Chapter 28

Chapter 28: General Luo Comes Calling After seeing Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan out, Luo Zhen returned inside and found General Luo drinking his medicine. “Father, speaking of which, we really ought to thank Ling Jiayue. You were able to turn danger into safety this time because of her,” he said. “Silly child, things aren’t that simple. Still, I truly should pay a visit to the Prime Minister’s Residence,” General Luo replied. Meanwhile, Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan were seated in the carriage on their way home. The carriage rocked incessantly with every bump in the road, but the siblings sat comfortably inside, drinking tea and eating pastries. Feng Yan, acting on the Seventh Prince’s orders, escorted Ling Jiayue home. After turning onto one more street, they would arrive at the entrance to the Ling Residence. Seeing that Ling Jiayue and the others had reached home safely, Feng Yan quietly concealed himself and returned to the Seventh Prince’s Residence to report back. Having heard that Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan were returning that day, Madam Liu had been waiting at the entrance since early morning. When she saw Ling Jiayue’s carriage approaching from afar, she hurriedly ordered the servants to bring out a cloak so that Ling Jiayue could put it on when she got down, lest she catch cold. As soon as Ling Jiayue stepped out of the carriage, she saw Madam Liu waiting for her at the entrance. Madam Liu hurriedly took the cloak from a servant and draped it over Ling Jiayue’s shoulders. “You’re already so grown-up, yet you still don’t know how to take proper care of yourself. Just look at the weather—it’s already this cold, and you went out without even wearing a cloak. Are you trying to fall ill and make me worry? Lingzhu, Lingxue, you two are the same. You don’t know how to serve Yue’er at all. I’m definitely going to deal with you properly when I have the time.” Madam Liu fussed as she helped Ling Jiayue put on the cloak. “Mother, I’m not that delicate. It’s not cold enough to make me ill,” Ling Jiayue said, taking Madam Liu’s hand. Seeing that Madam Liu had eyes only for Ling Jiayue, Ling Jiaxuan pretended to be jealous. “Oh, Mother is truly playing favorites. I clearly got out of the carriage with my sister, but you only have eyes for her and can’t even see me. It’s so hard being your son.” Hearing this, Madam Liu reached out and tugged him by the ear. “You’re like a mischievous street urchin every day. I can never find you when I want to, and now you’re complaining to me?” “Ah! Mother, please go easy! Go easy!” Ling Jiaxuan begged for mercy. Ling Jiayue burst out laughing, and only then did Madam Liu release him. “Hurry inside. Don’t stand around at the entrance. Yue’er, Xuan’er, go to the study. Master is waiting for you there.” “Yes, Mother.” Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan arrived at the study, where Ling Taian had already been waiting for them for quite some time. “Greetings, Father,” the siblings said, bowing to Ling Taian. “Rise.” “Yes, Father.” “Yue’er, Xuan’er, you’ve both worked hard this time,” Ling Taian said. The siblings exchanged a glance, and Ling Jiayue said, “Father, I believe General Luo’s illness was not as simple as it appeared.” “Tell me what you think.” “Father, General Luo’s illness was caused by Concubine Wang in their household. His paralysis could only be cured through my acupuncture, and after General Luo awoke for the first time, he was poisoned again and vomited blood. If Doctor Lin and I had not cured him, the Prime Minister’s Residence and the General’s Residence might have become enemies.” Ling Jiayue slowly explained her suspicions. “Then what happened to Concubine Wang?” Ling Taian asked. “Concubine Wang was killed by a hidden arrow in the General’s Residence, right in front of Young Master Luo,” Ling Jiayue replied. “Who would dare do such a thing?” Ling Taian asked, puzzled. Ling Jiayue said, “It was probably the person behind Concubine Wang, trying to silence her. But we found a jade pendant engraved with the character ‘Three’ in her room. The pendant was smooth and lustrous, without a trace of impurity. I simply don’t understand why such fine jade would be in the hands of a mere concubine.” “A jade pendant engraved with ‘Three’… Could it be the Third Prince?” Ling Taian exclaimed. “I’m afraid so,” Ling Jiaxuan said. Ling Taian fell silent for a moment. It seemed as though he wanted to give Ling Jiayue some advice, but in the end, he said nothing. After a while, Ling Taian said, “You’ve both been exhausted for several days. Go and rest for now.” “Your daughter takes her leave.” “Your son takes his leave.” The siblings left Ling Taian’s study. Ling Jiaxuan said, “Little sister, you must be exhausted after these past few days. You refused to rest even on the way home. Go back to your room and get some sleep.” “All right, Older Brother. You should go back and rest too,” Ling Jiayue said. “Very well.” The siblings returned to their respective rooms. Accompanied by Lingxue and Lingzhu, Ling Jiayue slowly made her way back to her room. Recalling everything that had happened over the past few days, she felt utterly exhausted. “Go fetch some water. I want to bathe,” she instructed. Lingzhu went to the kitchen to carry water, while Lingxue lit several more braziers, afraid that Ling Jiayue would feel cold in her room. Soon, the bathwater was ready. Ling Jiayue removed her clothes and slowly stepped into the tub. As she settled into the warm water, she felt incredibly refreshed. “What? General Luo is safe and sound, and Ling Jiayue and her brother have already returned safely to the residence?!” the Third Prince, Mu Yuyang, roared. “Yes… yes, master.” “Useless! Damn it! Every one of you is useless!” “Master, please calm down!” The attendant was so frightened by the Third Prince’s fury that he dropped to his knees and begged for mercy. Mu Yuyang grabbed the attendant by the collar and shouted, “You’re all useless! The poison in that old bastard General Luo was something I specifically sent someone to obtain from Poison Young Master. How could it fail to kill him?!” The attendant was too terrified to speak. Mu Yuyang released him and muttered, “Ling Jiayue was actually able to cure this poison. She truly made me underestimate her.” “Third Prince, didn’t you say that this time you would definitely make that wretch Ling Jiayue die?” a coquettish woman said, extending her arms to embrace Mu Yuyang. The Third Prince patted her and comforted her. “Don’t worry. I will definitely make her die.” The woman took advantage of the opportunity to nestle into Mu Yuyang’s arms. “Then your concubine shall await good news.” Feeling the woman’s soft, fragrant body in his arms, the Third Prince felt a rush of desire in his lower abdomen. He motioned for the attendant kneeling on the floor to leave, then carried the woman into the room with the red bed curtains. With a sharp ripping sound, Mu Yuyang tore open her clothes. The woman lifted her head and traced a finger across Mu Yuyang’s chest. “Third Prince, you’re being far too eager.” “Aren’t you the little enchantress who keeps tempting me?” The Third Prince pushed Ling Ziqi beneath him, and the two began indulging in an affair in broad daylight. Several days later, General Luo summoned his eldest son, Luo Zhen, prepared gifts, and went to the Prime Minister’s Residence. Ling Jiayue had just finished breakfast with Madam Liu and Ling Taian when a servant entered to announce, “Master, Madam, General Luo has arrived. He says he wishes to pay a visit and offer his thanks.” “Invite him in at once. Yue’er, Xuan’er, come with me.” Close