Ling Changyi, as if driven mad, violently shook off the two people holding her and lunged directly towards a pillar.
"Mother..."
"Eldest Miss..."
"Quick... save her, go fetch a doctor!"
Unforeseen by the extreme actions of Ling Changyi, Steward Wu was also startled. Upon regaining his senses, he quickly ordered the servants to fetch a doctor.
"Mother... Mother, please wake up... Mother..."
Zhang Miaor crawled to Ling Changyi's side, carefully holding her in her arms, tears streaming down her face.
Steward Wu stepped forward to check Ling Changyi's breathing. Seeing she still had a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Quickly carry her back to her room... You go report this matter to the Old Master..."
After a moment of thought, Steward Wu called back a departing servant. "You stay here and guard, I will go report to the Old Master."
To prevent any embellishment of the story, it was best for him to report it himself.
...
"How did it turn out like this? Didn't I warn you to advise them to leave the capital with good words, yet you almost caused a life to be lost!"
Old Master Ling placed his teacup heavily on the desk, his tone laced with anger.
After all, she was his own flesh and blood daughter, and he could not bring himself to force her to her death.
"Old Master, please forgive me. How dare this old servant disrespect the Eldest Miss. Previously, this old servant tried to persuade her with good words and all sorts of pleasantries, but the Eldest Miss refused to leave no matter what. This old servant had no choice but to have the servants forcibly escort her out, and did not expect the Eldest Miss to attempt suicide."
"It is all this old servant's lack of foresight that caused the Eldest Miss to do something foolish. It is all this old servant's fault, please punish me, Old Master."
Steward Wu had served Old Master Ling for many years and knew his master's thoughts best.
Only by admitting fault early could he quell Old Master Ling's anger.
"It's not entirely your fault. I am well aware of what kind of person she is; she is exactly like her birth mother."
When speaking of Ling Changyi's birth mother, Old Master Ling's eyes were filled with utter disgust. Back then, Ling Changyi's birth mother had also threatened to die if she couldn't stay, and eventually, relying on the Madam's soft heart, she was allowed to remain in the Ling family, causing so much turmoil. The events of that year were still vividly recalled.
This must never happen again. Old Master Ling stood up and looked out at the clear moonlight outside the window, making a firm decision.
"Once she wakes up, even if we have to tie her up, we will put her in a carriage and send them out of the capital. They are not to set foot in the capital again."
Ultimately, she was his own daughter, and he could not bear to harm his own kin. However, he would absolutely not allow this harbinger of disaster to remain in the Ling family and continue to harm other descendants.
Only by sending her away would they never be able to enter the capital again in this lifetime.
"This old servant understands."
Steward Wu nodded and acknowledged the order. After a pause, he continued to ask, "Old Master, do you want to go see the Eldest Miss? This old servant worries that she will continue like this after waking up."
"Then tie her up and send her back to her husband's home safely. Also, send some money so her husband's family can take good care of her."
He absolutely would not see Ling Changyi again. He would simply dismiss her curtly.
"This old servant remembers it all."
Seeing Old Master Ling's resolve, Steward Wu wisely said no more and turned to withdraw.
When Ling Changyi woke up, they bound the mother and daughter tightly and carried them into a carriage, sending them directly out of the capital.
...
"You mean Steward Wu took people to tie up Ling Changyi and send her out of the capital last night? Why was the action so swift?"
Feng Jin was梳理ing her hair, asking Chu Qing beside her.
"This slave heard it from the servants on duty last night. Originally, Steward Wu took people to ask Ling Changyi to leave the Ling family, but she refused and even hit the wall to commit suicide, which also reached the Old Master's ears. After she woke up, the Old Master directly ordered Steward Wu to tie her onto a carriage and send the mother and daughter away overnight. He also warned everyone in the household not to discuss the matter, or they would be beheaded and kicked out of the Ling family."
Chu Qing described what she had learned, which was not easily obtained and had cost her a considerable amount of money to grease palms.
"With her gone, it's considered a peace. I won't dwell on this anymore."
With the troublemaker Ling Changyi sent away, the household would finally be peaceful. She was too lazy to haggle over trivial gains and losses.
"Is the congee from the small kitchen ready?"
"It's been ready for a while. Young Madam hasn't gotten up yet, so it's still on the stove keeping warm. This slave will go fetch it for you."
"Don't forget to prepare a portion to send to Ling Muzhu."
After what happened yesterday, to prevent any further attempts at poisoning, all of Ling Muzhu's food before the imperial examination would come from the small kitchen.
When Ling Muzhu was mentioned, a hint of panic flashed in Chu Qing's eyes, and her voice was a little nervous. "Someone has already sent... sent it. Young Madam doesn't need... doesn't need to worry..."
"That's good. After eating, we'll go see how he's learning later."
The imperial examination was in two days, so she had to see how Ling Muzhu was progressing in his studies and prepare some things for him to take into the examination hall. After all, he would be staying there for several days, and all necessities had to be prepared.
"Find that silk mattress later and send it over to Ling Muzhu. The Gongyuan is extremely cold, so take a wool blanket too..."
"This slave remembers."
Chu Qing lowered her head, her voice faint, as if deliberately avoiding something.
Her strange behavior immediately caught Feng Jin's attention. Just as she was feeling surprised, she suddenly remembered what Ling Muzhu had said last night, and in an instant, she understood. How could she have forgotten this matter? But it was not convenient to explain it clearly.
After some thought, she said tactfully, "Chu Qing, if you are tired, you can stay and rest well today. I will go over by myself later."
"Young Madam, how can you go by yourself? This slave is not tired, this slave will accompany you."
Even if she was unwilling to go, she would never let Young Madam go alone. She had to accompany Young Madam at all times.
"Then... alright!"
Feng Jin felt it was impolite to expose the matter directly, so she could only agree to Chu Qing for now.
When the two arrived, Ling Muzhu was still studying. Upon seeing Feng Jin, he put down his book and stood up to greet her.
"Elder sister-in-law, why are you up so early today? You usually don't wake up until the sun is high in the sky."
At this hour, Feng Jin would indeed still be asleep. If it weren't for her worry about Ling Changyi's matter, which made her lose sleep, she would never have woken up so early.
Feng Jin coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment. "It's good for the body to sleep early and wake early. I'm just here to see how your studies are going. You'll be going to the Gongyuan in two days. Bring this silk mattress and that wool blanket. The Gongyuan is very cold; don't catch a chill yourself."