Lu Zhaoling seemed to read the butler's mind.
"Don't worry, those hands of yours can still be saved with a good wash," she comforted him with sincere gravity.
Old Yun's elderly eyes brimmed with tears. "Second Young Miss, what should I use to wash them? Do I need to go to a temple and plead for some incense ash offered before the Buddha?"
Lu Zhaoling looked surprised. "Butler, where did you hear such a thing? While that might have some effect, it would be weak at best. But if you truly wish to choose that path, I won't stop you. As a practitioner of Metaphysical Arts, I have no desire to compete with the Buddhist halls. Go ahead."
She had originally intended to help, but she hadn't expected the butler to think of such a clumsy method.
Old Yun realized something was amiss. Nanny Qing had already taken a step back, distancing herself from him.
"Old Yun, if you head to the temple now, even with a fast carriage, it will take you over an hour..." Nanny Qing remarked.
And for that entire hour, his hands would be...
The mere thought was nauseating.
The butler's expression froze. He held his hands up, not daring to move them. Although he couldn't see anything "unclean" on them, he couldn't get past the mental hurdle. Was he supposed to keep his hands raised forever?
"Second Young Miss, do you have another way to clean them?"
Lu Zhaoling nodded. "I do. I just need to draw a Purification Talisman on your hands."
The butler's mouth twitched. If it were that simple, why would he have considered rushing all the way to a temple?
"May I trouble the Second Young Miss to draw the talisman?"
"Stretch out your hands."
Lu Zhaoling took up a brush and traced a talisman in the empty air above his palms. As the brush rose and the seal was completed, Old Yun caught a faint glimpse of golden light dissolving into his skin.
He couldn't quite describe the sensation, but his hands suddenly felt incredibly refreshed and light.
"Is that it?"
"Not quite," she replied. "Washing them with plain water is still necessary, if only for your own peace of mind."
In truth, the Purification Talisman had already rendered them perfectly clean.
Nanny Qing couldn't help but chuckle. The more she observed Lu Zhaoling, the more she liked the girl. She was calm, composed, and far from rigid. Most importantly, she was capable.
"Second Young Miss, how should we handle this lantern?" Nanny Qing asked.
"I'll take it back with me," Lu Zhaoling said.
The girl whose remains had been refined into corpse oil had suffered a tragic fate. Since Lu Zhaoling had encountered this matter and become entangled in its karma, she couldn't simply ignore it.
"Won't you feel uncomfortable carrying such a thing with you?" Nanny Qing asked worriedly.
"The one who should feel uncomfortable is the person who made the lantern." Lu Zhaoling shook her head. Why would she feel uneasy?
Nanny Qing recalled her mentioning she practiced Metaphysical Arts and refrained from asking further. She guessed that during Lu Zhaoling's ten years in the countryside, she must have encountered a great destiny and learned these skills.
Though this was entirely different from the usual accomplishments of noble young ladies and most would likely look down on it as unorthodox or "side-door" paths what did it matter?
As long as their Prince liked her, it was enough.
"Quickly, serve the Second Young Miss tea and snacks," Old Yun finally recovered himself.
They had truly been poor hosts! This was the Second Young Miss's first visit to the manor, and before she had even had a drop of water, she had been busy helping them for half the day.
Qingbao, being blunt as usual, piped up, "Nanny Qing, Butler, aren't you going to give our Miss some silver for the talisman she drew? Drawing talismans takes a lot of effort."
Lu Zhaoling thought to herself: Don't make me sound so useless. In my prime, a talisman like that was as easy as breathing...
However, she didn't deny that she charged for her work. "You can put the bill under Prince Jin's name. I'll collect it from him later."
Collecting some of his gold and purple fortune would be quite nice. By legitimately charging him, she could harvest more refined luck than she could by simply "borrowing" some from his presence.
Unexpectedly, Nanny Qing and the butler were too frightened to agree. "How could we possibly put a personal charge on the Prince's account?"
This was for their own private benefit, after all.
Nanny Qing, who had some understanding of the market rates for such things, took out two silver bills and handed them over. She paid on the butler's behalf, knowing he could pay her back later.
Qingbao accepted the silver bills without ceremony. Nanny Qing even saw her quickly flip them over to check the denomination. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
These two maids had once been her most obedient subordinates, but now they clearly knew where their loyalties lay, putting the Second Young Miss above all else.
After finishing a cup of tea and two snacks, Lu Zhaoling took out the sutras she had copied earlier that day.
"These are the sutras I copied at Princess Changning's manor today. Find an opportunity to send them into the palace. It's enough if the Emperor sees them."
Qingyin was slightly surprised. She didn't ask in Prince Jin's Manor, but once they were back in the carriage, she voiced her confusion.
"Miss, those sutras were copied for the Princess's manor to be sent to the palace anyway. Why go through the trouble of having our manor send them in?" It seemed like a redundant effort.
Lu Zhaoling replied calmly, "Princess Changning wanted me to make a fool of myself. Once they see the quality of my transcription, they will never allow it to reach the palace."
But she wanted the Emperor to see them.
Qingyin and Qingbao were still somewhat puzzled, but Lu Zhaoling looked exhausted and had closed her eyes to rest, so they didn't press further.
As soon as Lu Zhaoling left, the butler began working at a frantic pace. In the capital, many others were equally busy.
The moment Lu Zhaoling entered the Lu Manor, someone hurried to inform Madam Lu. Madam Lu, followed by her maids, intercepted her on the path back to Tingnuan Tower.
Upon seeing Lu Zhaoling, Madam Lu rushed toward her, raising a hand to slap her face.
"You jinx! You're going to be the death of your elder sister!"
Lu Zhaoling took a step back. Qingyin moved to shield her, while Qingbao's hand shot out like lightning, clamping onto Madam Lu's wrist. All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
Madam Lu couldn't shake off Qingbao's grip. Raging and anxious, her eyes glared at Lu Zhaoling with enough fire to scorch the air.
"Rebellion! This is utter rebellion!"
Lu Zhaoling looked at her, her expression unchanged.
"What madness is this now? With those drooping eyes, that dull gaze, and the sickly green hue on your forehead... a woman as greedy and immoral as you will surely bring calamity upon her husband and lead her children astray.
At best, your house will fall; at worst, you'll end in death. I advise you to accumulate some merit; it might improve your features. Most importantly, stop coming to squawk in front of me."
Madam Lu was so enraged she felt her soul might fly out of her body.
"You dare curse me? I am your mother! Whether you like it or not, you are a daughter recorded under my name! To curse and insult me is a violation of filial piety!"
At the mention of this, Madam Lu's expression turned smug. It was true Lu Zhaoling was officially recorded as her daughter. No matter how much the brat denied it, the law was the law.
She had expected Lu Zhaoyun to find a chance to check Lu Zhaoling's birthmark today, but instead, the plan had failed, and Lu Zhaoyun had suffered a massive humiliation.
"Recorded under your name?" Lu Zhaoling hadn't actually considered that point yet.
However, meeting Madam Lu's smug gaze, she suddenly smiled.
"It matters not. Your fate is too weak; you cannot suppress me. To dare pose as my mother... be careful, or it will shorten your life."
Madam Lu didn't want to listen to such eerie words, but her heart couldn't help but tremble. The girl spoke with such strange conviction could it be true? She decided she would have to consult a master later!
"Don't try to scare me with your ghost stories! I'm asking you, why did you harm Zhaoyun?"
Since Zhaoyun had returned, she had ordered several tubs of hot water and had been scrubbing herself for ages, weeping the entire time.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).