The unrestrained scrutiny made Zhang Zhiyan extremely uncomfortable. She lowered her brows and averted her gaze, saying, "I haven't seen it."
She recalled the pouch she had picked up. Initially, she thought it might have been dropped by some young lady from a noble family, but now it seemed it could be of significant origin. This item was clearly important to Liu Lang. Since that was the case, she would keep it hidden for now; perhaps in the future, she could negotiate a deal with Liu Lang.
Currently, she was still married and living in the Liao family mansion, unable to control matters outside. However, if she could secure external assistance, things would become much more convenient.
Liu Lang put away his smile. With a solemn expression, even his handsome face carried a hint of coldness and a visible edge of ruthlessness.
"Madam need not rush to answer. Think it over carefully before speaking," he said, picking up a blue-and-white porcelain teacup and taking a sip. His fingers were long, fair, and distinctly knuckled.
"I am merely a woman confined to the inner quarters, traveling only by carriage with maidservants in tow. I have not encountered any strangers, nor would I stoop to picking up discarded items from others," Zhang Zhiyan stood up. She felt on the verge of collapse, her body swaying slightly. Fortunately, her mind remained clear.
"May I return to the estate now?" she frowned at Liu Lang, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction and stubbornness.
Liu Lang raised an eyebrow slightly. "Of course. When you recall any clues, Madam, please inform this official. As a woman, it may be inconvenient for you to come and go. I will have guards escort you back to Huguo Gongfu."
"Then I shall trouble you, sir," Zhang Zhiyan turned without hesitation. Though unwell, she kept her spine straight, unwilling to be looked down upon by anyone.
Watching her retreating figure, a faint, almost imperceptible smile flickered at the corner of Liu Lang's lips.
True to his word, he dispatched a team of guards from the Tan Shi Jian Cha Si to escort Zhang Zhiyan and her two maidservants back to Huguo Gongfu, along with a physician who arrived later.
Such a grand procession shocked the entire Huguo Gongfu. The Duchess, Lady Xia, initially thought her daughter-in-law, Lady Zhang, had committed some offense.
Only after the physician had examined Zhang Zhiyan did Lady Xia arrive belatedly with her daughter, Liao Mingzhu, followed by a crowd of maidservants—a spectacle as if ready for a confrontation.
"I thought you were still ill, yet you managed to stir up such a commotion. Going out to offer incense, only to be escorted back by a group of outsiders. As the matriarch of our Liao family, you must consider your position and the dignity of Huguo Gongfu in everything you do," Lady Xia was highly displeased with Zhang Zhiyan. She was merely a daughter from a collateral branch of Jing'an Houfu, nominally registered under the principal wife but essentially a concubine-born. After more than a year of marriage, she had not conceived, failed to properly care for the legitimate grandson, and her son was constantly away from home.
Liao Mingzhu had always been jealous of Zhang Zhiyan's beauty. Since Zhang Zhiyan married into the family, she had been sarcastic and mocking. Now, seizing the opportunity, she taunted, "Sister-in-law must not have fully recovered from her recent chill. Waking up today, she couldn't wait to go out for some leisure, just happening to encounter people from Wu De Si. Ah, Wu De Si is full of men. For sister-in-law to be so conspicuously escorted back by outsiders, I'm afraid…"
Zhang Zhiyan lay in bed, a small table beside her holding porridge and pastries. She ate slowly and deliberately, neither rising to greet them nor responding to their remarks. Instead, she said calmly, "As your daughter-in-law is unwell, I shall not pay my respects to you, Mother-in-law. I will relinquish the authority over household management."
"What do you mean by this? I criticize you a little, and you refuse to accept it?" Lady Xia had grown accustomed to Zhang Zhiyan managing the household while she nitpicked and found fault. Now that Zhang Zhiyan was truly stepping down, she felt oddly unsettled.
Liao Mingzhu tugged at her sleeve. "Since sister-in-law is unwell, let me take over."
"That's true. You're about to have your marriage settled; it's time you learned how to manage household affairs." Madam Xia thought of Liao Mingzhu's marriage prospects, which were still unresolved—too high to reach, too low to accept. Then she remembered that her own son still had no heir and silently cursed Zhang Zhiyan.
"Very well, rest properly then." Madam Xia left with Liao Mingzhu, not even taking a sip of the freshly served tea. After all, they hadn't truly come to visit Zhang Zhiyan.
"Master, please eat more." Lüzhu brought over another bowl of medicinal soup. "I prepared this myself; no one else touched it."
Zhang Zhiyan picked up the jade spoon and finished it quickly. She needed to recover her health to begin her plans. "What events are happening in April?"
"Master, on the third day of the fourth month, the Wenguo-gong-fu is hosting a flower-viewing banquet. Do you plan to attend?" Lüyin handed an invitation to Zhang Zhiyan. "I heard it was specially arranged for the seventh young master of the Wenguo-gong-fu to meet eligible young ladies of the capital."
"As Liao Mingzhu's elder sister-in-law, of course I must attend." Zhang Zhiyan curled her lips into a faint smile. It was Liao Mingzhu who had caused her to fall into the water a few days earlier. Having been reborn, she would not let these villains live as they wished. It would be better to turn everything upside down.
Meanwhile, after leaving Yu Qiong Yuan, Liao Mingzhu and her mother, Madam Xia, strolled through the garden together.
"Mother, she's caused such a commotion lately—being thrown into the dungeon, then escorted back to the estate by a group of unrelated men—trampling all over the reputation of our Huguo Gongfu." Liao Mingzhu leaned closer and whispered, "Why not simply let her 'die of illness'?"
Madam Xia patted her daughter's hand. "It's not that easy. She is also a noble lady from a prominent family. Besides, your brother already has a legitimate eldest son, and she is the cousin of your late sister-in-law. We cannot move against her now; our estate must not gain a reputation for being harsh and opportunistic."
"In my opinion, the Jing'an Houfu is too calculating. They clearly intend to delay things, preventing my brother from marrying another noble legitimate daughter. They claim it's for the sake of the legitimate eldest grandson, suggesting we select another virtuous legitimate daughter from the Jing'an Houfu to fill the position in our Liao family. Yet they chose a fox spirit who passes as legitimate but is actually illegitimate and unfit for proper society." Liao Mingzhu was deeply dissatisfied. Outwardly, she agreed with her mother, but inwardly she was determined to remove the thorn in her side, Zhang Zhiyan.
In recent days, Zhang Zhiyan had been quietly recuperating in the estate. Since she fell ill, her husband, the heir Liao Chuan, had not appeared. She knew he was busy spending his days with his mistress, Lu Yao. His absence brought her more peace, as she no longer had to exhaust herself pretending to be a virtuous wife.
Lüzhu entered carrying a tray with Zhang Zhiyan's medicinal soup and decoction. "Master, today I discovered something suspicious about the ingredients sent from the main kitchen. I felt I must report it."
"Speak."
"There was a small amount of arsenic." Lüzhu had some knowledge of medicine and healing. "It was added to the plum sauce you often eat."
Zhang Zhiyan was not surprised and smiled faintly. "Was it there yesterday?"
Lüzhu shook her head. "I checked every batch of plum sauce you've eaten. It was only added to the stone jar today. I thought it best not to alert anyone."
"It seems they've moved earlier than expected." Zhang Zhiyan smiled disdainfully. In her previous life, she had been poisoned only after giving birth to her legitimate son, after Liao Chuan had brought his mistress into the household.
Lüzhu was filled with righteous indignation. "How vicious! Master, you must not let the mastermind behind this go unpunished."
"This matter cannot be settled peacefully. Before I leave the Liao residence, I should also give them a few grand farewell gifts." Zhang Zhiyan beckoned for Lüzhu to come closer.
After the mistress and servant whispered for a while, Lüzhu took her orders and left.
When the inner chamber was empty, Zhang Zhiyan retrieved the small pouch she had picked up at Ji Ming Si. This pouch was different from the ones people usually wore—it was only half the size of a palm. Opening it, she found a small peanut crafted from pure gold. She examined the object carefully.
What Liu Lang wanted was likely this golden peanut, but what secret lay within it, Zhang Zhiyan could not fathom. She inspected the pouch again, undoing the stitched threads until the entire pouch came apart. The fabric had three layers, with a thin layer of cotton sandwiched between them.
Sure enough, after removing the innermost satin lining, she found a small, earth-yellow oiled paper, blank and without any patterns or words.
Zhang Zhiyan hid the small earth-yellow oiled paper, then took needle and thread from her embroidery frame to sew the pouch back together. She placed the small golden peanut inside, making it look exactly as it had before. No one would suspect that a small piece of oiled paper was missing.
Noise erupted outside the door.
"Young Master, you cannot enter. Please allow me to announce you," Lüyin tried to stop the young master, Liao Chuan.
But Liao Chuan had already strode in. Zhang Zhiyan quickly hid the pouch, straightened her skirt, and sat upright on the embroidery stool.
"What are you doing?" Liao Chuan looked her up and down, his expression displeased.