Chapter 44

Chapter 44: The Plot “Older Brother, I came to find you because I have something important to discuss.” Ling Jiayue put away her teasing expression and spoke seriously. “Little sister, go ahead. As long as it’s something Older Brother can do, I’ll definitely do it.” Ling Jiaxuan also became serious. “Older Brother, I wanted to talk to you about the mole. If we continue like this, we may not be able to catch the mole anytime soon. Why don’t we draw the snake out into the open?” Ling Jiayue said with a sly smile. “Yue’er, have you already suspected someone? What do you plan to do?” Ling Jiaxuan asked curiously. “To be honest, Older Brother, I suspect Ling Ziqi’s former personal maid, Lingxin. She happens to be working in the kitchen now, which makes it far too convenient for her to tamper with Father’s food.” Ling Jiayue paused before continuing, “Older Brother, if they really want to poison Father, why don’t we give them a helping hand?” The moment Ling Jiayue finished speaking, the room fell completely silent. Give them a helping hand—did she mean they should harm Ling Taian? After saying that, Ling Jiayue herself fell silent. Seeing that the two masters were not speaking, Lingzhu and Lingxue did not dare to say anything either. They only felt that they understood less and less of what Ling Jiayue was saying. After a long while, Ling Jiaxuan laughed. “Yue’er is right. We’ll give them a helping hand.” “Older Brother, let’s go to Father now. I’m sure he’ll agree as well,” Ling Jiayue said. “All right, Yue’er. Let’s go to Father.” Ling Jiaxuan rose as well, preparing to go with Ling Jiayue to see Ling Taian. “Yue’er, wait.” Ling Jiaxuan called her back. “What is it, Older Brother?” Ling Jiayue asked in confusion. Ling Jiaxuan instructed a servant to heat another hand warmer. Once it was ready, he stuffed it into Ling Jiayue’s hands and began nagging, “You really aren’t afraid of the cold, are you? You’re going out in this freezing weather and didn’t even think to change your hand warmer. Do you actually want to fall ill?” Ling Jiayue held the hand warmer her brother had given her and felt warmth spread through her heart. “It’s enough that Older Brother is here. Do I still need to worry about remembering to bring a hand warmer myself?” Ling Jiaxuan said helplessly, “It seems that with your careless, forgetful nature, you’ll have to follow me around for the rest of your life.” “That’s right, that’s right. I can only follow Older Brother around,” Ling Jiayue said playfully. The brother and sister chatted and laughed as they made their way toward Ling Taian’s courtyard. “Greetings to Father.” The brother and sister respectfully saluted Ling Taian. “Rise.” Ling Taian gazed at them affectionately and asked, “Yue’er, Xuan’er, shouldn’t you be investigating the mole? What brings you to my courtyard?” Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan exchanged a glance before Ling Jiayue said, “Father, we think that instead of waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump, it would be better to draw the snake out into the open.” A sharp glint flashed through Ling Taian’s eyes when he heard Ling Jiayue’s suggestion. “Oh? Draw the snake out into the open? Yue’er, how do you intend to do that?” Ling Jiayue smiled. “I believe that whoever administered the poison must have intended to harm Father. However, the poison was a secretive, slow-acting poison. Why don’t we give her a helping hand and make her believe that she has succeeded? Only then will she reveal her mistake, allowing us to strike in one blow.” Ling Taian pondered Ling Jiayue’s words. At last, he praised her, “Yue’er, you really are the cleverest person in our family. Calling you a female Zhuge Liang would not be an exaggeration. It’s just a pity that you weren’t born a man. Otherwise, our Ling family might well have soared to great heights.” Ling Jiayue found his words amusing. “Father, we still have Older Brother. He can lead our Ling family to great heights as well. Besides, what does it matter that I’m a woman? I may be a woman, but I will certainly make a name for myself.” “Good! Our Yue’er certainly has ambition,” Ling Taian praised. “That’s right. Yue’er is really putting pressure on Older Brother,” Ling Jiaxuan said, pretending to be jealous. Ling Jiayue smiled bashfully. “Father, then let’s make our preparations and draw the snake out into the open. This time, we must find the pest that is harming our family and plotting against the Prime Minister’s Residence.” “Good. Yue’er, apart from your mother, don’t tell your concubines or your brothers about this. The fewer people involved, the better, lest loose tongues ruin everything,” Ling Taian said. “Father is right. Naturally, the fewer people who know about this, the better. However, it would be rather dull if this involved only our Prime Minister’s Residence. We should invite a few more witnesses. Only then can we get this fire burning,” Ling Jiayue said slyly. “We’ll do as Yue’er says. Go ahead and carry out your plan. Our Prime Minister’s Residence will support you fully,” Ling Taian said. “Father, then I’ll have to trouble you to remain in bed for a few more days.” “All right.” The next morning, one of the young male servants attending Ling Taian hurried out of his room, shouting, “This is bad! This is bad! Master has fainted!” The people throughout the Ling Residence reacted differently upon hearing the news. Ling Jiaxuan knew it was time to cast the net. Ling Jiayue and Madam Liu understood the situation perfectly and were simply waiting to see who would take the bait. When Ling Zixue heard that Ling Taian had fainted again, she merely thought he deserved it. In the kitchen, Lingxin was utterly bewildered when she heard the news. She clearly had not added any poison powder for several days, so why had Ling Taian fainted again? Could it be that Ling Ziqi no longer trusted her and had planted someone else in the residence? The more Lingxin thought about it, the more confused she became. After hearing that Ling Taian had fainted, Ling Jiaxuan made a great show of summoning Doctor Lin. He also ordered the steward to buy medicine from Xinglin Pharmacy. When Shopkeeper Hao of Xinglin Pharmacy heard that Ling Taian had fainted again, he immediately sent word to Mu Yuheng. The Luo and Ling families were on good terms, so the Luo family naturally learned of Ling Taian’s condition as well. The news soon caused an uproar. Even the Emperor, seated in the imperial palace, learned that Prime Minister Ling Taian had fainted again and hurriedly dispatched an imperial physician to examine him. For a time, the enormous Ling Residence was bustling with activity. Before long, Doctor Lin was brought to the Ling Residence, accompanied by the imperial physician sent by the Emperor. General Luo also came to the Ling Residence after hearing that Ling Taian had fainted. Mu Yuheng arrived as well after receiving the message sent by Shopkeeper Hao. Madam Liu received the many guests who came and went to visit Ling Taian in the reception hall. In the kitchen, Lingxin saw all the people streaming in and out of the Prime Minister’s Residence. She decided to take advantage of the crowd and go to the Third Prince’s Residence to find out what was really going on—specifically, whether Ling Ziqi had planted another person in the residence. Lingxin changed into a plain, modest outfit and tried her best not to attract attention as she quietly slipped out of the Prime Minister’s Residence. She kept glancing left and right along the way, afraid that someone might see her. What she did not know was that people Ling Jiaxuan had arranged had already begun following her in secret. When Lingxin reached the back entrance of the Third Prince’s Residence, she looked around and, seeing no one, entered through the back door that had been left open for her as though she knew the way by heart. When the people following her saw Lingxin enter through the back entrance, they immediately confirmed that she was colluding with the Third Prince’s Residence. They promptly returned to report to Ling Jiaxuan.