Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Forcing Him to Swear a Vicious Oath
Once the matter was settled, the Marquis of Zhen Nan was in a good mood and finally had the time to feel sorry for Bai Ci Rong.
With Bai Ci Rong’s looks, as long as the Marquis Manor paved the way for her, she would surely rise high in the future and become a support to the Marquis Manor.
Unfortunately, Luo Ning had a very big problem with her.
Yesterday, before the imperial edict came down, the Marquis of Zhen Nan had behaved too poorly. He now wanted to repair his father and daughter relationship with Luo Ning.
Sending Bai Ci Rong away was to please Luo Ning.
Luo Ning was still angry.
Once she married and stopped caring about these things, he might even be able to bring Bai Ci Rong back. It would only be a matter of a year or so.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan was confident in his long term planning and did not discuss it much with the marchioness.
“Aunt, do not worry,” Bai Ci Rong said as she handed the marchioness a handkerchief. “It will not be so easy for him to make me leave.”
She added: “Aunt, it is not like we have no ways. Once I leave the manor, it will not even take two hours before they kneel and beg me to come back.”
The marchioness stopped crying and gradually calmed down: “You have a plan?”
Bai Ci Rong leaned close to her ear and whispered it to her.
The marchioness’s heart slowly settled down.
On his side, the Marquis of Zhen Nan was preparing to send Bai Ci Rong away, while on that side, he could not wait to go make nice with Luo Ning.
Luo Ning was listening to Nanny Yin tell her about the Cui family.
Madam Cui, from the foremost of the Prestigious Clans and also from the Empress Dowager’s maiden family, was the first person Luo Ning needed to understand. The Cui clan was extremely large, and its power and ties were tangled and complex.
Luo Ning wrote everything down one by one.
She was concentrating on listening, and Nanny Yin was speaking in great detail, when the Marquis of Zhen Nan suddenly arrived.
“…She will be sent back to Yuhang in three days. Everything has already been arranged,” the Marquis of Zhen Nan said. “A’Ning, your father is on your side.”
[More like on Prince Yong’s side, right?]
Luo Ning gave a faint smile and said: “Father, you should wait until she actually leaves before you come to tell your daughter. Do not end up slapping yourself in the face again.”
The Marquis of Zhen Nan’s face darkened.
He had a bad temper and was quick to anger. In this, Luo Ning really was very much like him.
In her previous life, both father and daughter had died at the hands of Luo Yin and Madam Bai, all because when faced with schemes and plots, they were too easily provoked and could not stay calm.
He was about to lose his temper when he saw Nanny Yin. His heart trembled a little, and he forced out a smile: “She will definitely leave.”
“Then I will wait for the good news,” Luo Ning said.
In her previous life, there had been no such thing as sending Bai Ci Rong away.
After the Marquis of Zhen Nan left and Nanny Yin started speaking again about Madam Cui’s people, Luo Ning’s mind wandered.
Nanny Yin reminded her: “Princess Consort, calm your mind and focus.”
Luo Ning smiled: “Let us stop the lesson here for today. I really cannot calm down. I want to go out for a walk.”
“Yes,” Nanny Yin said.
She did not force her. Everything was done at Luo Ning’s own pace.
Luo Ning had paid out five hundred taels of silver at once to buy this freedom for herself.
She took the maidservant Qiu Hua with her, planning to go to her grandmother’s place to copy Buddhist sutras so she could quiet her heart.
But she happened to see the marchioness’s maidservant carrying a food box toward Luo Yin’s courtyard.
In Luo Yin’s courtyard lived his principal wife, Madam Wen, his son Luo Li Qin, and two bedchamber maids.
Was the marchioness sending medicine to Luo Yin?
When Luo Ning thought of this, she felt something was not quite right and told Qiu Hua: “Later, go look for Young Madam and ask what the marchioness sent over to their courtyard today.”
Qiu Hua agreed.
She then asked Luo Ning: “Eldest Miss, what are you worried about?”
“I am not worried, just being cautious,” Luo Ning said.
The Marquis of Zhen Nan wanted to send Bai Ci Rong away. How could the marchioness and Bai Ci Rong be willing to accept that?
Luo Ning only thought of how the marchioness, Madam Bai, had repeatedly used the excuse that Bai Ci Rong had saved Madam Wen and her son to keep Bai Ci Rong around.
This was Bai Ci Rong’s trump card.
Luo Ning knew very well there was something fishy about this matter. It was just that the person who knew the truth had not yet returned to the capital, so she still had no witness to expose what had really happened.
But she had a feeling the marchioness and Bai Ci Rong would still use this matter to make trouble.
Luo Ning also remembered how last time, to keep her from going into the imperial palace to offer New Year’s greetings, the marchioness had drugged her.
[What about this time?]
“We should hurry,” Luo Ning said to Qiu Hua.
She could not wait for others to gather information. She had to go to Luo Yin’s courtyard herself.
But before she went, she had to take care of one thing. Otherwise, if Luo Yin went mad and bit her, she would have suffered for nothing.
Luo Ning went to the west main courtyard to find her grandmother.
She wanted to take her grandmother along.
“…Please come with me to see Sister in law and my nephew,” Luo Ning said.
The Old Madam looked slightly surprised: “Why do you suddenly want to see them?”
Luo Ning leaned close to the Old Madam’s ear and whispered: “I am afraid something might happen. Let us go have a look. We will not interfere, just stand by and watch.”
A lot of things flashed through the Old Madam’s mind in that instant.
Luo Ning added: “Sister in law has treated me well, Grandmother. A Qin is her son and carries half of the Wen family’s blood.”
The Old Madam gave Luo Ning a deep look: “A’Ning, do you have something to tell me?”
“I hope you can stay healthy,” Luo Ning said. “Grandmother, in the future let us go to Shaoyang. There are hills and forests full of lychee trees there.”
Old Madam said: “Your grandfather’s ancestral home is Shaoyang, but for three generations our family has lived in Shengjing. I have never been there.”
“You really should go with me to see it. The weather there is like spring all year round and more comfortable than in Shengjing. There are fields of flowers, and fresh vegetables and fruit all year long. It is like a fairyland,” Luo Ning said.
“Once you become a Princess Consort, how will you be able to go to Shaoyang?” Old Madam said with a laugh.
“The world is hard to predict. All we can do is live well,” Luo Ning said.
The Old Madam understood.
She nodded: “All right. Grandmother promises you.”
The Old Madam had a maidservant bring some medicine, and together they went to Luo Yin’s courtyard.
They used the excuse of checking on Luo Yin.
When they arrived, Senior Madam’s maidservant was still there, chatting idly with the younger maidservants under the eaves and playing with the sparrows.
When she saw Luo Ning and the Old Madam, Senior Madam’s maidservant stood up and saluted.
Luo Ning paid her no attention.
Madam Wen quickly came out to greet them.
“Grandmother, A’Ning, what brings you here?” Madam Wen said with a smile.
Old Madam said: “I brought some medicine to reduce bruising for A’Yin. How is he?”
“It just hurts a bit, but there is nothing serious. He is lying in the inner room. Grandmother, please come in,” Madam Wen said.
She herself had come out from the east side room and had not been in the inner room taking care of her husband.
At Luo Yin’s bedside stood a maidservant dressed a bit better, with delicate features. When she saw the Old Madam, she bowed.
This was Luo Yin’s bedchamber maid.
“Grandmother, why have you come to see your grandson?” Luo Yin pretended to get up. “I should not trouble you.”
“I felt uneasy and was afraid something might happen to you. You are the Luo family’s eldest grandson. Nothing can be allowed to happen to you,” Old Madam said.
An emotion flashed across Luo Yin’s face.
It looked like satisfaction.
It was like he had done something wicked yet was being treated as a good person, a kind of pleasure that was both comfortable and proud, with a faint trace of malice.
“Grandmother, you worry too much,” he said.
The Old Madam sat down and said many caring words, telling him to rest well.
“Has the yamen not been busy lately? You have been taking leave often,” Old Madam also asked.
Luo Yin said: “My post is easy by nature. My superior does not care about me. I am there or not, it does not matter. And because I am a young master of the Marquis Manor, they will not restrict me.”
He looked at Luo Ning and said: “A’Ning, congratulations on being granted the title of Imperial Prince’s Consort. In the future, you must help your brother.”
Luo Ning said with no expression: “Have you forgotten what happened before, Brother? You helped other people bully me and even wanted to hit me. I still remember it all.”
Luo Yin’s cheek twitched: “That was your brother joking with you.”
“You had better stop joking, Brother. I cannot afford it. I am not married yet and cannot help anyone. You should put your mind on the right path,” Luo Ning said.
Luo Yin clenched his fingers to keep himself from cursing in front of the Old Madam.
Old Madam then said: “You are siblings. Do not always be quarreling. A’Yin, apologize to your sister. You will have many things to rely on her for in the future.”
Luo Yin was unwilling, but he did not dare act up in front of the Old Madam. Thinking of what the marchioness had said, he could only say: “A’Ning, your brother has offended you many times.”
“That kind of apology is too light. What about from now on, Brother? You might as well swear a vicious oath,” Luo Ning said.
Luo Yin said: “From now on, if your brother does not protect you when something happens, may I not die a good death.”
“Burned to death.”
“May I be burned to death in a great fire,” Luo Yin said.
A bit of expression finally appeared on Luo Ning’s face. It looked like she smiled.