Wang Lingyi felt that he might make her so angry that she wouldn't even live to see thirty.
The maid Chi Zhu shared the same hatred: "I used to see that the son-in-law was a handsome man with a good figure, and he also had feelings for the young lady, but it turns out that he is such a person!"
Bi Cui, an expert at calculating and using an abacus, was helping Wang Lingyi with the Marquisate's account books. She also wanted to curse, "Now our daughter has been poisoned and is pregnant with an unknown baby, and yet the young Marquis is wholeheartedly protecting that bastard murderer!"
Huang Xiang, skilled in hair and makeup, said, "I'll do whatever you tell me to do. Why are you talking so much?" Qing Dai, skilled in needlework, came in from outside, lifting the curtain and saying, "Miss, the people are about to leave. Do you have any other instructions?"
Wang Lingyi thought to herself: I have feelings and affection, but perhaps those feelings and affection will disappear when I meet Chunliu.
Wang Lingyi lowered her head while checking the accounts as she said, "From now on, we'll open a small kitchen so we can enjoy Chi Zhu's cooking again. Someone who's sending it over should tell the head of the village to remember to send over any seasonal fruits and vegetables."
Then he said to Huang Xiang, "Tomorrow you go to the court judge's house and take a thousand taels of silver. Today, I still owe it to my sister-in-law. Later, I will ask Zhang the court judge to remove the poison, so I will have to trouble him."
Finally, he said to Qing Dai, "Among the people my mother left behind, ask who has good foot speed, light skills, eyesight, and hearing. Go to the farm and keep an eye on who has been there in the past few days."
Qing Dai said, "I'm afraid the young marquis will have to go." Wang Lingyi said, "Forget him. Let's see who else is there. Chun Liu can't do this alone."
Sure enough, two days later, Xuan Mo came back from the farm and reported the situation to Wang Lingyi. Wang Lingyi, despite her sick body, took Xuan Mo to meet her mother-in-law.
Then she ordered people to kidnap the court physician of the Marquis' Mansion and Xing'er from the mother-in-law's courtyard. Xing'er was so frightened that she told everything. The court physician, on the other hand, was calm and had an expression as if he was ready to die. Wang Lingyi then ordered people to bring the court physician's family to the front yard.
When the young marquis returned and learned that Xing'er and the palace physician had died, he said nothing. After all, he felt guilty about Wang Lingyi. As long as Chunliu wasn't touched, Wang Lingyi had already reported the fate of the servants to his mother, so he had nothing to say. He just wondered if she had finally gotten rid of her anger and would let Chunliu go.
Wang Lingyi showed him the blood letter written by the court physician. The young marquis's first reaction was that it was impossible. He grew up with Chunliu. She was innocent, kind and lovely. She worked hard in Lanting Garden. How could she do such a vicious thing? Maybe Xing'er and the court physician were in collusion, and Chunliu was deceived and harmed by them.
Wang Lingyi didn't argue with him. He was completely blind, and he could go check it out himself if he didn't believe her. She showed him the blood letter, simply telling him that the matter wasn't over yet, and that it might involve people inside and outside the Young Marquis's Lanting Garden. She needed to talk to him first.
The young marquis emerged from Wang Lingyi's courtyard, his head buzzing. According to the bloody note written by the palace physician, the plot to poison Wang Lingyi had been in the works since the young marquis and Wang Lingyi's marriage proposal three years ago.
The court physician spent two years preparing the poison. Chun Liu spent another half a year preparing, getting all the necessary steps in place. To outsiders, the Marquis's mansion, seemingly a place of strict discipline, seemed like an opportunity for exploitation to these illegitimate children, who knew it all too well.
As a favored maid, Chunliu has considerable power in the Marquis's mansion because of the young Marquis's favor. The young Marquis has the responsibility to solve all the problems that the servants face. In other words, if Miss Chun is willing to speak up, the young Marquis will approve it if the servants make a mistake.
Not only that, Chunliu also had a lot of silver and money at her disposal as rewards. As a maid who had always served closely, all the monthly allowance and rewards from the young marquis's private treasury were under the management of Chunliu.
Wang Lingyi thought that Chunliu was not as good as the concubine in name, but proper concubines had their own courtyards and had no control over the master's private treasury. The marquis could not see anyone unless he went there. Chunliu, as a personal maid, served him day and night. Although she could only sleep on the small couch outside when she was on night watch, it was very easy for the master to call her to serve him in bed when he was in the mood. Judging from the fact that Chunliu was pregnant, the master had so much favor on her that he even forgot to reward her with contraceptive soup, and she became pregnant at the same time as his wife.
Although they were married, Wang Lingyi was supposed to be in charge of the young marquis's private treasury. However, the young marquis hadn't offered to hand it over, and her mother-in-law hadn't mentioned it, so she hadn't asked for it either. Unexpectedly, this matter involved over a dozen servants in the front and back yards. Although the three masterminds were the only ones who knew the truth, they had broken the rules, provided convenience, and helped. Chunliu's status and power, as well as his ability to freely mobilise money for rewards, also played a role.
The young marquis was also thinking that it was his fault. He gave a maid the face beyond the rules but did not impose corresponding restrictions. He just couldn't believe that Chunliu was such a person. She was thoughtful and cautious in managing her own Lanting Garden and was polite in every way, so how could she do so many things behind his back?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
