Chapter 137 Amidst the Clouds (Twenty-Seven) If she returns, the Ling family's fortunes will be shattered...
Before two incense sticks.
Zhi Rou got up and left the table, led by a maid, to change her clothes at the back. But she hadn't gone far when the maid suddenly heard a thud. She turned around, the lantern in her hand trembled, and she quickly ran away to call for help.
The news of the incident on the veranda spread like wildfire, like a gust of wind that quickly dissipated. No one paid attention to what was happening in other people's homes, and in less than half a moment, the sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts resumed, until the Milky Way hung low in the sky, at which point the guests finally dispersed.
Wei Yuanzhan intended to wait for Zhirou outside the mansion, but as he passed through the front hall, a faint voice came from behind him: "Young Master Wei. Young Master Wei, please wait."
...
Zhi Rou remained unconscious for a long time. Madam Ling ordered the family doctor to examine her and also asked the maid who was with her. The doctor concluded that Zhi Rou had eaten spicy mustard, which caused her blood and qi to flow in reverse, disturbing her mind.
After prescribing the medicine, Madam Ling left her maidservant to guard the place and gently instructed, "Take good care of them and do not neglect our distinguished guest."
Those who could attend the banquet at the Ling residence were all prominent figures. The maidservant lowered her head in agreement and watched the old lady leave.
When Zhi Rou woke up, her stomach still felt a little bloated and her head was still dizzy. She slowly sat up. She reached out to lift the bed curtains, and light footsteps approached from the bedside. Then a hand pulled the curtains back for her, revealing a round face.
"Young lady, are you feeling better?"
Recognizing that this was a completely unfamiliar face, Zhi Rou's brows furrowed, and after a moment, she asked with a hint of suspicion, "Where is this? What time is it?"
The maid hung the curtain on the golden hook, then took a step back and looked down at her, saying, "This is Qilan Courtyard. Miss, you fainted in the corridor just now. The doctor of the manor has already examined you and said it was caused by mustard. The old lady ordered me to serve you. In a quarter of an hour, it will be Hai Zheng."
She spoke clearly, and Zhi Rou was stunned for a moment, then a blush appeared on her face: "I have disturbed your peaceful life, I..." She slipped off the bed, and as soon as she straightened up, she suddenly coughed and hunched over, holding onto the bed frame.
"Please rest, young lady." The maid quickly helped her up and persuaded her to sit down. "My name is Qingyun. If you need anything, just give me your instructions and I will do it for you."
The room remained silent for a while, then she suddenly said, "I wonder if your banquet has ended? I... I came with Prince Wei, may I see him?"
“This…” Qingyun was at a loss.
Qilan Courtyard is a place in the mansion for entertaining distinguished guests. Although it is a separate place and not connected to any other courtyard, it is probably inappropriate to bring outside men here without the master's order.
Seeing her hesitation, Zhi Rou said apologetically, "I was being rude. I wonder if this sister could lead me out? Now that I'm awake and unharmed, I shouldn't bother your household any longer."
Qingyun hurriedly raised her head.
The old lady specifically instructed that since the person had contracted the illness at the Ling family's residence, she must be fully recovered before being sent away, in order to avoid any future trouble.
He couldn't help but say, "Please wait a moment, young lady." He then withdrew and consulted with Old Madam Ling.
Nearly half an hour later, Qingyun returned and invited Zhirou to the side hall.
A screen was set up in the hall, vaguely separating the two sides. Qingyun and a maid stood outside the door, their eyes lowered and heads bowed.
Zhi Rou had never seen Wei Yuanzhan like this before.
His tall, upright figure was silhouetted against the pristine white screen, like a brushstroke, a familiar outline to her. Hearing her approach, he drew near, his voice soft: "How are you?"
The servants at the Ling residence must have already told him about her unconsciousness. Zhi Rou, afraid he would worry, covered her throat, her tone playful: "I'm still alive."
A low, ambiguous laugh came from the other end.
Zhi Rou, unaware of his presence, continued, "At the Ning residence..."
"Don't worry."
After saying that, he said nothing more.
The surroundings were quiet. Zhi Rou seemed to sense something was amiss and called out softly, "Wei Yuanzhan?"
After a long pause, he hummed in response, as if he had nothing more to say to her.
After a moment of dejection, another voice, its tone unreadable, came from the other end.
What are you thinking?
Zhi Rou has been unable to eat much wasabi since she was a child.
A small amount is fine; it might only cause a few red rashes on the arm, which will subside in a few days. However, if one eats too much, it could lead to disaster, just like when she used to be greedy.
When the maid of the Ling family told him that Zhi Rou had fainted due to accidentally eating wasabi, he was stunned for a moment, but immediately realized what was going on.
He was angry at her recklessness, but he also knew that she probably had a sense of propriety to act this way. The words of reprimand were on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.
When Zhi Rou didn't respond for a long time, Wei Yuanzhan simply gave a command-like order: "You've got your wish. Now get some rest."
The dark shadow on the screen faded, and the footsteps receded into the distance, leading straight out of the side hall.
He was angry.
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Zhi Rou felt a tightness in her chest, followed by a surge of suspicion.
Did he know what she was doing and did it intentionally?
She learned she couldn't eat wasabi when she was twelve. The family prepared sashimi, and she tasted a few pieces with wasabi. Soon after, red rashes appeared on her arms. Later, she and Xinghui sneaked into the small kitchen and secretly ate a dish of it, avoiding everyone else. Gradually, she felt short of breath, which frightened Xinghui so much that she dared not close her eyes all night.
She never spoke of such embarrassing incidents to anyone. Even at Qiyun Garden, when dining with her master and the others, she would often reach for the tendons dipped in mustard sauce with her chopsticks because of a sudden craving, and no one ever stopped her.
How did Wei Yuanzhan discover it?
Two breaths later, she lifted her leg to chase after him and explain, but then, considering her current situation, she stopped.
In the dimly lit side hall, Zhi Rou clenched her fists and bit her cheek.
The next day, the silver hook had fallen sometime earlier, casting a hazy light through the window.
On a desk, an opened letter rested on a paperweight. Ling Shu stared at it silently for a long time before instructing a servant beside him, "Go and invite the Fifth Young Master here."
Ling Zifu had just led his new bride to pay their respects to the elders when, after only a short while, he saw his grandfather's men waiting respectfully under the eaves. He raised an eyebrow slightly, turned his head to say something to his wife, and then slowly walked towards them.
When I entered my grandfather's room, he was sitting in a chair proofreading books. Hearing a noise, he looked up and said, "You've come."
He put down what he was doing, sat down at a low table, dismissed the servants, and said, "Zifu, sit here."
Ling Zifu stepped forward, bowed respectfully to him, and sat down. His expression relaxed as he asked, "I wonder which one has spoken ill of me to my grandfather this time?"
Ling Shu smiled and pointed at him: "You confessed without being asked."
Ling Zifu hurriedly protested his innocence, trying his best to clear his name. Ling Shu looked him over and nodded: "Alright, let's get down to business."
His gaze fell on the desk. "The young lady who stayed at Qilan Courtyard yesterday, I think, is the one who asked you to deliver the letter?"
Ling Zifu paused slightly.
A guest stayed overnight last night, which he was unaware of... Could it be that Song Zhirou is at the mansion right now? He paused for a moment, then thought, wasn't the letter Ling Ziheng wrote to his grandfather a family letter? How did his grandfather know that this letter was entrusted by Song Zhirou?
Seeing him frown in confusion, Ling Shu shook his head: "You... are too sentimental, which is both good and bad."
After giving birth to him, Ling Zifu's birth mother became increasingly frail and her personality became somewhat withdrawn; she disliked seeing people. He received little care from his mother from a young age and relied most on Ling Xi and Chang Jinchen. Even the servants joked that the Fifth Young Master's soul was probably tied to the Chang family.
As the Lantern Festival approached, Ling Zifu's mother's illness eased slightly, and her spirits improved somewhat. So, she agreed to his repeated requests and took him and Chang Jinchen out of the city for a spring outing.
The rain came suddenly, as if the sky were about to collapse. On their way back, the road ahead suddenly collapsed. Ling Zifu's mother was severely injured in the chaos and was carried back barely alive; she didn't survive the night. He was buried among the broken wood and rubble, and it was Chang Jinchen who braved the rain to search for him and save his life.
Not long after, his father took a second wife, who is now Ling Ziheng's biological mother. As a result, he became even more attached to Ling Xi and her son, spending several days a month staying at the Chang family's house.
After Chang Yu's rebellion, he lost his loved ones again. Ling Shu felt sorry for him and perhaps made up for it by showering him with affection, taking extra care of him since childhood, almost to the point of favoritism.
At this moment, Ling Zifu was stunned by his grandfather's evaluation, and after a long while, he slowly uttered, "You know everything..."
“You keep going to the millet tower every day, and your uncles and cousins will have to beg you to shut up.”
Ling Shu glanced at him and let out a helpless laugh.
"Grandfather, I..."
Ling Shu waved his hand to stop him, saying, "If you want to be sentimental, I don't care. But have you ever thought about it? It's a case from ten or twenty years ago. The person is already gone, their bones have turned to ashes. What can be found out?"
"I said the same thing to Ah Chen. He's willing to investigate, and he's determined to find out the truth... I really have no other choice."
Ling Shu didn't doubt his words and continued, "So, what does he plan to do once he's found out?"
Ling Zifu said, "Naturally, it's about revenge and overturning the verdict."
"And then?" He stared at him with eyes that showed neither joy nor anger, yet it made one's heart tighten.
Ling Zifu gripped the hem of his robe, which was draped over his knees, until it became slightly wrinkled.
"He got his revenge, and then what?" Ling Shu tilted his head, looking at the old hat hanging on the wall inside the room. "Back then, Chen'er was not even eight years old. It was already a miracle that he survived. He was all alone, without any relatives or friends, and endured nineteen years of hardship outside. In such a state... what do you think he relied on?"
Ling Zifu's hand gradually stiffened under his persistent questioning. After a long while, he finally answered, "No. He still has his aunt and Xiao Jun... If they want to come to Qinyang, surely Grandfather..." He paused, "...would our Ling family disown them?"
After he finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.
Ling Shu stood up and slowly walked behind the screen to look at a portrait. The ink was already showing signs of wear and tear, but the person in the painting still had a bright and lively spirit.
Ling Shu's voice came from afar, steady, firm, and slightly hoarse.
“Ling Xi is my daughter. If she ever wishes to return, the Ling family’s gates will remain open. As for Chen’er and Xiao’an… if they are willing to change their surname to Ling, my Ling family can afford to support a couple more idle people.”
This means they have to abandon their past, abandon everything related to the Chang family, including that treason case.
“Ah Chen won’t agree.”
Ling Shu remained silent.
Ling Zifu suddenly understood, and his warm, jade-like eyes softened. He walked behind Ling Shu and asked, "Grandfather, did you summon me here today to warn me to never associate with Achen again?"
He had told him this principle countless times: if something shows no signs of success, it's wise to stop early. Ling Shu turned around, looked at him again, his eyes clearly showing disappointment, and sighed.
His eyes suddenly stung, and he shouldn't have said anything more, but he couldn't help but whisper, "That...that girl from Qilan Courtyard, will Grandfather see her?"
Seemingly unaware of his question, Ling Shu slightly raised his thick eyebrows: "Didn't we already see each other yesterday?"
Wei Yuanzhan's rented house is located in Chongyuan Lane. Between the doors and eaves, the aroma of scallion oil and wheat wafts through the air, and the sounds of oil sizzling in pots and vendors hawking their wares can be heard intermittently.
After examining Wei Yuanzhan's back, Changhuai said, "He can recover a little longer. Master, when shall we go back?"
Wei Yuanzhan pulled his clothes together, picked up the porcelain bowl beside him, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp: "It'll be ready soon."
Changhuai continued, "Should we go to the escort agency and hire some skilled fighters before we set off? After all, you're still injured and shouldn't be using swords anymore."
“Let’s take another route, no need for bodyguards.” Wei Yuanzhan glanced at the ring with a rope pendant on the table, his thick, dark eyelashes fluttering. “How was the alley I asked you to investigate last night?”
“There used to be eight households in that alley, but now only two are still inhabited, and the rest are empty. I went into the fourth house on the west side that you mentioned, but there was no one there.”
Lan Ye was packing his bags when suddenly a voice came from afar.
“I remember now! The Zhang Fenglin that you mentioned last time, isn’t he the same guy who was with that grandson Lu Qingzhen back then? Last year, Lu Qingzhen intercepted our Marquis’s letter, and it was Young Master Song who brought it back.”
Although the matter is in the past, Lu Qingzhen still avoids them when he sees them, and Wei Yuanzhan still feels disgusted when he hears their names.
He frowned slightly and glanced to his left. Lan Ye stepped out from behind the lattice door and met his gaze.
His pace slowed for a moment, and he asked with a smile, "Is Master going to see the Fourth Miss today? Would you like us to come along?"
"What do you want with her?" Wei Yuanzhan stood up, stretched his limbs, walked to the dragon head stand, and put on his outer robe.
Judging from his tone, he was clearly about to leave. Lan Ye pondered his words for a moment, then his dark eyes widened with delight: "Shall we go back to the capital now?"
He followed him out the door and heard footsteps outside. Soon, a tall and imposing figure appeared amidst the lush greenery of the courtyard.
Wei Yuanzhan stopped, raising an eyebrow and staring at the person opposite him.
As the man drew closer, Lan Ye recognized his face. She was both surprised and angry. She tried to step forward and tell him to leave, but Wei Yuanzhan stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"Where is she?" Su asked immediately.
Who she is is self-evident.
"I don't know," Wei Yuanzhan said casually.
She even came to Qinyang with him; how could he not know her whereabouts?
Su didn't have time to waste with him and asked again, "Where is she?"
"I told you, I don't know."
Su Du came uninvited, and out of consideration for Zhi Rou, Wei Yuanzhan didn't hold it against him. Too lazy to pay him any more attention, he lifted his foot to leave, but his arm was grabbed by Su Du.
Wei Yuanzhan frowned, looked at him for a moment, and saw that his eyes, which resembled Zhi Rou's, were filled with anxiety. He then restrained his temper, moved slightly, and broke free from his hand.
"What is it?" Wei Yuanzhan asked.
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