Chapter 35: Being a Granddaughter-in-Law

"Miss Lu, what on earth is wrong with Cheng'er? His grandfather is a renowned physician, yet he couldn't diagnose a thing!"

Old Madam Fu glared at her husband.

Doctor Fu had not expected his medical skills to be looked down upon by his own wife, but he didn't know where to begin either, so he could only shake his head helplessly.

Fu Shun and his wife also looked at Lu Zhaoling, waiting for an explanation.

"My father even suddenly took away a root carving from Cheng'er's room earlier..." Fu Shun said.

"That root carving is indeed the source of the trouble."

Lu Zhaoling pointed to the object on the ground. "If I am not mistaken, this carving is actually a burial artifact."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the Fu family members turned pale in unison.

"What?!"

They recoiled two steps, staring in horror at the object wrapped in black cloth.

"Furthermore, the owner of the tomb likely died of an illness."

Lu Zhaoling added this in a flat tone, as if twisting a knife in the hearts of the Fu family. Old Madam Fu swayed, her face draining of color.

"But Cheng'er said he found it in a ditch," Fu Shun said, his voice trembling.

"You can send someone to investigate whether a tomb has been washed open upstream of that ditch," Lu Zhaoling suggested.

"Then... should we return this carving?" Yao Lin's imagination began to run wild, her hands turning cold. "Is this the tomb owner's vengeance? If we don't return it, will he refuse to let it go?"

She terrified herself with her own words. Did this mean Cheng'er might still be in danger?

Lu Zhaoling looked at her with surprise. "Madam Fu, why would you think that? There are no ghosts in this world. It is merely tainted with death energy. As long as Fu Cheng wasn't the one who dug up the grave, he bears no responsibility. He was simply unlucky to have picked up something he shouldn't have."

The Fu family, who had already begun to weave a series of "ghost stories," were brought to a sudden halt by her words. They stood there in a daze. No ghosts in the world? Then what about the display Lu Zhaoling had just performed?

Old Madam Fu watched Lu Zhaoling’s relaxed demeanor and couldn't help but smile. The more she looked at the young girl, the more she liked her.

"Then this carving..."

"I don't have the proper supplies, so I brought it here. Prepare a brazier; I will burn it."

Just a brazier? Well, it mainly required a significant amount of charcoal. Lu Zhaoling was as poor as a church mouse and had nothing, and she didn't want the hassle of bickering with Madam Lu for supplies.

The Fu family quickly prepared the brazier, and Lu Zhaoling placed the root carving inside.

The fire refused to burn brightly, and thick, black smoke began to pour from the carving. Even before the flames touched it, everyone could smell a trace of putrid rot.

"Can this even be burned?"

Lu Zhaoling gestured for them to stand back, while she remained by the brazier. The Fu family worried for her safety, wondering if there would be any danger.

Suddenly, Lu Zhaoling reached out and made a swift motion with her finger. A drop of blood from her fingertip fell into the brazier.

Instantly, the fire roared to life, shooting flames half a person’s height, swallowing the root carving whole. The black smoke grew thicker, but Lu Zhaoling made a light gesture in the air, and the smoke rose straight up instead of drifting away. Once it reached a certain height, it dissipated entirely.

The onlookers watched this scene, completely dumbfounded.

"How on earth did Miss Lu do that?" Yao Lin asked, breathless.

Old Madam Fu spoke up, "This is Miss Lu's secret skill. No one is to speak of this to outsiders." Everyone quickly agreed.

Old Madam Fu looked at Doctor Fu and whispered, "Old man, Miss Lu looks to be only fourteen or fifteen, right?"

"Sixteen," Doctor Fu replied, knowing her age.

"A bit older than Cheng'er? That's fine; older is better," Old Madam Fu continued. "What do you think about her becoming our granddaughter-in-law? I like this child."

"What? What did you say?" Doctor Fu blurted out in his native dialect. He looked at his wife in shock, coughing violently.

"What is that attitude? Do you look down on Miss Lu? Is the home of the Divine Doctor Fu too hard to enter?" Old Madam Fu glared at him.

"Cough! Old woman, quickly dismiss this thought! Don't ruin Cheng'er!" Doctor Fu's beard trembled. "Miss Lu has just been promised in marriage!"

"Promised in marriage?" Old Madam Fu was shocked. "Which brat snatched away a good match for our Cheng'er?"

"Cough, cough, cough!" Doctor Fu coughed again. "What brat? It's Prince Jin! That is Prince Jin!"

Although he had a good relationship with Prince Jin, if Zhou Shiyue found out they wanted to suggest his future Princess to Fu Cheng, he would never let Fu Cheng off the hook! Cheng'er was still just a child; how could he withstand a single finger from Prince Jin?

Old Madam Fu was stunned. "He... didn't he just return to the capital?" And hadn't the Retired Emperor just passed away?

She had never heard of Miss Lu before. How could they have been promised in marriage so quickly?

"Hmph, indeed! He met Miss Lu the moment he entered the capital." And then, he shamelessly claimed her as his own. Thinking back on it, Doctor Fu felt Prince Jin had hit the jackpot.

(Prince Jin: Are you sure it wasn't me who was claimed by her?)

With Lu Zhaoling's intervention, the root carving was soon reduced to a small pile of ashes.

"Take these ashes and bury them in an uninhabited place outside the city," Lu Zhaoling instructed the Fu family.

They had thought it would be fine to just dump them, but they realized they needed to be cautious and bury them properly. Fu Shun instructed his servants to handle it. They also decided to investigate the tomb upstream to put their minds at ease.

After finishing, Lu Zhaoling was visibly exhausted. Seeing her weariness, Doctor Fu felt guilty, as she was still heavily injured yet had gone to such trouble. He offered to change her bandages. Upon checking her wounds, he was surprised to find they were healing rapidly.

Lu Zhaoling remembered the matter regarding Madam Wu and mentioned it to him.

"Since Miss Lu has requested it, I will naturally treat her with care," Doctor Fu promised.

"By the way, Doctor Fu, if you encounter cases like Fu Cheng's in the future—where you cannot diagnose the problem—you can refer the patients to me," Lu Zhaoling said.

Doctor Fu paused for a moment before realizing she was likely adept at "treating" such strange illnesses. "I understand."

Feeling too tired to walk, Lu Zhaoling took her leave of the Fu family. Once inside her carriage, she leaned against a pillow and sighed.

"I really want to catch Prince Jin and use him as a bolster pillow." That would surely be very nourishing.

Qingyin and Qingbao, hearing this, nearly tumbled out of the carriage.

At the Lu residence, Lu Ming returned home, dragging his weary body. Ignoring his need for rest, he immediately sought out his wife.

"Has Lu Zhaoling handed over the item?"

"That wretched girl said she lost it long ago!" Madam Lu replied irritably. She didn't know why Lu Ming wanted that porcelain doll so badly anyway.

"What? Lost? Where did she lose it?" Lu Ming's expression shifted.