freenovelworld Chapter 3 is none other than Lu Zhiheng.
Chapter 3 is none other than Lu Zhiheng.
Chu Qingyin didn't know how she fell asleep. Yesterday, the doctor gave her two acupuncture needles, and the maid named Xianglan fed her a dose of medicine. She couldn't resist the fatigue and fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day.
She opened her eyes and surveyed everything around her.
A rosewood carved Luohan bed is adorned with an autumn-fragrant embroidered hibiscus pattern. Four exquisitely crafted gauze lanterns with rosy shadows are placed beside the bed, and a beast-shaped gilded incense burner on the side table is burning fine agarwood, its fragrance wafting gently in the cool winter air.
It must be said that the daughter of the Minister's family is treated quite well.
"Young lady, you're finally awake!"
Xianglan lifted the curtain, bent down to feel Chu Qingyin's forehead, and immediately beamed with joy: "That's wonderful, the fever has gone down! It's truly a blessing from heaven!"
Looking at the innocent and pure-hearted girl in front of her, Chu Qingyin hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Xianglan and asked, "Have you heard that Consort Chu in the palace has passed away?"
The conversation jumped so quickly that Xianglan was taken aback before saying, "In the middle of the Lunar New Year, why did you bring up such an unlucky thing as soon as you woke up?"
Chu Qingyin's eyes darkened slightly as she said, "I just suddenly remembered."
Fortunately, the original owner's image of being uneducated, willful, and capricious was deeply ingrained in people's minds, so Xianglan assumed that she had suddenly become curious. She sighed and said with emotion, "Speaking of this Imperial Concubine, she was quite pitiful. Originally, her Chu State Duke's Mansion was incredibly prestigious. Although she wasn't the Empress, she was practically the Vice Empress. But then her elder brother betrayed the country and committed this heinous crime, resulting in the Chu State Duke's Mansion being raided and exiled. Not only did the Imperial Concubine fall ill and die young..."
"Falling from a single illness, her beauty faded and she perished?"
Chu Qingyin's brow twitched: "I...she died of illness, not poisoning?"
Upon hearing this, Xianglan looked at Chu Qingyin suspiciously: "Is the eldest young lady delirious? Consort Chu is still His Majesty's favorite concubine. Although her family has fallen on hard times, who would dare to poison her?"
Chu Qingyin remembered very clearly that she was poisoned to death on New Year's Eve.
Today is the thirtieth day of the first lunar month, which means that Consort Chu Qingyin has been dead for a month.
"Perhaps I was frightened when I fell into the water, so I don't remember many things clearly."
Chu Qingyin coughed twice, feigning weakness, and softened her tone towards Xianglan: "Good Xianglan, tell me, what has happened in the capital this past month? Does that Lu Zhiheng often come to our residence?"
It was rare for the young lady to be so close to her, and Xianglan was overjoyed. So she told her all the big and small things that had happened in the capital recently.
The most attention-grabbing event was the death of Consort Chu.
"On the eighth day of the first lunar month, the palace suddenly announced that the Imperial Concubine had suddenly fallen ill and died."
"As for the Duke of Chu, who is also the elder brother of Consort Chu, General Chu Tianheng, he is still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail. The court officials are all urging His Majesty to deal with Chu Tianheng as soon as possible, but His Majesty is hesitating for some reason and has not yet made a decision..."
In the past, Chu Qingyin would have thought that Pei Yuanling was only showing mercy to her brother because of her.
But now, she herself has been killed by a cup of poisoned wine, and Pei Yuanling has lightly covered up her death with the words "died of illness." How could she continue to be delusional?
Chu Qingyin now feels nothing but self-mockery and coldness towards Pei Yuanling, her former husband who was once the emperor.
Fortunately, she is now the daughter of the Qiao family and has no further connection with him.
After calming herself down, Chu Qingyin continued to ask about the important matter, "Xianglan, do you know why Lu Zhiheng came to the mansion yesterday?"
"How would a lowly maid like me know about official business when the adults are discussing it?"
Xianglan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "However, Lord Lu rarely came to our residence before, but in the last half month, he has been coming quite frequently. It's not even the end of the first month yet, I wonder what important matter the court could have that would make them so concerned."
These past two weeks...
It had been exactly half a month since Chu Qingyin was poisoned to death in the palace.
Could my death be related to Lu Zhiheng?
Or perhaps, Lu Zhiheng, that despicable scoundrel, wanted to take advantage of her death to win over Qiao Gongquan and others, and plot to get rid of his brother in prison as well?
The more Chu Qingyin thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and the resentment and hatred in her heart surged even more fiercely.
She died mysteriously in the palace, a fact that could not be reversed, but her brother was still alive and well in the Ministry of Justice prison!
Since God has given her another chance, she must not sit idly by and wait for death.
After much thought, she decided to find an opportunity to go to the Ministry of Justice, hoping to meet her brother.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
With Xianglan's meticulous care and the nourishment of various tonics, Chu Qingyin gradually recovered her strength and was fully recovered.
She didn't have any free time during those seven days. Whenever she had a spare moment, she would chat with Xianglan about the past and inquire about the situation outside.
Persistence pays off; she finally found a connection within the intricate web of relationships that might be of use to her advantage.
The original owner's maternal cousin, Cui Minghao, is currently a prison officer in the Ministry of Justice.
“However, since the late Madam passed away, you haven’t had much contact with the Cui family, and you’re not very close to your cousin either…” Xianglan held a carved ivory comb and combed her hair, saying softly, “Last time you went to pay New Year’s respects to the old lady of the Cui family, it was Master who forced you to go.”
"I was ignorant back then. It was only after falling into the water that I realized how precious family ties are. They say that cousins are close, and that blood is thicker than water. He was my cousin from my maternal uncle's family."
After carefully dressing up, Chu Qingyin looked at herself in the mirror and felt comfortable. Then she picked up her skirt and stood up, saying, "We weren't familiar with each other before, but we'll get to know each other after walking around for a while."
Although Xianglan didn't understand why her young lady suddenly wanted to associate with the young master of the Cui family, she still reminded her when she saw her about to go out: "Master specifically instructed that you are not allowed to leave the manor without his permission."
"It's alright, I'll go and beg him."
Anyway, since Qiao Gongquan dotes on the original owner so much, she can just say some sweet words later. At worst, she can swear a solemn oath to heaven and earth that she will never get entangled with that poor scholar surnamed Lin again, or else she will suffer a terrible death.
If you take a firm and resolute stance, there shouldn't be any problems.
She had a plan in mind, but as soon as she reached the door of the study, she was stopped by the steward, who was dressed in brocade: "Miss, you've come at an inopportune time. The master is inside discussing matters with Lord Lu."
Chu Qingyin's expression gradually darkened, but her beautiful face remained calm with a faint smile: "Which Lord Lu? It can't be that Chief Minister Lu again, can it?"
Before the butler could answer, the rosewood study door suddenly creaked open from the inside.
Chu Qingyin looked up and was immediately confronted with a face that was all too familiar.
The tall man, eight feet in height, was dressed in a green robe and jade belt. He had thick eyebrows, bright eyes, and thin, vermilion lips, and exuded a cold and arrogant aura.
Wasn't it the same person who, as the previous third-place scholar and the current Grand Secretary, caused her elder brother's imprisonment and the exile of his entire family—
Lu Zhiheng was the eldest son of the Lu family of Changyuan.