Chapter 155
Chapter 155: The Fish Takes the Bait
When Chun Yue came out, Duan Yi Chen slipped into the room with a smile and told Xia Meng Yan his plan.
Xia Meng Yan was playing with a white jade hairpin in front of the bronze mirror, and Duan Yi Chen took it and set it in her hair as he said: “We are bored anyway. Let’s try my way.”
Xia Meng Yan looked helplessly at his excited face in the mirror. [It felt like before she was married in her last life, when the two of them did mischief behind their families’ backs, excited and carefree.] She said: “Tone it down. This is the Lin family.”
Duan Yi Chen smiled with his eyes and said: “Relax. I know my limits.”
In the main kitchen, two maids chatted while picking vegetables. One said: “Have you heard? Auntie Yu’s illness is cured.” The other asked: “Who is Auntie Yu? I have never seen her.” The first answered: “She is Wang Yu’s mother. To make it up to the Wang Family, the Lin family took in that half?dead mother of his, and who would guess she has recovered so fast.”
Wang Yu’s case had made a big stir. The Lin family could stop it from spreading outside, but they could not stop the servants’ mouths.
One maid asked: “Was it the one in the southeast corner who cured her?” The other said: “Yes. Who knew the Lin family had a Divine Physician? But I heard from those who serve him that the Divine Physician is leaving. I do not know if that is true.” “Hush, stop talking,” the first warned. “The steward over in the southeast corner told us not to tell anyone.”
They did not know a maid who came to fetch vegetables overheard them. She forgot the vegetables and hurried off to report. Second Madam asked: “What did you say? There is a Divine Physician in the manor?” The maid replied: “Yes. The kitchen says the Divine Physician is about to leave the Lin family.”
Second Madam was both anxious and angry. The Lin family had kept such an important thing so secret that she was only now finding out there was a Divine Physician here. Two days earlier, Second Master had fretted about a Meng Family relative with a bad leg and no good physician. Still, knowing now was not too late. She would stop the man first, then report to Second Master. If he could make friends with the Meng Family, their branch could press down the third branch in business later. She ordered: “Bring the gifts. We are going to take a look,” then led her people straight to the Restful Virtue Pavilion in the southeast corner.
At the door, the guards blocked them and said: “Second Madam, the Old Master has ordered that no one may enter.”
Second Madam glanced at Nanny Gui. Nanny Gui stepped up and explained: “Only today did Second Madam learn that an honored guest lives in the Restful Virtue Pavilion. Since Madam manages the household now, she should pay a visit. Please announce us.”
The guards exchanged a look and said: “Without the Old Master’s order, no one may enter. Please go back, Second Madam.”
Hearing this, Second Madam raised her hand and struck out: “What are you to block me? Move.” Since taking over the household accounts, everyone bowed to her. How dare mere guards stop her?
Struck as he was, the guard did not budge. He only blocked the door and said: “Please do not make it hard for us, Second Madam. If you break in today, we die tomorrow.”
“You…” Second Madam saw that neither force nor threats would work and lifted her hand again, but Nanny Gui stopped her and whispered: “Madam, do not. If this blows up and the Old Master hears, it will harm us. Let us go back and think of another way. He has not left anyway.” Second Madam found it reasonable and left with her people.
After she left, a man walked out from the Restful Virtue Pavilion, glanced toward the path she had taken, then turned away.
A maid whispered to Nanny Song, who frowned and went inside to report: “Cousin Miss, Second Madam just took gifts to the Restful Virtue Pavilion, but the guards stopped her.” Xia Meng Yan was a little surprised and said: “Oh? So Second Madam is the first who cannot sit still.” The person who had pushed Wang Yu and Zhao Tong Bin was a man with a limp, and she and Duan Yi Chen guessed the real target was Divine Physician Luo. Duan Yi Chen had spread the news that Divine Physician Luo was leaving just to see who in the Lin family was an inside helper. She asked: “Has anyone else moved?” Nanny Song shook her head and said: “The men sent by Heir Apparent Duan are watching in the dark. So far, nothing is odd.” Xia Meng Yan was curious what Second Madam would do next. She said: “Tell Master to be careful.” “Yes,” Nanny Song replied, and went to inform the watchers.
At the Restful Virtue Pavilion, Luo Jin listened to the serving lad’s report without concern; such tricks were nothing to him, good only for amusement. The lad asked: “Sir, for dinner, how about beef and steamed fish, with cold bamboo shoots and chilled greens?” Who would have guessed a grand Divine Physician could not go without meat. Stroking his beard and keeping his eyes on Medical Arts, Luo Jin said: “Do as you see fit.”
The lad accepted and turned. As he did, a maid from the tea room came in with tea, and he stepped aside. The maid had a gentle face and long fingers, and a light fragrance followed her as she walked. She bent to pour tea and brushed Luo Jin’s hand by accident, then dropped to her knees in panic and said: “This maid did not mean it. Please do not blame me, Divine Physician.” Luo Jin set down his book, looked at the trembling maid, and said: “It is fine. Get up.”
In tears of thanks, the maid did not rise. She kneeled closer to his feet and said: “Let this maid pound your legs for you, Divine Physician.” Before Luo Jin could speak, she had already started. After a moment, Luo Jin grabbed the tea on the table and gulped it down. Seeing his face look wrong, the maid reached out in concern and said: “Divine Physician, what is wrong, is it… ah…” “Send for Yan’er,” Luo Jin pulled back his hand and ordered coldly.
A quarter-hour later, Xia Meng Yan was in the main room of the Restful Virtue Pavilion, drinking tea while a maid knelt before her. The maid cried: “Cousin Miss, this maid did nothing. The Divine Physician can speak for me.” Luo Jin had sealed her acupoints so she could not move, and she begged for mercy. She did not understand. Everything had seemed to go smoothly. Why was Divine Physician Luo fine?
Xia Meng Yan set down her cup and looked the maid up and down. A quarter-hour earlier, the serving lad had reported that a maid had tried to drug Master and do something improper. She came with people and found the maid kneeling in the main room while Master read at ease in the east room. On asking, she learned that as soon as the maid entered, Master smelled medicine on her and went along to see what she wanted to do. The result was plain.
She asked: “Speak. Who sent you?” The maid wanted to kowtow and beg, but she could not move and could only wail: “I am wronged. This maid did nothing. The Divine Physician suddenly made it hard for me.” Xia Meng Yan said: “Nanny Song, sprinkle the powder Wang Yu left on her,” then, closing her eyes as if in casual talk, added: “Throw her into the courtyard and see what poisonous creatures it draws.”
“Yes,” Nanny Song answered. Before they even came near, the maid broke down in fear and cried: “This maid will talk. It was Nanny Gui. She told me to seduce the Divine Physician.”
Xia Meng Yan said: “Bring Nanny Gui here. Do not alert Second Madam.” Song Mo obeyed.
Nanny Gui was waiting in a side room for news when the door suddenly swung open. She was about to scold when her vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she saw Xia Meng Yan seated in the place of honor. Her heart thudded, but she pretended surprise and said: “Cousin Miss, why have you tied up this old servant?”
Xia Meng Yan stood and ran a finger along Nanny Gui’s cheek. The chill made Nanny Gui shiver as Xia said: “You know very well. Why pretend to be foolish? Tell me who told you to stain Divine Physician Luo’s name.”
Nanny Gui suddenly felt this Cousin Miss was not as easy as the rumors said. The other’s cool gaze was like autumn water. It looked harmless, yet it made one’s back go cold. Nanny Gui said: “This old servant does not understand Cousin Miss’s meaning. Stain his name? That never happened. Did someone gossip and make Cousin Miss mistake me?”
Xia Meng Yan smiled a little and said: “So I misunderstood you?” Nanny Gui nodded again and again: “It must be so. This old servant has no grudges with the Divine Physician. Why would I do such a thing?”
“Good question. I also want to know why you did it,” Xia Meng Yan said from behind her. “Bring in the centipede we caught.”