Lu Ming watched Lu Zhaoling depart with the Prince's Mansion guards, cursing under his breath in a fit of rage. "That unfilial daughter!"
Ever since her return, he hadn't heard her call him "Father" even once!
She addressed him as "Lord Lu" at every turn. Did she simply refuse to acknowledge him?
His eyes flashed with a calculating light, and he walked quickly toward the back courtyard. "Madam!"
Madam Lu had only just managed to steal a moment of sleep. Both of her daughters had fallen ill, and Lu Zhaoyue kept waking up in a panic, refusing to let her leave. The ordeal had pushed her to the brink of collapse.
She had barely closed her eyes when Lu Ming's loud shout startled her awake.
She opened her eyes with difficulty. "Master, what has happened?"
"Prince Jin sent men to take Lu Zhaoling away."
"Why would Prince Jin take her? That dead girl is truly shameless. They've only been betrothed for a few days, and she goes running to his house just because a man crooked his finger? Could Prince Jin be thinking of..."
Madam Lu perked up slightly, her mind immediately jumping to something scandalous.
Lu Ming's brow furrowed, a trace of disdain flickering in his heart. "What nonsense are you dreaming up? Prince Jin is still in deep mourning! No matter how lustful he might be, he wouldn't commit such a massive blunder at a time like this."
The things she came up with.
If Prince Jin dared to do such a thing now, he would be denounced to death. If the Emperor caught such an opportunity, he would trample the man into the dirt.
"Then why is he in such a hurry to find Lu Zhaoling?" Madam Lu asked, rubbing her dry, stinging eyes. She was so tired her vision was starting to blur.
"Who knows? We'll ask the girl properly when she returns. For now, hurry to Tingnuan Tower. Search it thoroughly; perhaps she hid that thing there!" Lu Ming said.
Until he had that object in his hands, he had to endure Lu Zhaoling.
"Didn't she come back without any luggage?" Madam Lu sat up straight.
"Who can say for sure? What if she found her bundle these past few days and snuck it back when she went out? She says it was lost long ago, but who would believe that?"
"I'll go right now."
It was a rare opportunity. Lu Zhaoling had left in a hurry and taken both Qingyin and Qingbao with her. The door certainly wouldn't be locked, and her things might not even be put away.
"Go quickly, and look carefully."
Madam Lu took her trusted maid, Xiaxia, and hurried toward Tingnuan Tower.
"Second Miss, please follow me." Qinglin led Lu Zhaoling past the front hall and straight toward the main courtyard in the back.
"Are we going to the Prince's private quarters?" Qingbao asked in surprise.
They were naturally familiar with the Prince's Mansion and knew exactly where they were being led.
"Yes." Qinglin's pace was frantic.
He had driven the carriage like the wind, and the moment they hopped off, he had led them inside without a word. Qingyin and Qingbao's hearts were in their throats; it was obvious something had gone wrong.
As Qinglin neared the courtyard gate, he suddenly realized he was walking too fast for a young lady to keep up.
He spun around, thinking Lu Zhaoling must have fallen far behind and that he would need to go back for her. To his shock, he nearly collided with her.
Lu Zhaoling stopped just in time.
She looked at him, puzzled. "What is it?"
Qinglin was stunned. He realized that Qingyin and Qingbao were still several steps behind Lu Zhaoling, only catching up now that she had stopped.
The Second Miss could actually keep pace with him.
Fu Cheng was standing outside the door and saw them. His face broke into a look of relief and joy the moment he spotted Lu Zhaoling, and he rushed forward to meet them.
"Second Miss Lu."
Lu Zhaoling looked at him. "Young Master Fu. It seems Doctor Fu is here as well?"
"Yes, my grandfather is inside with the Prince..."
The door creaked open, and Qingfeng interrupted Fu Cheng, shouting to Lu Zhaoling, "Second Miss, come quickly!"
Lu Zhaoling nodded to Fu Cheng and brushed past him into the room.
"You two wait outside as well," Qingfeng told Qingyin and Qingbao.
"Yes."
Fu Cheng watched the door close again, feeling a bit dejected. He hadn't even had the chance to speak properly with her. Ever since she had saved him last time, he had felt an inexplicable curiosity and focus regarding Lu Zhaoling.
"I'll go prepare some tea. The Miss will be thirsty when she comes out," Qingyin said to Qinglin.
Qinglin nodded. Since Qingyin was originally from the mansion, he didn't need to assign anyone else to look after them.
Nanny Qing and the steward also arrived, inviting Fu Cheng to the side wing for tea. Though they were sick with worry, they didn't dare go in and disturb the treatment; all they could do was wait.
Inside the bedroom, Lu Zhaoling's gaze immediately fell upon Prince Jin.
Her expression shifted. She hurried over without pausing to catch her breath and reached out, pressing her hand directly onto his chest.
"Aiyo! Second Miss, be careful of the needles, the needles!"
Doctor Fu nearly suffered a heart attack. He hadn't removed the silver needles yet! They were still protruding from the Prince's chest, and Lu Zhaoling had charged in like a whirlwind and slapped her hand right down!
Was she trying to drive the needles all the way into the Prince's body, or was she trying to skewer her own palm?
Before his voice even faded, Lu Zhaoling's hand was already pressed firmly against Prince Jin's chest, narrowly avoiding the silver needles.
Prince Jin's face was an ashen grey, his lips were dark blue, and his body was so cold it stung to the touch.
The few needles Doctor Fu had inserted had provided a moment of relief, but before long, he felt his blood freezing solid. His limbs went numb, and his knees were the worst first a searing pain, then a total loss of sensation.
He had wanted to tell Doctor Fu, but even his tongue was numb, rendering him speechless.
Just as his heart was sinking to the bottom, and he was contemplating risking a total internal collapse or a deviation into madness just to break free from this icy paralysis, Lu Zhaoling charged in.
Thump.
Her hand pressed down hard against his chest, effectively interrupting his suicidal attempt at self-rescue.
Immediately following, a scorching heat radiated from her palm, flowing into his heart and surging through every part of his body.
Prince Jin's eyes remained glued to Lu Zhaoling's face. Seeing her calm and composed expression, his heart instantly relaxed.
She was here. She had arrived once again, dragging him back from the Gates of Death and into the world of the living.
Lu Zhaoling met his gaze, her lips parting slightly. "Don't be afraid," she said.
Don't be afraid.
Those three words were like a spark of fire dropped directly into Prince Jin's heart.
Lu Zhaoling turned to the physician. "Elder Fu, remove the needles. Then, go prepare a medicinal bath to promote blood circulation and dispel the cold. Leave the rest to me."
Hearing her calm voice, Doctor Fu felt his own tension vanish. He complied immediately. "Yes, yes, of course."
He hurriedly gathered the silver needles, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Qingfeng, have Qingyin bring me the talisman paper and the cinnabar brush. Then, all of you wait outside."
Qingfeng had been staring at Lu Zhaoling's hand in a daze. Before she had pressed her hand down, the mass of black energy in the Prince's chest had been rampaging,
causing his skin to bulge in distorted lumps as if a monster were trying to break free. Black Qi had even been leaking from the needle points, proving that the ailment was not a living thing.
But the moment Lu Zhaoling's hand touched him, that mass of darkness was instantly suppressed. The black-purple veins that had begun creeping toward the Prince's face had also stopped their advance.
Qingfeng snapped out of his shock at Lu Zhaoling's command.
"Yes!"
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