Chapter 37 Tranquilizing Incense
"Has the Marquis not returned yet?"
"not yet."
Night fell as promised, and starlight shimmered on the surface of the lake where koi carp swam.
Wen Lingzheng had just finished drinking the calming medicine with Old Madam Pei when they left Rongshou Hall.
She reached out and rubbed her stiff, smiling face, then turned and walked towards Fanghua Courtyard, with Yaoguang carrying a lantern and following on her right.
Having probably anticipated Wen Lingzheng's next words, Yao Guang added, "Don't worry, Madam, my brother is guarding outside the mansion gate!"
Wen Lingzheng nodded slightly, her expression seemingly unchanged, but she was actually still very worried.
Knowing Wen Lingzheng's unease, Yaoguang smiled and changed the subject, saying, "The roasted pork from the head chef of Xiangguo Temple is famous, and it's also a token of the Marquis's goodwill. Madam didn't eat well at lunch or dinner today. I'll have Yuheng heat it up later and also prepare some congee for you to try."
"A token of affection?" Wen Lingzheng huffed angrily, clearly dissatisfied with Pei Lin's unilateral decision. "Just because he wants to give it to me, does that mean I have to accept it?"
Yao Guang suppressed a laugh, "Then you can teach him a lesson when the Marquis returns. There's no need to go against such a delicacy as roasted pork, is there?"
Glancing sideways at Yao Guang, Wen Lingzheng sighed, "So you've come here to be Yuheng's advocate!"
"Then, madam, would you give me some face? Let this persuader achieve something?" Yao Guang asked slowly, carrying a lantern, his voice gentle and his steps unhurried.
The anger that had been building up inside Wen Lingzheng was somewhat dispelled by Yao Guang's gentle banter. She shook her head and said helplessly, "Fine! I suppose if I don't do as you say, you probably won't let me off the hook. So let's do it your way!"
The master and servant walked through the corner corridor, and the shadow of Fanghua Courtyard, reflected in the hazy moonlight, came into view. There stood Yuheng by the courtyard gate.
Upon closer inspection, it became apparent that beside her stood a young girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, whose figure resembled a willow branch emerging in early spring. She was polite and well-mannered in every gesture, but her clothes were torn in several places.
"Isn't that Cuiluo, who's with Big Brother?" Yaoguang raised the lantern in his hand, and after seeing the girl's face clearly through the darkness, he was taken aback. "Why are you dressed like this so late?"
With a slight frown, Wen Lingzheng quickened her pace and headed towards Fanghua Courtyard.
Hearing the noise, Yuheng, who was on the opposite side, quickly pulled Cuiluo toward her.
Upon seeing Wen Lingzheng, Cuiluo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
She took two quick steps forward and hurriedly reported, "Madam, something terrible has happened! My eldest son's fever has spiked again!"
Wen Lingzheng: "What do you mean by 'it's burning again'?"
Cuiluo reported truthfully, "It rained a few days ago and it got a bit chilly. My eldest son caught a slight cold, but his low fever only lasted for half a day before it subsided. He only has a cough, but his spirits are still excellent. Granny Fang also said he's fine... That's why I..."
She was getting anxious, and tears welled up in Cuiluo's eyes. "Young Master was fine this morning and went to school, but he developed a high fever this afternoon for some reason. I've been taking care of him all day, but it hasn't gone down. He looks like he's about to have a seizure. Maybe we should ask Mr. Shen to come and take a look!"
"Since he was feeling unwell this afternoon, why didn't you report it earlier?"
Wen Lingzheng's heart skipped a beat, and the anxiety that had been lingering in her mind all day was suddenly amplified.
Jing Ge'er was born before he was a month old, and as an infant, he was forced to go to Jiangnan to avoid disaster due to the rise and fall of his family. Unfortunately, Pei Zhun, who accompanied him, was a big-hearted person, so he suffered a lot at a young age and his health was always poor.
He always falls ill twice during the changing seasons.
Therefore, ever since he returned to Shengjing, the people who took care of him were all carefully selected by Old Madam Pei, and she always emphasized that they must be extremely careful in everything they did.
For more than a year, Jing-ge'er has been well and sound... so why did he suddenly develop a high fever at this critical juncture?
Cuiluo: "Granny Fang said that the young master is still a child and it is common for him to get sick. The old lady has been worried about the third master's affairs for several days and has not been able to eat. She is afraid that if she asks Mr. Shen to come and see him rashly, it will turn out to be nothing, and the old lady will have worried for nothing. That would be her fault."
Anxious and angry, Cuiluo burst into tears. "She wouldn't let us report to her, and she even made her grandson guard the gate. In just this short time, I managed to sneak out by pretending to have a stomachache."
Out of the corner of her eye, Wen Lingzheng noticed the abrasions on Cuiluo's wrist, and she began to believe her words to some extent.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, comforted Cuiluo, and then said to Yuheng, "Quickly take my jade token and send someone to Tongxin Hall to find Mr. Shen."
Realizing she hadn't thought things through, she pulled Yuheng aside. "Never mind, the carriage is too slow. Xingyun is at the manor. Call him and have him ride a horse to make the trip."
"Yes!" Yuheng responded, stuffed the lamp he was carrying into Cuiluo's hand, and then rushed into Fanghua Courtyard, took the jade token, and hurriedly headed out of the mansion.
The Marquis of Dingbei's family was strict in educating his children.
Boys all begin their education at the age of five, and when they turn six, they must move to the outer courtyard to live so that they can go back and forth to the school and study diligently.
Furthermore, fearing that too many girls would spoil them, only one elderly nanny was allowed to manage the affairs of the courtyard, in addition to the pageboys and servants.
Both Pei Lin and Pei Zhun were like this from childhood, only Pei Jing was slightly different.
Because he was frail and sickly, and was the only son of the eldest son's family, even though he was already six years old, Old Madam Pei was still reluctant to let him live in the outer courtyard, and temporarily let him live in the Zhilan Courtyard in the inner courtyard.
In addition to his servants and the matriarch Fang who oversaw all affairs, Old Madam Pei even arranged for a maid named Cuiluo to take care of his daily life.
The wind was still a bit chilly on the late spring night.
When Wen Lingzheng entered Zhilan Courtyard, Granny Fang's grandson was still guarding the gate, but he was asleep leaning against the wall.
Upon entering the room, Wen Lingzheng immediately spotted Granny Fang, who was standing guard by Pei Jing's bedside, embroidering with an embroidery board in her hand.
She burned calming incense in the room, and the windows were tightly closed, making the air feel stuffy. Even the yellow azaleas on the flower stand by the window looked wilted.
Wen Lingzheng felt quite uncomfortable and fanned the air in front of her nose, asking, "Who lit this damn incense?"
Upon hearing the sound, Granny Fang put down what she was holding and quickly got up to explain to Wen Lingzheng, "Madam, please don't be offended. This is a calming incense. Young Master caught a cold a while ago and kept coughing at night. Burning this incense will help him sleep better, so I lit it."
Although Granny Fang's reasoning was reasonable, Wen Lingzheng, who was always sensitive to smells, still felt that something was amiss.
She took another deep breath.
The fragrance lingering around her nose was slightly stronger than usual, but it was still a typical calming scent.
With her doubts lessened, Wen Lingzheng walked to the bedside and casually asked Granny Fang, "Where did this calming incense come from? Did you use too much? It smells much stronger than usual."
“Jing-ge’er is still young. Even if we were to light it, we wouldn’t dare use such a large amount! Quickly put it out, open a crack in the window to let in some fresh air, and put a screen in between so the wind doesn’t blow on Jing-ge’er.”
On the bed, Pei Jing was burning up with fever, his little face flushed. Wen Lingzheng felt sorry for him and quickly took off the handkerchief from his forehead and replaced it with a new one.
Granny Fang was reluctant and wanted to dissuade her, but seeing Wen Lingzheng's furrowed brows and resolute expression, she ultimately did not dare to disobey the wishes of the matriarch.
After reluctantly putting out the incense, she replied, "Some time ago, the young master had a bad cough at night and couldn't sleep well. The old lady felt sorry for him, so she ordered some calming incense to be sent over for him to use."
Then, seeing Cuiluo following behind, carrying a small screen into the room, she sternly scolded, "Young master is young, a little cold is nothing to worry about, what are you doing in the middle of the night making the whole household restless?"
"What are you saying, Granny? How did I cause this trouble?" Although Cuiluo was young, she was fiery and had been born into a family. Her parents were quite favored by Old Madam Pei, and she was unwilling to put up with Granny Fang's temper any longer.
Cuiluo: "Young master had a fever in the afternoon, but because you said that it's common for children to have fevers, and told me to use a cold compress to lower the temperature and make him sweat, and the fever would go down, I didn't go to inform the eldest mistress immediately."
"But after half a day, I don't know how many times I've changed the cold handkerchiefs, but the boy's fever is getting higher and higher. It looks like he's going to have a seizure if the fever continues. I haven't even asked you, Granny, what kind of thoughts are you having?"
Granny Fang blushed and cried out in anguish after being confronted by Cuiluo, claiming she was wronged.
However, Wen Lingzheng, who already had doubts about Granny Fang, became even more suspicious after Cuiluo's reminder.
While it's debatable whether Cuiluo is loyal or not, this Granny Fang is probably...
She couldn't help but recall her past life.
Unfortunately, in her previous life, Pei Jing returned to the capital after she had married into the Dingbei Marquis's mansion. Therefore, she took care of Pei Jing from the beginning, and naturally, there was no Fang Mama or Cuiluo.
For the first time, Wen Lingzheng was so clearly aware that her rebirth had changed the predetermined course of events. She felt a moment of panic, but quickly calmed down.
Her gaze swept across Granny Fang's face, her eyes turning slightly colder.
Would a nanny who has signed a life-or-death contract and relies on her master's family for a living really have the guts to 'murder' the young master?
—Unless someone offers her an extremely attractive benefit that is compelling her to do so…
Wen Lingzheng felt a chill run down her spine. Her intuition made her connect Pei Jing's illness with Pei Zhun's matter... A cold feeling suddenly rose in her heart.
If things are really as she expected, is there still an inch of this mansion that hasn't been infiltrated by the mastermind behind the scenes?
To avoid alerting the enemy, Wen Lingzheng had no choice but to remain patient and silent for the time being.
"Jing-ge'er is still sick, and you're making such a racket right in front of his bedside?"
Looking at Cuiluo, Wen Lingzheng said, "Go and wait by the gate of the mansion! As soon as Mr. Shen arrives, bring him to Zhilan Courtyard immediately."
As for Granny Fang, she was also sent away by Wen Lingzheng under some pretext.
After the two left one after another, Yao Guang opened half a window again. A gentle breeze stirred the air in the inner room, and the cloying fragrance dissipated considerably. Wen Lingzheng suddenly felt a sense of peace, and her mind also became clearer.
The scent of the calming incense seemed to linger on her nose, and Fang Mama's words kept coming back to her mind.
Was it sent by Old Madam Pei?
Wen Lingzheng's brow twitched slightly. She didn't say anything more, but she remembered the matter. She called Bai Yu over and whispered something to her, asking her to quietly go to Rongshou Hall to find out what was going on from Granny Chang, but to try not to disturb Old Madam Pei.
Bai Yu was young and rarely left Fanghua Courtyard, so she was an unfamiliar face. When she slipped out of Zhilan Courtyard under the cover of night, she did not attract any attention.
She had barely left when Yuheng and Xingyun arrived with the doctor.
...However, it was not entirely true.
Yuheng walked quickly to Wen Lingzheng's side. "The people from Tongxintang said that the little princess fell into the water in the evening, and Mr. Shen was urgently summoned to the palace."
—What a coincidence!
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