Chapter 4: Kicked off and returned to the west
In the old lady's yard, Lu Wanning smiled gently, and her eyes became softer when she looked at the old lady.
This is the only person in the entire Chen family who has ever been kind to her, except for her aunt.
She holds grudges, but also remembers favors.
When she had a miscarriage, Mrs. Chen took advantage of the fact that Chen Wenjian was out and did not allow her to call a doctor, intending to kill her.
Although Lu Wanning herself would not achieve the results Mrs. Chen wanted after taking the medicine, she still clearly remembered the old lady who did not know that she knew medicine at the time and led the doctor into her yard and beat Mrs. Chen with a cane.
She unfolded the scroll in her hand and said, "The other day I happened to meet a scholar painting on the street. I didn't understand what he was doing, but I thought the paintings were beautiful. Thinking that the old lady would like them, I asked the scholar to draw a birthday painting for me. I hope the old lady won't mind."
The old lady gave her a glare and said, "What are you talking about? It's great that you have such a heart."
The old lady was old and in poor health, so what happened in the wing room naturally did not alarm her.
After all, it was a dirty matter, so Madam Chen did not let the second and third girls go, and left them here to accompany the old lady.
So much so that no one knew what had just happened outside.
The second girl was jealous of Lu Wanning's appearance, and she couldn't help being mean every time she saw her, but she couldn't go too far in front of the old lady.
He just said sarcastically, "Miss Lu is really thoughtful, but the paintings hanging in grandma's room are all from famous artists. If a painting by an unknown scholar is placed next to those famous artists..."
She stopped, looked at the third girl, and burst out laughing.
The old lady glanced at the two of them and said, "Famous calligraphy and paintings are certainly precious, but not all talented people in this world can become famous."
After all, she was her own granddaughter, so the old lady couldn't bear to scold her. She opened the birthday picture with a smile.
Just as she was about to take a closer look at the birthday picture, Mr. Chen came in with a large group of people.
Mrs. Chen saw Lu Wanning at a glance, and her eyes widened when she saw that she was unharmed.
She knew very well how strong the drug she had given Lu Wanning was. It would be impossible for her to overcome the drug's effects without having sex with a man.
A flash of lightning flashed through Mrs. Chen's mind. She looked at Lu Wanning, then at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and immediately had a guess in her mind.
The prince's clothes were disheveled, and the scars on his cheek were said to be caused by a cat scratch, but she looked more like they were caused by fingernails.
The distance between Prince Qi's Mansion and the Chen Mansion is not far, so it is hard for her not to associate the Prince and Lu Wanning together.
The prince was so weak, it must be that Lu Wanning took advantage of the effect of the medicine to force him, and the prince had no idea who had done such a beastly thing to him.
The more Mrs. Chen thought about it, the more excited she became.
Let’s not talk about what the prince thinks of Lu Wanning now. Whether he finds her and beats her to death or brings her back to the palace to be a concubine, it will be a good thing for her.
Everyone knows that Princess Qi comes from the countryside and is very barbaric and domineering. Once Lu Wanning enters Prince Qi's mansion, she is bound to be tortured.
Besides, everyone knows that this prince was predicted not to live past the age of 25. When this frail prince dies, Prince Qi and his wife may have to let Lu Wanning be buried with him.
Thinking of this, Chen wanted to rush up and drag Lu Wanning in front of the prince so that he could recognize her properly.
And the moment everyone walked into the front hall, Lu Wanning's gaze fell on Qi Muchao.
But it was only for a moment, after all, she couldn't let herself reveal any flaws.
Lu Wanning's performance was extremely natural, as if it was really the first time she met Qi Muchao.
Although I don't know this person's identity, it is not difficult to tell from his luxurious clothes and the noble demeanor that he is no ordinary person.
If she had any other choice at the time, she would not have attacked this man. However, it had already been done, and there was nothing to regret now.
Qi Muchao's gaze swept calmly across the faces of the girls in the front hall, then fell on Lu Wanning. He paused slightly and forced a smile at her.
It was a very friendly smile to others, but when it fell into Lu Wanning's eyes, it made her scalp explode.
"Prince, please take a seat." Mr. Chen respectfully extended his hand to invite Qi Muchao to sit down.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in frail health and seldom goes out, so not many people in the capital have seen him.
But everyone who has met him says that in addition to his good looks, the Crown Prince also has a very good temper.
However, Mr. Chen was terrified for a long time, feeling that the way the Crown Prince looked at their Chen family was as if he wanted to wipe them out.
Gloomy and scary.
The atmosphere was a bit strange. Mr. Chen looked for help to his eldest son, who always had his own ideas, hoping that he could come to ease the atmosphere and have a conversation with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
At this time, he had already forgotten the bad thing that Chen Wenjian had just done, and was just waiting for Master Qi to leave before settling the score with him.
However, before Chen Wenjian could speak, Mrs. Chen had already changed the subject.
"Oh, is this the birthday gift Wan Ning prepared for mother?"
Madam Chen stood beside the old lady and unfolded the painting with a smile. "Wan Ning is really thoughtful. I know mother likes these calligraphy and paintings the most. I wonder if it is the work of Mr. Lu Hongshan?"
The old lady has been very fond of Mr. Lu Hongshan's calligraphy and paintings since she was young, and most of the paintings hanging in her study are his works.
But every word of Lu Hongshan is worth a fortune, so it is obvious that Lu Wanning cannot afford it.
She was determined to embarrass Lu Wanning, and as she expected, Qi Muchao's eyes did fall on Lu Wanning.
However, Lu Wanning remained neither humble nor arrogant. The moment she looked into Mrs. Chen's eyes, a clear trace of hatred flashed in her eyes.
In her previous life, this man drugged her and wanted to marry her to the second son of the Wu family, who was a cousin of the Chen family. Wu Er was a notorious playboy and pervert who had tortured and killed three of his wives. It was easy to imagine what would happen to her if she married him.
By accident, she broke into Chen Wenjian's yard and later became Chen Wenjian's concubine. With Chen Wenjian's protection, her life became better and she gradually accepted her fate.
However, she never expected that on the day when Chen Wenjian passed the imperial examination and became the third place in the imperial examination, her mother led a group of people to tie her hands and feet, blocked her mouth and nose, and set her on fire, killing her.
"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for giving birth to this vixen. My son is going to marry the daughter of the Prime Minister's family. How could such a noble lady be willing to share a husband with a man like you?"
When she was hoping that Chen Wenjian would come back to save her, she seemed to hear his voice before she died.
"Mom, is it resolved?"
She died unwillingly like this.
Swallowing her hatred, Lu Wanning slowly said, "It's definitely not Mr. Lu Hongshan's work. This birthday painting was created by a scholar who sold paintings that Wanning happened to meet not long ago. She thought his paintings were very vivid and lifelike, and she thought the old lady might like them, so she asked him to create this birthday painting."
Madam Chen frowned immediately. "That's indeed thoughtful of you. But Wan Ning, if you don't have enough money, you can ask me for some. These calligraphy and paintings sold on the street are really not pleasing to the old lady."
A chuckle was heard from the side, and Qi Muchao looked at Madam Chen. "Mr. Lu Hongshan was very poor back then. To pay for his sick wife's medical treatment, he once sold his works on the street. Each painting cost only fifty coins. Madam, do you know how much those early paintings and calligraphy he sold are worth now?"
Is he helping Lu Wanning?
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