Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: The First Signs of Murderous Intent “Enough. You may withdraw for now.” “Yes, Father.” Ling Jiayue bowed to Ling Taian and Madam Liu before taking her leave. “Father, I’ll leave with my little sister as well.” Ling Jiaxuan also bowed to Ling Taian. “Xuan’er, escort your little sister back to her room,” Madam Liu instructed. “Yes, Mother.” Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan walked back together. Suddenly, Ling Jiayue spotted the magnificent plum blossoms blooming in the garden and said to Ling Jiaxuan, “Older Brother, let’s go admire the flowers in the garden. I saw that the plum blossoms are in bloom.” “As you command, my Miss Ling.” Ling Jiaxuan’s playful expression made Lingxue and Lingzhu burst into laughter. Ling Jiayue could not help but giggle as well. The siblings chatted and laughed as they made their way toward the garden. Ling Jiayue closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the plum blossoms’ refreshing fragrance. She immediately felt relaxed, and the unease she had been feeling lifted considerably. Seeing his sister’s expression, Ling Jiaxuan’s gaze softened. “You’ve loved the scent of flowers since you were little, and you still do. Yue’er, just tell Older Brother which flowers you like. I’ll buy them all and plant them in this garden for you to enjoy.” Ling Jiayue narrowed her eyes and thought for a long while before saying, “In spring, I want winter jasmine—the bright golden color makes me feel warm inside. In summer, we should build a grape trellis. We can eat the grapes and enjoy the shade. In autumn, I want osmanthus, and in winter, plum blossoms.” “Good.” “Older Brother is the best.” “If Older Brother isn’t good to you, who should I be good to? Wait here. I’ll break off a few plum branches for you and have Lingxue take them back to find a vase. Then you won’t have to come out in the freezing winter weather just to admire the plum blossoms.” “All right.” As Ling Jiayue watched Ling Jiaxuan’s back while he broke off plum branches for her, she thought of her three older brothers who had died unjustly. How wonderful it would be if they were still alive. Would they also break off a plum branch for her during this early winter? Suddenly, a venomous snake sprang out from the plum tree and lunged straight at Ling Jiayue. Ling Jiayue reacted even faster. She drew the dagger she carried at all times and slashed at the snake. Her strike missed, and the venomous snake coiled on the ground, hissing as it flicked its tongue. It raised its head and lunged at Ling Jiayue again. At that moment, Ling Jiaxuan hurried over and shoved Ling Jiayue aside. He snatched the dagger from her hand and cleaved the venomous snake in two. Although the snake was dead, its body continued to writhe. Gradually, all the blood drained away, and only then did its body stiffen on the ground. Ling Jiaxuan sheathed the dagger and helped Ling Jiayue to her feet. He examined her from head to toe and asked, “Little sister, are you all right? Did you get hurt anywhere? Were you frightened?” “Older Brother, I’m fine. But how could there be a venomous snake during early winter? And it lunged straight at me without the slightest hesitation. Even after missing its first strike, it still tried to attack me.” “Looks like someone deliberately arranged this.” Ling Jiaxuan’s brows drew tightly together. He raised his voice and called, “Someone come here!” The young male servants passing nearby hurried over and bowed respectfully. “Please give us your orders, Young Master.” “Older Brother, don’t be hasty.” Ling Jiayue stopped him. “Since that person missed the first attempt, they will certainly try to strike at me again. Now that we’ve alerted them, we may not be able to catch them. Besides, the person was able to hide a venomous snake in the inner garden, so they must be one of ‘our own.’” Ling Jiaxuan disagreed. “Little sister, this was far too dangerous. I don’t want to leave you in danger.” “Older Brother, let’s take the snake to Father first. We’ll decide what to do after we see him,” Ling Jiayue said. “That works.” The siblings carried the dead snake back to Ling Taian’s study. Madam Liu had not yet left. She and her husband were sitting together drinking tea, but when they saw Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan enter with a dead snake, they sprang to their feet in alarm. Madam Liu hurriedly asked, “What happened? Yue’er, Xuan’er, were either of you bitten by this venomous snake?” Ling Jiayue focused on reassuring Madam Liu, while Ling Jiaxuan recounted the entire incident to Ling Taian. As she listened, Madam Liu repeatedly examined Ling Jiayue, terrified that she might have suffered even the slightest injury. After hearing everything, Ling Taian slammed his teacup onto the table and angrily said, “Who dares harm my daughter in my residence? They’re outrageously bold! Even if I have to tear the entire Ling Residence apart today, I will find this malicious person.” Ling Jiayue soothed him. “Father, please calm down. I don’t think this matter is simple.” “Oh? Tell me what you think.” “I believe that the person who entered the inner residence and planted the venomous snake cannot be an ordinary servant or attendant. Moreover, I have been away from home for several years, and there aren’t many people who know that I like plum blossoms. Someone who meets both these conditions is likely one of ‘our own.’” Ling Jiayue analyzed the situation carefully. “It’s all because I neglected to properly manage the inner residence. I can’t believe we still have someone harboring such evil intentions. Yue’er, it’s all Mother’s fault. I’ve failed you.” Madam Liu spoke bitterly. “Mother, this isn’t your fault. If someone wants to harm me, there’s no way you could guard against everything.” Ling Jiayue gently comforted her. Madam Liu let out a heavy sigh. Ling Taian’s brows remained tightly furrowed as he asked, “Then who do you think did it?” “I wouldn’t dare make wild accusations. First, I have no conclusive evidence and cannot point fingers lest I chill the hearts of the family. Second, there probably aren’t many people in the residence who know that I like plum blossoms. That makes it even harder for me to say.” Ling Taian pondered for a long while before asking, “What do you intend to do?” Ling Jiayue gave a sly smile. “Father, how could I refuse an opportunity that has delivered itself to my door? Since this person wants me dead so badly, I’ll simply fulfill her wish.” Hearing this, Madam Liu immediately pulled Ling Jiayue into her arms. “Yue’er, don’t do anything foolish. I’ve only just brought you home, and you’ve already suffered so many disasters. I can hardly bear how much I worry about you, and now you want to do this too? Aren’t you just stabbing a knife into my heart?” Ling Taian and Ling Jiaxuan also looked at Ling Jiayue with concern. Looking at the family members who cared for her so deeply, Ling Jiayue felt exceptionally warm inside. “Father, Mother, Older Brother, don’t panic. No matter how unfilial I may be, I would never risk my life and make you worry for nothing. What I mean is that I’ll pretend to have been injured by the venomous snake and make that person believe their scheme succeeded. That will make it easier to catch them.” “That will do. Xuan’er, go summon Doctor Lin. The more commotion, the better. Madam, take Yue’er back to her room. We must remove this scourge from the Ling family today,” Ling Taian said. “Master, your concubine dares to ask one question. No matter who this person is, will you truly be able to bring yourself to eliminate them?” Madam Liu challenged him. “This concerns the safety of the Ling family. Naturally, I will,” Ling Taian replied firmly. While Ling Taian and Madam Liu were speaking, Ling Jiayue quietly whispered something into Ling Jiaxuan’s ear. Ling Jiaxuan patted his chest and said, “Little sister, rest assured. Leave it to Older Brother.” After a while, Ling Jiaxuan hurriedly brought a physician in from outside, telling everyone only that his little sister, Ling Jiayue, had been injured by a venomous snake. Soon, the entire Ling Residence was in an uproar. Meanwhile, Ling Jiayue lay on her bed, pretending to be poisoned. To make herself look even more like a victim of venom, she specifically found some dark-colored lip rouge and applied a thick layer to her lips. To make the scene more convincing, Ling Jiayue also had Lingxue bring out the face powder and apply a thick layer to her face. Now, anyone who saw her would think she was deeply poisoned.