Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Entering the Residence “Very well. Since you insist, let him enter the residence,” Ling Taian said. “Thank you, Father,” Ling Jiayue replied happily. “Steward, go and invite Elder Xu into the reception hall,” Ling Taian instructed. “Yes, Master.” Upon receiving Ling Taian’s order, the steward went to the entrance to invite Xu Hongjun inside. Before long, Ling Jiayue set down her chopsticks and said, “Father, Mother, I’m finished eating. I’ll go to the reception hall to see Elder Xu first.” “Go on,” Ling Taian said. “Daughter takes her leave.” Ling Jiayue bowed to Ling Taian, Madam Liu, Madam Wan, and the others before taking her leave and heading straight to the reception hall. Inside, Xu Hongjun was holding the tea the steward had served him and drinking it when Ling Jiayue arrived. “Yue’er, girl, this old man was at fault this time. I failed to send you home, and you were attacked again on the way back,” Elder Xu said. “Elder Xu, you needn’t take it to heart. If the criminals wanted to harm me, I would have been attacked no matter where I was,” Ling Jiayue consoled him. “Yue’er, girl, judging from your tone, it seems the people who want to harm you have made many attempts already?” Xu Hongjun asked. “To be honest with you, I was attacked after returning from treating you last time. After I got home, I passed through the garden and nearly got bitten by a venomous snake. Then, when I went to General Luo’s residence to treat him, someone poisoned General Luo in an attempt to damage the relationship between our two families.” Ling Jiayue spoke helplessly. “Have you found out who was behind all of this?” Xu Hongjun asked with concern. “Elder Xu, Older Brother told you last time that we found a jade pendant in the room of General Luo’s concubine.” Ling Jiayue pondered for a long while before speaking. “Yue’er, girl, do you still suspect the Third Prince?” Xu Hongjun asked. “Yes, Elder Xu. Ever since I broke off my engagement with the Third Prince, I have begun suffering one attack after another. The person who released the venomous snake in the garden to bite me was Ling Ziqi, and Ling Ziqi is now the Third Prince’s concubine. The two of them both want me dead, which is why I was attacked again this time.” Ling Jiayue carefully explained everything to Xu Hongjun. “Yue’er, girl, since you have already made up your mind, there is no need for me to say more. However, if I do not see concrete evidence, I will not believe it,” Xu Hongjun said. “Very well. Since you insist, I will say no more about this matter,” Ling Jiayue replied. “Yue’er, girl, I will eventually make you believe that the Third Prince is innocent,” Xu Hongjun said. “Elder Xu, let’s not discuss this anymore. You rarely come here, so let me check your pulse first and see how your health has been these past few days,” Ling Jiayue said. “Very well. Then I’ll trouble you, Yue’er, girl.” Xu Hongjun promptly extended his hand, allowing Ling Jiayue to perform pulse diagnosis. After examining his pulse, Ling Jiayue said, “You’ve been taking good care of yourself these past few days. Your energy and spirits look good too. It’s just that you haven’t eaten meat for several days. You must be craving it terribly.” “Yue’er, girl, your medical arts are truly excellent. This old man really hasn’t eaten meat for several days. I’ve been craving it terribly,” Xu Hongjun said. Ling Jiayue could not help laughing. “Elder Xu, your health has recovered quite well recently. Eating a little less won’t hurt. Just don’t eat too much.” “All right, I’ll listen to you, Yue’er, girl,” Xu Hongjun said. At that moment, the steward suddenly entered and reported, “Miss, this is bad! Master has fainted. Madam asked you to go and see him.” “What? Father fainted?!” Ling Jiayue was startled. “In that case, Yue’er, girl, go take care of your father first. This old man will take his leave and visit again another day.” Xu Hongjun also rose to his feet, preparing to leave. “Then I won’t see you out. Steward, please escort Elder Xu out for me,” Ling Jiayue said. “Yes, Miss.” The steward then escorted Xu Hongjun out of the residence. By then, Ling Jiayue was already running toward Ling Taian’s courtyard. When she arrived, the room was packed with people who had come to see him. Madam Liu, Madam Chen, and Madam Wan were all there, as were all of Ling Taian’s children. After all, Ling Taian was the head of the household, and his safety concerned the entire Ling family. Ling Taian lay on the bed with his eyes tightly shut. His face was pale, and he was clearly lacking in spirit. When Madam Liu saw Ling Jiayue arrive, she said, “Yue’er, you’re here. Your father fainted for no apparent reason. I just sent someone to summon Doctor Lin, but he won’t be able to get here right away. Examine your father first and see what’s wrong.” “I understand, Mother.” Ling Jiayue stepped forward and examined Ling Taian’s pulse. After a while, Ling Jiayue asked, “Mother, what has Father been eating lately?” Madam Liu answered, “His usual meals, along with the medicinal cuisine you prepared. Is there a problem?” “Has today’s medicinal cuisine been prepared? If it has, bring it here so I can examine it,” Ling Jiayue said. “Steward matron, go bring the prepared medicinal cuisine here and let Yue’er examine it,” Madam Liu instructed the steward matron. “Yes, Madam.” The steward matron accepted the order and left. Before long, the medicinal cuisine was brought over. Ling Jiayue held it carefully, examined it, and smelled it before asking, “Steward matron, is this medicinal cuisine normally handled only by the people from my quarters? Has anyone from outside the kitchen touched it?” “Answering Miss Ling, this medicinal cuisine is normally handled only by the people from your quarters. No one else has touched it,” the steward matron replied respectfully. “That’s strange,” Ling Jiayue murmured to herself. “Yue’er, what is it?” Madam Liu asked. “Mother, it’s nothing. Father is simply tired. He’ll be fine. I’ll write a prescription for him, and he’ll recover after taking it.” Ling Jiayue suppressed the suspicion in her heart and reassured Madam Liu. “That’s good, that’s good.” Ling Jiayue then picked up a brush and began writing the prescription. At that moment, Doctor Lin also arrived. When Ling Jiayue saw him, she said, “Doctor Lin, my father is somewhat lacking in spirit. Please help me examine him.” Doctor Lin also examined Ling Taian’s pulse and said, “Prime Minister Ling is indeed lacking in spirit. He will be fine after a little recuperation.” After hearing Doctor Lin’s words, Ling Jiayue was secretly shocked. What a formidable poison. Even Doctor Lin couldn’t detect it. While this was happening, Ling Jiayue secretly drafted a prescription to detoxify Ling Taian. Meanwhile, after receiving the news, Lingxin had already gone to the Third Prince’s Residence to deliver the message to Ling Ziqi. “Madam Ru, Master has fainted,” Lingxin reported to Ling Ziqi. “Well done, Lingxin. It’s all thanks to you adding this poison powder to his food every day. From now on, stop adding it for the time being. After all, Ling Jiayue knows medical arts. Don’t let her discover it. Once he wakes up in a few days, continue adding it,” Ling Ziqi instructed. “Yes, Madam Ru,” Lingxin replied. “Mm. You may leave now. Don’t let anyone discover that you came.” As she spoke, Ling Ziqi removed the gold bracelet from her own wrist and put it on Lingxin’s. “This bracelet is your reward for handling things so well,” Ling Ziqi said. “Thank you, Madam Ru.” Close