Lu Zhaoling had no interest in entangling herself further with a libertine.
"No need. If we can't leave for now, we might as well stay a while longer."
Lu Zhaoling looked at the waiter and beckoned him over. "Could you change us to a different private room? Would that be a problem?"
The moment she spoke, Qingyin handed over a silver ingot.
Since Lu Zhaoling wasn't leaving immediately, she could simply wait until Heir Zhu finished cleaning himself up before dealing with the matter. Naturally, the waiter had no objections. Moreover, he had noticed earlier that the second manager had stopped the hired thugs from interfering.
"No problem at all, of course. This way, miss." The waiter took the silver, his face lighting up with a warm, professional smile as he bowed and led the way.
Lu Zhaoling looked toward Sun Yingying.
"Coming?"
Sun Yingying looked bewildered. She didn't know why Lu Zhaoling suddenly wanted to have tea with them, but she had a favorable impression of her. She had been ready to help Lu Zhaoling escape just moments ago, so she certainly had no reason to refuse now.
Besides, this was a perfect chance to ask exactly what Zhu Minghao had done. It would be good for her dear friend to see her fiancé's true colors.
Sun Yingying had already made up her mind, but she still turned to ask Lin Yiru and Gu Qingluo for their thoughts.
Gu Qingluo nodded immediately. She had liked the second Miss Lu ever since meeting her at Princess Changning's Manor! She was quite interested in her.
Lin Yiru also wanted to know what had really transpired between Lu Zhaoling and Zhu Minghao, so she gave a nod of agreement.
Thus, the group followed the waiter to a private room in the front building.
As for the Waterside Pavilion in the back... No, thank you. That place had been thoroughly contaminated by Zhu Minghao!
"Hey!"
Dai Xu called out from behind them, but no one paid him any mind.
He rubbed his chin and let out a chuckle. "That girl has some nerve, and her attitude is quite grand!"
"Heir Dai, you didn't take a fancy to her, did you? She might be an eyesore—why else would she wear a veil?" one of his lackeys remarked beside him.
Dai Xu didn't believe it. Even with the veil, he felt the girl certainly wasn't ugly. Would an eyesore have the chance to make such a scene with Zhu Minghao? That bastard usually didn't even notice women who weren't beauties.
"Go find out who that girl is and how she offended Zhu Minghao," Dai Xu instructed those around him.
He was looking for another chance to see the girl's true face. If she turned out to be beautiful, he would become her backing and protect her! He certainly wouldn't let Zhu Minghao bully her again.
Dai Xu seemed to have forgotten that in the clash just now, Zhu Minghao hadn't gained the slightest advantage. Lu Zhaoling hadn't even been touched by a drop of water, while Zhu Minghao had ended up in the pond twice.
Putting aside how the soaking wet Zhu Minghao was currently cursing Prince Jin and Lu Zhaoling while plotting his revenge, the ladies arrived at a private room on the second floor. Once they were seated, Sun Yingying couldn't contain herself and brought up Zhu Minghao.
"You are the second Miss Lu, correct? Forgive me if I'm being too forward, but I wanted to ask—rumors have been flying through the capital that half a month ago, you knocked Heir Zhu unconscious with a horsewhip in the middle of the street. Is that true?"
As she asked, Lin Yiru watched Lu Zhaoling nervously.
Lu Zhaoling noticed her expression but answered directly. "It is true. Furthermore, I fully intend to sue Zhu Minghao."
Lu Zhaoling had been severely injured before. Until her head injury had properly healed, she hadn't wanted to make any major moves to avoid overexerting herself; if something happened to this body, her spirit would integrate even more poorly.
So, she had laid low for half a month. Her temporary decision not to have a fallout with the Lu family was also driven by the need to settle down and recover.
However, she was a vengeful woman. She had never considered the matter settled just because she had given Zhu Minghao a single whipping. In truth, the original Lu Zhaoling had died at the hands of Zhu Minghao's servants. This was a blood debt she intended to collect.
"You're going to sue him?" Sun Yingying was astonished. "How could you possibly win a lawsuit against him?"
"The Lu family sent people to bring me back from the countryside. As soon as I entered the city, I was attacked by men sent by Zhu Minghao. They intended to kidnap me in broad daylight and drag me into Marquis Qingfu's Manor. My head was beaten so badly that I had one foot in the grave. It was only because I ran into Prince Jin and received his protection that I managed to survive."
Seeing that Miss Lin's expression was becoming increasingly unsettled, Lu Zhaoling observed her features. Seeing her marriage fate and destiny, Lu Zhaoling sighed inwardly and decided to explain the events of that day more clearly.
When she finished, Sun Yingying gasped and grabbed Lin Yiru's hand.
"Yiru, such a person is truly loathsome..."
"Yingying, stop," Lin Yiru interrupted, embarrassed to discuss her marriage prospects in front of a stranger.
Lu Zhaoling took a sip of tea and suddenly said, "Actually, I learned some Physiognomy and Divination while in the countryside. Would you like to have your fortunes read?"
"Huh?"
The three girls stared at her in a daze. What kind of development was this?
Lin Yiru was also surprised. Such a young and beautiful girl was claiming to be a fortune teller? It seemed absurd.
"What exactly can you calculate?" Sun Yingying asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Future prospects, family, destiny, whereabouts, weather, marriage, and luck—I can calculate them all," Lu Zhaoling replied.
Sun Yingying felt a stir in her heart and became suddenly excited. "Then... can you calculate how a person died?"
Gu Qingluo and Lin Yiru's hearts skipped a beat as they turned to look at her simultaneously.
"Yingying!"
Had Sun Yingying lost her mind? How could something like that be calculated? They all knew she had been very close to her cousin, but that cousin was already dead.
"Since Miss Sun asks, has this person already passed? If you wish to know the cause of death, wouldn't it be enough to find a coroner for a forensic examination?" Lu Zhaoling asked.
"But the person has been dead for several years, and the coroner checked back then. The conclusion was that she died of illness. If someone has been dead for years, can you still calculate it?" Sun Yingying's eyes reddened as she looked at Lu Zhaoling.
For years, she hadn't been able to find anything, yet she truly felt her cousin's death was suspicious. She had no evidence, and no one believed her when she spoke of it.
Recently, her former brother-in-law, Third Master Liu, had the audacity to try and get close to her again. After her cousin's death, Third Master Liu had promoted his Second Concubine to the position of Successor Wife.
That woman had been very active, styling herself as the Third Madam Liu everywhere she went. While that wasn't technically wrong, she was intentionally erasing all traces of the first wife's existence.
Now, everyone only knew that Third Master Liu had married a jealous wife and didn't dare to fool around outside, leaving his inner courtyard quite "clean." But who knew that this "Third Madam Liu" was merely a concubine promoted to Successor Wife?
Sun Yingying had always felt it wasn't worth it for her cousin. Especially lately, she had been dreaming of her cousin constantly. In her dreams, her cousin would just stand before her, weeping silently, until her tears turned into blood.
Seeing her cousin weep blood had kept Sun Yingying from sleeping well for days. Today, she had followed the group specifically to see if she could find anything wrong with Third Master Liu.
Lu Zhaoling took another sip of tea.
"It was just wishful thinking on my part. I..." Sun Yingying began to retreat. How could such a thing be divined? Besides, the second Miss Lu didn't look like a Daoist priest; how could she possibly know fortune telling?
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