Chapter 53

Chapter 53

After returning to the Marquis Manor, my legal mother sent me formal invitations almost every day, wanting to bring her daughter over to tour the gardens and socialize.

Seeing no response from my end, she turned her attention to making my father’s life miserable.

Later, my father sent a message through Steward Li: the roof of the new house needed repairs, making it inconvenient for the women of the household to come and go. He had purchased several types of pastries and some dried apricots from Song’s Pastry Shop in the south of the city. To prevent the children at home from stealing them, he had wrapped every single piece of pastry in oil paper, numbered each one, and tied them with dead knots. He would have my legal mother and younger sister deliver them to me when the time came.

When Steward Li told me this, he was struggling to suppress a laugh. Finally, he praised, “Your father truly dotes on you, Madam.”

I gave an embarrassed smile. “There are many people at home, and my father is accustomed to being frugal.”

Once my legal mother and sister arrived, I had Cuinong take them on a tour of the gardens.

As for the pastries they brought, I picked out a single piece of bird’s nest cake labeled number eighteen; the rest were given to the maidservants as rewards.

Naturally, my legal mother and Third Younger Sister did not see Yuan Heng that day.

I kept them for dinner and then sent them home in a carriage.

…

A few days passed in succession.

The rash on my body had cleared up during this time, so I suggested to Yuan Heng that we no longer needed to trouble Mr. Meng to come for treatments.

Though he was a physician, he was still an unrelated man.

Seeing that my skin was indeed clear and smooth, Yuan Heng agreed.

Who would have thought that within two days of stopping the medicine, the rash flared up again, looking even more severe than before.

Yuan Heng immediately ordered Meng Huaiqing to treat me without delay.

…

It was snowing again outside, casting a stark white glow against the gauze windows.

After the acupuncture session, Cuinong helped me sit up and put on my outer robe.

Meng Huaiqing silently packed his needle case. He looked preoccupied, his brow deeply furrowed as if weighed down by heavy thoughts.

Just as I started to scratch my arm, Meng Huaiqing spoke up to stop me.

“Don’t scratch. Apply the special ointment I prepared in a moment; it will stop the itching.”

I looked at the red welts on the back of my hand. When a person feels both speechless and powerless, they often end up laughing. “Mr. Meng, has this illness latched onto me? Will it never be cured?”

Meng Huaiqing said calmly, “Recovering from an illness is like drawing silk from a cocoon; a complete recovery won’t happen that quickly.”

I shot him a glare.

Whether it’s a recurring condition or you’ve secretly poisoned me again, only you know the truth.

“There was a lot of commotion over by the study last night. What happened to him?” I asked indifferently.

Meng Huaiqing replied flatly, “The Marquis drank cold wine while out yesterday. Likely due to improper diet, he suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, tossing and turning until midnight. He’s much better after taking some medicine.”

My clenched fists relaxed.

Meng Huaiqing suddenly asked, “Did you and Cheng Wei meet at the Marquis Manor?”

“No.” I let out a yawn. “Why am I suddenly so sleepy? You should head back…”

Meng Huaiqing interrupted me. “On the day your father came to the manor, you went to the Waterside Pavilion Corridor alone to clear your head and sent the little maid back first. Quite a coincidence-Cheng Wei also came to the manor that day.”

I smiled. “Oh, we did run into each other at the corridor. What of it?”

Meng Huaiqing stared at me coldly.

I avoided his gaze, turning my head toward the window.

Meng Huaiqing walked over and stood directly in front of me. “I’m very curious about what exactly you said to him that made him suddenly want to save you.”

I sat bolt upright. “Save? What do you mean by that?”
Meng Huaiqing’s eyelids twitched twice. “The night before last, he told me to find a way to kill Yun Sheng.”

“What?”

I was stunned.

To break the cycle of killing me for my skin, one of us had to die: me, Yuan Heng, Meng Huaiqing, or Yun Sheng.

In my previous life, I had slashed my own face, and this time Meng Huaiqing had broken his hand, but those were only temporary delays. They couldn’t solve the fundamental problem.

I had to admit, Cheng Wei’s judgment was precise. Killing Yun Sheng would fix everything.

The reason he wouldn’t do it himself was likely because he feared that madman Yuan Heng, which was why he ordered Meng Huaiqing to do the deed.

I glanced sideways at Meng Huaiqing and asked mockingly, “Aren’t you always fiercely loyal to your Marquis? Surely you wouldn’t follow Cheng Wei’s orders.”

Meng Huaiqing looked away. “Cheng Wei has leverage over me, and besides, this is the best way to save you right now. Cheng Wei believes that with my methods, I can make Yun Sheng’s death look like an accident.”

I fell into deep thought.

Yun Sheng. He had never personally killed me, yet I had died miserable deaths several times because of him.

And he was the man my husband truly loved… which, in its own way, was a unique form of humiliation.

It was only natural for me to loathe him, yet I knew nothing about him. I hadn’t even seen him.

“Are you well-acquainted with Yun Sheng?”

Meng Huaiqing nodded. “Of course. He is my patient. In all the years since he came to Chang’an, I am the one who has spent the most time with him.”

Curious, I asked, “What kind of person is Yun Sheng?”

Meng Huaiqing’s eyes flickered with a strange emotion. He hesitated several times before finally gritting his teeth and cursing, “So many lives have been lost because of him over the years. He is the most malicious, disgusting person I have ever met!”

I looked at Meng Huaiqing in surprise.

In all the time I had known him, he had always been gentle and refined. To hear him break into such vitriol because of Yun Sheng made me even more interested in this man.

I leaned in and asked, “Then, Brother Meng, how do you plan to kill him?”

Meng Huaiqing replied, “Poison. He already suffers from a chronic illness. If I use the right poison for his condition, it can be disguised as a failure to recover from a long-term ailment.”

I asked quickly, “What if Yuan Heng calls for another skilled physician? Aren’t you afraid of being found out?”

Meng Huaiqing gave a confident smile. “Impossible. If my skill in toxicology is second, no one would dare claim to be first.”

I lightly scratched the back of my hand. Meng Huaiqing’s medical and toxicological skills were indeed formidable. Would he be able to diagnose that Yuan Heng had been poisoned?

This man had sold me out once before. Would he…

Just then, Meng Huaiqing grabbed my arm.

His tone was helpless. “Stop scratching. The more you scratch, the more it will itch.”

I pulled my hand back and displeasurably brushed the spot he had touched.

Meng Huaiqing’s hand hung awkwardly in mid-air before he silently let it drop.

I suppressed my hatred and anger. “Don’t do that again. I don’t like it.”

Meng Huaiqing pursed his lips and finally gave a bitter smile.

“By the way, Madam, there is something I must confess to you.”

I smiled thinly. “Speak.”

Meng Huaiqing said calmly, “While serving the Marquis last night, I ‘accidentally’ mentioned that Lord Cheng had privately asked me about the state of your pregnancy. This morning, the Marquis suddenly asked me for some sedatives. You should be careful.”

I pointed toward the door. The word “get out” was on the tip of my tongue, but in the end, I simply said, “You may leave.”