Song was furious.
Her plan was originally flawless, but it was all ruined by the Empress Dowager’s sudden invitation to Liuzheng to enter the palace.
But she couldn’t say anything, because if she did, it would be considered disrespectful to the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess.
However, misfortune never comes singly. At this moment, Madam Yuan, the wife of the Minister of Justice who had been silent for a while, spoke up: “These pastries are really good.”
The eldest princess looked over and said, “Since you like them, I’ll have the servants send more to your residence later.”
Madam Yuan laughed and said, “How could I possibly accept that?”
“Just a little snack.”
“Speaking of snacks, I just remembered that the other day I went to General Ruan to deliver a housewarming gift, and the next day Madam Ruan sent a box of jujube paste cakes. At the time, I thought it was a return gift from the General’s mansion. Fortunately, General Ruan later sent another return gift, otherwise I would have really misunderstood.”
Song’s face turned even uglier.
She had no choice but to step forward and say, “I was just doing this out of boredom, and I made some jujube paste cakes. I only wanted to give them to you, Madam, to try. I didn’t expect you to misunderstand.”
Yuan’s smile deepened.
“Next time Madam Ruan does something, she should inform General Ruan first, so as not to make a fool of herself.”
Song’s face was as pale as paper, and she managed to squeeze out a “Yes” through gritted teeth.
At this moment, the eldest princess casually asked, “Is Madam General Ruan’s biological mother?”
The question made Song’s pale face turn bright red.
“yes.”
The eldest princess smiled meaningfully.
“Okay, have a seat.”
Song was able to sit back in her seat, but she felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
The way the nobles around her looked at her seemed to be mocking.
Even the top scholar’s wife kept her distance and avoided eye contact.
At this moment, Madam Song finally understood why she always felt that people were pointing fingers at her when she first entered the Princess’s residence.
But I never expected it to turn out like this.
She had no idea that Liuzheng had sent a return gift later!
Her plans to suppress and defame Liuzheng’s reputation have all failed.
Not only that, but it also caused a lot of trouble.
It’s likely that her reputation will plummet as soon as the banquet ends.
In contrast, Liuzheng was invited by the eldest princess to sit in the most prestigious seat, opposite the princess, and was also rewarded with famous medicines and fabrics by the eldest princess… and the empress dowager invited her to the palace for tea.
Liuzheng’s reputation was elevated.
Not long ago, she was smug and thought her plan was flawless.
Finally, Song couldn’t sit still any longer and, citing feeling unwell, left the table early.
The princess ignored her and didn’t even ask her a question; she simply had a servant escort her out of the mansion.
On the way back in the carriage, Madam Song unleashed a furious tirade.
“You wicked daughter! I gave birth to her to collect a debt! I shouldn’t have given birth to her!”
Without Ruan Yunzheng by her side, the two nannies she brought along didn’t know how to comfort her, and Song almost smashed the carriage.
Fortunately, after Granny Liu went to the estate, Granny Qi, who was promoted, was a bit quicker to think.
“This trip wasn’t entirely without its benefits. At least we received the Princess’s miraculous medicine, which will help the young master’s leg heal faster.”
Song’s complexion then improved slightly.
She clasped her hands together.
“Amitabha… As long as Changzheng can get better soon, there is still hope for our family.”
Liuzheng’s future was not what she hoped for.
She completely excluded Liuzheng from her family.
If in her past life she still felt guilt and a trace of motherly affection towards Liuzheng, now she only feels hatred.
She was someone who cared a lot about her reputation, and she couldn’t stand being stared at with strange looks by those people in the princess’s residence!
Fortunately, Liuzheng received the princess’s miraculous medicine, which could cure her son’s illness, and this was the only thing that made her happy.
Upon returning to the mansion, Madam Song told Ruan Changzheng about the matter.
Ruan Changzheng was in unbearable pain, but when he learned that there was a miraculous medicine that could cure his leg, he was overjoyed.
However, upon hearing that he had received the miraculous medicine because Liuzheng had mentioned him to the eldest princess, his expression immediately turned ugly.
“Crying like a crocodile; feigned compassion!”
“Whether she is truly compassionate or not, when she comes back, tell her to bring the medicine. She broke your leg, she owes you.”
“That’s right.” Ruan Changzheng nodded: “It’s not that she’s kind to me, it’s just that she owes me.”
He felt no gratitude towards Liuzheng; in fact, he loathed her even more.
If it weren’t for Liuzheng, he wouldn’t have broken his leg!
As the mother and son were talking, Ruan Yunzheng came into the room.
She knew that Song’s first plan had failed as soon as she learned that Song had returned in a huff.
However, since the first plan failed, the second plan should succeed.
Although Ruan Liuzheng didn’t suffer a setback, at least she was able to get the miracle drug to remove her scars.
Even though it’s just an arm, scars are never a pretty sight.
However, when she asked about the medication she used to remove her scars, Ms. Song awkwardly touched her nose.
“This time… something went wrong, and we didn’t get the medicine.”
He added happily, “It’s just that your older brother’s leg will be healed soon.”
She said that Ruan Liuzheng had obtained the medicine for Ruan Changzheng’s legs from the Princess.
Ruan Yunzheng was stunned for a moment, then looked very happy.
“Congratulations, brother.”
Ruan Changzheng nodded and said, “Once my leg is healed, I’ll have that bitch ask for an official position for me. Then, I’ll find you even better medicine.”
Ruan Yunzheng smiled gratefully: “I am very happy that you care about me, brother.”
The hand hidden in the sleeve was tightly gripping the handkerchief.
Even in the heart of the First Madam, there were still distinctions between close and distant relatives.
He loved her, but he loved Ruan Changzheng even more.
But her expression remained smiling throughout, as if she didn’t mind at all.
…
On the other side, Liuzheng sipped her tea, her thoughts drifting away.
Earlier, Yu Liu told her that Su Luo, the maidservant beside Ruan Yunzheng, sneaked out of the side gate to the Zhuangyuan Mansion and even delivered a set of clothes, which made her feel uneasy.
Ruan Yunzheng and the top scholar’s wife have always been on good terms; this is no secret. Why should they be so secretive about their interactions?
So I knew something was wrong right then and there.
So she asked Yu Liu in detail and learned that the dress was greenish-blue. She also remembered that Princess Huishu loved to wear green embroidered robes.
Then, Madam Song came in person and asked her to attend a banquet at the Princess’s residence.
She guessed roughly what was going on.
So, a day in advance, Pan Hong was summoned to the palace to present the relics to the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager is a Buddhist, so she will definitely accept the relics that Liuzheng offered. In addition, she once saved Wei Ranfeng, so the Empress Dowager will have to make a gesture of gratitude no matter what.
Sure enough, the Empress Dowager summoned her to the palace today.
She knew when she became a ghost that the Empress Dowager kept a black cat in her palace.
Before leaving the house, she smeared catnip juice on the hem of her skirt and sprinkled fish along the way.
The black cat, drawn by the scent, pounced on her feet like a madman…
This gave her a legitimate reason to change into that green robe, causing the eldest princess to change her attitude towards her, and also making it impossible for the first wife to find fault with her afterwards.
This matter sounds simple, but its implementation is full of twists and turns. If any step is wrong, the matter will not be accomplished.
This matter may seem trivial, but offending Princess Huishu could lead to countless troubles in the future.
She also needed to use the Empress Dowager to elevate her status in front of the Eldest Princess and the noblewomen present that day.
Liuzheng thought to herself, “This inner quarters is no easier than fighting on the battlefield.”
The birthday banquet ended two hours later, and Liuzheng rode a carriage back to her residence as the evening sun set.
After stepping down from the horse stool, she looked up at the sky.
The sunset glowed even redder.
Like fresh blood.
She frowned slightly.
But the thought that his grandmother would arrive by tomorrow evening eased his brow.
Back at Tinglan Garden, she instructed her wet nurse to put away one bolt of cloth given to her by the Princess, and to use the other to make summer clothes. She also summoned the military doctor, Doctor Chen.
The two spoke in hushed tones.
A moment later, Doctor Chen went out with a porcelain bottle about the size of a thumb.
Not long after he left, Qi, the old woman who served Song, came over.
She got straight to the point: “The First Madam asked you to deliver the miraculous leg-curing medicine bestowed by the Eldest Princess to Haoyue Courtyard.”
Liuzheng handed over a porcelain bottle.
“I was just about to send it over, and you’ve come at the perfect time. Please take it back for me.”
Granny Qi gave a perfunctory curtsy and left with the medicine.
Liuzheng smiled gently as she watched her leave.
After she left, the wet nurse asked worriedly, “Won’t they find out?”
“Won’t.”
She divided the medicine given to her by the princess in two.
Half was given to Uncle Jiang, the accountant, and the other half was given to Doctor Chen to add a certain ingredient.
The medicine was colorless and odorless, and even the imperial physicians in the palace could not detect it.
Military doctors are just as capable as imperial physicians; they are all honed through experience on the battlefield where people die every day.
Moreover, this medicine is not poison, but only a blood-activating medicine, which happens to be incompatible with the divine medicine bestowed by the princess. Even silver needles cannot detect its toxicity.
The doctor hired by the First Madam certainly wouldn’t be able to tell.
That night, a scream pierced the sky, startling several sparrows in the trees into flapping their wings and flying away.
Soon, someone knocked on the gate of Liuzheng’s Tinglan Garden.
“Ruan Liuzheng! Come out here!”
It was the voice of Madam Song, the First Madam.
She had completely lost the demeanor and grace that a lady should have; her expression was ferocious, like a demon.
But Liuzheng was the real evil spirit, and she was not afraid at all. She asked the wet nurse to open the courtyard gate.
Song stormed into Liuzheng’s room in a menacing manner.
Liuzheng pulled her coat tighter and asked in confusion, “Mother, what’s wrong?”
“You dare ask what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the medicine you gave your brother?!”
Liuzheng asked in astonishment, “What are you talking about, Mother? This medicine was personally bestowed by the Princess. If word gets out, the Princess will probably not tolerate our whole family.”
Ms. Song was somewhat frightened.
The eldest princess could kill someone with just a word.
She had no choice but to lower her voice and say, “If there were no problem, how come your brother’s flesh is rotting? The flesh where he was injured is completely rotting!”
Liuzheng was even more surprised.
“Princess, is the side effects of this medicine really that severe? Then it would be better to stop using it for now and let it heal slowly. At least the doctor said that it will take at least two or three years to recover.”
Her words about “side effects” slightly dispelled the First Madam’s doubts.
But they still asked, “Are you sure you didn’t switch the medication?”
Liuzheng opened her mouth, but after a long while, she finally managed to utter, “Is that what Mother thinks of me? If I didn’t want my elder brother’s leg to get better soon, why would I have bothered to mention him in front of the Princess?”
Her words were impeccable.
“Perhaps you hate your older brother for cursing you.”
“Big brother still hasn’t figured it out and is still scolding me?” Liuzheng looked very sad, and her body was swaying.
The wet nurse quickly helped her up.
“Young Miss, please take care of yourself!”
With red eyes, she said to Madam Song, “Madam, when the eldest young lady came back today, she was very happy to tell me that the young master’s leg would finally get better soon. But now, without even knowing the facts, Madam is questioning the eldest young lady. Even I… feel disheartened.”
The First Madam glanced at Liuzheng’s pale and heartbroken face, and then at the wet nurse’s red-rimmed eyes, and finally suppressed her anger.
“I misunderstood you. You should rest early. Tomorrow I will have the kitchen prepare something delicious for you.”
“Take care, Mother.” Liuzheng bowed slightly, and a single tear fell perfectly on her face.
The First Madam felt somewhat guilty, so she didn’t say anything more and turned to leave.
However, after returning home, Ruan Yunzheng’s few words still left the First Madam with doubts.
She hesitated for a moment and said, “I will spend a lot of money to invite a doctor from Huichuntang.”