Lord Qi nodded. "Correct. The coachman said he had managed to steady the carriage. All he needed to do was cut the reins of one horse, and there would be no problem. But Miss Lu was startled. The coachman jumped off the carriage to save her, and that's how they got injured. The maid and Miss Cen inside the carriage remained unharmed."
Hearing this, Lu Wanning didn't want to listen anymore. She felt somewhat disappointed as she looked at Shi Aohan standing in front of Lu Yingshuang's bed curtain. Alas, she had managed to escape once again.
There was no point in listening further. Except for the Lu family, most people could leave. Lu Wanning got into the carriage and prepared to leave.
He Chan rushed over angrily. "Lu Wanning, don't think you can act as you please!"
Lu Wanning turned back and squinted at her. Act as she pleased? How stupid could He Chan be? She didn't even realize she was being used.
Seeing Lu Wanning's unfriendly look, He Chan nervously swallowed and glanced at the curved knife on her waist. "What do you want to do?"
Lu Wanning bent down and leaned closer. "I want to tell you that you're really stupid. If you weren't still useful, it might have been you, not Lu Yingshuang, who got injured today..."
"You're threatening me? It was you who hurt Sister Lu, wasn't it!" He Chan shouted.
Lu Wanning didn't look at her anymore. Instead, she looked up at Shi Aohan. Shi Aohan stood there quietly, looking up with an inscrutable expression.
On the way back, Lu Hongxi didn't let Lu Wanning ride alone. He asked her to join them in the carriage.
The princess stroked Lu Wanning's hand and asked carefully, "Are you really okay?"
Lu Wanning gave a sweet smile. "The military doctor said I'm fine. Why are you worried, Mother?"
The princess let out a long sigh, then looked back and asked, "When did you get acquainted with Princess Qin? I saw her staying by your side today. She only left when the officials from the Supreme Court of Judicature came."
Lu Wanning hadn't noticed Princess Qin's comings and goings at all. Hearing what the princess said, she was quite curious and shook her head. "I've met her a few times in the Empress Dowager's palace. We're not really that familiar."
The princess didn't think much of it. "That girl has a very aloof personality... But since she's taken the initiative to be friendly with you, you can visit her from time to time when you go to the palace in the future."
Lu Wanning nodded, then leaned against the window and gently lifted the curtain to look outside. From afar, she saw a pavilion. The girl in the pavilion seemed to be dressed like Princess Qin today, and the man looked very much like Sheng Jinyu.
That was strange. Sheng Jinyu had been busy today and hadn't come.
Lu Wanning rubbed her eyes and looked again. The carriage was moving forward, and they were too far away to see clearly.
Maybe it was because she was always thinking about currying favor with Sheng Jinyu that she was having such an illusion.
Not long after she returned to her room, Jiyue came back.
"The case has been closed. It was the illegitimate daughter of the Lu family who was jealous of Miss Lu. She bribed the maid and deliberately tried to harm Miss Lu."
Lu Wanning raised her eyebrows, not really caring.
Yinong, the maid bestowed by the Empress Dowager, was quite curious at a young age. "So, how was it discovered?"
Jiyue replied, "When a special doctor was invited to examine Miss Lu, they found that she had taken a hallucinogenic drug. Then the maid by her side voluntarily confessed."
Lu Wanning leaned on the couch in a daze. What was Shi Aohan's purpose? To frame Lu Yingshuang and shift the blame to her? But clearly, Lu Yingshuang was Shi Aohan's good friend. What kind of conflict of interest could there be between them?
Logically speaking, both of them were well - known talented women in the capital. So far, although Shi Aohan was very talented, if Lu Yingshuang hadn't been willing to take her everywhere, she wouldn't have been able to attain the title of the most talented woman in the capital. Just her family background wasn't good enough.
What good could she get from harming Lu Yingshuang?
Jiyue continued in a low voice, "My Lady, I heard that Miss Lu's face might never recover."
Lu Wanning asked, "Is she old enough to get married?"
A girl could get married after reaching the age of 15. Lu Yingshuang was already 18 and should have been eligible for marriage.
"She hasn't participated in the grand selection yet. She was going to participate this spring."
Lu Wanning frowned. "The grand selection?"
Jiyue nodded. "Yes. Noble girls in the capital can choose their own marriage partners. If they haven't married, they should participate in the grand selection once every three years after reaching the age of 15. Miss Lu was waiting for this year's grand selection. She had been waiting for three years. Moreover, in terms of family background, status, appearance, and talent, she was among the best. She was a candidate for the Crown Princess."
The Crown Princess?
Lu Wanning thought carefully. Something was wrong. In the book, the Crown Princess wasn't Lu Yingshuang but Fu Qingwei, Fu Rongxuan's younger sister. So, was Shi Aohan paving the way for Fu Qingwei today? Or did Fu Rongxuan intervene in today's incident?
Seeing the princess in a daze, Jiyue quickly nudged her. "My Lady, what are you thinking about?"
Lu Wanning came back to her senses and asked, "Is my coachman a family - born servant?"
Jiyue nodded. "Uncle Niu is a family - born servant. His parents have passed away. When he was young, he married a second - rank maid beside the madam. But the maid had a difficult delivery, and both she and the baby died. Uncle Niu gave up on the idea of remarrying and has been working in the stable whole - heartedly. Later, he drove the carriage for the princess and then was assigned to you. Usually, he drives the carriage when you go out."
Lu Wanning asked, "Does he have any children?"
"No biological children. He has a younger brother, sister - in - law, and two nephews working in the mansion. The elder nephew follows the second young master around, and the younger nephew is only ten years old and also works in the stable. His younger brother and sister - in - law work at the back gate, one at the outer gate and the other at the inner gate."
Lu Wanning nodded and thought for a moment before asking, "How is he?"
Jiyue replied, "You're kind - hearted, My Lady. You allowed him to recuperate well. His family is very grateful."
"Tell his elder nephew to come and see me when he's free."
Jiyue didn't understand Lu Wanning's intention but still passed on the message as she was told. The next day, the boy came and waited outside Lu Wanning's courtyard.
Uncle Niu's elder nephew was called Dawang. He was 15 years old. He had been sent to serve Lu Hannian since he was a child and had followed him to the battlefield to practice martial arts and fight. He was a smart boy.
When Dawang saw Lu Wanning, he didn't even dare to raise his head and immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing three times.
"Father told me that when I see you, My Lady, I must kneel and never stand. Even in my next life, I'll be a turtle to carry you on my back. I'll do whatever you tell me to do."
Lu Wanning couldn't help but laugh. "Aren't you my second brother's servant?"
Dawang was stunned and didn't know how to answer. His face turned red before he said, "I serve the second young master, but I'll also obey your orders, My Lady."
Lu Wanning stopped teasing him and asked directly, "Since you follow my second brother, let me ask you, have you ever beaten anyone?"
Dawang nodded. "On the battlefield, I've not only beaten people but also killed them. I'm quite strong. With a wave of my sword, an enemy's head will roll..."
"Cough, cough!" Jiyue quickly interrupted him. "Don't talk nonsense in front of the princess."
Dawang immediately bowed his head and didn't dare to say anything more.
Lu Wanning found it interesting and asked again, "If I asked you to harm someone, would you dare?"