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Chapter 56: The Lu Family Gets Their Comeuppance
Chapter 56: The Lu Family Gets Their Comeuppance
At hai shi (9-11 pm), all the mourning halls were filled to capacity, and Lu Lingxiao had no choice but to continue setting up more halls despite the heavy snowfall.
Among all the mourning halls, the quietest one belonged to Lu Yuan, while the liveliest was the one at the western end near the pavilion, where the veterans of two dynasties and officials of the third rank and above were keeping vigil.
They were discussing the affairs of the court, their words sharp and the atmosphere intense, akin to a fiery debate.
When Lu Yuan, cloaked in black, strolled in nonchalantly, everyone suddenly fell silent, and the bustling mourning hall instantly became hushed.
Lu Yuan scanned the room, and under the stupefied gazes of the crowd, he calmly found an empty seat and sat down.
The two officials beside him immediately felt their hairs stand on end!
The officials sitting on either side of him quickly stood up and said in unison, "Your Excellency, please take the seat of honor!"
With his hands tucked into his hand warmers, Lu Yuan replied indifferently, "No need, please continue."
Everyone exchanged glances, continue what? Continue scolding you? Who dares to do that to your face? Are you asking us to forfeit our heads?
Did you hear us scolding you? Are you here to catch us red-handed?
Why don't you give us a break? Having our heads on the chopping block is very uncomfortable, you know!
With his eyes half-closed, Lu Yuan exuded an air of authority as he said, "Con...tinue."
The Vice Minister of War said, "Oh dear! Has your child been born, Minister Li?"
Gritting his teeth, the Minister of Works replied, "It's my wife who's giving birth!"
"I heard that many scholars will be coming to the capital to take the imperial examination this year, so next spring's competition will be even more intense."
"We've won a victory at the border, retaking lost territory from the Northern Liang. The court is in dire need of talented individuals, and the Imperial Academy will surely select even more pillars of the country for His Majesty next year."
"Yes, yes."
Everyone engaged in awkward small talk.
The officials on either side of Lu Yuan vied to offer their seats to Shangguan Ling, but he politely declined, "No, no, there's a seat over there!"
"No, no, no, Commander Shangguan, who personally protects His Excellency, should sit here."
"Sit here next to me!"
The two men argued back and forth, only stopping short of bidding for the seat.
Finally, Shangguan Ling sat at the lower right-hand side of Lu Yuan—he wouldn't dare sit above His Excellency even if he had a hundred guts.
The legs of the official who didn't win the argument began to shake.
At first, everyone thought that Lu Yuan had just come to make an appearance and would leave soon, but half an hour passed, then a full hour, and this heartless and ruthless Grand Commandant actually closed his eyes to rest, showing no signs of leaving.
Everyone was on the verge of tears.
Hey, you have your own exclusive mourning hall, why are you squeezing in here with us?
You've given your warning, one warning is enough, is it necessary to scare us for the entire night?
On the other hand, Lu's mother had finished helping Liu's mother transcribe the first batch of gift lists and returned to the side room to drink some ginseng soup.
Not seeing Meng Qianqian, Lu's mother asked Liu's second wife about her.
Liu's second wife directed her, "She went to help with the guests in that mourning hall who brought their child but no nanny. I couldn't soothe the child, so Meng Qianqian went to help."
The Marquis of Yong'en, aware that the Grand Commandant preferred peace and quiet, deliberately withheld Lu Yuan's identity to avoid anyone rushing over to disturb him.
As for Liu's second wife, she didn't recognize Lu Yuan and only knew that he was an extremely important guest.
Lu's mother left.
Qing Shuang recognized Lu's mother and bowed her hands in greeting. She lifted the curtain for Lu's mother.
Although Lu's mother didn't know Qing Shuang, the latter seemed to know her, so Lu's mother didn't think much of it and stepped into the mourning hall.
This hall was much warmer than the others, and the charcoal was smokeless. Meng Qianqian held the sleeping Bao Shu, her body supported by a thick cushion, and she slept soundly.
Lu's mother touched Meng Qianqian's forehead; it wasn't hot, and the little one's back was dry with no sweat.
When she had heard that the Grand Commandant had arrived earlier, she had wondered if Bao Shu would come.
Lu's mother didn't wake Meng Qianqian. She went outside and hesitated for a moment before asking Qing Shuang, "May I ask, whose mourning hall is this?"
Qing Shuang replied, "It's Miss Bao Shu's. Rest assured, Madam, only the Young Lady Lu and Miss Bao Shu will be here tonight."
Lu's mother was still somewhat uneasy, so she asked Yu Lian to call Wan Mama over.
Qing Shuang had eaten enough bitterness in the Lu family to know that Wan Mama was a loyal servant, so she allowed her to enter.
Lu's mother intended to go to the accounting room to continue the inventory.
Along the way, the Second Madame blocked her with a strange expression. "Oh, big sister-in-law, you're so busy that your feet don't touch the ground. Why isn't Qianqian around? Could she be slacking off somewhere? Big brother asked her to come and work, not to slack off!"
Lu's mother coldly replied, "Your big brother is here to pay his respects, not to keep an eye on his own family. If you have the time, you might as well manage your own daughter and prevent her from causing more trouble, just like the last time at the temple!"
"You—"
This big sister-in-law was becoming increasingly impolite to her!
The Second Madame was furious, but the big sister-in-law was right; she hadn't seen Linglong for a while: "Where has that girl gone now?"
Lu Linglong had gone to find her good sister, but after the young ladies heard that she had been caught and taken to the Governor's office, they dared not associate with her too closely. Feeling disheartened, she left in a huff.
She always felt that Meng Qianqian had harmed her, and she wanted to take it out on her. After searching for her in vain, she decided to return to her room for a bite to eat.
The Old Madame couldn't hold on any longer and took a rest.
Wu Mama stayed in the room to keep her company.
"Wu Mama, is there anything to eat? I'm hungry."
Wu Mama had been dozing off and was startled awake. She stood up in a panic, and a bottle fell to the ground, rolling right to Lu Linglong's feet.
Lu Linglong picked up the bottle, opened it, and took a whiff. "What's in here? Can I eat it?"
"Oh, my little ancestor, you mustn't eat it!"
Wu Mama hurriedly snatched the bottle back.
"It smells sweet."
Lu Linglong wanted to taste it.
Wu Mama couldn't tell her that the bottle contained pregnancy pills, which were harmful to the body.
She stammered, "This old slave has fire in her body. It's a laxative. If the young miss takes it, she'll have an upset stomach."
"Laxative?"
Lu Linglong's eyes lit up.
She had been worrying about how to deal with Meng Qianqian. Later, she would slip some medicine to that girl and make her lose face in front of everyone. Let's see if she dares to show off in front of me again! Lu Linglong took advantage of Wu Mama's nap to steal the medicine.
She knew that Meng Qianqian liked osmanthus cake because the Old Madame always brought her two boxes on their way back from the temple.
She went to the kitchen, brought a plate of osmanthus cakes, and crushed the pills, sprinkling the powder evenly over the pastries.
She smiled triumphantly: "Ms. Meng, let's see how you embarrass yourself later!"
Lu Linglong returned to her room with the pastries and called for the two maids from the Second Madame's room, asking them to find Meng Qianqian: "Find big sister-in-law and tell her to come back and eat osmanthus cakes!"
"Yes!"
The two maids hurried off.
Lu Linglong gazed at the pastries on the table, waiting and waiting until she fell asleep, her head on the table.
The Second Madame entered the room, sweating profusely. "I've been looking for you all night, and here you are!"
She sat down, breathless, and seeing the osmanthus cakes on the table, suddenly felt hungry.
"These osmanthus cakes smell so good."
The Second Madame took a bite. "Where did Liu Manor find such a good cook? These osmanthus cakes are so delicious!"
The gongs and drums in the mourning hall were deafening, and the Old Madame was woken up.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the Second Madame sitting in the room, eating alone.
The Old Madame had eaten little that evening. If she had fallen asleep, it would have been fine, but after a night of chaos, she was starving. Seeing the Second Madame eating so happily, her expression immediately turned gloomy. "You didn't even bother to greet me when you came in?"
"Mother, are you awake?"
The Second Madame quickly wiped her mouth and went to help the Old Madame sit up. "Are you hungry? There are pastries on the table. Have something to fill your stomach."
"Hmm."
The Old Madame ate the remaining three cakes.
(End of Chapter)
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