“If Third Sister were here, our family would be so much livelier…” Bai Jinzhao sighed, missing Third Sister Bai Jintong.
“Yes, if Third Sister came back, that would be wonderful!” Bai Jinhua looked up at the Grand Princess. “Grandmother, before we return to Shouyang, will Third Sister recover? Will Third Sister come back to see us off?”
The Grand Princess had returned without bringing the Third Miss. The public explanation was that Third Miss had caught a cold and was afraid of passing the illness to the newborn Eighth Sister.
“They say illness comes like a landslide but leaves like pulling silk threads. It’s better to let Jintong properly recover her health first. Meeting again in the future will be just the same.” Bai Qingyan stroked Bai Jinhua’s head with a smile.
Nanny Qin followed behind, accompanied by maids carrying hexagonal sheepskin lanterns and over a dozen servant girls holding black lacquered food boxes as they crossed the courtyard gate.
The servant girls filed in orderly, properly set out the bowls and dishes, then withdrew.
The Grand Princess had ordered that although they were still in mourning, the food must not lack meat and fish for these children who were still growing. This evening meal indeed had both fish and meat.
Nanny Qin walked around the screen into the inner chamber, smiling as she bowed to the Grand Princess and Dong Shi, announcing that they could begin their meal.
Who would have thought that before this family had finished eating, Nanny Jiang lifted the curtain and entered, quietly reporting to the Grand Princess: “On the twenty-fifth of the third month, that person beaten by Chancellor Lu’s youngest son at Fanque Tower had been lying in bed for so many days. In the end, he could not be saved and died this morning.”
Bai Qingyan’s hand gripping her chopsticks tightened as she looked up.
Nanny Tong also looked at Bai Qingyan in disbelief.
Dead? How was that possible?
Since Lu Yuanpeng’s fight with someone was to defend her, after learning that the person Lu Yuanpeng had beaten at Fanque Tower was seriously injured, she feared Lu Yuanpeng would be implicated in a murder case, and specially sent Physician Hong to take a look.
The Lu Chancellor’s mansion had also invited a physician from Ping’an Hall, where the capital’s most skilled doctors gathered.
Not to mention the physician from Ping’an Hall, while Physician Hong’s medical skills couldn’t be called divine, he still could distinguish between serious and minor injuries.
Physician Hong used the pretext of being sent by the Lu mansion to carefully examine the injured person’s wounds and check his pulse. He returned to report to Bai Qingyan that the injured person only had external wounds and was deliberately staying in bed to extort money from the Lu mansion.
Moreover, the mother and son had already taken money from the Lu mansion and were emboldened. They actually felt confident letting Physician Hong check the pulse, cursing and swearing, thinking the Lu mansion hadn’t given money willingly and had sent another physician over, even saying something about the barefoot not fearing the shod.
Fourth Madam Wang Shi couldn’t bear to hear about death and life, quickly chanting “Amitabha Buddha.”
Third Madam Li Shi was startled, pressing her handkerchief to her chest: “Then… won’t Chancellor Lu’s mansion be implicated in a murder case?”
“Indeed…” Nanny Jiang knew that although this little troublemaker from the Lu family had a spoiled and reckless nature, his heart was fundamentally kind. Moreover, this time, Lu Yuanpeng had injured someone, and all of the capital knew it was to defend Bai Qingyan.
Bai Qingyan put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and frowned as she asked: “If even Nanny Jiang has heard about this, the matter must have caused quite a stir.”
“Miss is quite right. The matter has indeed caused a big stir! This Young Master Lu killed a student from the Imperial Academy named Lin Xin’an. This afternoon, Lin’s mother, who had accompanied Lin Xin’an from Xiling County to study in the capital and was illiterate, asked Lin Xin’an’s classmates from the Imperial Academy to help write a complaint and took the matter to the prefectural office. But when the prefectural office saw it involved the Lu family, they dared not make arrests! The students from the Imperial Academy then accompanied Lin’s mother to beat the Dengwen Drum, risking their lives to seek justice for her son!”
The Lu family truly had one crisis after another.
Bai Jinxiu also put down her silver chopsticks and asked: “Was Lu Yuanpeng arrested?”
Nanny Jiang nodded: “I heard that Young Master Lu was watching the excitement at Wude Gate when suddenly a group of students dressed in Imperial Academy uniforms accompanied a woman to beat the Dengwen Drum. The Imperial Academy students blocked the officials who were about to carry out rod punishment, insisting on taking one rod each for that woman! Young Master Lu hadn’t expected that watching the excitement would involve him. When he heard the woman was there to accuse him, he lost his composure, grabbed a horse whip, and rushed out to lash wildly at those people! The Crown Prince immediately ordered his arrest.”
Nanny Jiang hadn’t mentioned the filthy and sordid words that woman had said when beating the Dengwen Drum, words that directly targeted their family’s eldest miss, not wanting to let those words unnecessarily pollute their young lady’s ears.
Bai Jinzhi looked at Bai Qingyan: “Elder Sister, has Lu Yuanpeng… caused a major disaster this time?”
This year the Dengwen Drum had been beaten far too frequently. Counting from Emperor Gaozu, all the times combined didn’t match how often it had been beaten during the current emperor’s reign.
The Grand Princess picked up the soup beside her and took two sips. Upon hearing this, she felt something was wrong behind this matter.
How could an illiterate woman, even if she wanted to beat the Dengwen Drum, rally Imperial Academy students to stand up for her in such a short time?
If there wasn’t someone behind this plotting and scheming, fanning the flames, the Grand Princess wouldn’t believe it.
One woman beating the Dengwen Drum wasn’t frightening, but what was frightening was that Imperial Academy students were all kneeling outside Wude Gate. This reminded Bai Qingyan of her previous life, when her mother left behind that “Letter Questioning the Emperor,” and Fifth Aunt splattered blood at the palace gates seeking justice; it was precisely these students who led scholars throughout the realm to kneel and seek justice for the Bai family.
The hearts of students were most pure and upright, their sincere feelings most easily stirred by worldly injustices to take extreme actions.
“Perhaps someone, seeing the imperial examination fraud case grow serious, is inciting Imperial Academy students to divert attention.” Bai Qingyan pressed her lips together. “After all, for common people, nobles abusing their power and killing people is more relatable and infuriating than imperial examination fraud. Once the people’s attention is diverted, those involved in the examination fraud… even if lightly sentenced, won’t provoke public resentment.”
This was the strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao that Bai Jinzhi had read about in military texts.
Dong Shi nodded in agreement.
“Nanny Tong, send someone to investigate the background of Lin Xin’an’s family, and ask all the neighbors when they learned of Lin Xin’an’s death.”
As soon as Bai Qingyan finished speaking, the Grand Princess put down her azure-flowered sweet white porcelain spoon and said, “Have Nanny Jiang call Wei Zhong to investigate! Quickly!”
Nanny Jiang acknowledged and went out to instruct Wei Zhong.
Bai Jinxiu, quick-witted and perceptive, guessed: “Elder Sister wants to determine from when others learned of Lin Xin’an’s death whether this matter is man-made or heaven’s will?”
“If Lin Xin’an truly died this morning, then at that time the failed examination candidates hadn’t yet beaten the Dengwen Drum, so Lin Xin’an wouldn’t be a chess piece in the strategy of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.” Bai Qingyan didn’t avoid her younger sisters when discussing this today. “If Lin Xin’an truly died this morning…”