Madam Lu felt a surge of fury suppressed deep in her chest, stuck with nowhere to go. Whenever someone from Prince Jin's Manor appeared, it served as a brutal reminder that she was powerless against Lu Zhaoling! After all, the girl was under Prince Jin's protection.
As she watched Lu Zhaoling lead Sun Yingying away, Qingyin had the audacity to lock the gate of Tingnuan Tower right in her face. Madam Lu clenched her fists, stomping her feet and tensing her arms as she let out a venting scream.
"Lu Zhaoling!"
She loathed Lu Zhaoling, naturally because the girl was that woman's daughter. Every time she laid eyes on Lu Zhaoling, she was reminded of how lowly she had once been. She could never forget that her current status as Madam Lu, as well as the legitimate status of her children, had been snatched from others.
Now, Lu Zhaoling was becoming increasingly arrogant. What if she decided to seek revenge for her biological mother and take everything back? What would they do then?
No, that was absolutely out of the question!
Madam Lu thought viciously that within this year, they had to ruin Lu Zhaoling's marriage prospects at any cost. If it truly came down to it, she would simply do whatever was necessary to get rid of Lu Zhaoling...
"Madam, this is bad! Madam!"
Butler Hu came running over, drenched in sweat.
"You're the one who's bad! Watch your mouth!" Madam Lu barked, her temper reaching its breaking point. This servant was becoming more irritating by the day.
"Yes, yes, this old servant is in the wrong. Madam, Nanny Jin has been taken away by the officials!"
Butler Hu had just returned from a dispute between his children when he heard the latest gossip.
"Nanny Jin committed a crime?" Madam Lu's anger flickered, but she quickly dismissed it. "She already lives outside the estate. What does her trouble have to do with me?"
"She was taken because of the Second Miss!"
"What? What trouble has Lu Zhaoling stirred up now?"
"Word is spreading that the Second Miss went to the Prefecture yesterday to sue the Heir to Marquis Qingfu. Heir Zhu has been arrested! Lord Chen is even reopening the investigation into what happened the day the Second Miss returned to the capital."
Butler Hu took a gasping breath. "Nanny Jin was the one sent to fetch the Second Miss back. Since something happened to the Second Miss that day, Lord Chen is bound to interrogate Nanny Jin to find out the truth. People outside are already suspecting that Nanny Jin might have sold the Second Miss's whereabouts to the Heir to Marquis Qingfu."
Madam Lu's expression shifted instantly.
Why had Heir Zhu been able to intercept Lu Zhaoling that day?
"Nonsense! Utter rubbish! That girl looks like a little fox-vixen; she probably seduced Heir Zhu herself until he couldn't help himself. Who else is there to blame?"
But wait, the Butler thought. The Second Miss was returning from the countryside. How could outsiders have known? Where would she have found the chance to seduce Heir Zhu?
Subconsciously, Butler Hu felt that Lu Zhaoling was being wronged.
He quickly shook the thought from his head. When he had visited his home in the alleyway yesterday, his son had cursed the Second Miss up and down. He didn't know why she had gone there,
but his son was aching all over after a nasty fallit must have been her fault! He hoped the Madam would deal with the girl properly. He even wanted to demand money for medicine from her!
"Madam, what should we do now?" Butler Hu's eyes darted around as he added, "I don't know if the Prefecture will summon the Master and you for questioning as well."
"She wouldn't dare!"
Madam Lu grew even more enraged. Lu Zhaoling was a magnet for trouble. From the moment she returned, the estate hadn't known a single moment of peace! If she truly brought the authorities to their door and forced her to stand in court, she would never be able to show her face again.
She hurried off to find Lu Ming to figure out a solution.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhaoling and Sun Yingying had already left and boarded the Sun family carriage.
The coachman looked quite spirited. Lu Zhaoling glanced at him and was surprised to find a trace of Spiritual Qi emanating from him. This was a rare sight in an ordinary person. It was a natural gift, one that often manifested as an affinity for animals or plants.
As soon as the carriage started moving, Lu Zhaoling understood. The driver was exceptionally skilled with horses. He barely needed to use the whip, and the horses obeyed him perfectly.
"Miss Sun, this coachman of yours is quite good," Lu Zhaoling remarked.
Sun Yingying looked at her in surprise. "Uncle Tian found this driver for me. Why does the Second Miss think he's good?"
Lu Zhaoling had noticed it the moment she sat down, which piqued Sun Yingying's curiosity.
"He must be very good at handling horses. The carriage is very stable," Lu Zhaoling said.
"How did you know? Old Ma is indeed very steady. Even if the horses are startled by an accident, he can calm them down very quickly."
Lu Zhaoling's interest was piqued. She was currently in need of a driver. It would be wonderful if she could find someone as skilled as this.
Sun Yingying quickly recounted what Uncle Tian had said the previous day. "Didn't you see Uncle Tian yesterday? He told my father that you probably need a driver. He suggested that if this matter is resolved, my father should gift you a driver and a horse."
"Uncle Tian said that while your carriage horse is decent, it can't compare to those from our ranch. Second Miss Lu, when you have time, I'll take you to our ranch to pick one out!"
Sun Yingying had completely forgotten that Steward Tian's offer came with a condition: Lu Zhaoling had to uncover the truth behind Mo Qingqing's death or rid Sun Yingying of her nightmares. Only then would the Sun family offer such a generous gift.
The Sun family didn't fully believe in Lu Zhaoling's abilities yet. Sun Yingying, however, had blurted it out without a second thought.
"Your family owns a horse ranch?" Lu Zhaoling raised an eyebrow. "Then I certainly won't refuse. I truly do need a driver and a good horse."
Once her physical and spiritual strength fully recovered, she wouldn't stay confined to the capital. Having a high-quality carriage would be essential.
"Yes, my father runs a ranch. However, they aren't Warhorses; one cannot simply raise Warhorses without permission. Usually, we sell them to carriage agencies or merchant caravans," Sun Yingying explained.
Obtaining government permission to run a ranch was no small feat. Master Sun had actually traded his military merits for the privilege. Though he hadn't received a noble title, he had gained certain conveniences in his business dealings. Many of the capital's elites visited the Sun ranch to pick out horses, which was why the Sun family was so well-connected.
"Good. I'll go when I'm free."
Lu Zhaoling's impression of Steward Tian improved slightly; he was quite a meticulous man.
"Second Miss Lu... will it really be alright for me to go to Prince Jin's Manor with you?" Sun Yingying asked, sounding a bit apprehensive.
"What could possibly happen?"
"I've heard that Prince Jin is very brutal," Sun Yingying admitted honestly.
She was rarely afraid of anyone, but the rumors surrounding Prince Jin made her feel inexplicably nervous. Not many people knew this, but she had heard her eldest brother say that he once saw a nine-year-old Prince Jin take down a wolf single-handedly. Her brother always said that if the Prince was that brutal as a child, he would be even more terrifying as an adult.
She wondered if Lu Zhaoling had heard these stories.
"Brutal?" The image of Prince Jin's face flashed in Lu Zhaoling's mind, and she smiled. "Not at all. He's very handsome."
He was exactly my type.
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