NCCnovel Chapter 505
Chapter 505
The withered lotus leaves rustled in the autumn rain. Li Yanran leaned against the vermilion railing of the winding corridor, her fingertips gently tracing the newly embroidered lotus pattern on her sleeve. Although her contest with Dongfang Wan'er ended in victory, the increasingly luxurious brocades sent from the embroidery workshop and the increasingly respectful manner of the servants silently testified to the dramatic change in her status within the Marquis's mansion.
The brass lock on the east wing gleamed coldly in the twilight. Since being confined, Dongfang Wan'er's former extravagant display of jewels and ornaments was gone. The occasional sobs mingled with the autumn rain sounded like the final cries of a trapped beast. Meanwhile, in the neighboring courtyard, Dongfang Mingzhu's deafening coughs always pierced the carved paper windows at midnight. When Li Yanran opened the door, clutching the prepared medicine, she would always see a figure on the bed, thin as paper, with prominent, bony wrists.
“Don’t be afraid, little sister. This aster root is very effective for moisturizing the lungs.” She gently stirred the medicine with a silver spoon, watching the rising steam envelop Dongfang Mingzhu’s pale face. Watching the other woman tremblingly accept the bowl, Li Yanran suddenly remembered the spoiled young lady she had first met, now as fragile as a withered leaf about to fall. This trust—she had waited so long for.
Days flowed by slowly amidst preparing medicine, paying respects, and reviewing account books, yet Li Yanran always felt as if a pair of eyes were lurking in the shadows, watching her. Behind the screen embroidered with gold thread, in the cracks of the blue bricks, even the flickering candlelight seemed to hold secrets. One afternoon, as she walked towards the jewelry store, clutching her newly acquired jade bracelet, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark blue robe behind the moon gate.
In the shadow behind the Taihu stone, Physician Zhang's hunched back trembled slightly in the autumn wind. The person opposite him wore a blue cloth veiled hat, the brim pulled low, and the hem of his dark robe fluttered in the wind. Li Yanran moved slowly along the artificial rock, her fingernails almost digging into the cracks.
"...The old Marquis is advanced in years. If we stop him from taking the Heart-Nourishing Pill every day..." The voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against a bluestone, startling Li Yanran so much that her pupils contracted sharply. The medicine packet in Physician Zhang's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," spilling out several dark red pills that gleamed eerily in the sunlight. She suddenly remembered that three days ago, the old Marquis had suffered a sudden heart attack, his once rosy complexion instantly turning ashen white.
A gust of wind swept past her ankles, sending a shiver down her spine. The mysterious figure seemed to sense something and abruptly turned to look in the direction she was hiding. Li Yanran quickly concealed herself in deeper shadows, listening to the footsteps receding into the distance, but the cold sweat on her palms wouldn't dry.
As twilight enveloped the glazed tiles, she sat before her dressing table, gazing at her pale face in the bronze mirror, and suddenly smiled. The mirror reflected the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window, which seemed like countless eyes peering from the shadows. Her fingertips traced the gleaming silver hairpin in her dressing case, and she murmured softly, "Since you dare to provoke me, then don't blame me for being impolite."
As the water clock ticked, Li Yanran spread out a plain silk scroll and meticulously described what she had seen and heard that day. The ink spread across the rice paper, like a raging storm about to engulf the Marquis's mansion. She knew that this time, she had to protect not only her own position, but also the safety of the entire mansion. And this undercurrent of struggle had only just begun.
Before the morning mist had fully dissipated, Li Yanran had already traversed the winding corridor, her footsteps treading on the frost-covered ground. The letter hidden in her sleeve was warm from the heat of her palm, its densely packed handwriting recording the thrilling discovery of the previous night. She had deliberately changed into a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her hair adorned only with a simple silver hairpin. This attire made her appear more like a humble concubine, yet it also concealed a sharp edge—the more unassuming she was, the more she could lull her opponents into a false sense of security.
The bronze incense burner in the old marquis's study emitted wisps of sandalwood fragrance, and the writing on the account books flickered in the candlelight. Hearing footsteps, the old man slowly raised his head, his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes filled with weariness. The constant heart palpitations of recent days had made this once powerful and influential marquis increasingly haggard, and now, looking at Li Yanran, his eyes held a rare tenderness: "Coming so early, is there something you need?"
Li Yanran knelt on both knees, her fingertips gripping the letter so tightly they almost crushed the corners. Her voice was steady, yet trembled slightly: "Please take a look, Your Highness." As the letter slowly unfolded, the details of the conspiracy she overheard behind the artificial hill yesterday, and those dark red pills, were revealed to the old Marquis like a scroll painting.
The old man's face went from solemn to ashen, his hand gripping the wolf-hair brush suddenly trembled violently, ink spreading widely across the account book. "Smash!" The inkstone slammed heavily onto the sandalwood table, splashes of ink landing on Li Yanran's skirt, resembling specks of blood. "Rebellion! Utter rebellion!" The old marquis trembled with rage. "Guards! Immediately detain Physician Zhang! And that mysterious man, find him even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"
After the guard left to carry out his orders, Li Yanran did not leave. She gazed at the box of Nourishing Heart Pills on the table and softly said, "My lord, may I take a look at this medicine?" Having received permission, she carefully opened the box, took out a pill, and held it to her nose to sniff. The familiar medicinal fragrance was mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible, fishy smell. This smell made her pupils shrink—it was the scent of realgar, which, even in small amounts, could cause chronic poisoning, and over time, could be fatal!
Meanwhile, Li Yanran's investigation was also proceeding intensively. In the pharmacy, she searched through the entire medicine cabinet and finally discovered something amiss in the hidden compartment at the very bottom. The porcelain jar that should have contained borneol was instead filled with powdered arsenic; the lingzhi mushrooms that should have been dried had an abnormal oily sheen on their surface. As she was examining them intently, suddenly, a faint tinkling sound of jade pendants came from behind her.
The moment she turned around, Li Yanran could hardly believe her eyes. Dongfang Wan'er was standing there, the disheveled state of being confined long gone, replaced by a flamboyant bright red brocade dress, the floral decoration between her brows almost bewitchingly beautiful. "You think you can stop me?" Dongfang Wan'er sneered, her bright red nail polish scraping against the medicine cabinet with a jarring sound. "You probably don't know how deep the waters of this Marquis's mansion run, do you?"