Chapter 337 How can one rest in peace with a grave unavenged?
Seeing that Madam Liu smiled, Lu Shaocheng felt that she should let go of what had happened before, and he wanted to tell her to go back. But then he suddenly remembered that it was not appropriate for him, a man, to approach Lou Qingyao, but Madam Liu could.
Just then, the voice of a servant came from outside. Upon hearing this, Lady Liu was about to take her leave, but Lu Shaocheng stopped her and then let the servant in. The servant entered, saw Lady Liu, bowed to her, and then went to Lu Shaocheng's side to report in a low voice:
"Lou Qingyao has been living in the Lou Imperial Physician's residence and hasn't left the house recently. She must be under the watchful eye of the Lou Imperial Physician."
Upon hearing this, Lu Shaocheng grunted in response and waved for his attendant to leave. He then sat there deep in thought. Seeing that he was contemplating something, Madam Liu dared not disturb him and remained seated, not daring to make a sound.
After a while, Lu Shaocheng looked at her and said, "Is your health still not getting better, sister-in-law?"
Madam Liu was taken aback, wondering why he suddenly inquired about her half-sister's health. Her half-sister had been in poor health since giving birth, having consulted numerous doctors without improvement. Some time ago, she had casually mentioned it to Lu Shaocheng, never expecting him to remember it.
Liu was puzzled, but she still answered truthfully, "Yes, I heard a couple of days ago that the illness had worsened again."
After listening, Lu Shaocheng nodded and recounted how the Prime Minister's eldest grandson killed Lou Qingyao's husband because he had no heir and this was exposed by Lou Qingyao's husband.
Upon hearing this, Lady Liu was shocked. "I had heard the rumors that the Prime Minister's eldest grandson was infertile, but I never imagined that it involved a life."
"Lou Qingyao wanted to avenge her husband and seek justice, so she filed a lawsuit with the Dali Temple. However, the Dali Temple Chief Minister dared not hear the case and even told the Prime Minister about it. The Prime Minister put pressure on Imperial Physician Lou, and now Lou Qingyao is probably under house arrest by Imperial Physician Lou."
Liu listened attentively. Combining this with what her mother-in-law had told her a few days earlier—that the Duke of Chu had arranged a job for Lu Shaocheng to pave the way for his future entry into officialdom—she roughly understood why Lu Shaocheng had told her all this.
As expected, after Lu Shaocheng finished explaining the cause of the matter, he continued, "The Duke of Chu wanted to cause some trouble for the Prime Minister, so he wanted to expose this matter. Today I met with Physician Lou, but he dared not go against the Prime Minister."
"So, my husband wants to start with Lou Qingyao?" Madam Liu asked.
"Yes." Lu Shaocheng was pleased with his wife's keen insight. He smiled again and continued, "I heard that the second daughter of Physician Lou is quite famous in gynecology. Have your sister-in-law invite Physician Lou's second daughter to see her. I'll try to send a letter to Lou Qingyao and ask her to go along as well. I'll meet her with you then."
"What if Lou Qingyao can't go?" Liu asked.
Lu Shaocheng: "If this method doesn't work, let's try another one."
"Okay." Madam Liu immediately agreed. She was delighted that Lu Shaocheng trusted her and assigned her tasks. This way, they could become closer as a couple.
After exchanging a few more words, Madam Liu took her leave, as she needed to visit her half-sister's family. Her half-sister's aunt had been her mother's personal maid and had passed away after giving birth to her half-sister.
This half-sister also grew up with her mother, so the sisters had a good relationship. Therefore, it didn't seem abrupt for her, the legitimate daughter, to visit her half-sister while she was ill.
.........
As the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, Imperial Physician Lou held a certain status in the capital. The Lou residence was located in the western part of the capital, an area teeming with officials of the third and fourth ranks. Lou Qingyao lived in the guest courtyard of the Lou residence, where numerous maids and servants were present both inside and outside the courtyard, seemingly working, but in reality, they were keeping watch.
Lou Qingyao, dressed in plain clothes, sat on the couch, with her personal maid Yunxiang standing beside her. The room was quiet, almost deathly quiet.
Yunxiang looked at her mistress, who was standing there like a puppet, and felt a pang of heartache. She said softly, "Madam, why don't we go back to Lingyi?"
Lou Qingyao seemed not to hear her words and remained sitting there blankly. Yunxiang was even more worried when she saw her like this, and she said again, "Let's take the master's ashes back and let him rest in peace."
Lou Qingyao remained seated there, and after a long while she said sarcastically, "How can you rest in peace when your husband has not avenged his great grudge?"
Yunxiang didn't know how to answer her, so she could only stand aside with a worried and distressed expression. After a while, a maid came in carrying a food box. She bowed to Lou Qingyao, placed the food box on the table, and then looked at Lou Qingyao and said, "Today, Master instructed the kitchen to make the lotus leaf chicken that Miss likes. It's on the second layer of the food box."
Lou Qingyao still seemed not to have heard, while Yunxiang found it rather strange. Usually, when the kitchen staff delivered meals, they would simply drop off the food boxes and leave; why was this little maid acting differently today?
"I know, thank you for your hard work." Yunxiang replied to the little maid. Then she saw the little maid glance at the food box again and say, "Sister, open the food box and see if the lotus leaf chicken is prepared the same way as in your area."
Yunxiang was even more puzzled. She went over and opened the second layer of the food box, only to find a plate of lotus leaf chicken inside, and nothing else. She turned to look at the maid and received a knowing smile from her. Yunxiang pursed her lips, picked up the plate of lotus leaf chicken, and saw a piece of paper underneath.
She paused for a moment, then casually put down the plate and said to the maid, "It looks just like how we make it in Lingyi, but I don't know if it tastes the same. We'll find out once we try it."
The maid grinned and said, "Miss, please try it. If you like it, the main kitchen will make it for you again in the future."
After saying this, she bowed to Lou Qingyao and turned to leave. Yunxiang watched her leave the courtyard, walk to the door and close it, then came to Lou Qingyao's side and whispered to her, "Madam, someone has delivered a message to us."
Lou Qingyao had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed the interaction between Yunxiang and the maid earlier. Now, hearing Yunxiang's words, she frowned and asked, "What letter?"
Yunxiang took the food box, opened the second layer, and took out the lotus leaf chicken. The piece of paper lay conspicuously inside the food box. Lou Qingyao's eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding.
Ever since she filed a lawsuit against Pei Qitang, the eldest grandson of the Prime Minister, at the Dali Temple, she had been under house arrest in this courtyard. She tried every possible way to escape, but all her efforts failed. She often fantasized that someone would descend from the heavens to rescue her and avenge her husband. But her fantasies never came true.
The sudden appearance of this piece of paper made her heart tremble involuntarily. Was it Heaven seeing her husband's injustice and coming to her aid?
She reached out her hand but hesitated to take it, afraid of being disappointed. Yunxiang, standing to the side, was also very nervous, but she still softly called out, "Madam."
Lou Qingyao turned to look at her, then took a deep breath and picked up the paper. She didn't read the contents, but first looked at the signature. When the bright red seal of the Marquis of Anyuan's residence came into view, tears streamed down her face.
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