Chapter 133: Firelight (Part One)

Wu Qingyu and Lin Yanyao actually left the Lin residence around the same time Wu Qinglin left the imperial palace.

They were originally planning to return straight to their manor, but Lin Yanyao made a last-minute suggestion to visit somewhere first.

Wu Qingyu was perplexed, asking, "Where on earth do we need to go today? We woke up early; if you're tired, let's just go back and rest. I can accompany you out tomorrow instead?"

Lin Yanyao replied, "There's no need, it won't take much time. Besides—I had Lanyu send word in advance, so it wouldn't be good to break the appointment."

When they were getting ready after waking up in the morning, Lin Yanyao had sent Lanyu out first, claiming she was going ahead to inform her parents that they would arrive shortly. In reality, following instructions from the previous night, she had sent Lanyu to run an errand for her instead.

Lin Yanyao had not specified who she was going to meet. Wu Qingyu assumed she was visiting some close girlfriends, and since he was never one to sweat the small stuff, he simply didn't press the matter.

However, after their carriage wound through several turns, it finally came to a stop in a rather secluded alley.

When Wu Qingyu stepped down from the carriage, he was surprised to find a medical clinic with a somewhat weathered storefront before them.

Behind him, Lin Yanyao was alighting, and he quickly turned back to lend a hand, asking, "Why are we coming to a clinic? Are you feeling unwell? We have physicians at our manor, you know."

Lin Yanyao answered, "My condition—he cannot treat it."

This made Wu Qingyu even more puzzled and deeply concerned about what kind of illness she might have contracted. Panic setting in, he asked, "Where does it hurt?"

He reached out to feel her forehead, but Lin Yanyao blocked his hand away, saying in a low voice, "I don't feel unwell."

She comes to see a doctor, yet claims she doesn't feel unwell?

What kind of situation was this?

Wu Qingyu was left somewhat baffled by her antics, but Lin Yanyao pulled him urgently toward the entrance, saying, "Don't just stand here, let's go inside and talk."

The resident physician in the clinic was an elderly female doctor. The clinic was small, and as the two of them entered, the doctor was busy consulting with a patient in the inner room. Another patient was waiting in the main hall—a woman in her thirties with a sallow complexion. Even the apprentice sorting medicinal herbs nearby was a young teenage girl.

Lanyu stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, "My mistress's surname is Mu. I came by this morning to give notice."

"I remember!" Though young, the little medical apprentice looked quite steady as she revealed a slight smile, saying, "Our physician is currently seeing a patient. If you aren't in a hurry, please be so kind as to wait a moment. There is tea on the table over there. My hands are full right now, so please make yourselves at home."

"Alright!" Lanyu acknowledged.

The clinic was compact, eliminating the need for further formalities. Lin Yanyao pulled Wu Qingyu over to find a couple of stools to sit on.

Wu Qingyu curiously looked around.

For some reason, the female patient waiting across the room suddenly grew restless, her eyes darting away as she lowered her head. A moment later, she abruptly stood up and headed straight for the exit.

The young apprentice called out, "Ah!"

Without looking back, the woman hurried away, muttering in a very low voice, "I'll come back another day," and vanished without a backward glance.

Wu Qingyu figured she must have been scared off by his presence, though he couldn't understand why he looked so terrifying. He suspiciously reached up to touch his face, prompting the young apprentice to chuckle, "Are the young master and mistress newlyweds? The patients we treat here are all women, and it's rare for family members to accompany them."

Though Wu Qingyu wasn't well-versed in women's matters, as a scion of a noble family, he had read enough books to understand a thing or two. He immediately thought of gynecology and specialized physicians who treated female ailments.

With Lin Yanyao suddenly bringing him here, and failing to notice any outward signs of illness on her part, he assumed she might have been hurt during their wedding night celebrations over the past couple of days due to a lack of restraint...

He wanted to ask, but because they were outside, he couldn't bring himself to say it. Embarrassment washed over him, his earlobes turning bright red, and he found it impossible to respond to the young apprentice's remark.

Noticing him coughing dryly to mask his awkwardness, Lin Yanyao feared he might be overthinking things and quickly explained, "I... I was just a bit scared to come alone..."

She had deliberately asked Wu Qingyu to accompany her. Although they hadn't spent much time together yet, she understood her new husband's disposition well enough to wager that even if he were slightly displeased, he wouldn't truly hold it against her for such a matter.

Normally, she wouldn't have insisted on coming today, but Madam Meng's attitude had been too explicit and resolute. Some matters—

The longer it dragged on, the more complications could arise, so it was best to resolve it as quickly as possible.

"It's fine." Wu Qingyu wasn't displeased, though he remained anxious inside, wondering what on earth was ailing her.

Indeed, the space was too cramped for any further conversation. Fortunately, after only a short while, the female physician escorted a patient out from the inner room. Spotting Lanyu, the doctor instructed the apprentice, "Yan'er, once you've finished dispensing the medicine for this prescription, you can close up." Then, turning her gaze to Lin Yanyao, she said, "Madam, please come this way."

Coming to see this type of physician at her age, Lin Yanyao couldn't help feeling deeply embarrassed, but she bit the bullet and stood up to walk over.

Wu Qingyu reached out to support her.

The female physician first felt her pulse right there in the main hall.

Suppressing her embarrassment, Lin Yanyao said, "Doctor, didn't my maid speak with you this morning? I am newly married, and my maiden family is worried that since I am still quite young, there might be risks during pregnancy and childbirth. Could you please examine me and see how my health is, and whether I need any medication to recuperate for a while?"

Hearing this, Wu Qingyu frowned slightly, but remained silent.

The doctor gave a slight nod, carefully checked her pulse, and then invited her alone into the inner chamber.

Finding it inappropriate to follow, Wu Qingyu and Lanyu waited outside. Lin Yanyao was inside for only a short while before the physician led her back out.

Frowning, Wu Qingyu stepped forward.

The female physician glanced at him and didn't even bother writing a prescription, addressing them both directly: "Madam's health is sound, and there are no issues with normal childbearing. However, given your young age, should you conceive, remember not to over-nourish during your pregnancy, otherwise the fetus will grow too large, making delivery difficult and prone to danger."

Hearing this, both of them secretly breathed sighs of relief.

"Thank you, Doctor." Wu Qingyu expressed his gratitude on behalf of Lin Yanyao and gave a subtle cue, prompting Lanyu to quickly retrieve the consultation fee and hand it over.

Without another word, Wu Qingyu led Lin Yanyao out and into the carriage. Only on the return journey did he ask, "Why the sudden thought of seeing a gynecologist? Did my mother say something to you last night?"

As for Lin Yanyao's excuse about her family's concerns, he didn't believe it for a second.

If the Lin family were genuinely worried about their daughter and had spoken in confidence, given Lin Yanyao's temperament, she wouldn't have made a mountain out of a molehill by dragging him along to see a doctor.

"Mother was simply worried that I am too young right now, so she offered a few pointers, asking if we should wait a couple of years before considering children." Lin Yanyao knew it wasn't right to scheme against him like this, but Madam Meng's conditions were too harsh, and wielding the heavy banner of filial piety left her completely helpless. She had no choice but to appeal to Wu Qingyu's stance. "I was indeed a bit frightened, and thought it best to consult a physician and hear their professional opinion. Brother Yu, matters of posterity are paramount after all. If we couldn't conceive for a time, it couldn't be forced, but since the doctor said I have no problems..."

Putting aside the absurdity of a newlywed couple actively avoiding children, even if she were willing to compromise...

Every medicine carries a degree of toxicity. If she were to drink contraceptive decoctions for two or three consecutive years, what if it ruined her constitution? Even if Madam Meng eventually relented, she might never be able to conceive again.

She could endure and compromise on anything else, but not on this—

Concerned with her entire future, even at the risk of offending Madam Meng, she had to plan ahead for herself and her future children.

Since Madam Meng was coercing her, she couldn't openly rebel. But the fact that Madam Meng had deliberately summoned her alone, excluding Wu Qingyu from the discussion, indicated that this was not something Wu Qingyu agreed with.

Since Madam Meng had not yet won Wu Qingyu over to her side, Lin Yanyao had to fight for it and seize the initiative.

The fact that Madam Meng kept this from Wu Qingyu's face also proved that she cared deeply about her son and wished to avoid the risk of a falling out with him. Even if it meant driving a wedge between mother and son...

Lin Yanyao knew that Wu Qingyu's stance was her only safeguard for establishing her footing in the Wu family and against Madam Meng in the future.

Yet, because Madam Meng was Wu Qingyu's birth mother, she felt a deep sense of unease and anxiety after taking this step—

What if Wu Qingyu ultimately compromised with his mother...

At that moment, though her words carried a probing tone, her anxiety was genuine.

"Don't listen to my mother!" Wu Qingyu's expression turned grim. Cutting her off before she could finish, he said, "She's just being difficult for the sake of it, her temper hasn't settled yet. I'll go talk to her later, don't overthink it."

His temperament was carefree and laid-back—

Wasn't it just marrying a wife? He was already married, and who wasn't just a wife? He truly couldn't fathom why Madam Meng had to pick a fight and make an issue of this. To hold a prejudice against his wife to the extent that she would use posterity as a tool to vent her spleen—

What was she even thinking?

Lin Yanyao had prepared herself for the worst—that Wu Qingyu might wash his hands of the matter or directly compromise with Madam Meng...

Hearing this, the heart that had been suspended all day finally settled back into place. Overwhelmed with a mixture of sorrow and joy, her eyes grew moist. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to drive a wedge between you and your mother, I was just truly afraid." Wiping away her tears, she grasped Wu Qingyu's hand, looked straight into his eyes, and said earnestly, "I know Mother might not like me. If she truly feels displeased and wants you to take concubines, I won't mind, it's just..."

When all is said and done, in a noble household like the Dingyuan Marquis Manor, a woman ultimately needed children to rely on.

There was no matter more important than this!

"What concubines!" Hearing her talk more and more absurdly, Wu Qingyu didn't want to hear another word. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead, and half-jokingly said, "Didn't I tell you? I hardly spend any time at home throughout the year. Are you planning to chop me into several pieces to distribute to others?"

Lin Yanyao hadn't dared to hope that her husband would remain devoted to her for a lifetime, but mentioning concubines right after their wedding—

Let alone speaking it herself, even hearing others mention it was enough to ruin one's mood!

Had she not been driven to a dead end by Madam Meng, she never would have uttered such words.

Regardless of whether Wu Qingyu's words were sincere or spoken on a whim, hearing them allowed the grievances she had suppressed for twenty-four hours to instantly dissipate, melting into tears welling up in her eyes.

As long as her husband was reliable, she wouldn't force anything regarding her mother-in-law. Since they couldn't connect heart-to-heart, they would simply mind their own business and maintain a polite facade.

Though this matter had a conclusion, Madam Meng's meddling left the newlyweds feeling somewhat disgruntled. On the way back, the atmosphere inside the carriage was a bit oppressive, and neither spoke.

Meanwhile, inside the Dingyuan Marquis Manor.

Having plotted for so long, Madam Meng had finally waited out the month until the Dowager Marchioness went to burn incense at Xiangguo Temple. Yet, to avoid suspicion, she could only stay behind in the manor and wait for news, sitting on pins and needles all day long.

When word came back in the afternoon that the Dowager Marchioness would spend the night on the mountain, she began waiting for the night.

To prevent the Dowager Marchioness from returning the same day, she had prepared a backup plan: sending people embedded in Xiangguo Temple to tamper with the carriage. If the coachman was observant enough to notice before departure, the journey would certainly be aborted; otherwise, if an "accident" befell the carriage down the mountain, she could send someone to finish the job and achieve the same result.

Now that she knew the Dowager Marchioness was staying overnight, she stopped overthinking and waited with peace of mind for the news.

However, upon returning to the manor, although Chen Gang had successfully brought the Dowager Marchioness back, he strictly followed Wu Tan's special instructions and kept it quiet. Failing to find reinforcements in two places he searched, he began to panic.

Wu Tan was having a streak of bad luck today. Right after Chen Gang drew a blank at Luoyun Pavilion and stepped out of the courtyard, he ran straight into a young maid from Madam Meng's quarters heading inside.

Chen Gang cursed his bad luck under his breath.

The maid was equally surprised to find him in the inner courtyards. "Guard Chen? What brings you here?"

Chen Gang brushed it off evasively, "Nothing! Just looking for the Second Young Master about something!"

With that, he hurried past her.

The maid had been ordered to check whether Wu Qingyu and his wife had returned yet. Finding they hadn't, she casually mentioned her encounter with Chen Gang to Shurong upon reporting back.

Shurong knew that Chen Gang had accompanied the Dowager Marchioness up the mountain that morning. She immediately went in to inform Madam Meng: "Chen Gang is back. He even sneaked over to Luoyun Pavilion just now, saying he was looking for the Second Young Master."

Madam Meng immediately stood up from beside her desk. "What about the old hag and that girl Wu Tan?"

"There's no word of their return," Shurong replied. "The Heir isn't home right now either. Seeing Chen Gang acting like a headless fly and searching out the Second Young Master... Could it be that they discovered something on the mountain, which is why they sent Chen Gang back for reinforcements?"

Madam Meng had confidence in her arrangements. Furthermore, she knew how many guards the Dowager Marchioness had taken with her, making her certain that it was impossible for them to slip down the mountain undetected under strict surveillance. Thus, she found Shurong's speculation plausible.

"Wu Qinglin isn't here; as a mere guard, he has no authority to mobilize the manor's garrison, and at most can only rally a few men from Wu Qinglin's courtyard," Madam Meng thought aloud, gritting her teeth. "Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime and must not be missed. Without a moment's delay, send word to the mountain immediately to strike first. And as for this Chen Gang..."

After a brief deliberation, she called Shurong over and whispered instructions for a few tasks. "Try to stall them as much as possible. Execute the plan according to my previous preparations—hurry and inform them to make arrangements."

This time, the celestial timing, geographical advantage, and human factors were all on her side. The old hag had gone to Xiangguo Temple without a hitch, and coincidentally, both Wu Qinglin and Wu Qingyu were occupied and unable to accompany her. As for Wu Tan—

That crafty girl might be full of tricks, but she was ultimately just a wet-behind-the-ears child!

Even if they had discovered some clues on the mountain, given the current circumstances—

She could still pull this off.

Knowing his movements had been exposed, Chen Gang didn't dare waste another second. With Wu Qinglin absent and Wu Tan specifically instructing him not to alert Madam Meng, he had no other recourse. Gathering the eight trusted guards Wu Qinglin had brought back from Yuanzhou City, he set off for the mountain to rescue them.

No sooner had the small troop cleared the alley than they ran straight into Wu Qingyu and Lin Yanyao's returning carriage.

The two parties collided head-on, blocking the entrance of the alley.

"Chen Gang? Weren't you accompanying the Dowager Marchioness up the mountain to burn incense this morning?" Changtai asked in deep surprise. "Is the Dowager Marchioness already back?"

"Is the Second Young Master in the carriage?" Chen Gang asked urgently, clutching at it like a drowning man grasping a straw.

Before Changtai could answer, Wu Qingyu poked his head out of the window. "Is my eldest brother looking for me?"

Looking left and right to ensure none of the attendants were unreliable, Chen Gang nodded frantically. "Yes! There's an urgent matter. Can the Second Young Master accompany this subordinate?"

Right at his own doorstep, with his own manor's guard delivering the message, Wu Qingyu didn't hesitate. "Alright! Wait a moment." He retreated into the carriage and told Lin Yanyao, "You go on ahead. There's no need to pay respects to Mother right now; I'll accompany you to see her when I get back!"

"Alright!" Lin Yanyao nodded in agreement.

He pushed open the door and jumped down from the carriage.

One of the guards dismounted immediately, offering his horse to him.

Seeing the hurried demeanor of the party, Lin Yanyao guessed that an emergency must have occurred. As he prepared to leave, she leaned out of the carriage window and called out, "Brother Yu, it's getting dark soon, please be careful."

"I know!" Wu Qingyu flashed a smile, asked no further questions, and rode off following Chen Gang's group.

Once they turned onto the main street, he asked Chen Gang, "Didn't eldest brother enter the palace this morning? Where did he go, and what does he want with me?"

By this point, Chen Gang was frantic with anxiety and could no longer conceal the truth. "It's not the Heir, it's the Second Young Miss!"

"Wu Tan?" Wu Qingyu was briefly perplexed. "Isn't she accompanying our grandmother?"

Subconsciously, he glanced back in the direction of the Marquis Manor.

Nearly crying with anxiety, Chen Gang blurted out, "While on the mountain, the Second Young Miss accidentally discovered that someone had mixed sleeping potion into the lamp oil in the room where she and the Dowager Marchioness were staying! Unsure of who was behind it and afraid to act rashly—while also fearing for the Dowager Marchioness's safety—she had this subordinate disguise himself and bring the Dowager Marchioness back first. Right now, she's left on the mountain alone with Mama Zhou, but the Heir entered the palace this morning and still hasn't returned..."

Before he could finish, Wu Qingyu erupted in fury. "You left Wu Tan all alone on the mountain? You didn't leave anyone with her?"

Covered in cold sweat, Chen Gang stammered, "The Second Young Miss said she was afraid the Dowager Marchioness would face danger on the return journey..."

Before he could finish, Wu Qingyu lashed his horse with a whip and spat, "Idiots!"

Was this a joking matter? Fearing danger for the Dowager Marchioness, they left a young girl behind on the mountain alone?

This was no time to assign blame. Unable to waste words, Wu Qingyu and his party galloped wildly down the main street, charging recklessly and sending pedestrians scrambling in terror.

He led the troop straight toward the East City Gate, which was the closest route out of the city toward Xiangguo Temple. However, long before they even reached it, they saw the gateway ahead completely blocked by a dense crowd. Vague sounds of shouting and arguing drifted over, and due to the fierce commotion, onlookers kept streaming toward the scene.

"Something seems to have happened ahead!" Pulling on his reins, Chen Gang craned his neck to look, sweating profusely.

Wu Qingyu immediately suspected someone was intentionally obstructing his way to buy time. Yet, with so ordinary citizens packed together, he couldn't simply trample right over them.

Obviously, dismounting to reason with them and clear a path was impossible. Making a decisive split-second decision, he wheeled his horse around. "Let's go! Take the South City Gate!"

At first, he had harbored a sliver of hope that Wu Tan might be safe despite the fright. But encountering this chaos at the city gate shattered any remaining expectations—

Through the noisy crowd earlier, the faint shouting seemed to indicate that the city guards had overturned a funeral coffin, sparking a brawl with the deceased's grieving relatives.

With night falling fast, if someone had orchestrated this deliberately, which family would choose this hour to hold a funeral procession out of the city?

Damn it, something truly terrible might be happening!

Meanwhile, at Xiangguo Temple, as night descended, Wu Tan woke up from a nap. When she returned to inspect Huo Yunhao's former room, she found the servant woman had indeed been drugged unconscious and lay dead to the world.

She opened the windows for ventilation. Once the stale smell dissipated, she went back to fetch Mama Zhou.

Working in the dark, the master and servant dragged the unconscious woman half-carrying, half-pulling back to their own quarters, changed her into a set of the Dowager Marchioness's garments, hauled her onto the inner bed, and covered her partially with a quilt.

Drenched in sweat from exertion, Mama Zhou sat on a stool gasping for breath. "Miss, this—what should we do now? Why hasn't the Heir come up yet? Didn't you say he would come to pick us up around nightfall?"

"He was probably delayed on the road!" Though Wu Tan trusted her eldest brother wouldn't drop the ball, she couldn't rule out the possibility of intentional obstruction. Catching her breath, she pulled Mama Zhou to her feet. "Let's go! We can't stay here waiting to be slaughtered. Let's find a crowded place to take shelter!"

Their adversaries' target was undoubtedly whoever stayed in this courtyard. Regardless of whether Wu Qinglin could make it or not, waiting to die in this room was out of the question.

Before leaving, she didn't even let Mama Zhou extinguish the main room's lamp. Emerging from the courtyard, Wu Tan specifically sought out a temple monk to inquire about the Dowager Marchioness's quarters and headed right there with Mama Zhou.

The Dowager Marchioness had just finished her meal and looked surprised to see Wu Tan arriving with Mama Zhou. Glancing behind them and missing the Dowager Marchioness herself, she asked, "Oh, Tan girl! Where is your grandmother?"

Mama Zhou felt a guilty pang, but Wu Tan beamed and said, "Grandmother mentioned feeling tired and unwell this afternoon, so she went to sleep. I couldn't sleep at this hour, so I brought Mama Zhou over to keep you company for a while."

"Come in then! I wasn't feeling like attending the evening service tonight anyway," the Dowager Marchioness said, welcoming them inside. "Mama Zhou, you've come just in time. I've been trying to sketch that embroidery pattern you mentioned for days without success. Since I have nothing else to do right now, why don't you draw it out for me to see?"

"Yes... of course!" Still worrying about her own courtyard, Mama Zhou was distracted and gave a reluctant assent.

Fortunately, the Dowager Marchioness was familiar with her and unsuspecting, failing to notice anything amiss.

Soon, a servant of the Chen household brought brush and paper. Because it was nighttime, the elderly nun attending the Dowager Marchioness lit an extra lamp and brought it over. "Old Madam, it strains your eyes at night, this servant has added another lamp for you."

Everyone gathered around the table. Wu Tan watched with apparent interest as Mama Zhou sketched the pattern, until this newly placed oil lamp was set down upon the table...

She vividly remembered the faint, hidden fragrance emitted when the drugged lamp oil in Huo Yunhao's room had burned—a scent she had caught a whiff of when checking on the unconscious servant woman.

It was that exact scent again!

So, someone had tampered with the main oil containers used throughout Xiangguo Temple? Was the lamp oil in the Dowager Marchioness's quarters also compromised?

Thinking about it logically, if their enemies wanted to administer the sleeping potion, targeting just their room would be difficult, whereas tampering with the bulk supply was far simpler—

Since it was just a sleeping potion mixed into the lamp oil for nighttime use, everyone would simply fall asleep and wake up none the wiser, leaving no trace behind.

Yet, clearly, the perpetrators hadn't intended for them to necessarily use today's specific batch of oil right away; their primary target remained the household members themselves.

A sudden jolt went through Wu Tan's heart. No longer able to sit still, she stood up abruptly and said, "Grandmother, I think something I ate is upsetting my stomach, I need to use the privy."

Holding her breath, she slipped out of the room.

At that moment, she truly had no idea where to seek refuge. Moreover, she didn't fully trust the temple monks either. Just as she was searching for a hidden nook to tuck herself away, she spotted tongues of flame suddenly soaring into the night sky from a distant corner along the edge of the temple grounds.

Reconstructing the direction in the darkness, she realized with a start—

That was precisely the courtyard where she and the Dowager Marchioness had been staying!