Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang could no longer suppress the grief and resentment in her heart. Holding Ling'er's hand, she stopped abruptly, gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, then sneered. She slowly turned around, a slight, contemptuous smile on her face, and said, "I've heard that everyone knows Lu Xian of Xiqin Academy has always been strict in his family education, raising daughters who are exceptionally intelligent, well-mannered, and calm in their dealings, displaying the refined manners of a lady from a prominent family. But..."
As she spoke, she suddenly stopped, glanced at Lu Tianjiao from head to toe, and continued, "But now, to this old woman's eyes, he looks like a mad, deranged dog! Did he forget to take his medicine before he left home, or is he already on the verge of death and no longer needs to waste his life?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang had already suppressed her smile, and her tone became harsher, almost like a reprimand.
"What...what are you saying, you old servant?...Are you crazy?" Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao stared at her with increasingly wide eyes, clearly stunned by Zhang Mama's scathing rebuke.
Granny Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, then continued hesitantly, "Whether I've gone mad or not, or who has truly been heartless and committed those heinous acts, you know better than anyone else. That's for the best; from now on, let's speak frankly and openly, without any more pretense."
Seeing the guilty look on Lu Tianjiao's face, Granny Zhang said earnestly, "Miss Lu, we have at least met by chance. Let me give you one last piece of advice on behalf of the Dowager Consort who died unjustly because of you: 'Heaven's sins can be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins cannot be escaped.' Always remember to leave yourself a way out. Otherwise, who knows, one day a bolt of lightning might suddenly appear in the sky, and Miss Lu might be taken away by Heaven!"
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly echoed in the twilight sky. Startled, Lu Tianjiao was so frightened by the rolling thunder that he stumbled back several steps before stopping, nearly falling to the ground.
When she suddenly came to her senses, she saw that Granny Zhang was leading Xiao Ling'er and was about to walk away. She rushed forward and blocked Granny Zhang's way with her whole body.
He quickly reached out with both hands, grabbed her arms, and shook her violently while roaring at her with a ferocious expression, "Where do you think you're going? You're not allowed to leave! You still haven't told me where Brother Han went! Tell me now, tell me now!"
Accompanying her hoarse roar was the crisp sound of porcelain shattering on the floor. Granny Zhang, already frail and prone to dizziness, couldn't withstand such frantic and forceful shaking. In no time, she was swaying unsteadily, seemingly on the verge of fainting.
At this moment, Xiao Ling'er, who had been thrown aside, burst into tears and rushed over, grabbing Zhang Mama's sleeve tightly and pleading, "You're a bad sister! Let go of Zhang Mama! Let her go! Ling'er is telling you, His Highness Prince Qin went to Peach Blossom Village to find Sister Yi. Zhang Mama is about to faint! Please, let her go!"
"What? That slut is still alive! She's in Peach Blossom Village. Brother Han went to find her himself..." Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao stared wide-eyed at Ling'er's face in astonishment and muttered to himself.
Then, he finally let go of her hands slowly and blankly, and then walked slowly toward Yanqi Pavilion with a lost and dejected look on his face.
Suddenly, a loud thud came from behind, like someone falling to the ground, followed by a little girl's particularly pitiful cries: "Granny Zhang, Granny Zhang..."
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard of Yanqi Pavilion, a thin, oval-faced maidservant, with one hand behind her back and the other holding a silver ingot, was secretly delighted with him.
He kept glancing around every now and then, looking rather furtive as he stood by the fishpond in the yard, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Upon seeing Lu Tianjiao finally return, she quickly looked around and, finding no one else, swiftly put away the silver ingot. Then, she took out a letter that she had been hiding behind her back and handed it to Lu Tianjiao, saying, "Miss Lu, your letter!"
Lu Tianjiao suddenly came to his senses, blinked, and looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking, "Who gave me the letter?"
The maid with the oval face replied happily, "It was a child of about ten years old who came up to me on my way back from my trip and handed it to me, asking me to give it to you, Miss."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao pondered for a moment and seemed to have guessed what had happened. He quickly took the letter, pulled a silver ingot from his sleeve, and smilingly pushed it into the hand of the maid with the oval face. Holding her hand, he said with feigned sincerity, "This is just a letter from home. Please, please, please don't tell anyone else. I miss my father and brother so much, and I couldn't bear to refuse my sister, the Princess Consort's, kind invitation, not wanting her to be troubled or distressed, so I..."
Before Lu Tianjiao could finish speaking, the maid with the oval face seemed to understand her meaning. Her eyes were fixed on the silver ingot in her hand, and she said with great enthusiasm, "Miss Lu, please rest assured, I will not mention this matter to anyone. It is already dark, Miss Lu, please go inside and read this letter slowly. I will take my leave."
As she spoke, the oval-faced maid bowed and secretly rejoiced, clutching her second windfall of the day tightly in her hands as she retreated.
Only after she saw that he had completely disappeared from her sight did she carefully look around the courtyard before she felt relieved and hurried into the house, closed the door, quickly unfolded the letter, and read it carefully by the bright candlelight.
"It really was him! This guy is quite something! In just over half a month, he's managed to rebuild so quickly and even opened one of the top tea houses in the city... 'Sihai Tea House,' humph... what a boastful tone!"
Lu Tianjiao's lips curled into a slight smile as he quickly finished reading the letter, muttering to himself. He sat silently, clutching the letter in one hand, when suddenly there was a knock on the door, "Knock, knock, knock."
"Who is it?" Hearing the voice, she quickly came to her senses, sat up straight, and asked.
Just then, a woman's gentle voice came from outside the door, saying, "Miss Lu, are you still awake? I am the personal maid of the Princess Consort in Shaohua Pavilion. The Princess Consort said she couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come and check on her myself. If Miss Lu is still awake, would you please come to Shaohua Pavilion and keep the Princess Consort company for a while?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao suddenly stood up, hurriedly lit the letter in his hand with the candle beside him, burned it to ashes and threw it into the spittoon. He then opened the window and fanned the room with his hand to dispel the odor. Only then did he walk over and open the door, pretending to be worried, and asked, "Why can't Your Highness sleep peacefully?"
The maidservant feigned ignorance and replied, "This servant doesn't know either, which is why I came to ask Miss Lu to come and take a look."
"Then let's go quickly!"
As they spoke, the two hurriedly headed towards Shaohua Pavilion.
The crescent moon hangs low, a gentle evening breeze stirs, the pond ripples, and a subtle fragrance wafts through the air. Inside Shaohua Pavilion, the lights are bright, and incense smoke curls upwards.
The maid with the oval face bowed respectfully to the young and beautiful woman seated above, dressed in brocade robes and adorned with jewels, and reported, "Your Highness, I have resealed the letter as Your Highness instructed and delivered it to Miss Lu."
At this moment, the woman, with her dignified and aloof demeanor, and a striking crimson beauty mark between her brows, was half-closing her eyes, fully enjoying the comfortable massage on her temples. She leaned lazily against the soft couch, seemingly extremely content, and said in a deep voice, "Hmm, you did very well this time. From now on, you must carefully watch her every move for this princess. If there is any further disturbance, report it immediately. Go and collect your reward!"
"This servant thanks Your Highness for your generosity. This servant will do everything in her power to keep an eye on that vile woman for Your Highness."
Seeing that her master seemed to have a very satisfied smile on his face after hearing her reply, the oval-faced maid slowly got up and quietly retreated.
At this moment, Mei Xiyuan opened her eyes and then solemnly instructed Zhao Mama beside her, "Zhao Mama, send someone to quickly investigate the address mentioned in that letter. What exactly is this 'Sihai Tea House'? Remember, be extremely careful and don't alert them. I'd like to see what this vile woman is up to behind my back this time."
"Yes, this old servant will arrange it immediately." After accepting the order, Granny Zhao withdrew, and Mei Xiyuan slowly closed her eyes again.
Just as she turned and reached the door, she bumped into Lu Tianjiao, who was rushing over. The two smiled at each other, bowed slightly, and then passed each other by.
"Your Highness, Miss Lu has come to see you," the maidservant announced as she entered.
Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan immediately opened her eyes and waved her hand. The maid who was massaging her quickly stopped what she was doing and stepped aside.
"Sister, come in quickly, don't let the cold wind outside catch you!" Mei Xiyuan called out as she stood up with the help of the maid who came in to report.
As she gracefully descended the steps, she greeted Lu Tianjiao, who was strolling in, with a delighted expression, "It's so late, why aren't you resting yet, little sister? What brings you here? Although it's spring, the temperature difference between day and night in Xiqin is still quite significant. Xiqin is so different from Dongning. The climate in Dongning is much warmer and more humid right now. I imagine the imperial gardens in the palace are already bursting with blooming flowers, teeming with bees and butterflies, a scene of vibrant life everywhere. Unlike Xiqin, it's still cold and dry. Unlike you, my body isn't as robust as yours, so I have to drink hot tea more often than I did in Dongning. Otherwise, my throat and skin will suffer."
Lu Tianjiao had long since grown accustomed to Mei Xiyuan's indirect and sarcastic remarks towards her.
The implication was that she was thick-skinned and worthless! But since she had made up her mind, she would not turn back until she achieved her goal.
So, forcing a smile, she was pulled down to sit by Mei Xiyuan's hand, who then asked with concern, "I heard that you weren't feeling well, so I came to check on you. Did you catch a cold? Did you have someone come and examine you properly?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Xiyuan quickly pretended to cough lightly twice and said, "Oh, it's just an old ailment of mine. It's nothing serious, so you don't need to worry, sister."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao became even more certain that Mei Xiyuan's visit was for another reason. He then said, "In that case, sister, you can rest assured. By the way, there's something I don't know if sister has heard about?"
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