Chapter 4: Someone is Plotting Against Her

Chapter 4: Someone is Plotting Against Her

Ma Chunlan never imagined she would see Jiang Wanrou again in such a state.

Locked in the woodshed for a full day and night without water, she was disheveled and pale as a ghost. Ma Chunlan, with her family's generations-old pastry-making skills, could create soft, delicious cakes that were sweet but not cloying. Few in the entire capital could rival her culinary skills. She was a commoner, not of lowly status, and had always lived comfortably in any household she served, even more respected than some unfavored concubine daughters.

Even the Commander's wife, standing before her now, had once respectfully called her "Aunt Ma."

After narrowly escaping death five years ago, enduring the whips at the Minister's residence, and being locked up for a day and a night, Ma Chunlan had lost all her former arrogance. She didn't even dare to look up at Jiang Wanrou, immediately falling to her knees upon entering, tears streaming as she begged for mercy.

Her sobbing and wailing gave Jiang Wanrou a splitting headache.

Jiang Wanrou set down the *Criminal Code* and said coolly, "For theft of property valued at less than ten strings of cash, the punishment is ten lashes; if over ten strings, thirty lashes and one year of exile; if over a hundred strings, fifty lashes, three years of exile, and additional hard labor."

"For particularly heinous crimes that cause significant harm, the punishment is execution to uphold justice."

Jiang Wanrou's voice was soft, but each word was clear, especially the emphasis on "execution." Ma Chunlan's plump frame visibly shrank, and she immediately ceased her wailing.

Jiang Wanrou lowered her gaze, "I'll give you the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn. Think carefully before you speak."

Nowadays, officials from the previous dynasty were all on edge, trying every way to please Commander Lu. A few days ago, an official had sent over a troupe of performers, said to be famous actors from the south. Their voices were as melodious as nightingales, and Jiang Wanrou had taken quite a liking to them. She had planned to enjoy a new opera today and wasn't about to waste her precious time on this criminal woman.

Ma Chunlan wiped her face. She knew why she had been spared, and she didn't dare to put on airs now, crying out:

"Sixth Miss, back then, you were wronged—"

She paused, unable to resist a glance upward, and her eyes widened in shock.

Was this the Sixth Miss? In her memory, the Sixth Miss of the Marquis's household was as her name suggested—gentle, soft, and delicate, always bowing her head and blending into the crowd of noble daughters, utterly unremarkable.

But the woman sitting high above now was fair and plump, her skin so pale it seemed to glow. Without the thick bangs covering her forehead, her smooth, full brow was revealed. Her eyes, filled with emotion, shimmered with a charm that was alluring but not vulgar, exuding a grace that could rival a celestial being.

Ma Chunlan stared at her, both awestruck and bewildered.

"Half a stick of incense."

Jiang Wanrou slammed the *Criminal Code* down in front of Ma Chunlan, her voice icy, "My patience is limited. If you don't say what I want to hear, you'll be handed over to the authorities."

Having been the mistress of the household for many years, frequently entering and exiting the imperial palace, Jiang Wanrou was no longer the timid Sixth Miss who once cowered beside her stepmother. Her cold demeanor exuded an intimidating authority, and Ma Chunlan trembled in fear, quickly averting her eyes and stammering, "Yes, yes. I am guilty. I will speak now."

"Back then, my pear blossom pastries were highly favored by the Marquise. On the day of the old lady's birthday, I went to deliver pastries to the Third Miss and overheard..."

Five years ago, the eldest daughter of the Marquis's household, Jiang Wanxue, was engaged to the eldest son of the Duke's household, Lu Feng. Lu Feng, as the Marquis's "future son-in-law," came to offer congratulations on the birthday. However, after getting drunk, he ended up in bed with his sister-in-law, Jiang Wanrou, causing a scandal that became the talk of the town.

Who was Lu Feng? He was the eldest son of Duke Lu, raised alongside princes since childhood, of noble status, with a steady temperament, and famously chaste—he didn't even have a concubine. How could he suddenly do such a thing, especially in such a setting?

Lu Feng had trained in the military camp for two years, drinking strong liquor with his comrades from large ceramic bowls. How could he get drunk on a mere cup of *nü'erhong*?

Almost everyone speculated that Lu Feng had been set up. And the prime suspect, naturally, was Jiang Wanrou.

Especially since Jiang Wanrou was directly elevated to the position of principal wife in the Duke's household, further cementing this theory. The marriage alliance between the Lu and Jiang families was already seen as the Jiang family climbing high—a Duke's household and a Marquis's household, with the Duke's rank being higher. At that time, Duke Lu was still alive, a trusted minister of the Emperor with real power. The Marquis's household, on the other hand, was a former dynasty's surrendered official granted a title, and with the change of emperors, the Marquis's household was left with only a prestigious title.

If even the eldest daughter was seen as climbing high, how much more so for a mere concubine daughter? Lu Feng himself was handsome and well-mannered, and by all accounts, Jiang Wanrou had gained the upper hand. Her birth mother was a courtesan, and some said like mother, like daughter—naturally promiscuous and unfit for high society.

No one knew better than Jiang Wanrou how wronged she was. Back then, she had thought she wouldn't survive. Later, after she married into the Duke's household, Jiang Wanxue became the Princess of Gong, and only then did she realize the truth.

Lu Feng had always been cautious. How could he wander around the Marquis's household so carelessly unless he trusted the person leading him there implicitly?

Unfortunately, by the time she figured it out, Jiang Wanxue had already become the Princess of Gong. She had unfairly shouldered the bad reputation. Before Jiang Wanxue became the princess, no one would have thought of her. In the eyes of outsiders, marrying Lu Feng was a blessing Jiang Wanxue had earned over eight lifetimes. She would have been a fool to push her husband away.

After Jiang Wanxue became the princess, some people felt something was amiss, but no one dared to speak of it. Later, Lu Feng broke his leg and became moody. The Lu family was rife with troubles from aunts, mothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law. Then, her father-in-law passed away, and she became pregnant and gave birth... She was too exhausted to bother with such a vague reputation.

Moreover, she didn’t live among outsiders; as long as Lu Feng believed in her, that was enough. Lu Feng wasn’t foolish. He knew exactly how he had consumed that spiked wine and who had led him to the side room... He had thoroughly investigated everything. Jiang Wanrou even suspected that Lu Feng had agreed to marry her with the full rites of a wife to humiliate Jiang Wanxue.

...

The past was long gone. Jiang Wanrou rarely reminisced about those days and never thought of clearing her name. After all, Jiang Wanxue was now a high and mighty princess. What could she do? Instead, she used the incident to portray herself as the victim in front of Lu Feng a few times. Lu Feng personally ordered the tongues of several noblewomen to be cut out, and the matter became a taboo in the capital. Few dared to speak of it now.

What Ma Chunlan said aligned almost perfectly with what Jiang Wanrou knew. She listened half-heartedly, hearing nothing more than her elder sister climbing to a higher branch and, unwilling to bear a bad reputation, plotted to disgrace her fiancé at their grandmother’s birthday celebration...

"Wait?"

Jiang Wanrou suddenly straightened up, frowning. "You said Jiang Wanxue originally intended to lead Ying'er to the side room?"

Ma Chunlan stammered, "Yes, I heard it clearly! The third young lady personally told Ying'er that if this succeeded, she would take Ying'er as part of her dowry and bring her to the Duke's mansion as a concubine."

Ying'er was the chief maid of the Marquess's wife. Women from noble families often brought a few maids with them as part of their dowry, to keep their husbands close when they themselves were indisposed, preventing lowly women from seducing them. Lu Feng was handsome and of high status, so Ying'er was naturally eager. But why had it ended up being her?

Jiang Wanrou remembered that day. She had just finished her period and was feeling unwell, huddling in a corner, not daring to drink any wine. Later, a maid accidentally spilled a bowl of fermented rice balls on her skirt, and she went to the side room to change...

She had always believed that maid was one of Jiang Wanxue's people!

"Are you telling the truth?"

Jiang Wanrou stared intently at Ma Chunlan, then suddenly smiled. "I'm just a woman. You can lie to me, but this matter involves many people—the princess, and... the Commander."

"If you don't tell the truth, you'll have to face the Forbidden Dragon Bureau. I wonder if your old bones can endure such harsh interrogation."

The Forbidden Dragon Bureau was infamous. Even a strong man would tremble at the mention of it, let alone a cook. Ma Chunlan immediately turned pale, swearing that she was telling the truth. Seeing Jiang Wanrou remain silent, she kowtowed repeatedly until the floor tiles were stained with blood.

"Take her out of here."

Jiang Wanrou called out, and two stout women came in to drag Ma Chunlan away. Cuizhu, unaware of what had happened, asked, "Madam, should we send this thief to the authorities?"

Jiang Wanrou thought for a moment and said, "Lock her up in the woodshed for now. Make sure she doesn’t die."

"Wait until the master returns... Never mind, don't tell the master about this for now."

Perhaps because Jiang Wanrou's expression was too grim, Cuizhu didn’t ask further. After watching the women lock Ma Chunlan in the woodshed, she went to the small kitchen and brought Jiang Wanrou a bowl of dark, bitter medicine.

This was medicine Lu Feng had specifically obtained from the palace. It was said that drinking a bowl after each intimate encounter would make it easier for a woman to conceive. Jiang Wanrou had been taking this medicine for three years, but her belly showed no sign of life.

She glanced at the bitter-smelling medicine and said, "I've been taking this for so long, and it hasn’t worked. It must be quack medicine."

She had been taking this medicine all along. If, unfortunately, she fainted like last night, Cuizhu would bring it to her the next day. She couldn’t escape it, and it was very bitter.

Cuizhu said that good medicine tastes bitter, but Jiang Wanrou was tired of her persuasion and told her to put the medicine aside for now and go fetch the account books from the shop outside. After this interruption, Jiang Wanrou lost interest in listening to the opera and spent the afternoon fiddling with the abacus, going through the account books.

As for the bowl of cold, bitter medicine, she poured it all over the orchids by the window, leaving the bowl spotless.

***

Because of the Ma Chunlan incident, Jiang Wanrou had been distracted for the past few days.

This old, rotten matter was something she had intended to bury in her heart. What good would digging it up do? It wasn’t honorable. She was now firmly seated as the mistress of the household and didn’t need to stir up trouble.

But she also knew that Ma Chunlan probably wasn’t lying.

Didn’t that mean someone had schemed against her back then? According to that thief, Jiang Wanxue had plotted against Lu Feng, intending for him to disgrace himself with a maid from her fiancée’s household during the birthday banquet. The Marquess's household could then use this as an excuse to break off the engagement. But something must have gone wrong, and Ying'er didn’t show up.

Her clothes were wet, and the maid Ying'er gave up the chance to climb the social ladder. These two incidents happening together were no coincidence! Due to her awkward status, Jiang Wanrou had been secretly planning for herself since childhood. Now, upon learning that someone had plotted against her, and she was in the open while that person was in the shadows, she felt uneasy.

Who was that person? Besides that incident five years ago, what else had she done? What enmity did they have? Would that person behind the scenes come to harm her again?

This was Jiang Wanrou's way—always thinking three steps ahead, leaving no room for hidden dangers. After pondering for a few days, she decided to return to the Marquis's estate to look for clues from that time.

Coincidentally, Lu Feng returned early that day and was in a good mood. During dinner, Jiang Wanrou mentioned it briefly. Lu Feng's eyes gleamed slightly, and he looked steadily at Jiang Wanrou, saying gently:

"Return to the estate? My lady, has someone been speaking nonsense to you?"