People truly are a mixed bag.
Some use love and marriage as bargaining chips for power and status, while others can wait half a lifetime for a love missed in their youth, even dedicating themselves to it silently and without regret.
Looking at Yan Qing before her, Lu Nianfu felt as if she wasn't looking at a person, but at a steadfast love.
She sighed, "Uncle Yan, do what you must, but remember, the position of the Grand Steward of Rui Prince's Estate will always be here for you."
Yan Qing was deeply moved, "Eldest Miss..."
"Don't mention thanks. Without your help, I would surely have fallen into Zeng Guangyi's clutches, perhaps still a blood slave right now." Not to mention meeting Situ Yan. She knew better than anyone that if she and her mother had been confined within the Pingning Marquis's inner estate, they would have stood no chance against Zeng Guangyi, who had nurtured countless gu.
After Yan Qing left, Lu Nianfu invited Ji Jin over.
Qingya stood by the door, Qingmiao guarded the window, and only Lu Nianfu was inside. Ji Jin's heart tightened; this setup did not look like a routine medical examination. As he took Lu Nianfu's pulse, he lowered his voice, "Sister-in-law, what has happened?"
Normally, he would address her as Princess Consort.
When nervous, old habits resurfaced.
Lu Nianfu said, "Imperial Physician Ji, don't be nervous. I just wanted to ask, how is the Marquis of Pingning's health? How much longer can he hold on?"
So that was it. Ji Jin breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't worry, as long as he keeps taking his medicine, he can hold on for as long as he wishes."
"And if the medicine stops?"
"The medicine stops? Sister-in-law, are you planning to let him go?" Ji Jin's first reaction was regret. The gu poison in Zeng Guangyi's body was peculiar. Even though he was paralyzed by the medicine, the gu worms in his body were merely dormant, and they counteracted his poison, forcing him to revise the prescription periodically.
It was rare to find such a good experimental subject, and he was deeply engrossed in his research.
Lu Nianfu finally realized that the Marquis of Pingning's illness was man-made. Stopping the medicine would not be a release for him, but a rescue. She quickly shook her head, "No, I just think that it's not a solution to let him linger on like this. Not only is he suffering, but it's also delaying my mother."
Ji Jin was speechless for a while, "Does your mother... wish to remarry?"
"No, no, it's just that I feel she's living too hard a life."
"It's indeed not ideal to be a young widow." Ji Jin breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as you're not soft-hearted and want to let him go. Sister-in-law, let me tell you, the gu worms in him are highly active. Once the poison I administered is undone, and the gu worms awaken from dormancy, Zeng Guangyi will surely need your or your sister's blood to sustain himself. Letting him go would be too risky. However, just killing him off is also not an option. A'yan would absolutely not allow you to bear the sin of parricide. This matter must be brought up by him."
Lu Nianfu: "...... These kinds of details, really, are not worth mentioning."
"It's not like it's a matter of days anyway. Let's wait until A'yan returns. Besides, you've just given birth and it's not very suitable to observe mourning and abstain from meat."
"Uh..."
She was willing to mourn for Lu Chaosheng and would execute it with utmost diligence and without compromise.
But for Zeng Guangyi, even going through the motions was too much; could she really abstain from meat in private?
However, Ji Jin still disagreed with Zeng Guangyi's immediate demise, making Lu Nianfu wonder if she was particularly ruthless. But in fact, Ji Jin merely wanted to research the gu within Zeng Guangyi's body further.
Pingning Marquis's Estate
Qiangwei led Yan Qing into the Sandalwood Courtyard and knocked on the door, "Madam, the newly hired steward has arrived."
Madam Ban found it strange, "With so few people left in the estate, why hire a steward?"
The original steward of the estate was Zeng Guangyi's confidant and was also infected with gu. After Zeng Guangyi's accident, the steward, who failed to receive the antidote on time, naturally could not escape his fate.
"Madam, our estate's assets are dwindling. If we don't hire someone capable to help look after them, what if they collapse? You wouldn't want to go begging the eldest miss, would you? Moreover, our new steward is exceptionally skilled and will surely double our assets within a year."
"Nonsense. How could someone like that stoop to working for our estate?" Madam Ban walked out.
She had intended to send the person away, but she froze upon seeing Yan Qing.
Qiangwei was still smiling, "Madam, I wasn't bragging, was I? The silver notes you gave Young Master Yan back then have multiplied hundreds of times!"
Yan Qing cupped his hands in a bow, "Madam, I have just parted ways with my former employer. I hope you will grant me a place to stay."
"Why would you part ways with him for no reason? Is there some misunderstanding with Xixi? I'll go explain for you."
"There is no misunderstanding, Madam. The Princess Consort knows that I am resigning to become your steward."
Madam Ban's breath hitched, and after a long moment, she managed to utter two words, "Ridiculous."
In the end, Yan Qing did not stay at the Pingning Marquis's Estate, but he did take over the remaining farmlands and account books, which Qiangwei had provided for him.