After hearing Jiang Chuwei's words, Lu Yanling returned to Lingyuan with trepidation.
She was truly desperate.
She wanted to seek help from her grandmother, but her grandmother was in a precarious situation herself.
Aunt Yao was waiting for her.
"Well? Did the young master's wife say she would help us?" Aunt Yao's eyes were full of anxiety.
"She told her daughter not to leave the yard and to pretend to be sick if the madam came to call her."
"That's it..."
"Um."
"You can only pretend to be sick for a while, not forever. What should we do?" Aunt Yao was so anxious that she paced back and forth.
"Is my sister-in-law too busy to handle everything herself?" Lu Yanling said uncertainly.
Why?
"Wasn't she heartbroken that the Crown Prince had a child out of wedlock?"
Lu Yanling actually had no hope; the situation the young master's wife was facing was not much better than her own.
When her aunt told her to go find the heir apparent's wife, she felt that her sister-in-law herself had been bullied terribly by the Marquis's mansion.
With her mistress and her children all under her nose, she had no time to concern herself with other people's affairs.
Besides, she is the daughter of a marquis.
She felt it wouldn't be right for her to cause trouble.
At worst, I'll just die.
But the concubine said she wouldn't go, so the concubine went to find the young master's wife herself.
She feared that her aunt would only cry and fuss, causing the young master's wife distress.
I never expected that all I could do when I was in front of the Crown Prince's wife was cry.
"Let's do as my sister-in-law says and pretend to be sick for now."
"How about I go and beg the Marquis? You are his daughter, and he cannot let his wife run rampant."
"Mother, have you forgotten how my brother died?"
Aunt Yao slumped down like a deflated balloon.
Aunt Yao has a son.
When he was three years old, a cold took his life.
The lady forbade anyone to fetch a doctor, and the family physician was also sent to the countryside by the lady.
A child died after three days of persistent high fever.
Aunt Yao tearfully went to tell the Marquis, who had returned from playing outside for seven days.
The Marquis said, "If she's dead, she's dead. Don't you have a daughter? Just take good care of her."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yao was so shocked that she didn't move.
She forgot how to react.
That was their own son! A living, breathing life.
The Marquis dismissed it as if a dog or a cat had died, making it seem as if it were nothing more than a casual remark.
"Aunt, do you think the Marquis would care whether his daughter lives or dies?" Lu Yanling asked.
Seeing that her aunt remained silent, she said, "We'll listen to our sister-in-law. Since she told us to wait, we'll trust her, okay?"
She was genuinely afraid that her aunt, in her desperation, might seek any treatment that would only worsen the situation.
"Alright, Auntie, I'll do as you say." The mother and daughter had no other choice but to wait quietly.
*
"Granny Qiu! Send a few servants to guard Lingyuan tonight and have them hide somewhere."
Although it's uncertain whether Butcher Zhang will sneak into Lingyuan at night, it's still best to send someone to keep an eye on things just in case.
Jiang Chuwei remembered that a few days before Lu Yanling jumped into the well in her previous life, rumors circulated that she had been defiled.
At that time, she herself also began to be bedridden.
I have no time to meddle in other people's business.
It seems that Chen Yulan has suppressed this matter.
When the maid A Xiang came to invite Lu Yanling to Jinfu Hall, Lu Yanling was fast asleep on the couch.
Ah Xiang looked at the person lying on the couch and said, "Today, even if the Third Miss has to crawl, she will crawl to Jinfutang."
Ah Xiang has an arrogant attitude. This third young lady doesn't even live with the same dignity as a maid in the Marquis's mansion.
She was a second-class maid in Jinfutang, so she didn't need to act respectfully in front of the Third Miss.
Aunt Yao quickly smiled apologetically, "Ling'er is ill. When she's feeling better, I'll take her to apologize to Madam."
"You make it sound like the lady likes you a lot," Ah Xiang scoffed.
Aunt Yao nudged her daughter on the couch, but Lu Yanling didn't move.
Aunt Yao cried out, "What should we do? My poor Ling'er, please wake up!"
Ah Xiang said impatiently, "If you're awake, hurry up and see Madam."
After saying that, he kicked the chair hard: "Bad luck!"
Seeing that Ah Xiang had left, Lu Yanling immediately stood up, showing no sign of weakness whatsoever: "What does Madam Chen want with me now?"
"Third sister!" A female voice rang out from outside the door.
"Fifth Sister! What are you doing here?" Lu Yanling asked in surprise.
Madam Chen did not want her illegitimate daughters to be too close, so she always prevented them from visiting each other.
Lu Yanping was the Marquis's fifth daughter, born to Concubine Wang.
The second and fourth sons died of illness, and the sixth and seventh sons are still young.
Only the third and fifth daughters are about the same age.
They don't usually interact.
Aunt Wang was even more timid; if Chen said east, she wouldn't dare go west.
She had three daughters to take care of, so how could she dare to anger the lady of the house?
The youngest daughter's mother was beaten to death by Chen.
Aunt Yao looked outside the courtyard to make sure no one had seen her.
What are you doing here at this time?
Lu Yanping was silenced by what Aunt Yao said.
"Aunt, go outside and keep an eye on things. I need to talk to my fifth sister."
Aunt Yao didn't say anything more; she was afraid of causing trouble.
"Third sister! I just found out that Mother is going to marry you off to an old man." Lu Yanping's eyes reddened.
"Yes, what should I do?" Lu Yanling's tears fell again.
“I went to see that old man secretly. He’s fat and looks like a pig,” Ping said, gesturing as she spoke.
Where did you see it?
"It was in the side hall. My mother personally received them. They said they had come to deliver the betrothal gifts. My mother was all smiles. She said she wanted to see you and that someone would come to fetch you soon."
“Ah Xiang has already come, I didn’t go.”
"Third sister! How dare you disobey Mother?"
"I'm sick and have fallen into a coma, how do I get there?"
Lu Yanling knew that her fifth sister was a good person, so she didn't hide anything from her.
"Third sister! You must refuse. That man is like a toad trying to eat swan meat. He looks like that, and he's about the same age as Father. How can Mother treat you like this?"
After saying that, Lu Yanping burst into tears.
If my third sister marries someone like that, she'll be next.
Given Chen's personality, it's hard to imagine who she would be betrothed to.
"Third sister! You absolutely cannot agree to this."
"Mmm!" Lu Yanling wiped away her sister's tears.
"Don't worry, little sister, I won't do as she wishes."
The worst that can happen is death!
"Third sister!"
The two sisters cried and hugged each other.
Aunt Yao also shed tears.
In her entire life, she couldn't protect her son, nor could she protect her daughter.
I'd rather be dead.
After the two cried for a while, Lu Yanping said, "Third sister, you should run away! Once you leave the Marquis's mansion, no one can force you to marry."
"Where can I go? How can I, a woman, survive out here?"
Women cannot live independently. Even if she escapes with her aunt, she will still be bullied by people like Butcher Zhang.
"So you're just going to let your mother marry you off like this?"
"Let's wait a little longer!"
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