Chapter 37: The Plan in the Temple

  Mrs. Lin put down her teacup, slightly furrowed her brow, "Yuxin, what happened last night?"

  Madam Ma has always been tactful and considerate of others. Last night, she personally warned the maids not to breathe a word about it, and even Hong Niang didn't dare mention half a sentence in front of Old Lady Lin after she returned.

  It's a matter for the Third House after all, they will resolve it themselves. If word gets out, not only will it be of no help, but it will also hurt the reputation of the Third House and earn Liu's resentment.

  Now Liu is going to bring the conflict with her second aunt from her mother's side to Old Lady Lin, apparently neither of them wants to give in. However, Liu isn't someone who speaks and acts without thinking, so Old Lady Lin is puzzled.

  The aunt in the next room saw this situation and secretly thought it was not good.

  Although she was certain that her actions last night had not been too out of line, even if there were any miscalculations, they would not have given anyone a handle to grasp. But now seeing Liu's careless attitude, it was clear that he knew something!

  She clearly wants to intimidate Lu first and then expose her! It's worth noting that Lu didn't know about the poison in advance, so she must have been holding a grudge. Once she's exposed, why would she still cover for her?!

  But it's not right!

  Last night, both Lu and Liu went to visit Old Lady Lin. The men's side was also in a mess. Except for Lu who overreacted a bit, she didn't do anything, so how could she be discovered?

  Wan's wife wanted to rush out and say something, but she didn't dare act rashly. If this matter really had nothing to do with her, what did she have to be nervous about? If she really went out, she might fall into Liu's trap.

  Thinking of this, Wan Niang could only hold back her fear and secretly pray that Lu Shi would calm down a bit and not be easily deceived into speaking.

  Liu told Old Lady Lin everything that had happened the night before, and then said: "Last night, Ruo Jie was lucky to have escaped with her life. Otherwise, what you would be seeing today is Ruo Jie's corpse."

  Lin Ruoyan's temperament is so strong and unyielding that if something like this really happened, she would indeed hang herself.

  Old Lady Lin's face changed greatly, "Is this really true?"

  Liu nodded and continued, "Last night was also afraid of disturbing you, so my wife and Minglan didn't tell you about it. Originally, we thought that dealing with Zi Su would be enough, but after going back, my wife kept thinking and felt that something wasn't right. After careful analysis and asking Liu Mama and Fu Shuang about the situation, she discovered that things were not as they seemed, and finally found out that everything was done by Tang Mama's granddaughter who works in the outer courtyard..."

  Yan Niang's face changed color in shock and she almost rushed out immediately.

  Hong Ying dragged her, coldly warning, "Auntie, I advise you to sit quietly and not rush out. If you disturb the old lady, this crime is not something you can bear."

  The old woman sat down with a quiver.

  She tried her best to remain calm, although she knew that Tang's mother had been dragged out and Liu must have known it was her who was secretly causing trouble, but things hadn't developed to that point yet, and she absolutely couldn't afford to lose control.

  Mrs. Lin has been living in the backyard for so many years, how could she not hear the implicit meaning of Mrs. Liu's words?

  "Is that Tang's mother, the wet nurse of Wan Yue who was driven out of the inner courtyard by you back then?"

  Yan Yue is Yan Niang's style name.

  Liu should be, "Her granddaughter Nianwen has a beauty mole on the corner of her mouth that is exactly the same as hers. It was Nianwen who told Hongying and Fushuang to leave last night, and it was also Nianwen who informed Ruo Jie that something had happened to Xuan Ge. Mother, if you don't believe me, you can call Hongying and Fushuang over to ask them what really happened last night."

  Mrs. Lin didn't need to ask, from Liu's confident appearance, she already knew what the outcome of the inquiry would be.

  She wasn't worried that Liu would buy off those maids, but there was no concrete evidence and she couldn't just take Liu's word for it.

  After all, Lin Ruoyan didn't really have an accident, and Liu Shi and Wan Niang had always been at odds with each other. If she were to direct and act herself, using this trick to frame and get rid of Wan Niang, it's not impossible either.

  "I already understand what you mean, but last night, Wan Yue was present throughout the banquet and didn't say much. After the celebration ended, she returned to her courtyard. If she had really set up this scheme, how could she be so calm and composed?"

  "This is why I asked my second sister to come. Liu coldly glanced at Lu and sneered: 'If it weren't for the fact that I caught Prone's wife with evidence, I wouldn't have known that my usually close and trusted second sister would treat me like this!'"

  She turned to Old Lady Lin again, "Mother, think carefully, was my second sister-in-law's behavior unusual last night?"

  Lu's calm face suddenly collapsed, from the beginning Liu accused her, she was uneasy, but thinking that there was no evidence, she had been pretending to be calm. But when Liu mentioned that maid, she realized something was wrong. To know that the maid was actually a person of Wan Niang herself, almost never appeared in the Hou Mansion, if it wasn't for Wan Niang herself who brought her out, who would pay attention to an inconspicuous maid?!

  Alright, Wan Niang! Last night's calculation of her was already endured by her, but unexpectedly she did such a heinous and unjust thing and still wanted to drag her down with her!

  "I never thought she would resort to such despicable tactics!"

  "I didn't admit anything, don't spout nonsense!"

  Two voices sounded simultaneously in the room.

  Lu Shi collided with Wan Niang who rushed out and immediately got angry.

  "You wicked woman, I only asked you to fabricate a story to solidify the relationship between Ruo Si and Xuan Ge, and also to help your daughter enter the palace smoothly. I never expected you to be so vicious and do something as despicable as that!"

  Although Aunt Wan was flustered, she still kept a straight face and indignantly said, "Don't spout nonsense! The two of you are in cahoots with each other, who knows what's true or false? I left the table early last night to rest, I didn't hear a word of what you're saying, and don't even think about slandering me here!"

  Lu was even more furious. She didn't catch the implication of Wan's words and thought she was trying to clear herself, shifting all the blame onto her alone.

  "You don't know? You don't know where that maid came from? Did she drop from the sky or did I send for her? I'm not even familiar with the layout of the Hou estate, if it wasn't for your help behind my back, could I have pulled off that matter?"

  Wan's aunt was still resentful, she should have known long ago that Lu Shi was not trustworthy and could not be cooperated with. Once something happened, in order to protect herself, she would definitely push her to the forefront of the storm.

  It's strange that on that day, she set the conditions too strongly. As long as Lin Ruoyan is eliminated, Lin Zhaoyan, who has never been favored, is not worth worrying about. As for Lin Jiaming, it was impossible for him to enter the palace early on. The other few houses were also born out of wedlock. So, the only person eligible to enter the palace is Xing'er!

  She did it for the sake of her son's future and career, and she wanted to cut off all possibilities, so she decided to take a risk and put spring poison in Liu Wenyuan's wine, wanting Lin Ruoyan and Liu Shi to never turn over again!

  Thanks for the passionate reward~~, Qieli's tip~