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Lu Man and He Mingzhu sat on the veranda chatting while playing with their daughter when a servant came to report visitors from the County Prince He’s mansion.
They must have just returned from the Prince He’s mansion, so why the urgency?
Seeing that the visitor was a close attendant of the Prince, Lu Man hesitated but then stood up, handing Jiang Yue to He Mingzhu before leading the visitor to the main hall.
In a low voice, the attendant said, “Reporting to Third Madam Jiang, our Prince mentions a connection with the Li family and Xia family, and some matters have arisen because of him. He will handle it, please don’t be upset.” He added with a smile, “The Prince also mentioned that Young Master Mo misses Sweet Pea and wants to invite it over for a few days.”
It became clear to Lu Man. Princess Changting and the others were unaware of any conflict with Xia, assuming the incident was merely child’s play. However, Song Ming, aware of the relationship between those families, suspected foul play and thus informed Lu Man.
It seemed that at least the young lady from the Li family had ill intentions.
Lu Man was truly angry. Xia’s behavior was inexplicable. Unable to marry Song Ming, it had nothing to do with her, yet she vented her frustration on Lu Man using despicable means. These girls were truly wicked when provoked.
Since Song Ming planned to deal with Xia, Lu Man didn’t need to intervene, which was better. Thinking that Song Ming would likely involve the little one in some task, Lu Man smiled and thanked the attendant before heading to the pharmacy with Lu Ying to prepare supplements for the old Princess He and some food for Song Mo.
Thinking of Song Mo, Lu Man felt a warm affection, sensing a special bond with the mischievous child. If the poisoning incident had occurred after the discovery of the Crown Prince’s poisoning, the Princess would probably not have allowed Lu Man to help. Despite being adorable and having no involvement in the royal power struggle, Lu Man couldn’t bear the thought of letting the child die.
Carrying two large packages, Lu Ying followed Lu Man to the main hall, where Lu Man picked up Sweet Pea and said, “Mo misses you, go play with him for a few days. Behave well, and when you return, you’ll have a ten-day break to go wherever you want.”
Sweet Pea happily meowed loudly, seemingly saying, “I miss Mo too, I’ll be good, I promise.”
Handing over the items and Sweet Pea to the attendant, Xing gave him a purse containing a silver ingot and saw him off.
Song Ming appeared gentle and refined, yet his methods were relentless and cunning, evident from incidents where he had people severely beaten and involved Miss Ruo with the Hong family. Xia and the Li family girls would not fare well against him.
Noticing Lu Man’s serious expression, He Mingzhu asked, “Is there something wrong with Mo? That child is so endearing.”
Thinking about the innocence and kindness of He Mingzhu and He Cheng, especially the latter who might actually become an imperial physician in the future, spending time in the palace and noble houses, they needed to be informed about the secrets of prominent families. Lu Man recounted the incident where she nearly got pushed into the lake and how she was inexplicably hated and harmed.
He Mingzhu was shocked, exclaiming, “Those people, those young girls, how can they have such malicious intentions?”
Five days later in the afternoon, Sweet Pea was returned, accompanied by Song Mo.
Song Mo hugged Lu Man and said, “Sister-in-law, I miss Yue.”
Lu Man smiled, gently rubbing his face with her hands, and had him taken to play with Jiang Yue. At that moment, Jiang Yue was enjoying a boat ride on the Mirror Lake with the old Marquis and others.
According to the attendant, yesterday, as a girl from the Li family and another from the Xia family were leaving a restaurant, a cat in red and green suddenly leaped out, screeching loudly and menacingly from the rafters, scaring them. One girl missed a step on the stairs, causing a chain reaction that led to a group tumbling down.
The two girls sustained minor injuries—one had a nosebleed, and the other a cut on the scalp—but their pride took a blow. The incident happened during mealtime, with many people around. They not only collided with two young rakes but also caught the attention of numerous young masters.
Among the guests were a few adolescent boys going through voice changes who caused a ruckus, making the situation even more chaotic.
Furthermore, one girl’s embroidered shoe was mysteriously missing.
The two girls were left feeling embarrassed and indignant, crying out for the cat to be punished. However, the cat turned out to be a pet of the young Prince from the Prince He’s mansion, making it impossible for the Li and Xia families to confront them. They had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
“Afterward, our Prince had me deliver gifts to the Li and Xia families to appease the two girls.” the attendant continued with a smile. “But it seems those two girls might end up marrying the young men they collided with. These young men have questionable reputations and declining family fortunes. It’s said that this morning, their families sent marriage proposals to the girls households. The young men are keen on the girls and are spreading word that they kindly cushioned Xia and Li from their fall. If Xia and Li refuse to marry them, they may have to marry far away or postpone marriage for a few years.”
Thinking about the scene, Lu Man couldn’t help but chuckle. While the Li girl was young, Xia was already sixteen and would have to marry whether she wanted to or not. Song Ming had indeed dealt with both vengeance and unwanted trouble effectively.
Lu Man lifted Sweet Pea, saying, “Sweet Pea, you’re capable. Finish that task, then you can go play.” Sweet Pea meowed and leaped out of Lu Man’s arms, racing towards the Yuling Courtyard.
“That task” involved delivering Willow Bark Pills and Bai Hezi Pills to Liu Xirui. Sweet Pea was familiar with this task due to repetition.
As Sweet Pea sprinted to the Yuling Courtyard, He Cheng was still at Tongren Hall, leaving only He Mingzhu, Mr. Wu, and Mrs. Fu at home, creating a peaceful atmosphere.
It leaped onto He Mingzhu, who wiped its paws with a handkerchief, then He Mingzhu said, “We had green fish for lunch today, and I saved half of it for you since I know you love it.”
Mrs. Fu, picking vegetables in the yard, commented, “Sweet Pea has a keen nose. It smelled the green fish we cooked and came running.”
In the late night silence, with stars shining brightly, casting a serene glow over everything.
He Cheng strapped a small “four-shoulder backpack” matching Sweet Pea’s fur color and embroidered with black stripes on its back. Inside were three bottles of Willow Bark Pills and three bottles of Bai Hezi Pills as he carried it out of the house.