Chapter 44: Chapter Forty-Four

Cheng Lingyan thought the matter was also very simple: if Lu Bao'er acknowledged her ancestry and returned to her clan, then this impostor of hers would surely be expelled from the Fu family. Then there would be no chance to let Lu Bao'er return to the Lu family. What could be done? Why not silently get rid of Lu Bao'er?

Cheng Lingyan, thinking back to the scene where she and Lu Bao'er had been noisy, wondered in Old Lady Su's eyes whether she was a laughingstock. Cheng Lingyan, flushed with anger, smashed things all over the floor, making a great commotion. A maid outside asked, "Miss, has something happened?"

In the past, she would have lost her temper whenever she wanted, but now she doesn't even dare to openly admit her anger, fearing that if it reached Old Lady Su's ears, people would find something suspicious.

She calmed her emotions and spoke softly: "It's just that I didn't hold some things steady, it's nothing, come in and help tidy up."

After the little maid entered the room, Cheng Lingyan suddenly walked up to her quietly, slipped a ruby into her sleeve, and said: "I know you're from the Old Lady's courtyard, but I really can't find anyone in my Ten Fragrance Court. I'll give you a large sum of money; will you help me with a task?"

Since the last venison banquet, the Old Lady has replaced all the servants in Cheng Lingyan's quarters, and now there isn't even someone she knows well.

The little maid naturally knew that the task Cheng Lingyan offered money for was not a good one, but the money was tempting; if something went wrong, she could take the silver and flee, still managing to get by outside, so why not?

Thinking this way, the little maid felt tempted again.

In this world, anything that can be solved with money isn't really a problem.

Cheng Lingyan handed her a letter, telling her to deliver it to a teahouse in a certain alley, where someone would come to collect it. The little maid thought Cheng Lingyan's money‑spending affair was to send a note to a private young lover; although risky, it seemed relatively safe.

Having taken Cheng Lingyan's gem, the little maid went off happily to help.

The person Cheng Lingyan wanted her to help deliver the letter to was naturally not a young lover, but the band of outlaws who had previously helped her deal with Wu Cuizhen. If they hadn't left the capital or been caught by officials, they would likely take this job.

She also slipped a silver note into the letter, using it to buy Lu Bao'er's life—wasn't that worth the price?

Tomorrow Old Lady Su will go to Red Lotus Temple to offer incense, and Lu Bao'er will accompany her. Cheng Lingyan had long recognized the appearance of Lu Bao'er's family carriage; in the letter she told the bandits the time Lu Bao'er would depart and the carriage's look, so that when Lu Bao'er's party passed, the bandits would shoot the horses with arrows. The horses would go mad and gallop, and after the occupants were thrown from the carriage, they would inevitably be dead or injured.

This was the cruelest plan Cheng Lingyan could think of; her connections were limited, and she couldn't think of anyone else who could help.

Cheng Lingyan thought that since Wu Cuizhen could be dealt with easily, those bandits must still have some skill. In that case, getting rid of one Lu Bao'er would be no problem.

Thinking this through, at dinner Cheng Lingyan even ate an extra bowl of rice.

The next day, Lu Bao'er indeed intended to accompany Old Lady Su to Red Lotus Temple for incense. That day, after returning from the Fu Manor, she was absent‑minded, constantly thinking about Old Lady Su's words, to the point that even Xie Junling noticed something.

Xie Junling glanced at her, seeing her dazed, not even reaching for her favorite duck meat, and asked, "Madam, what are you thinking about?"

Lu Bao'er came to her senses, pondered a while, and asked, "If someone said I was of noble birth, a miss from an official family who had fallen into the outside world, what would you do?"

Xie Junling replied lightly, "If you were a miss from a wealthy family, would you then want to divorce?"

Lu Bao'er blinked: "That's not the case either."

"Since it's not, what does it have to do with me? Whether you're from the countryside or an official family, aren't you still my wife? Thinking this way, there's nothing to worry about."

"That's right." Lu Bao'er, after hearing Xie Junling say that, also understood a bit more: recognizing Old Lady Su as her maternal grandmother or not makes no difference to her life. Having married Xie Junling as her wife, she belongs to her husband's side; no one from her natal family can restrain her.

"How so? Has someone come to recognize kin?" Xie Junling suddenly wondered aloud.

Unexpectedly, Lu Bao'er firmly nodded: "Yes, the Princess of Qingping said I am her lost granddaughter."

"Tsk." Xie Junling frowned slightly, took a sip of tea, and said, "This is going to be difficult."

"Hmm?"

"As her husband, I fear the Princess will look too highly on her son‑in‑law and have designs on me." Xie Junling actually had also guessed roughly: first the tiny characters on Lu Bao'er's inherited jade pendant, then the Princess of Qingping's unexplained closeness over the past two years—nothing fails to show Lu Bao'er's background is not simple. He didn't think the Fu family capable of such maneuvering, even making mistakes in bloodline matters. Most likely they had investigated thoroughly, which is why they decided to get on good terms with Lu Bao'er.

Lu Bao'er didn't understand and teased, "Didn't you say that even if I were recognized and returned, we couldn't divorce? Why then, upon hearing it's the Princess of Qingping, do I feel a bit uneasy?"

"Originally I thought it was just a higher‑ranking in‑law family, but now it's imperial relatives, which is a bit tricky to handle." Xie Junling, not sure whether he was joking or not, gave Lu Bao'er a few extra bites of vegetables, saying, "Finish eating quickly, go back to the room, and I'll first draw up a contract with you."

"What contract?"

Xie Junling said solemnly, "If Old Lady Su advises you to choose another and remarry, you must firmly refuse. If you don't refuse, you'll have to be intimate several more times at night."

Fortunately Lu Bao'er listened attentively; perhaps Xie Junling was just teasing her? As soon as he mentioned nighttime intimacy, Lu Bao'er's face flushed with embarrassment.

This was in the Flower Hall—does he have no shame? Clearly these are embarrassing words; why can Xie Junling speak of them so seriously, without fearing that servants might hear and mock him?

"How about it?" Xie Junling saw Lu Bao'er not answering, leaned close to her ear, and asked again. Perhaps being too near, Lu Bao'er felt the man's hot breath blowing on her ear, making it a little itchy.

Her ear tips grew hot, and she muttered softly, "Not really… I would never sign such an overbearing contract."

"Oh? Is that so?" Xie Junling chuckled lightly, narrowed his eyes, and sized up Lu Bao'er, saying, "Then let's see tonight whether your stubbornness wins or my coercive‑and‑enticement tactics are superior."

Lu Bao'er felt as if sitting on pins and needles, her spine tingling. What was he trying to do? Was he looking for an excuse to deceive her? Regardless of whether this happened, Xie Junling would surely succeed in bed; now he was just finding a pretext to provoke her deliberately.

Thinking this way, Lu Bao'er felt a bit gloomy. It seemed Xie Junling was nothing but a wolf with its tail tucked, full of dirty tricks.

If she had known earlier, she shouldn't have indulged Xie Junling's misbehavior; if there had never been that first kiss, how could she now be held night after night by him, unable to move?

Lu Bao'er, truly regretting her earlier actions!