe and escape Cui's torture.

She can finally live her life as a decent person.

Jiang Shu followed Jiang Rong to the Lin family. The new house was decorated with colorful lights and red curtains. Even the chairs and stools were replaced with mahogany ones, which showed that a lot of thought had been put into them. Jiang Shu was very happy that her sister was cherished.

After a while, a group of female relatives came into the bridal chamber. Among them were Lin Yunzhi's elders and his cousins. They were all very kind and talked to Jiang Rong with laughter.

The room was crowded with strangers, and Jiang Rong felt a little uncomfortable. She was nervous, but forced herself to pretend to be calm and greeted the people in the room with a smile.

The Lin family has a long tradition of poetry and literature, and the women in the family act very tactfully. Knowing that the bride was shy, she greeted Jiang Rong and then went to the flower hall to entertain the guests.

The bridal chamber quickly returned to silence, leaving only Jiang Shu and Jiang Rong inside. Jiang Shu sat down next to Jiang Rong and said with a smile, "The Lin family is truly a good family. Minister Lin is very gentle and refined, and the women in the family are also very tactful and accommodating to you in every way."

Jiang Rong was also very happy. She smiled shyly, and a layer of red clouds appeared on her cheeks.

The two sisters were talking to each other when the door was pushed open and Lin Yunzhi walked in with a plate of snacks.

He didn't expect Jiang Shu to be in the room as well. He paused for a moment, then placed the snacks on the eight-immortal table in the middle of the room and said gently, "Eldest sister, you've been accompanying Rong'er all the way and must be tired. Have some snacks to fill your stomach."

Jiang Shu pursed her lips and smiled, then stood up tactfully and said to the two of them, "Although the dim sum is good, it's not as sumptuous as the banquet. It's best for me to have the banquet in the flower hall."

Jiang Rong did not stay and let Jiang Shu leave the house.

After Jiang Shu left, Lin Yunzhi sat next to Jiang Rong with some snacks, broke them into small pieces, and handed them to Jiang Rong's lips.

Jiang Rong felt a little embarrassed and reached out to take the snack. She whispered, "I can do it myself. I won't bother you with such a small matter."

Lin Yunzhi refused and whispered, "You and I are husband and wife from today on. It's only natural for me to feed my wife snacks. Why are you being so distant?"

He was so sure of what he said that Jiang Rong didn't know what to say anymore. She took the snack from Lin Yunzhi's hand and put it into her mouth.

The flower hall was full of guests. Jiang Shu and several of her close friends sat together to have a meal. Wedding banquets should be festive and lively, and they were not restrained. They talked and laughed while eating, and they were very happy. They were chatting enthusiastically when they suddenly felt that the flower hall had become quiet.

Turning around, he saw a group of people escorting Lu Changji into the gate. Because today was Lin Yunzhi's wedding day, Lu Changji changed into a light-colored shirt to suit the occasion.

The round-collared robe of the color of poison feathers was gathered around him, making his face look like a jade and his handsomeness unparalleled. Even if Pan An were alive again, he would probably not be more handsome than this.

The young lady from the Wan family, who was sitting next to Jiang Shu, was the most lively. She quietly tugged at Jiang Shu's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Sister Jiang, is the person who came in Prime Minister Lu?"

Jiang Shu nodded, and then Miss Wan continued, "I was saying, besides Prime Minister Lu, which other high-ranking official's trip could be so grand."

As she spoke, she sighed, "I heard that Prime Minister Lu is already twenty-six, clearly not young anymore, how come he is still so handsome?

A man, both beautiful inside and out, with both power and looks, absolutely perfect, without a single flaw. Perhaps only fairies in heaven could be worthy of him."

Jiang Shu couldn't respond to this. Due to her status, she couldn't talk about her uncle with others.

Lu Changji walked slowly into the flower hall. The female members of the family did not need to stand up, but all the male officials in the hall stood up and bowed to him in greeting.

Lu Changji nodded slightly in return, and was accompanied by Lin Yunzhi to the main seat. After he sat down, the housekeeper signaled the maid to serve the dishes.

The table was filled with hot delicacies. The maid picked up the wine pot to pour wine for Lu Changji. At this time, Lin Yunzhi said, "Take the wine away and replace it with a pot of Lu'an Guapian."

Anyone who has ever dined with Lu Changji knows that he never drinks alcohol.

The maid's face brightened slightly. It was all her fault for being careless. Her employer had clearly instructed her to put the drug in the tea, but she had been so busy and confused that she had spilled the aphrodisiac into the wine. She held the wine jug nervously, a look of embarrassment on her face.

Lu Changji's eyes swept across the maid's face, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he said softly, "Today is your good day, I deserve a drink."

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall turned their eyes to Lin Yunzhi with envy.

Minister Lin is indeed the most favored student of Prime Minister Lu. On the day of his wedding, Prime Minister Lu not only came to congratulate him in person, but even made an exception to drink for him. With such a beautiful encounter, Minister Lin's meteoric rise to fame is just around the corner.

Lin Yunzhi was also very happy, but he had been in officialdom for many years and was well aware of the principle of not showing his emotions on his face. He just raised his lips slightly, then held the cup with both hands and saluted Lu Changji.

"It is a great honor for me that Your Excellency can come to my humble abode to drink at your wedding. I am deeply grateful and will drink first as a token of my respect. Please feel free to do as you please, Your Excellency."

He raised his glass and drank the wine in it in one gulp.

Lu Changji also raised his wine glass, his dark eyes gleaming with brilliance.

Perhaps she had something to hide, but Jiang Shu felt that Lu Changji had given her a meaningful look after he finished drinking. She pinched her palm, thinking she was guilty.

Lu Changji was surrounded by so many noble people, how could he possibly think of her, his sister-in-law.

Jiang Shu raised her eyelids and secretly glanced at the host seat. Lu Changji was eating. He looked serious and didn't even glance at her. Only then did she feel relieved.

The first time was new, the second time was familiar. When Jiang Shu drugged Lu Changji for the first time, she was extremely nervous, but this time she was very calm.

There are so many guests in the Lin family that even if Lu Changji has omnipotent hands and eyes, he can't find her.

She leisurely ate a few snacks and drank two glasses of plum wine. When she felt that it was almost time, she looked up at the main seat.

As expected, Lu Changji rubbed his temples, slowly stood up, and was led out of the side door by Lin Yunzhi.

Jiang Shu looked at the young lady from the Wan family and whispered, "It's all my fault for being a drunkard. I thought Minister Lin's plum wine was delicious, so I drank two extra glasses. Now I feel dizzy and dizzy. I'm afraid I can't enjoy myself with my sister."

It's common to drink too much at wedding banquets, but Miss Wan didn't take it seriously. She said to Jiang Shu, "Sister Jiang, please go to the guest room and rest for a while. The kitchen will definitely have some hangover soup for occasions like this."

Jiang Shu let out an "ah" and was helped out the door by Zhu'er.

When the two of them reached the side courtyard, the maid who had been pouring wine for Lu Changji flashed out from under the locust tree, raised her hand, pointed to the eastern side room, and whispered to Jiang Shu, "The master has placed Master Lu in the side room."

Jiang Shu nodded, took out a silver note from her sleeve pocket and handed it to the maid, then strode towards the eastern end of the room.