Chapter 39: The Prince's Estate Sends Gifts

The butler, his face pale, took his son and went out to find a doctor.

Lu Ming felt a throbbing pain in his temples. Turning his head, he saw his wife and Old Woman Jin looking as if they had seen a ghost, and he could not help but feel irritable.

"Old Woman Jin, if you are injured, just stay at home!"

Looking at her, Lu Ming felt it was a bad omen.

"Master," Madam Lu grabbed his hand suddenly, "Old Woman Jin says that the Lu Zhaoling from just now is not the same one she brought back from the countryside!"

Lu Ming was stunned. "How is she different?"

"Her temperament is completely different. Old Woman Jin, tell him!" Madam Lu urged her to explain clearly.

Old Woman Jin recounted what the Lu Zhaoling she had brought back was like along the journey. She insisted that the girl she had brought back would never have dared to raise her voice at Lu Ming.

After hearing this, Lu Ming frowned deeply.

"I remember that when she was born, there was a small, pale red crescent birthmark on her right ankle."

Madam Lu stood up immediately. "I will have someone check it."

Checking an ankle should not be difficult.

"Don't make too much of a scene. Before the funeral of the Retired Emperor is concluded, if I cause trouble and it gets out, I will be in trouble."

If it were not for the funeral, he would not be so timid. The Emperor had decreed that no one should cause trouble in their households during this period, lest they disturb the new spirit of the Retired Emperor.

"I understand." Madam Lu sent Old Woman Jin away and hurried off to make arrangements.

Qingyin soon returned to Tingnuan Pavilion, carrying food.

This time, the kitchen dared not play any tricks; they brought decent rice and side dishes, along with a soup. The taste was quite good.

"Miss, I will drive the carriage back to the Prince's residence later. Would you like me to pick up some clothes, shoes, and socks for you? Qingbao and I are both skilled at sewing, or we could just buy some fabric to make them."

They could tell that Lu Zhaoling did not have the energy to deal with Madam Lu over these matters yet, but their mistress could not go without new clothes.

"Yes, go ahead. You decide what to buy. Don't buy too much; I will make the Lu family pay for it later."

Lu Zhaoling felt sleepy after eating her fill. She was truly exhausted today, and she did not know how long she would have to sleep to recover. She had not yet summoned the energy to prepare any restorative medicine for herself.

It was a pity that Prince Jin was in the imperial palace, making it difficult for her to reach him; otherwise, she would certainly have gone to absorb a few more breaths of his energy. This body was far too frail—so frail that she found it quite repulsive.

"Yes, Miss."

Qingbao stayed to watch over Lu Zhaoling, while Qingyin took some silver and left. Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Matron Qing pulled her aside to ask about Lu Zhaoling.

Hearing that Lu Zhaoling had specifically gone to the palace gate to see Prince Jin today, and that the two had spent time alone in the carriage, the lines at the corners of Matron Qing’s eyes deepened.

"Could it be that the Second Miss Lu really has such deep feelings for our Prince?" They seemed so inseparable.

"Miss is a very good person," Qingyin said.

Matron Qing’s curiosity about Lu Zhaoling grew. The two maids she had trained were good-hearted but not soft-spoken; under her deliberate guidance, they even possessed a bit of pride. After all, she had intended for them to serve Prince Jin, so they needed to distinguish themselves from ordinary maids and not see themselves as too lowly.

Yet, in just three days, Lu Zhaoling had completely won them over. Even though the Prince had sent them to the Lu household, it was clear now that Qingyin and Qingbao were already fiercely protective of her. This proved that Lu Zhaoling had her own exceptional qualities.

"Is the Lu family really that unreasonable?"

Qingyin told Matron Qing a bit about the other members of the Lu family. "Yes, but fortunately, Miss does not seem too heartbroken."

Matron Qing pondered for a moment. "Since she is now our Prince's person, the Prince's residence cannot ignore her. Come with me; I will gather some things for the Second Miss Lu."

What started as "gathering some things" ended with Qingyin returning to the Lu residence in a carriage from the Prince's estate. The residence also sent several maids to help carry the items into Tingnuan Pavilion.

The Lu family dared not stop them.

Lu Zhaoling, however, had been asleep the entire time and had not woken up. Lu Zhaoyun and her sisters, having heard the news, could not help but come to see for themselves.

They watched as maids in elegant attire filed in, each holding something: three bolts of shimmering, radiant silk, an exquisite vanity case, two sets of jewelry dripping with pearls and gems, a soft white cloak, two beautifully carved charcoal braziers, a candle stand, and a bronze mirror.

Although these were daily necessities and not rare treasures, the craftsmanship, the materials, and the styles were clearly extraordinary. The Lu family could never afford such luxury! Those silks were clearly not something one could buy at an ordinary fabric store. The sisters were mesmerized by the luster of the items as they passed by.

"Elder Sister, is that tribute silk?" Lu Zhaoyue’s gaze remained glued to the bolts of fabric. If those were made into new clothes for her, how beautiful she would look! If she wore them out, her friends would die of envy.

Those two sets of jewelry were also incredibly opulent, inlaid with gold threads and precious stones—surely they cost at least a hundred taels each? They would be perfect to match new clothes!

Lu Zhaoyun watched all of this, nearly grinding her teeth to dust. Her mother had intentionally provided nothing for Lu Zhaoling, even giving her a set of worn-out clothes, hoping to see Lu Zhaoling come crawling to beg for favor so they could humiliate her. And yet, she now possessed all these wonderful things!

Qingbao was also a bit surprised. She tugged on Qingyin’s sleeve and whispered, "Isn't the Prince still in the palace? These things..."

"Matron Qing asked me to bring them. Don't you remember? The Prince's residence has a storehouse managed by Matron Qing. She has the authority to make decisions regarding these items. We can just inform the Prince later."

The Prince's residence had no mistress, but there were occasional social exchanges and gifts from others, so there was a separate storehouse with the keys held by Matron Qing. To the Prince's residence, these items were not worth mentioning.

"The Prince probably couldn't attend to it while in the palace. Otherwise, he would have given Miss even more, right?" Qingbao thought that the Prince was not a stingy man and certainly wouldn't watch their mistress live in such misery.

"Just put them away for now."

Qingbao nodded, swept a glance at the three Lu sisters standing at the courtyard gate, and saw the greed in their eyes. She gave a cold snort, feeling nothing but contempt for them. It was obvious they coveted these things; they were so shallow.

"That Eldest Miss Lu, does she really have an engagement with the Second Prince? How come I’ve never heard of it?" Qingbao asked curiously.

Qingyin also glanced at Lu Zhaoyun. "I asked Matron Qing, and guess what?"

"What?"

"Matron Qing said she had never heard of it either!"

"Oh?"

But based on what Madam Lu and the others had implied, Lu Zhaoyun was indeed engaged to the Second Prince. What was going on?

"Matron Qing said she would look into it," Qingyin said.

The main point was that Lu Zhaoling was already their prospective Princess Jin, so they had to care about the affairs of the Lu family. Previously, the Lu family had never caught Matron Qing’s eye, so she had never paid them any attention.

"I heard the Second Prince is highly favored by the Emperor," Qingyin said, feeling a twinge of worry.