Chapter 211
Chapter 211: Killing With a Borrowed Knife
The return banquet was very lively. Luo Ning sat among the crowd, accompanied by her cousin and her younger half-sister Luo Xuan. She held herself back and did not laugh out loud, but her expression was pleased. Anyone could see how bright and proud she was.
The Second Madam was busy coming and going. The Third Madam was now more honest and had given up the idea of “seizing power,” and she helped the Second Madam manage the household.
Grandmother sat with several other Old Madams.
“How is the Marchioness’s illness?” a relative asked, sounding not very kind.
“On A’Ning’s wedding day, she forced herself to get up and send her off. Maybe she was too tired, and she has had a fever these past few days. With her weak body, she really makes people worry,” the Old Madam said.
“She needs a long quiet rest,” that relative said. “Lord Marquis is in his forties now. If something happens… he should marry another wife again, right?”
The Old Madam’s face sank.
That relative was frightened by how quickly the Old Madam’s face changed and fell silent at once.
The others changed the subject and did not dare to talk about this again.
For the Princess Consort’s return visit, they were not only entertaining relatives and friends. The meritorious aristocratic families in Shengjing also sent people to attend the feast.
Among the guests, Luo Chong Ye was in the spotlight. Before he even drank any wine, his face was already glowing with joy.
Bai Yu Lin had also come.
He sat there trembling like a quail caught in the rain, without any dignity. An uncle should have been an honored guest, the guest of honor.
In the middle of the banquet, Luo Chong Ye got up to change clothes.
Bai Yu Lin also stood up and followed him.
“Lord Marquis, I will go back to Yuhang this afternoon. What did the Princess Consort say in the end? Do you want me to take Madam back to rest?” Bai Yu Lin asked.
Luo Chong Ye frowned.
He did not want Madam Bai to go back to Yuhang.
If she went back, what would that look like?
He wanted to send her to the country estate, hold her life in his hands, and make her suffer.
He had not yet let out this anger.
“No need. You just go back. I will decide this matter. It is not up to the Princess Consort,” Luo Chong Ye said coldly.
“If that is so, I will go see her, then take my leave,” Bai Yu Lin said.
Madam Bai was half dead already, and Luo Chong Ye was not afraid that the siblings would stir up trouble again, so he nodded carelessly. “Go.”
Bai Yu Lin thanked him and turned to go to the East Main Courtyard of Marquis Manor.
Luo Chong Ye headed to the small building where he could rest and change, but he heard the sound of an argument behind the bamboo grove.
It was Luo You.
Luo Chong Ye frowned slightly.
What was this brat doing, making a scene on the Princess Consort’s return day?
There was also Madam Wen. She was “just recovering from a serious illness,” and her voice was soft and weak: “Second Brother, you misunderstood…”
“Sister-in-law, she is your relative, so you should keep her in line. My mother is not dead yet, and she already wants to matchmake for my father. Is that something a person should say?”
Looking through the bamboo, he saw that it was one of Madam Wen’s sisters-in-law.
Madam Wen told that relative: “You go first, hurry and go.”
Luo You refused and still wanted to go after her. Madam Wen held her brother-in-law back: “Second Brother, give your sister-in-law some face. Do not say any more.”
Young and hot-tempered, Luo You was furious. “Sister-in-law, your relative is talking nonsense, and she picked the day my sister returns home to do it. It is too much.”
“She was only asking. It is all my fault. I secretly heard the Old Madam from the Duke of Qin Residence talking with Grandmother. She said she wanted to marry her young lady to Lord Marquis as a second wife,” Madam Wen said.
Luo Chong Ye’s heart moved slightly.
The Duke of Qin Residence was not a great noble family like the Cui or Wang clans, but it was still a meritorious great house and at least had deeper roots than the Luo Family.
If he could marry such a young and noble lady as his second wife, would his life not be even more blessed?
Why had Madam Bai still not died?
“…Maybe I heard it wrong,” Madam Wen said again. “Second Brother, it is all my fault for talking too much. Stop making a fuss.”
Luo You was still unhappy. “Sister-in-law, you must control yourself. Do not talk nonsense!”
Madam Wen was very embarrassed. “Yes, it is all your sister-in-law’s fault.”
Luo You gave a cold snort.
Only then did the two of them spot Luo Chong Ye.
They walked through the small path in the bamboo grove and came over to greet him. “Father.”
“What were you arguing about just now? Why were you shouting at your sister-in-law?” Luo Chong Ye asked.
Madam Wen hurried to answer: “Father, A’You was not being rude to me. It was only a small misunderstanding. We have already cleared it up. Right, Second Brother?”
Luo You replied unwillingly: “Yes.”
He looked at Luo Chong Ye. “Father, I heard that a famous divine doctor has appeared in Huzhou. Do you want to ask him to see my mother?”
He added: “Huzhou is near Yuhang, so maybe Uncle knows him.”
Luo Chong Ye’s heart was greatly stirred.
“What do you know? Your big sister is returning home today. You are being improper. Go back to your seat at once,” Luo Chong Ye said angrily.
Then he said to Madam Wen: “You are not helping your aunt receive the guests. Why are you gossiping here with your brother-in-law? Even you are not behaving?”
Madam Wen’s eyes turned red at once. “Father, your daughter-in-law is at fault.”
“Go,” Luo Chong Ye waved his hand.
Tears slid down Madam Wen’s face. She answered softly and left together with Luo You.
She slowly wiped away her tears.
Luo You glanced in the direction of Luo Chong Ye, then seemed to turn his steps toward the East Main Courtyard.
“Will he do what we want?” Luo You asked Madam Wen. “Should we…”
“A’You, you are still young. Your sister-in-law is afraid you will regret this in the future and even more afraid that there will be some retribution on you. She is your mother after all,” Madam Wen said. “Leave it to your father.”
If there really was retribution, let Luo Chong Ye be struck by lightning. He was full of crooked ideas anyway.
Luo You nodded and did not say anything more.
The two of them went back to their seats at the feast.
On the way to the East Main Courtyard, Luo Chong Ye kept thinking about “the Miss from the Duke of Qin Residence” and “taking her as a second wife.”
Blood rushed to his head, and his feelings surged. He could not calm down.
He found Bai Yu Lin.
Bai Yu Lin was about to leave. The wind at the end of the second month already had a bit of warmth, but in the East Main Courtyard of Marquis Manor, the chill wind was still cutting cold.
He was afraid.
Madam Bai was as thin as a skeleton, and her mind was a complete mess.
She even held Bai Yu Lin’s hand and said in a low voice: “When my son becomes Lord Marquis, I will still be the Old Madam. Brother, then Marquis Manor will have our family name.”
Then she began to cry again. “No, then it will have Brother Dong’s name. He died so miserably. Thankfully there is still the child.”
Bai Yu Lin was scared out of his wits.
Would she not ruin Luo You’s future by saying that?
If even a few words of this spread, not to mention that Luo Chong Ye would not tolerate this son, the outside world would also look down on Luo You.
Who would respect a child born from an affair?
Qiu Shi Dong had wrapped all of Madam Bai’s heart around his fingers. She did not care about her children at all and only thought about Qiu Shi Dong.
After he died, Madam Bai completely went mad.
Bai Yu Lin was afraid he would be dragged into this too, so he stood up to leave.
Madam Bai still clutched him. “Brother, are you not happy for me and Brother Dong?”
“Sister, at the start no one in our family forced you to break off your engagement and marry Luo Chong Ye. You cannot blame us,” Bai Yu Lin said.
“This is the grand plan between me and Brother Dong. You do not understand. You short-sighted and vulgar people do not understand anything!” Madam Bai said.
Bai Yu Lin could not stand it and rushed out of the East Main Courtyard, with Madam Bai’s shouting still behind him.
At the gate, he ran into Luo Chong Ye.
Bai Yu Lin’s heart gave a heavy thump.
Luo Chong Ye’s expression was ugly.
“…What are you planning to do?” Luo Chong Ye had heard a few words and now asked Bai Yu Lin.
“I will leave at once. Do not worry. I will never come to Shengjing again,” Bai Yu Lin said.
“Do you know that right now I want to crush you like crushing an ant?” Luo Chong Ye said.
Bai Yu Lin was silent.
“I will send you to do one thing. If you do it well, I will not argue with you about anything,” Luo Chong Ye said again.