It was the You hour, and the sky had already darkened.
Madam Lu, who had been chanting scriptures all afternoon, changed her clothes as usual and planned to go find her youngest daughter for dinner.
"Liusu, go and ask if the dinner for the Fourth Miss has been prepared?"
Hearing this, Liusu felt extremely nervous. She could only brace herself and reply, "Madam, Hongmei just reported that the Fourth Miss went out this morning and hasn't returned yet."
"What?"
The hairpin in her hand fell to the ground. Madam Lu felt as if her heart had also fallen into hell. All the terrifying images that had been suppressed in the past flooded into her mind.
For a moment, they seemed to break through her rationality and dominate her thoughts. Fortunately, she managed to force them down at the last moment.
"Liusu, immediately send people out to look for her. Even if you have to turn the entire capital upside down, you must find Xier for me!
Liushui, come with me to Xier's courtyard."
After calmly giving instructions to the servants, Madam Lu didn't dare to delay and immediately ran out of the courtyard.
Her residence was not far from Lu Yinxi's Luoxia Courtyard. In order to be closer to her daughter, Madam Lu was willing to live in a secluded corner of the prime minister's mansion.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard gate, an angry voice came rushing towards her, making people feel extremely panicked.
"How dare you! A young lady from a prominent family actually stays out all night?
Steward Lu, immediately lead people to find the Fourth Miss. Nanny Zhou, pack up your things. As soon as the Fourth Miss returns to the mansion, send her directly back to the estate."
"I'd like to see who dares!"
As soon as the voice sounded, the eager servants froze in place. When they saw the person coming, they didn't dare to take any action at all.
Although Madam Lu had been living in the Buddhist hall and rarely came out, the servants in the mansion would subconsciously obey her when they saw her. This was the demeanor of the mistress of the house.
"Wanru, why are you here?"
The voice just now was from Prime Minister Lu. So when he saw Madam Lu at this moment, a look of guilt flashed across his face.
"If I hadn't come, would you have just let you drive away my daughter?"
"Wanru, I..."
Lu Wenhan wanted to explain, but as soon as the words came out, he swallowed them back. It was Lu Jinran beside him who couldn't help but speak.
"Mother, Father is also thinking about the reputation of the prime minister's mansion."
"What a good reason of thinking about the reputation of the prime minister's mansion!"
This was a clear and crisp female voice. The three masters of the Lu family were all stunned. Their eyes couldn't help but look in the direction where the voice came from.
At the door of Luoxia Courtyard, a young woman in her seventeenth or eighteenth year was standing there at some unknown time. She was wearing a lotus-colored brocade dress. Her right hand was resting on the shoulder of her attendant maid. There was a gentle smile on her face as she walked gracefully towards the three of them.
"Qianqian, why are you back?"
The person who came was the former Second Miss of the Lu family, now the Princess of the Heir of the Marquis of Yongchang, Lu Yinqian.
Thinking of the child in her belly, Madam Lu quickly ordered the servants to protect her and bring her to her side. "You're not even three months pregnant yet. Why did you come back at this time?"
After paying respects to Prime Minister Lu and Madam Lu, Lu Yinqian said sourly, "What? Mother, are you afraid that I'll be jealous of Xier when I come back?"
Hearing the name of her youngest daughter from her second daughter's mouth, Madam Lu was stunned for a moment. Then a dazzling light burst out from her eyes. "Qianqian, do you mean that you've seen Xier?"
The Lu family had deliberately kept the news of Xier's return a secret. So the only way Qianqian could have known this news was if she had seen Xier with her own eyes.
Hearing this, the young princess of the heir was a little surprised. "Didn't the servants report the news back? Xier is playing with Siyan at my mansion."
As she said this, Lu Jinran, who was hiding behind Prime Minister Lu, suddenly changed her expression for a moment, but then quickly recovered.
"Siyan" that Lu Yinqian mentioned was the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Yongchang. She was about the same age as Lu Yinxi and was still unmarried. So it was not strange for the two of them to play together.
But in fact, she was lying!
Because her little sister was lying unconscious in her mansion at this moment.
An hour ago, His Highness the Prince of Jing suddenly came to visit. Then she learned that her little sister, who had been raised on the estate, had returned to the capital.
Immediately afterwards, she saw her sister in Shang Luoshu's arms. Her face was pale and she was shivering in pain.
Maybe it was the bond of blood, or maybe it was the confident assurance of His Highness the Prince of Jing. Lu Yinqian immediately confirmed that this was her sister.
Then she immediately ordered the servants to prepare a room for her little sister. At the same time, she didn't forget to send a message back home. Afraid that her mother would be worried, she even decided to go home in person, ignoring the obstruction of her husband, Xu Zhuo, the Heir of the Marquis.
"It hurts, Mother. Xier hurts so much!"
The painful muttering came intermittently outside the room. Every time he heard it, Shang Luoshu couldn't help but pace back and forth. His brows were also furrowed deeper.
Seeing this, the Heir Xu beside him always felt that something was wrong. Why did it feel like the prince was like a prospective father waiting outside the delivery room for his wife to give birth?
As soon as this thought appeared, it took root in his mind and he couldn't get rid of it.
Just then, the door suddenly opened and the doctor of the Marquis of Yongchang's mansion walked out.
"How is she?"
Seeing the concerned look on the Prince of Jing's face, the doctor didn't dare to be vague. He said directly, "The Fourth Miss caught a cold after falling into the water. I just need to write a prescription. After taking it, she will get better. But..."
After hesitating for a moment, he continued, "But the Fourth Miss has been complaining of pain. I don't know why.
But I heard that Doctor Wu in the Prime Minister Lu's mansion also encountered such a disease. According to him, just one dose of painkiller will do. So I want to give it a try. I wonder what Your Highness thinks?"
As if grasping something, Shang Luoshu's face became even more serious. A storm that was hard to fathom was brewing in his eyes. "You mean that the doctor in the Prime Minister Lu's mansion also encountered a similar disease?"
"Exactly!"
"When and on what day?"
Although he didn't know why the prince was asking these questions, the doctor still did his duty and said, "It seems to be during the days when the rumors spread in the Prime Minister Lu's mansion."
His memory flashed back quickly. Shang Luoshu still remembered that a few days before the rumors appeared, he had met the young girl in Anguo Temple. At that time, she had used the power of words on Fang Qinhu.
Then she fell unconscious in the main hall of the temple for no reason. It was he who sent a carriage to send her back to the prime minister's mansion.
Now, a similar scene reappeared.
This time, Zhou Kou was already out of danger, but Lu Yinxi had fallen into the water and was suffering from inexplicable pain.
Something suddenly exploded in his mind. Shang Luoshu seemed to understand something, but at the same time, he didn't understand anything.
In the end, he could only look deeply into the room, trying to imprint the young girl in his eyes through the layers of barriers.
"Use it. The prescription for pain relief."
After learning that her youngest daughter was at her second daughter's mansion, Madam Lu felt relieved. The color on her face was not as bad as before, but she still didn't have a good look when facing Prime Minister Lu.
Since Lu Yinxi was at the Marquis of Yongchang's mansion, she couldn't be considered to have stayed out all night. So the previous instructions were no longer valid.
Pretending to be solemn, Lu Wenhan coughed and said, "Since Xier is at Qianqian's mansion, then let's disperse."
"Wait!"
The sudden voice interrupted Prime Minister Lu. Then there was a loud noise in the courtyard. It was the sound of a slap.
"Qianqian!"
"Second girl, what are you doing?"
Lu Jinran, who had been hiding behind her father, was stunned by the slap. She didn't come to her senses until she heard Prime Minister Lu's voice. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes, showing extreme grievance.
"Second sister, you..."
"What, don't you know why I slapped you?"
Her words were interrupted, and Lu Jinran became even more aggrieved. "I don't know when I offended Second Sister to make you so angry?"
"Really don't know? Then I'll tell you!
Just now, Father and Mother were talking. What right do you, a junior, have to interrupt? And as an elder sister, not only do you not take care of your younger sister, but you even snitch on your sister in front of Father.
The one taught by a concubine really can't be on the stage!"
Jinran: "I..."
Yinqian: "What do you want to say? That you didn't do it?
Okay, then dare you swear to heaven that you didn't deliberately stop the messenger to make Father think that Xier hasn't returned yet?"
Silence spread all around.
Lu Jinran had nothing to say because Lu Yinqian was right. On the way to Prime Minister Lu's study, she had met the gatekeeper who was going to deliver the message. From him, she learned that Lu Yinxi was at the Marquis of Yongchang's mansion. Then...
"Father, what do you think should be done with Third Sister's behavior?"
"Confine her for three days. She is not allowed to see anyone!"