Did she become "Eldest Young Lady" again? It seems she isn't allied with Nanny Rose.
"My good nanny, please rise. I cannot accept your kneeling," she said.
"You are the legitimate Eldest Young Lady of our Pingning Marquis Estate. It is proper for this servant to pay her respects," she said, kowtowing again, her demeanor utterly subservient, a stark contrast to Rose.
Lu Nianfu evaded, not receiving her bow. "Nanny, my father is Lu Chaosheng, a merchant from Xiangshui County. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
Su Yue respectfully replied, "Eldest Young Lady, please rest assured. This matter concerns the bloodline of the Marquis Estate, so there is naturally no room for error. Once we return to the capital for a blood-recognition test, you will know for sure."
Lu Nianfu smiled. "Even if what you say is true, I am already married, and my husband serves in Yangzhou. How can I possibly return to the capital with you? Nanny, please go back. Just consider me as having no such familial ties to the estate."
"Eldest Young Lady, that is not quite right. Ever since the Marquis learned of your whereabouts, he has been constantly worried, hoping this servant would bring you back to the capital to reunite soon. Even if you cannot live in the capital permanently, it would be good to visit the Marquis."
"No, I still need to observe the mourning period for my late father; it is not suitable for me to travel far."
Her tone was gentle, but her attitude was extremely firm. Su Yue had no recourse, knowing she could not persuade her. She could only pack her belongings and return to the capital.
Lu Nianfu’s rouge production went smoothly. When the first batch of finished products came out, all the maids in the estate were astounded and praised them for their beauty. She breathed a sigh of relief and asked Qingya to search the entire city for plum blossoms.
As it turned out, she didn't find plum blossoms, but Madam Li had an accident.
Qingya rushed into the room. "Miss, news has come from Xiangshui County that the Madam has fallen ill due to missing you and is bedridden. Today, she has become paralyzed. What should we do? Should we let the young master go back to see her?"
Lu Nianfu was stunned. "How could this happen? Didn't the young master send people to protect her? Has Wei Jing sent any news back?"
"Not yet."
"Then we'll wait a little longer. As for the young master, you go personally to reassure him first."
"Yes, should we send someone to inform the young master?"
"He is busy with matters of the state; there's no need to trouble him with such trivial matters. Have Song Ming prepare the horse. If Wei Jing still has no news by evening, I will go back tomorrow."
Her mother was ill; of course, she should visit.
Even if she was a stepdaughter.
Qingya bowed and withdrew.
It began to rain in the afternoon, and the weather turned colder. As Nanny An was arranging for a brazier to be added to the room, Wei Jing's message arrived.
Lu Nianfu quickly unfolded the note and then breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Li had merely feigned paralysis, going along with the effects of the medicine. The delay in the message was because Wei Jing discovered that the steward, Lu Song, was colluding with Li Chuanhu. The two were plotting to split the Lu family in two: Li Chuanhu would get the dyeing workshop and the Lu mansion, while Lu Song would take away the valuable assets of the Lu household.
Although Li Chuanhu was Madam Li's elder brother, he was naturally not as influential over the Lu household's servants as Lu Song.
Just as he was pondering, Lu Song conveniently offered his cooperation. Since it was at the Lu family's expense, he readily agreed.
Wei Jing recounted the overheard conversation verbatim. Lu Nianfu almost laughed in anger. Did they think she was already dead?
Indeed, there had been a lot of gossip in Xiangshui County recently, saying she coveted her younger brother's assets and had cruelly killed Lu Fei. If she were to return to seize the dyeing workshop, the people of Xiangshui County could drown her with their spittle. By then, bribing the Lu clan elders would ensure that the vast fortune would bear the Li surname.
Lu Nianfu had someone prepare Lu Fei's favorite pastries and personally went to Mr. Feng's residence to see Lu Fei, and to show him the note.
Lu Fei looked a little dejected. "Sister, my mother has always held my uncle in high regard. This must be quite a blow for her."
"Doesn't she need to recognize the true nature of the jackals around her?"
"My mother's poor judgment of people isn't a recent issue. Sister, I don't want to study here anymore. I need to go back and look after my mother; otherwise, what if she's deceived again?"
Lu Nianfu was envious. Madam Li, with her character, could produce a son like Lu Fei, who was both intelligent and filial.
Heaven was truly unfair.
She patted his head. "We'll discuss this later. For now, the most important thing is to deal with your uncle."
The rain poured down all night.
Lu Nianfu woke up, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she felt something was amiss. She turned her head and saw Gu Yanchen propping his head with his hand, smiling at her. "You've drooled into the quilt."
Lu Nianfu quickly wiped her mouth, only to find her hand dry. She immediately knew she had been tricked.
The lingering romantic atmosphere of sharing a bed for the night vanished instantly. She playfully slapped him. "Why aren't you up yet today?"
This man was extremely disciplined. He would wake up on time every day and then go to the garden to practice martial arts. Even on rainy days, he would lift weights indoors. His training room had two large stone locks; Lu Nianfu had tried them, and neither she nor Qingmiao could lift them, yet he could lift and lower one in each hand as if playing.
Gu Yanchen sprawled on the bed. "I've been too tired lately. I'm taking the opportunity to sleep in."
"Then keep sleeping."
Lu Nianfu got up to change her clothes. As soon as she got out of bed, she heard rustling sounds behind her. Gu Yanchen was also getting up. She raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you going to sleep in?"
"I wanted to, but isn't my wife about to go out? I can't let you be bullied."
"You know I'm going back to Xiangshui County?"
Gu Yanchen fastened his belt. "Don't forget, Wei Jing is my man."