Lingzhi did not feel uncomfortable with Concubine Yuan’s eager attention.
In the household, Concubine Yuan was smooth and slippery, she danced beautifully with long sleeves [1]. Not only did she have Lady and Old Lady’s favor, she put on no airs with the servant girls and maidservants.
And now that her present status was so, Concubine Yuan was even more respectful and currying these days.
Lingzhi was quite used to these people’s attitude, so she didn’t stop and simply watched Concubine Yuan go to the table with the tea.
She carried back a cup of tea and was about to pass it to Lingzhi when Lady Fang appeared in the entrance.
"What are you doing?" she asked with a frown.
Concubine Yuan stopped with the tea.
"Lingzhi was thirsty," she said with a smile.
"Put it down." Lady Fang glared at her as she passed by. She gave Lingzhi a look. "Didn’t I say that except for what I give you, you cannot accept anything from anyone else."
That was what she had said, but she hadn’t thought that it would be strict to this extent.
Concubine Yuan and Lingzhi acknowledged the words this with embarrassment.
Lady Fang got out a new pot of tea and poured Lingzhi something to drink.
"Go inside," she said. "I have something to discuss with Concubine."
Lingzhi affirmed this, then carried the tea inside. She heard Lady Fang and Concubine Yuan behind her walk out of the room and into the neighboring study.
What something was she talking about.
Lingzhi hurled the cup onto the table and sat down with a huff. She began to vigorously wave her fan.
What could she do?
As she was lost in her imagination, she heard the sound of footsteps coming in. She smiled.
"Concubine Su," she called out, slightly startled.
Concubine Su was standing in front of the beaded curtain. "En."
She pulled back the curtain, holding a bowl of soup.
"Lady gave me this sweet soup for you," she said carefully and with a smile.
Concubine Su was the one Lady Fang had appointed to take care of her originally.
But after Lady Fang started to personally look after her, Concubine Su had no longer come near.
Everyone in the household knew that Concubine Su was the most rule-abiding person. She would scrupulously abide by anything that Old Lady Fang and Lady Fang said.
When Old Lady Fang said that Lingzhi could only be taken care of by the closest of kin, Concubine Su immediately did not contact Lingzhi. Even if it was only the slightest of matters, she would not give her tea or chopsticks, or even lift the curtain for her.
Since she came with sweet soup, it definitely must have been on Lady Fang’s orders.
Lingzhi was not suspicious.
Actually she didn’t care. She was even sort of hoping that someone would harm her.
Then the lack of child would be another’s fault. This was the most logical solution to her thorny problem.
It was just a shame that no one besides Lady Fang would come in contact with her.
And it was impossible for Lady Fang to want to harm her child.
Lingzhi sighed internally.
"Miss, please eat up." Concubine Su set the sweet soup onto the table.
Lingzhi looked at her and bit her bottom lip. She looked back at the courtyard, and suddenly a light flashed in her eyes.
There was someone walking in the courtyard that had been silent for the past few days. It was Third Miss, Fang Jinxiu.
It wasn’t important that Third Miss Fang was here. The important thing was the servant girl following behind her.
That servant girl was no other then Miss Jun’s Liu’er.
Because Miss Jun had gone with Young Master in hiding, the servant girl had come back with Third Miss. She didn’t know where she had went, only that she had come back with Third Miss.
Although Third Miss was unwilling, it seemed she had no other way to deal with the servant girl.
For example now.
L
iu’er passed through the entrance and went barrelling for Lingzhi’s room, but Fang Jinxiu’s arm shot out and grabbed her.
"What are you doing? Who said you could enter?" she growled.
"Why can’t I go in? I just want to see what it looks like." Liu’er snorted.
That little hussy was being treated as a precious treasure. She just wanted to see how her ‘golden egg’ was doing.
"Out," Fang Jinxiu said forcefully. "I don’t know what sort of status you have that lets you get near here."
Liu’er scowled.
"I have all the status," she said.
How could Jun Zhenzhen have such a stupid servant. What was even more aggravating was that Fang jinxiu had thought to bring this stupid servant back with her. She should have tossed her in that manor.
Fang Jinxiu angrily ground her teeth together.
"Don’t stir up trouble with your family’s young miss," she said.
"How am I making trouble for my family’s young miss…" she said, unresigned.
Just as they were to launch in another spark, Concubine Su walked in.
"Third Miss," she addressed quietly.
Fang Jinxiu and Liu’er stopped talking.
"Concubine, it was Mother who called for me," Fang Jinxiu said.
"En," Concubine Su said. "Come with me." When she walked into Lady Fang’s study, she paused. "Liu’er, you wait outside."
Liu’er rolled her eyes at her.
A concubine dares to tell her what to do.
"You stay out there. If you run around, I will sell you," threatened Fang Jinxiu. Before Liu’er could say anything, she stepped in. "Don’t forget, your young miss is not here now."
A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him.
Liu’er curled her lips in a sneer and walked outside in a huff.
Fang Jinxiu followed Concubine Su in.
When Fang Jinxiu and Concubine Su came in, Lady Fang was somewhat surprised.
"Lady, several days ago, you said you had something for Third Miss to do," Concubine Su reminded.
Lady Fang made an ‘oh’ noise, seeming to recall it.
"Yes, Jinxiu, you took a trip for me…" she said.
On the other side, the only one left in the room was Lingzhi. She was sitting by the window, looking at Liu’er who was outside the door and poking around. Her heart was thudding in her chest.
Liu’er…
She didn’t think that she’d actually come.
This was her chance.
Lingzhi looked at the sweet soup on the table, sighed, and hastily got up.
Although it was very simplistic and crude, and there were so many things that could go wrong, who told her to be Liu’er, who told her to be Miss Jun’s servant girl.
When dealing with the shock of losing their great-grandson, the ladies of the Fang Family would definitely not be capable of rationality.
What could she do. Opportunity could not be lost, for once it is lost it won’t come again.
Lingzhi grabbed the soup bowl with a trembling hand. She lifted her head and chugged it all down. Then she sloppily wiped the soup dribbling down her mouth and rushed back to the bedside.
Underneath the bed clothes was a pouch of medicinal powder she had hidden.
Back when she had been diagnosed, she had had her best sister buy it for her. As a reward, no matter what sort of advantages she received in the future she would split them in half with her.
This medicine could make your lower body bleed. Although it was very scary, it would not harm you.
But she hadn’t gone several steps when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, like a knife had been jabbed in there.
Lingzhi shrieked.
What was going on?
The idea didn’t have time to flash through her head before she fell and fainted on the ground.
The blood-curdling shriek cut through the quiet courtyard, frightening all who heard it.
Not good.
Lady Fang’s heart was thudding, and she charged in in a fluster.
This was bad.
Fang Jinxiu’s heart also dropped. She charged in right after.
Concubine Yuan and Concubine Su were hot on their tracks.
Lady Fang saw Lingzhi in a heap on the floor, as well as the blood pouring from her body.
Bright red blood.
It was done for.
Lady Fang collapsed onto her knees.
Why was it like this?
She had taken every measure she could, so why was it like this?
Old Heavenly Father, you have been blinded.
Lady Fang gripped her bosom and raised her mouth to the heaven, screaming out with all her lungs.
Behind her, Fang Jinxiu eye’s were also dark. She reached out to lean against the door, grinding her teeth.
As expected, they had gotten away with it.
Were Chengyu and Jun Zhenzhen still safe?
Who was it? Who was it?
Concubine Yuan and Concubine Su stood by the entrance, their faces white with shock.
"I just said it was strange," muttered Concubine Yuan.
"Yes," mumbled Concubine Su, for the first time accepting her words.
In the midst of these dull and pained shrieks, only one voice was happy.
"Ha, this must be the will of heaven."
Fang Jinxiu almost choked.
The stupid girl didn’t know what was life and death.
She turned around her limp body to see an excited Liu’er poking her head in from the entrance.
"Go call a doctor," she growled.
Concubine Yuan recovered herself.
"Right right, quickly now, go find a doctor. Call Grandma Wan," she said.
Right now, the only servant girl was Liu’er. As a servant girl, she should be running errands for them.
Hurry up and leave here, you stupid trash.
Liu’er never had the awareness of a servant girl. She just smiled.
"Call a doctor, "she repeated, shouting to the outside.
Fang Jinxiu was itching to wring her neck. Concubine Yuan sighed inside. The brother daoist should die, not the poor daoist [2]. She walked outside herself to call for someone to come.
There was no one coming.
‘It is kind of strange,’ hought Concubine Yuan for the second time.
Though Lady Fang hadn’t needed people to wait on her here, but the servants of the Fang Family hadn’t all been chased away. With such a loud, deafening racket, how come no one had come in except for Liu’er?
When they were suspicious of no one coming, they heard footsteps outside.
They came in chaos and in order. It seemed like there were a lot of people, but there wasn’t any racket.
It sounded like they were seeping in.
Concubine Yuan stopped in her tracks, seeing the person coming in from outside.
Old Lady?
Old Lady Fang’s expression was solemn. She strode in. Behind her were not a group of servants, but a troop of blade-wielding guards.
Old lady Fang walked in, her expression very peaceful, but her eyes were terrifying.
Concubine Yuan stumbled back a step.
"I’ve waited for so long, and you’ve finally come." Old Lady Fang stopped. "Seeing you, makes me truly happy."
[1] Dance beautifully with long sleeves: it’s an idiom which means that money and power will help you in any occupation.
[2] The brother daoist should die, not the poor daoist: not sparing people for your own advantage.