As soon as Old Lady Ling said those words, Ling Jingshu’s heart suddenly fell to the ground.

This was the real purpose of her coming to find Old Lady Ling today.

Since Lu Qian had begged Madam Ling to propose marriage, she must have blown the wind in old Lady Ling’s ears. If you want to completely solve Lu Qian’s trouble, it was most appropriate to start with the Old Lady.

“Thank you, grandmother.” Ling Jingshu said with tearful eyes. Her face was grateful, she breathed a sigh of relief, then got up and snuggled around the old lady.

This fragile and helpless Li Jingshu who wholeheartedly relied just on her won the favor of  Old Lady Ling.

She held the hand of Ling Jingshu and indulged her for a moment.

It was really not appropriate to publicize that a young girl who has not yet left the boudoir suffered from such a strange disease. Once it got out, not only will Ling Jingshu’s boudoir reputation be damaged, but the whole family’s reputation will also be bad.

Ling Jingshu did not dare to tell Fifth Master Ling about this, and she was worried that it would reach Madam Li’s ear. Madam Li was a person with a sweet appearance but a bitter heart. Though Ling Jingshu had done a great job of hiding it so far, can she hide from her eyes all the time?

If Madan Li knew this, she was afraid that she would be the first to blow up the problem and create a scene everywhere.

Therefore, this matter must not be circulated.

Just, what should they tell Madan Ling and Lu Qian?

“The granddaughter is not filial because she is making her grandmother embarrassed.” Ling Jingshu’s voice rang in the ear of Old Lady Ling.

The Old Lady came back to her sense, sighed, and said: “Ah Shu, your grandmother won’t hide it from you. Your gūgu has told me about Ah Qian’s admiration for you and so she proposed a marriage between you two. I was originally worried. He is two years younger than you, and so I was unwilling to promise this marriage. But Ah Qian is stubborn in front of your gūgu and claimed that if he couldn’t marry you, he will never marry in life. Your gūgu also told me, first you two get engaged, and then you wait till he turns 16 before you get married.”

“Lu family can not be compared with those of the noble families in the Capital, but it is also a famous family. Ah Qian is the direct son, and quite favored by your gūfu (2). You marry into the Lu family, your gūgu is your mother-in-law, and will never be harsh on you. It’s also a good thing and so I have promised your aunt.”

Sure enough!

Ling Jing’s heart sneered, but her face showed her nervousness. “But I only see my biǎodì (3) as a younger brother. and I have no other thoughts. Moreover, I am suffering from this strange disease now. If it can’t be cured, I am afraid that I will not marry in this life…”

Speaking, covering her face with her sleeves, she cried and cried.

Old Lady Ling was distressed and helpless: “You should not worry. I have really never heard of this strange disease. However, there are many famous doctors in the Capital, and maybe they can cure you.”

If… this disease was not cured, it was indeed a great worry to talk about marriage in the future.

How can you lead a healthy married life if even touching a finger will lead to nausea and vomiting?

Forget it, these were the future things. It was imperative to solve the immediate troubles.

Fortunately, she only verbally agreed to Ling’s proposal the other day and did not publicize the matter. No one in the family knew about it. Now she has to find a chance to privately explain this to Madam Ling and dismiss this verbal marriage contract.

Old Lady Ling thought for a moment and said: “On your gūgu’s side, I will tell her clearly. You don’t have to worry.”

Ling Jingshu’s crying gradually stopped, and with red eyes, she said, “Grandmother, biǎodì is still young and is currently in his most stubborn and obstinate phase. If he finds out that this marriage arrangement has failed, he might cause a scene. If that happens, it will be widely known and it will damage the reputation of both the Lu and Ling families. It will also harm the relationship between our two families.”

“It’s better to say goodbye to him and delay the matter. When I go to the capital with Ah Xiao, he can’t see me, and his heart’s obsession will also slowly fade away. After a while, gūgu will take him back to Jizhou and tell him the truth. By that time, even if he wants to make a fuss, he can’t do anything about it.”

After some thought, Old Lady Ling also felt that this was a good idea. It was tactful and would not damage their mutual reputation and relationship.

“Okay, let’s go with your idea.” Old Lady Ling stretched her brow and said with a smile: “You girl, you have been ill for a while, but you have become smarter than before. You are also more considerate than before.”

Ling Jingshu wiped her tears with her sleeves, and cleverly said: “Granddaughter usually learns a thing or two from watching her grandmother speak and act.”

The flattery was a bit obvious, but Old Lady Ling found it very pleasing to hear. When she thought about how Ling Jingshu was in the prime of her youth, yet afflicted with such a strange and possibly incurable illness, she felt even more pity for her. “When you’re away from home and seeking medical treatment, you must carry more money for your own safety. For the next few days, have someone secretly prepare your luggage. Before you leave, come to me and I will make sure everything is properly arranged for you,” she said.

Ling Jingshu was grateful and thankful: “Grandma, it is very good that you treat me with so much love. I really don’t know what to say.”

“Stupid girl, why are you so formal with your grandmother when talking about these things?” the Old Lady smiled and said: “The grandmother only hopes that you and Ah Xiao are good. This time after you go to the capital, if it can cure Ah Xiao’s eyes, your strange disease, then your grandmother will have no regrets.”

“As for the family…” Old Lady Ling paused and said, “You are still young, but you are not in a hurry to get engaged. When your illness is healed, you will return to Dingzhou, and I will pick you a great husband.”

What the Old Lady didn’t know was that after leaving Dingzhou this time, she has no plans to come back.

Ling Jingshu softly responded.

The grandmother whispered some gossip and Ling Jingshu left.

……

After spending so much time and effort, she convinced both Fifth Master Ling and Old Lady Ling and arranged everything properly. The string that was tight in her mind was finally loosened.

Lu Qian had a terrifyingly stubborn personality, and a direct refusal would be useless. Simply walking away from the situation might not solve the problem permanently. However, it could help Ling Jingshu at least deal with the current difficulty in front of her.

These things, Ling Jingshu did not say in front of Ling Xiao “…Ah Xiao, I have asked my father and grandmother for permission today. They have agreed that I will go with you to the Capital to cure the disease.”

Ling Xiao was surprised: “Really? Father and grandmother agreed?”

“Well, Father will personally talk to bóbo, and we will go to the capital with them. Grandmother also said she will prepare more silver for us.” Ling Jingshu held the hand of Ling Xiao and softly said: “However before we leave, we have to hide this news. Except for us, Father and Grandmother, no one else should know about our departure.”

Ling Xiao said: “Not even Mother and gēge ^[1]elder brother?”

Ling Jingshu blinked a glimmer of coolness, and the voice was low: “Can’t say, especially our Mother must not know. She will never be happy if your eyes are cured and you return to normal life. So she will prevent us from going if she knows.”

Ling Xiao was stunned again, and his heart felt cold: “Ah Shu, why did you say that suddenly? Although our mother is colder to us two, she won’t hurt me!”

Ling Jingshu did not answer and asked: “Ah Xiao, do you really think that the accident that took your eyesight was just an accident?”

Ling Xiao’s whole body trembled, and the beautiful and fascinating eyes were full of shock: “Ah Shu…are you saying that it was our mother who tried to secretly kill me in the past? However, she had been raising her baby in the yard that year. The person in charge of the yard was concubine Xia, and the next person who was waiting for me was also picked by her. Later, I had an accident and fell into a coma. When I woke up, my eyes could not be seen. She was more anxious than anyone else. She asked the doctors to treat me…. ..”

Ling Jingshu faintly interrupted Ling Xiao: “Because the face she shows to everyone is so good that no one has been suspicious of her.”

“You are saying this with so much confidence, do you have any proof?”

These words almost reached the mouth, but Ling Xiao swallowed back silently.

In terms of relatives and estrangements, it was difficult for Li’s love to compare with Ling Jingshu’s. Ling Jingshu was thinking of him wholeheartedly, if he kept asking, wouldn’t it hurt Ling Jingshu’s heart?

Ling Jingshu seems to have seen through Ling Xiao’s mind and relaxed her voice: “This is just my guess. I really have no evidence that she was behind the scene. However, it’s not a bad thing to be more guarded. Keep it a secret for a few days, it won’t be too late to let her know just before we leave.”

At that time, even if Madam Li was furious, she won’t have any time to do anything.