Chapter 13
The current Crown Prince Dayu is the eldest son of the emperor and has been in the Eastern Palace for three years. His biological mother, Concubine Chen, was the most favored concubine in the harem for many years and held the same position as the vice-empress. On her 40th birthday, all the noble ladies with imperial decrees would come to the palace to pay their respects to her and present her with birthday gifts.
The storekeeper in the mansion brought a list and said, "All the things in the mansion are listed here. Madam has asked you to choose a suitable birthday gift from it."
Lin Qingyu took a quick look and asked, "The book that Madam gave me said that the Eastern Palace gave the Marquis a pair of mutton-fat white jade ruyi last year. Why is there none in the storehouse?"
The steward said, "In reply to Young Master, this pair of jade ruyi was sent by Madam to the residence of the Minister of War to congratulate his son on his wedding."
Lin Qingyu asked again: "Where is the thousand-year-old ginseng that Concubine Chen gave as a reward?"
The steward smiled and said, "Of course it is used to nourish the young master."
Lin Qingyu nodded: "I understand, you can leave. I will prepare a gift for my wife before she enters the palace tomorrow."
Liang's only requirement for gifts is that they are of equal value. He could neither lose the respect of the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion for Concubine Chen, nor show any intention of usurping the throne. Especially since the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion and the Queen are related by marriage, things become even more delicate.
The queen actually had a legitimate son, but the son was born with intellectual disabilities and could not inherit the throne. He was also not favored by the emperor, so he was raised in the palace. The Queen missed her son very much, so naturally she had some grudge against Concubine Chen and her son. Although the Queen was not as favored as Concubine Chen, she was still the mother of the country. When the Nan'an Marquis's Mansion sent a birthday gift to Concubine Chen Guifei, they also had to take into account the honor of the Empress. There are so many twists and turns in it that it cannot be explained in one word.
Lin Qingyu first selected a batch of gifts from the list and ordered people to move them into Lanfeng Pavilion for him to review and select them one by one.
Seeing the room filled with gift boxes of all sizes, Lu Wancheng asked, "What are these?"
Lin Qingyu said: "An alternative birthday gift for Concubine Chen."
"Concubine Chen?" Lu Wancheng frowned for the first time. "The Crown Prince's mother?"
"It's him."
Lu Wancheng's expression changed slightly: "When did you become involved with the East Palace?"
Lin Qingyu told Lu Wancheng that Liang asked him to prepare gifts. Lu Wancheng still seemed worried and asked, "So you won't go into the palace, nor will you go to see the prince?"
"No." Lin Qingyu said suspiciously, "You don't care about other things, why do you react so strongly when the Eastern Palace is mentioned?"
Lu Wancheng hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "He is the current crown prince and the future emperor. Isn't it worth me making a fuss about him?"
Lin Qingyu said: "The Queen is your biological aunt and the Crown Prince's biological mother. In terms of kinship, the Crown Prince is still your cousin."
Lu Wancheng sneered, "I don't want a greasy cousin like him."
That’s all about the Eastern Palace. Lu Wancheng was a little absent-minded, but he did not forget to remind Lin Qingyu: "Since Liang dared to make a fuss about Concubine Chen, she probably felt that the time was almost right."
Lin Qingyu nodded: "Young Marquis, don't worry, I know what to do."
The next day, Liang got up half an hour earlier than usual. Madam Liu helped her change into court clothes. She asked, "Which courtyard did the Marquis rest in last night?"
Madam Liu said, "Madame Pan's courtyard."
Liang's face darkened: "It's her again."
Madam Liu advised, "Mrs. Pan was born in a lowly family and her pregnancy was not successful. Madam, there is no need to be angry with her. Give her some face."
"That's right." Liang looked at the charming woman in the mirror and said, "My Lord will come for breakfast later. Let's go to Lanfeng Pavilion and invite someone."
No matter which concubine's courtyard the Marquis of Nan'an stayed in, he would have breakfast with his wife the next day and listen to her talk about some household affairs. He may not care about household affairs, but at least he should know what is going on.
During the dinner, Liang mentioned the birthday gift for Concubine Chen. Nan'an Hou said: "This may seem like a small matter, but it is actually of great importance. Where is the birthday gift you prepared? Let me see it."
At this time, the servant came in and said, "Master and Madam, the young master is here."
Liang smiled and said, "To be honest with you, there are many things to do in the mansion. I am old and I am inevitably a little overwhelmed. I thought of assigning some things to Qingyu, so he has been in charge of the accounts for a while. I also asked him to prepare the birthday gift for Concubine Chen. He must have come here for this matter. There is still some time before the morning court, so why don't you stay a little longer and see the gift he prepared?"
Nan'an Hou nodded: "Let him in."
Lin Qingyu walked in, followed by Feng Qin and Huan Tong. One of them was holding a book, and the other was holding an exquisite gift box. He greeted them both according to the rules. Nan'an Hou looked at the gift box and said, "Is this the gift you prepared for Concubine Chen?"
"Yes, please have a look, Madam Marquis." Lin Qingyu signaled with his eyes, and Feng Qin presented the gift box, her hands trembling slightly.
Judging from the shape of the gift box, it seems to be something long. When Marquis Nan'an opened it, he found that it was indeed a rolled-up painting.
Nan'an Hou ordered his men to unfold the painting. His expression suddenly changed, and he stood up in shock and anger: "How dare you!"
Liang suppressed the corners of her lips that were raised, then stood up and said in disbelief: "This painting was created by a master of Shu five hundred years ago, and it is also the Marquis's heirloom. How could you give it as a gift?!"
"This painting is priceless. His Majesty loves paintings very much. He has ordered me to bring the painting to the palace several times to enjoy it with him. Because he cares about his subjects, I have never accepted it even if I offered it as a tribute. But you gave it to Concubine Chen, the mother of the Crown Prince!" Nan'an Marquis slammed the table and said angrily, "The Majesty hates powerful ministers and the Crown Prince being too close. Do you know how much trouble you almost caused?"
Lin Qingyu lowered his eyes and said, "Qingyu doesn't dare."
"You don't dare?" Nan'an Marquis was furious. "Everyone knows that the son of the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital is extremely intelligent and can do all seven things. I think you did it on purpose to put the Nan'an Marquis's mansion in danger!"
Liang said in fear, "Fortunately, the Marquis took a look beforehand. Otherwise, if His Majesty saw this painting in Concubine Chen's possession, I don't know how he would suspect the relationship between the Marquis and the Crown Prince."
Liang glanced at Nanny Liu, indicating that she should exaggerate the matter as usual. Unexpectedly, Madam Liu's face turned very awkward and her figure and posture looked extremely ugly. She lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Aunt Liu whispered, "I think he was bitten by some insect. His body is itchy."
At this critical moment, this is nothing. Liang said unhappily, "The Marquis is still here, you should pay attention to your etiquette."
Aunt Liu forced herself to say, "Yes."
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "My Lord, since I have married into the Marquis' Mansion, there is no way out. If the Nan'an Marquis' Mansion encounters a disaster, I will not be able to escape responsibility. The reason why I chose this painting was because of Madam's order."
Liang's eyes widened and she exclaimed, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Madam said that the gift prepared for Concubine Chen is of equal value to their reward."
Although Marquis Nan'an and Liang were not married, they had slept in the same bed for many years. And Lin Qingyu is just the daughter-in-law whom he rarely sees. At this moment, he naturally believed Liang: "She is right, you really only need to prepare gifts of equal value. But have you done it?!"
Lin Qingyu said, "The Crown Prince once gave the Marquis a pair of white jade ruyi, which are also relics of the previous dynasty. They are invaluable and can be used to match this painting."
"What white jade?" Nan'an Marquis said sternly, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never given me this."
Liang thought hard: "I don't remember such a thing either."
Lin Qingyu frowned: "No? But this is recorded in the book that Madam gave me - Huantong."
Huantong presented the book. Nan'an Hou read through the book quickly, his eyes becoming increasingly stern, and threw the book fiercely at Lin Qingyu: "Look for yourself, where is the white jade you mentioned!"
Lin Qingyu dodged it by tilting his head, picked up the account book and flipped through it: "Indeed...no."
Nan'an Hou pointed at Lin Qingyu and said, "What else do you have to say!"
Nanny Liu was still struggling with the abnormality in her body and couldn't utter a word. Liang had no choice but to speak for herself: "Qingyu, what's wrong with you? The account books were missing twice, and today... Sigh."
Nan'an Hou said: "Account book? What account book?"
Liang said in embarrassment: "It's not a big deal. It doesn't matter if the Marquis doesn't know."
"explain!"
Liang was forced to reveal the entire matter of the account books.
Nan'an Hou was furious when he heard this, and concluded that Lin Qingyu did it on purpose: "Come here, pass on the family rules!"
Lin Qingyu glanced at everyone and said slowly, "There is no mutton-fat white jade in the book, but I clearly remember it. Why is that? I also remember that there is no missing page in the two account books, but when it came to Madam, there was a missing page. Why is that?"
Liang blurted out, "It's because you didn't take good care of it."
"I didn't keep it well?" Lin Qingyu smiled softly, "Isn't it possible that someone took a page away on purpose?"
"Qingyu, at this point, you still want to get involved with others?" Liang shook her head. "With such low character, you are not worthy of being the Prime Minister, let alone the Young Master of the Marquisate!"
Just as he finished speaking, there was a thud and Nanny Liu, who was standing beside him, suddenly fell down. She twisted on the ground like a mad woman, tearing her clothes and muttering nonsense. It was extremely terrifying.
Before everyone could react, Feng Qin behind Lin Qingyu also fell down and twitched. After all, she was a girl. She bit her lips and tried her best to restrain herself from tearing her clothes, but she kept banging her head on the ground. Boom, boom, boom, like a death knell.
Everyone present was terrified, and several maids screamed. Liang, who was closest to Madam Liu, froze completely, unable to move a step. She stretched out her hand and said in horror, "My Lord, My Lord..."
Lin Qingyu said, "The account books and books were missing from Lanfeng Pavilion, so it was naturally done by someone from Lanfeng Pavilion. In order to catch this person, the young marquis ordered me to fumigate a page in the book that recorded the white jade with a special poison. Once the skin comes into contact with this poison, the whole body will itch and be covered with pus. Although it will not harm life, it is worse than death. Before this, I have repeatedly warned the servants not to touch the books sent by the lady. It was expected that someone in Lanfeng Pavilion would be poisoned," Lin Qingyu paused and glanced at Liang, "but I didn't expect that Madam's most trusted Madam Liu would also be poisoned."
Nan'an Hou was a smart man. After putting all the previous "coincidences" together, he understood most of it. He turned around and looked at Liang, who was stunned: "My Lord, I don't know, I don't know what's going on..." She quickly thought of a way and bit back, "Could it be that Lin deliberately poisoned the two of them and framed me! Lin, how did I let you down that you are so cruel!"
Lin Qingyu sneered, walked up to Fengqin, and asked condescendingly: "It's very uncomfortable, isn't it?"
Feng Qin's lips were bitten and bleeding, and she struggled, "Young Master, please..."
"I can detoxify you, but I want to know the whereabouts of the account books and volumes, understand?"
Matron Liu tore her sleeve, revealing a large section of her arm covered with pus-soaked sores. The sight was so horrifying that a young maid started retching. When she heard the word "detoxification", she no longer cared about anything else: "Madam, Madam, she asked me to have a fever..."
Liang shook her head, still trying to argue: "No, sir! I didn't... Lin was tortured into confessing! You can't believe them, sir!"
Lin Qingyu said: "If you don't believe it, you can go and interrogate Wang, the manager of the accounting office. He has not been poisoned and is conscious. With your fair and honest methods, you will definitely be able to find out the truth."
Nan'an Hou closed his eyes and said, "Come here, drag these two crazy women away."
After Fengqin and Madam Liu were taken away, the house was in complete silence. The servants did not dare to breathe, until the housekeeper of the Marquisate reminded them, "My Lord, it is time for you to go to court. And... Madam, it is time for you to go to the palace, too."
After all this commotion, Liang's hair was disheveled and her makeup was ruined. The mistress of a house was in such an embarrassing state that she had completely lost face.
Marquis Nan'an said in a deep voice: "Go and wash up, and choose a gift for Concubine Chen. As for the rest, we can talk about it after we return home." After that, he turned around and strode away.
After returning from the palace, Marquis Nan'an personally interrogated Wang, the accountant. No one knows what the truth is. The people in the mansion only knew that the lady knelt in the ancestral hall all night and fell ill the next day. In order to let her rest and recuperate, the master handed over the miscellaneous affairs of the mansion to Young Master Lin and Aunt Pan to take care of.
This result was almost the same as what Lin Qingyu expected. Marquis Nan'an was very concerned about his reputation. After all, Liang was his legal wife, so he would not do anything to her openly. But everyone knew that the situation in the Marquis' Mansion was about to change.
After this incident, Lu Wancheng's health gradually recovered and he recovered to the point where he could get out of bed. He also changed the medicine he took every day. Hualu handed him the medicine, and he knew it was not his usual medicine as soon as he smelled it: "Did Doctor Zhang change the prescription?"
Hualu replied, "No, this is Shaojun's medicine."
Upon hearing this, Lu Wancheng suddenly sprayed out the medicine he had just taken: "Poof—"
Lin Qingyu walked into the room and saw this scene. He mocked: "You can't even take medicine?"
Lu Wancheng was coughing violently, and Hua Lu was busy cleaning up. Lin Qingyu didn't say anything merciful, but still walked to the bedside and sat down, gently stroking Lu Wancheng's back to help him calm down.
Lu Wancheng smelled the faint scent of rice paper, ink and inkstone on him again, mixed with the fragrance of medicine, as if he was an immortal herbalist who walked out of a book.
Because Lu Wancheng was too lazy, when he was too lazy to do this or that, he would just daydream and observe the people around him, thus he developed the ability to read people's expressions. For example, now, he could feel that Lin Qingyu was in an uneasy mood, and the chilly feeling around him could make people retreat away.
He didn't dare to act rashly and asked carefully: "Qingyu, why did you change the medicine for me?"
Lin Qingyu said calmly: "Why do you think it is?"
Lu Wancheng waved away the flower dew, then asked with a low smile: "Do you think I'm dying too slowly?"
Lin Qingyu sneered: "Yes."
Lu Wancheng said "Oh", picked up the medicine bowl beside him and drank it all.
Lin Qingyu frowned slightly: "What are you doing now?"
Lu Wancheng licked the corner of his mouth and said, "If you really wanted to poison me, you wouldn't have waited until now, and you wouldn't have let Hualu know about the change of medicine. You think Doctor Zhang's prescription is not good, so you changed it for me with a better one."
Lin Qingyu stood up suddenly: "You are so smart, you can drink it if you want."
Lu Wancheng grabbed his clothes and stopped him from leaving: "Are you angry again?"
"No, I just saw that you were unhappy."
Lu Wancheng thought carefully about his recent actions, innocent and confused: "Where did I go wrong?"
Lin Qingyu was speechless.
Lu Wancheng was right, he never said that he wanted to live longer. He couldn't take part in this year's Imperial Medical Bureau examination because he was too soft-hearted and made a stupid mistake.
But even though he missed this year's exam, he can still take it again in three years. And Lu Wancheng only has a little time left. When a person dies, everything is gone.
Lin Qingyu's tone slowed down a bit: "This prescription was given to me by my father. I improved it according to your situation. It can't save your life, but it can make you live half a year longer, and it can also make your last days less painful, so that by then... you won't be in such a miserable state."
He had seen many people who were seriously ill and dying. No matter how respectable they had been in the past, they would not be considered good-looking at that time. He was unable to take care of himself and had to rely on others for everything. He became emaciated and his face became pale until he died.
People like Lu Wancheng shouldn't die in such agony.
However, Lu Wancheng didn't care whether his death was painful or not: "You said... live another half a year?"
Lin Qingyu lowered his eyes and didn't look at him: "Yes."
Lu Wancheng's eyes moved slightly, and his Adam's apple rolled up and down: "Qingyu."
He called out and then fell silent, which made Lin Qingyu feel a little uneasy.
"Don't get me wrong." Lin Qingyu said, "'Human life is the most precious thing. Even if it is worth a thousand gold coins, saving it with a medicine is a greater virtue than this.' Since I am a doctor, I cannot watch an innocent person die without saving him."
When Lu Wancheng spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse: "But you can't save me."
"I know. But as long as I try my best, I will have a clear conscience in the future."
Lu Wancheng laughed, his lips curved slightly, his eyes sparkled, even pretty, but the words he said were still annoying: "Oh my, has the cruel beauty changed her personality for me?"
Lin Qingyu couldn't hide his disgust and refused to admit it: "Young Marquis, you think too highly of yourself."
Lu Wancheng stood up, leaned close to Lin Qingyu's ear and whispered, "Qingyu, thank you."
Lin Qingyu was not used to the sudden approach. His face, as cold as ice under the eaves, was shaky. He asked, "Do you want to drink this medicine or not?"
"If I don't drink it, I'll be letting you down. Oh, right," Lu Wancheng seemed to remember something important, "Can this medicine make me hold you?"
Lin Qingyu didn't understand why Lu Wancheng was so entangled in this matter, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "Do you really want to be able to hug me?"
Lu Wancheng nodded: "I really want to."
Lin Qingyu sneered: "Don't even think about it, it's impossible in your lifetime."
Lu Wancheng picked up the medicine bowl and complained in a low voice: "...Then I will drink shit."
The author has something to say:
Young Marquis: In the next life, I will not only hold you in my arms, but also hold you tight!
① From Sun Simiao's "Qian Jin Yao Fang"
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