Fu Mingzhu finally suppressed the taste in her mouth, and secretly cursed the ladies who complimented Luo Ran: a bunch of sycophants.
"Second sister-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?"
"Miss, what you just ate was the Crown Prince's wife..."
As soon as the maid next to Luo Ruxue opened her mouth, Luo Ruxue stared back.
Fu Mingzhu looked at their master and servant suspiciously: "What are you talking about?"
Luo Ruxue laughed dryly and said, "It's nothing. I also think the cooks in Zuixianlou are just like this. Sister, do you still want to eat?"
As he spoke, he pushed the plate in front of her towards her.
Fu Mingzhu hid away quickly and said disgustedly: "You should keep such unpalatable food for yourself!"
Luo Ruxue was just about to say that she was full, but when she saw Fang's appraising eyes, she quickly picked up one and put it in her mouth. When Fang wasn't paying attention, she turned it around in her mouth and spit it out.
After the banquet was over, Ms. Fang didn't even want to deal with it. Before the guests had left, she excused Luo Ruxue to feel unwell and returned to the west courtyard.
Seeing Fang's behavior, Mrs. Wang felt sorry for Luo Ran.
Luo Ran didn't care, and instead advised Wang: "Auntie, don't worry about me, they only know this."
Wang didn't know what to say, but she still reminded: "Although there are people like Li in the Luo family, you don't know that these high-ranking families in the capital may look glamorous on the outside, but there are things that are difficult to read inside. Sutra. Women’s methods are beyond your imagination, so don’t take them lightly.”
Luo Ran nodded and said with a smile: "Why don't you say that my aunt has a good life? Look at my uncle, he is clean and self-sufficient. I don't know how many people envy you."
Wang couldn't deny this. Putting aside wealth and status, there were really few people who were more comfortable than she was living behind closed doors. My mother-in-law is reasonable and easy to get along with. Although my husband is a bit stubborn like a scholar, he is not unwilling to listen to advice, except...
Thinking of her son, Mrs. Wang was afraid that Luo Ran would think too much, so she didn't say anything.
After everyone left, Luo Ran turned around and went to the woodshed.
Chuntao is still locked inside.
Luo Ruxue wanted to talk to her several times before leaving, but Luo Ran ignored her. Just now someone sent someone to send a message to the east courtyard. She specifically asked someone to close the small door, saying that she was tired today and would talk about it tomorrow if she had anything to do.
Chuntao heard the movement and looked at the door expectantly. When she saw it was Luo Ran, her body was visibly shaken and she stepped back unconsciously. She glanced behind Luo Ran without giving up.
Chun Yu moved a chair, Luo Ran sat down, and lightly opened his lips: "No need to look, your master is not here."
Chuntao shrank her neck and summoned up the courage to say, "I didn't do anything! Why do you lock me up?"
Luo Ran glanced at her lightly.
Chun Yu stepped forward and slapped her twice, causing Chun Tao's cheeks to swell instantly.
Chunyu: "Bold slave! How dare you call me "you" and "me" in front of our wife? Is this how the prince's wife usually disciplines you?"
Chuntao's hands and feet were tied, so she could only endure the pain and kowtowed: "Madam, I was wrong. I was just scared for a moment and said the wrong thing. Please forgive me!"
Snap.
Chunyu slapped her twice again: "I think you just don't have a long memory. Our wife asked you if you had something to say, so you just yelled!"
Chuntao was completely stunned by these four involuntary slaps. She closed her mouth tightly and did not dare to speak.
Even though she was just a little maid, before the Marquis and the eldest lady returned to the capital, the second lady was the most favored master in the house, and she was very arrogant even when her subordinates went out.
After marrying into Duke Jingguo's house, although the second young lady was not liked by the prince, and the wife of Duke Jingguo and the eldest lady did not want to see the young lady, the young lady was still the wife of the prince, and she still carried the seed of the Fu family in her belly. She was also fawned over by the servants when she went out. .
Nicheng thought of Xifu, when did this eldest lady, who usually seemed weak and weak, become so powerful.
And this Chunyu next to her, it really hurts to hit someone! Her ears were ringing and her head was feeling dizzy.
"Okay, Chunyu."
Luo Ran finally spoke.
Chuntao burst into tears of gratitude, "Thank you, madam, thank you..."
Halfway through his words, he remembered the two slaps just now and quickly closed his mouth again.
Luo Ran said: "Tell me, Luo Ruxue asked you to pretend to poison me to distract my attention. What did she want to do?"
Chuntao said nothing.
Chunyu stepped forward and was about to raise his hand when Chuntao hurriedly kowtowed: "I say it! I say anything!"
After hesitating for a moment, he said: "The Crown Prince knows that Madam likes to eat rice balls made with rice wine, so she specially ordered the kitchen of the Duke's Mansion to make one. She wanted to serve it to Madam while the food was being served, and then find a way for Madam to eat it."
Luo Ran thought for a moment and said: "You have calculated that the cooks in my house will be too busy, so you will definitely ask Dongfu?"
Chuntao nodded: "The Duke's wife specially asked people to watch the Xifu, and she didn't find that she went out to buy vegetables or anything like that, so, so..."
Luo Ran asked again: "What's in the meatballs?"
Chun Yu hesitated for a long time this time, Luo Ran was not in a hurry and waited quietly.
In the end, she couldn't stand it any longer and said, "It's Juezi's medicine. The second lady gave it to the Crown Prince's wife, saying that if any of the Crown Prince's concubines were disobedient, the Crown Prince would feed it to them."
Luo Ran couldn't help but sneer when he remembered whose stomach the meatball ended up in.
Chuntao secretly observed Luo Ran's expression, wondering if she had eaten the meatball, but was frightened back by Chunyu's look.
Luo Ran didn't tell her that the meatball ended up in Fu Mingzhu's stomach.
Luo Ran felt that something was wrong ever since he caught Chun Yu and made people watch Luo Ruxue's every move, including the meatball Fu Mingzhu ate. But she remembered that the kitchen had not prepared this dish.
Luo Ran asked again: "Do you know who gave the second lady the medicine, and the poison that was given to me in the first place?"
Chuntao lowered her head and said nothing.
Chunyu didn't say anything. As soon as he stepped forward and raised his hand, he saw Chuntao begging for mercy and said: "I don't know, but I heard that it was a man named Zhang Ergui. I really don't know what happened."
Chuntao's idea was that the Second Madam was useless anyway, so there was no need to hide it for her and hit on her, so she did it with a little intimidation.
Luo Ran spoke slowly: "If you want to go back, it's easy, but you have to agree to one condition."
Chunyu raised his head and looked at her.
Luo Ran: "You must tell me everything Luo Ruxue does from now on."
Chunyu's face turned pale and she bit her lower lip.
This is tantamount to committing suicide.
Luo Ran added: "You don't have to rush to answer me. You decide for yourself whether it's okay or not."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
As he walked out the door, he saw a figure standing in the yard. She didn't move for a moment.
When Fu Jin'an heard her coming out, he turned around, holding a cloak in his hand, and came over to put it on her, saying softly: "It's dark, it's windy outside, be careful of catching a cold."
Luo Ran looked up at him and asked, "Eunuch Li is gone?"
After the guests dispersed, she heard someone coming from the palace, and it was Eunuch Li who was beside the emperor.
