Thunderous measures
Since returning home from the farm, Lu Qinglan had become increasingly reclusive. Apart from her daily visits to Yining Hall and Wang's house, she would spend her days reading and practicing calligraphy in the courtyard, occasionally playing the zither, looking serene and contented as she awaited her marriage. However, her desk gradually became filled with books like "Salt and Iron Theory," "Biographies of Merchants," and even local records of local products.
Fu Yu followed his instructions and managed the Lan Courtyard with impeccable integrity. Of the two newly promoted maids, one was a family-born child, whose parents both lived on the farm, and she was honest and dutiful; the other was an orphan purchased from outside, with a clean background, a timid temperament, but exceptionally attentive. Information, both inside and outside, was strictly controlled.
That afternoon, Lu Qinglan was copying the "Jijiu Zhang" by a great calligrapher from the previous dynasty. Her brush strokes flowed with a subtle sharpness, unlike that of a woman in the boudoir. Fu Yu quietly entered, her face solemn, and whispered, "Miss, something's wrong with the Third Miss..."
Lu Qinglan paused, a drop of ink landing on the rice paper, quickly spreading out into a dark stain. "Speak."
"Madame Li sent word that the Third Young Miss's cough worsened today, and she also developed a fever. The court physician came to see her and still said it was a case of wind and cold invading the interior, and prescribed a heavier dose of dispersing medicine. But after the medicine was boiled, the Third Young Miss took only one sip and then vomited, saying the taste was wrong, more bitter than in the past few days. Madame Li secretly kept the dregs of the medicine, and I just asked Zhao..." Fu Yu paused, then changed the subject, "to show it to the people outside, and they found that an extra ingredient, 'bitter almonds', had been added!"
Bitter almonds!
Lu Qinglan's eyes suddenly turned cold. A small amount of this substance can relieve coughs and asthma, but excessive use, especially for children with weak constitutions, is a fatal poison! It will suppress breathing, and ultimately lead to a silent death amidst a seemingly ordinary "worsening cough and asthma." What a clever, vicious method! If she hadn't been prepared and let Qingyu use old mountain ginseng to strengthen her body and strengthen her resistance, and if Qingyu hadn't been quick to detect the difference in taste, I'm afraid...
"Is the evidence conclusive?" Lu Qinglan's voice was calm, but with a chill in it.
"The maid who prepared the medicine has been secretly watched by Nanny Li. She was stubborn at first, but later... she confessed through some tricks that it was Nanny Wang, who was beside Aunt Zhou, who instructed her to do so. She was given 500 coins each time and asked to slowly add bitter almonds to the medicine, with the dosage gradually increasing." Fu Yu said as he took out a small bag of medicine residue and a confession with fingerprints from his sleeve.
"Madam Zhou..." Lu Qinglan put down his pen and slowly wiped the non-existent ink stain from his fingertips with a handkerchief. "She is indeed anxious."
"Miss, what should we do now? Should we report it to the old lady and the lady immediately?" Fu Yu asked.
"No," Lu Qinglan shook his head, a calculating look in his eyes. "The confession of a medicine-making maid and a pair of 'unknown' bitter almonds won't shake the well-established Madam Zhou. She could easily claim ignorance, that it was someone below her who acted on their own, or even accuse Madam Li of framing her. Father...wouldn't necessarily believe it."
She pondered for a moment and asked, "Is father at home today?"
"Yes, the master is on holiday today and is meeting guests in the outer study."
"Okay." Lu Qinglan stood up. "Fuyu, go to the outer study yourself. After father finishes meeting the guests, tell him that I need to see you for something urgent. It concerns the reputation of the mansion and your father's good name." She paused and added, "Sound a little panicky."
Although Fu Yu was puzzled, she responded without hesitation: "Yes!"
About an incense stick later, Lu Qinglan hurried to the study outside the Lu Mansion with Fu Yu. She had deliberately worn a simple, moon-white dress and no makeup. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she was trying hard to hold back her fear and tears.
Lu Wenyuan had just seen off a colleague and was sitting in his study drinking tea. When he saw his eldest daughter coming in like this, he couldn't help but frown: "Qinglan? Why are you so flustered? How disgraceful!" He always paid attention to rules, and when he saw his daughter misbehaving, his tone was a little displeased.
Lu Qinglan quickly stepped forward and bowed down, her voice choking with sobs: "Father, please forgive me! Your daughter... your daughter really has a huge problem and doesn't know what to do. I can only ask you to make the decision!"
"What's the matter?" Lu Wenyuan put down his teacup, his expression becoming serious. His eldest daughter had always been calm and composed, and rarely lost her composure like this.
Lu Qinglan raised her head, tears welling in her eyes, but she tried to maintain her composure as she presented the packet of medicine residue and her confession. "Father, my third sister Qingyu is seriously ill. I'm worried, so I asked Fu Yu to investigate privately. Who knew... who knew they discovered someone had tampered with the medicine, adding an excessive amount of bitter almonds! Long-term use of this can cause respiratory failure and death! This... this is going to kill my third sister!"
"What?!" Lu Wenyuan abruptly stood up, took the medicine residue and the confession, and quickly scanned them, his expression growing increasingly gloomy. Although he didn't often meddle with matters within the inner chambers, he did understand basic pharmacology and had heard of the harmful effects of an overdose of bitter almonds. Looking at the confession of the maid who prepared the medicine, it pointed directly at Nanny Wang, who was beside Concubine Zhou!
"You bastard!" Lu Wenyuan was furious and slammed his palm on the desk. "How dare you do such evil things in the inner house! It's simply lawless!"
"Father, calm down!" Lu Qinglan advised at the right time. "This matter concerns my third sister's life, and even more so, the reputation of our Lu family! If it gets out, others will only say that the Lu family is lax in family management and is harming their offspring, which will damage your reputation! Your daughter dares not speak out and can only investigate privately. Now that we have the witnesses and evidence, please make the final decision, father!"
She kept mentioning the "reputation of the mansion" and "the reputation of his father" in every sentence, accurately hitting Lu Wenyuan's sore spot. He studied hard and rose and fell in the officialdom, and what he cared about most was his reputation and reputation.
Lu Wenyuan took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, and looked at Lu Qinglan sharply: "You did the right thing. Who else knows about this?"
"Apart from my daughter and Fu Yu, there is Nanny Li who is beside my third sister, and... the maid who is in charge of decocting medicine. I have strictly ordered them to keep their mouths shut." Lu Qinglan said with lowered eyebrows.
Lu Wenyuan nodded in satisfaction. His daughter, at the crucial moment, managed to remain calm and consider the overall situation. "Go, call Zhou and Nanny Wang, who is with her, over immediately! Also, go get your grandmother and mother!"
"Yes," Lu Qinglan agreed. As she turned, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She knew her father was trying to handle the situation internally and minimize the impact. This was exactly what she wanted.
A moment later, Madam Lu of Yining Hall, Madam Wang, and Aunt Zhou and Nanny Wang, who had been hastily summoned, gathered in the outer study. The atmosphere was as solemn as the dead silence before a storm.
When Concubine Zhou came in, she saw the maid kneeling on the ground, preparing medicine, and Lu Wenyuan's sullen face. Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained composed and said in a gentle voice, "Master, Madam, Madam, what happened? Why are you mobilizing so many people?"
Nanny Wang's face turned pale and her eyes flickered.
Lu Wenyuan was too lazy to talk nonsense and directly threw the bag of drug residue and confession in front of Aunt Zhou: "Look for yourself!"
When Concubine Zhou picked it up and took a look at it, her face turned pale instantly and she knelt down with a thud: "My master, please understand! This... this must be someone framing me! How could I harm the Third Young Miss? I have always treated the Third Young Miss as my own daughter!" As she spoke, she began to cry sadly, looking like a tearful pear blossom in the rain, as if she had suffered great injustice.
Nanny Wang also kowtowed repeatedly: "Master, Madam, I am innocent! This bitch must have done something bad herself and is now accusing me of something!"
Madam Lu twirled her Buddhist beads, her eyes closed, and remained silent. Wang was trembling with anger, pointing at Concubine Zhou. "You're such a jerk, Zhou! It's fine if you're jealous, but you actually dared to do such a cruel thing to a child! If anything happens to Qingyu, I...I will never let you go!"
"Madam! I don't have any!" Aunt Zhou cried even harder, "Master, you have to make the decision for me!"
Lu Wenyuan looked at the crying Concubine Zhou, then at the silent Lu Qinglan and the angry Wang Shi, his brows furrowed. He wasn't completely unconvinced, but Concubine Zhou had served him for many years and had given birth to his son, Wenbin...
At this moment, Lu Qinglan suddenly spoke softly, like dropping a stone into a calm lake. "Father, I suddenly remembered something. A few days ago, I went to the Fuguogong Mansion for a flower viewing banquet and overheard the wife of the Yongchangbo Mansion mention that a young lady from her family, born out of wedlock, also died of a 'cold' years ago. Later, it was discovered that the nanny who accompanied her was bribed by her biological mother's enemy to tamper with the medicine. It seems that she used something cold and subtly similar to this."
Her tone was calm, as if she was just saying it casually, but it made Lu Wenyuan shudder!
The Yongchang Marquis's Mansion! That's a renowned noble family in the capital! Even if their family tried to cover up such a scandal, rumors would still circulate. If something similar happened in the Lu Mansion, where would Lu Wenyuan's face be? The Hanlin Academy was a place of integrity, and family tradition was paramount!
Lu Qinglan continued, "Although the Yongchang Marquis's mansion dealt with the evil servant afterwards, the family's reputation was damaged and it is still a topic of gossip among others. I heard that the Yongchang Marquis was also criticized by some imperial censors for this."
This was like the last straw that broke Lu Wenyuan's hesitation. He absolutely could not follow in the footsteps of Earl Yongchang!
"Enough!" Lu Wenyuan shouted, his eyes piercing like knives as he stabbed at Aunt Zhou and Nanny Wang. "With the evidence in hand, you still dare to quibble! Zhou, you are lax in your management of your subordinates and have a vicious mind, even daring to murder the heir of the mansion! From today on, your housekeeper rights are stripped away and you are confined to Luoxia Garden. Without my order, you are not allowed to take a single step out! My son Wenbin will be temporarily moved to the Madam's courtyard to be raised!"
"Madam Wang! This wicked slave is guilty of bullying his master. Drag him out, give him fifty lashes, and sell him off! All your property will be confiscated!"
"Master! Please don't!" Aunt Zhou was struck by lightning and rushed forward to hug Lu Wenyuan's legs. "I know I was wrong! Please, for Wenbin's sake..."
"Drag her away!" Lu Wenyuan kicked her away in disgust. When it came to his official reputation and the Lu family's reputation, he would never show mercy.
Nanny Wang looked as pale as death and collapsed to the ground. She was dragged out by the ferocious old woman. Soon, shrill screams were heard from afar.
Madam Lu finally opened her eyes and sighed, "What a sin... Wenyuan, unrest in the backyard is a major taboo in a family. Wang, as the head of the family, you must be even more dedicated in the future."
Wang quickly bowed and said, "I will remember your mother's teachings."
After the incident was resolved, everyone dispersed. Concubine Zhou was supported by someone and returned to Luoxia Garden in a state of despair. What awaited her was a long period of house arrest and the pain of losing her son.
On the way back to Lan Courtyard, Fu Yu whispered, "Miss, Concubine Zhou... collapsed?"
"Fall?" Lu Qinglan's lips curled up in a cold arc, "It's still early. After all, she gave birth to a son, and her father was just angry for a while. He just put her under house arrest. As long as Wenbin is here, she has a chance to turn things around."
"Then why did the young lady..."
"I never wanted to bring her down immediately." Lu Qinglan looked at me with a distant gaze. "What I wanted was to establish my authority, to let my father see my ability and value, and to let everyone in this mansion know who is the one not to be messed with. At the same time, I also wanted to clip her wings and take back the custody of Wenbin. A concubine who has lost her power and her son is nothing more than a venomous snake with its teeth pulled out. There is nothing to be feared."
Moreover, after this incident, her mother Wang regained some of the housekeeping power, which was also a good thing for her. A more powerful mother could give more care to the Lu family after she got married.
"Third Miss..."
"Have Matron Li take good care of her, using our own prescription. Tell Qingyu she's alright." Lu Qinglan's tone softened. Saving this sister was both a matter of blood and a strategic move. What the future held depended on her own destiny.
Back at Lan Courtyard, Lu Qinglan opened the window and watched the sunset gradually sinking outside.
The afterglow was like blood, dyeing half the sky red.
The turmoil in the Lu Mansion has temporarily subsided, but a bigger storm is brewing deep in the imperial city.
She stretched out her hand, feeling the coolness of the evening breeze across her fingertips.
She had already tasted the power, and this was only the beginning.
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