her health. Only after finishing did she quietly say"Your Majesty, yesterday I was ordered to check the pulse of Rong Shijun. He doesn't seem to have an ordinary cold and cough.""It's alright, just t..."No worries, since the young ladies have concerns, we should take them seriously."
Wen Shirui spoke in a gentle and polite manner.
After the arrival of the three men, a glimmer of astonishment flashed in the eyes of all the ladies present. Then they instinctively adjusted their clothing and hair accessories, hoping to make a good impression on their future husbands.
Of course, this does not include ripples and Hong Ling'er.
Hong Ling'er feigned shyness, lowering her eyes, but it made a blush rise on her cheeks, giving her a tender and youthful feel.
Ripples then, without shying away, sized up the three of them with a glance, and was the first to speak:
"I am Hua Lianyi, the legitimate daughter of the Hua family in Liuxian City. Only you can enter my room for inspection, after all, you are my future husband. This is both proper and courteous."
With a smile, Lian Yi finished speaking and winked at Wen Shi Rui, confident that the other party would not refuse her.
Wen Ruan's lips twitched, finding the Miss Hua to be incredibly bold and shameless.
Wen Shirui was clearly taken aback. Before he could speak, Wen Xi Xuan said:
How did Miss Hua know you would definitely marry my brother
I’ve set my sights on him, of course I’m going to marry him.
Ripples smiled happily.
"Humph! My older brother doesn't have eyes for you!"
“How is that possible He was clearly smiling at me, and he even checked my place personally to protect my reputation. Isn't that obvious enough”
After saying that, Lian Yi still winked at Wen Shi Rui.
"Ahem!"
Wen Shige let out a light cough, trying to hide his laughter.
Wen Shixuan was startled by Lian Yi's narcissism and self-indulgent ramblings, and for a moment, he had nothing to say.
The other ladies glared resentfully at Lianyi from the shadows, thinking her shameless. However, they also secretly regretted missing their chance.
Wen Ruan's eyelids twitched involuntarily. She didn't expect Miss Hua to be so proactive.
Wen Shirui looked at Lianyi, but did not respond to Lianyi's words. He only said to Wen Ruan:
"My Lady, please invite the Fifth Mistress from the inner courtyard to come with you and inspect the residences of all the young ladies."
Miss Hua is right. Before we get married, we should still keep our distance.
"Yes, my lord!"
Wen Ruan immediately nodded in agreement.
Then Lian Yi sighed with regret, and walked directly to Wen Shirui. She took the blood jade pendant carved into the shape of a red lotus hanging from her waist and put it into his hand. Then she smiled sweetly and said:
"Young Master, Lian Yi has a strong liking for you. Please accept my affections."
After she finished speaking, without giving the other party a chance to reply, she giggled and ran back to her maid's side.
Wen Shirui held the jade pendant in his hand, his expression startled, but he didn't choose to return it.
This unintentionally sent a signal, and the other young ladies in the courtyard exchanged glances, mimicking Ripples' actions. They started removing their pouches, jade pendants, and handkerchiefs and rushed towards their preferred gentlemen. After all, if they were to get married, they certainly wanted to choose someone they liked.
In the small courtyard, there was a momentary flurry of chaos until Wen Ruan called in the Fifth Madam from the inner court. Everyone then returned to normal, but the three young masters already had their hands full of handkerchiefs, sachets, and jade pendants.
Ripples pursed her lips and giggled, then said to Lichun and Xiazhi beside her:
"That young lady in the pale pink hanfu belongs to which family She gave presents to three young masters, and she seemed interested in all of them. Looks like she's going for a large-scale casting net and focusing on cultivating relationships!"
Li Chun and Xia Zhi were covered in black lines, but they also saw what that Miss did. They could only say that Lian Ri's head wasn't done well.
Fifth concubine was a stunningly beautiful woman, graceful as a willow and with an alluring figure. She entered the outer courtyard bridal chamber with measured steps and performed the proper courtesies to the three young masters before, accompanied by Wenruan, she began inspecting each room.
The three young masters of the Wen family gave the things in their hands to the attendant beside them, but they did not leave in a hurry, as if they wanted to know the result as soon as possible.
Liàn Yī watched the back of the Fifth Mistress with a thoughtful expression, then turned to Lì Chūn and asked:
Who is this Fifth Mistress
Wu Yiniang was the fifth concubine of Old Master Wen. Her surname was Hu and her given name was Die'er. Before marrying into the Wen family, she was a medical practitioner. She offended an official's wife while saving someone, and was pursued by that wife. During her escape, she happened to meet Old Master Wen, who rescued her.
To repay my grandfather's life-saving grace and seek shelter, the Hu doctor's daughter married my grandfather, becoming the fifth concubine.
Li Chun's answer was as expected.
On the side, Xia Zhi softly added:
"Actually, I heard from the guards in the mansion that it wasn't Fifth Madam who offended the Official Wife, but rather that high-ranking official took a liking to Dr. Hu's appearance and wanted to take her as a concubine. However, she refused his advances, angering the official. Enraged, he decided to ruin her out of spite and sent people to pursue Fifth Madam in the Official Wife's name."
"I see. I said that the master of Wengjia Fort should not be a man who is lustful and greedy for beauty."
That's right. The master publicly took in the fifth concubine, but actually, she is the exclusive medical woman of Wenjia Fort, responsible for treating the female family members. If something like this happens today, she would be the one to step in.
"Old Master Wen, you're so righteous!"
Ripple sighed.
Just as the three of them were speaking in hushed tones, Hong Ling'er's room had already been searched. Next, Hu Die'er entered Lian Yi's room.
After a quarter of an hour, the butterfly emerged from Rippling's room, glanced at Rippling once, then continued to inspect the remaining rooms. After all the rooms had been checked, she whispered two words to Wen Shiru in a low voice and then left with her own maid.
"The ladies' rooms have been checked and there are no issues, you may return to your rest. We will definitely get to the bottom of Miss Liu's death. Sorry for the inconvenience."
Wen Shirui bowed and then left with his two younger brothers.
Then, Ripples returned to her room with her two maidservants.
The room was very tidy and didn't look like it had been ransacked. Only ripples at the window revealed three new scratches pointing in one direction. She narrowed her eyes, then feigned indifference, shifting her gaze away. Turning to Lichun and Xiazhi, she instructed:
"Spring has arrived, I want to take a bath."
Yes, Miss, I'll have someone fetch water right away.
Li Chun respectfully replied.
And the three young masters of the Wen family, who had just left the outer courtyard, had already returned to the inner courtyard's council hall and were discussing what had just happened.
"Big brother, what do you think of Miss Hua"
Wen Shixuan was the first to speak.
Because he saw his elder brother holding the jade pendant that Huā Lián Yī had given him.
She should be a good match for me.
Wen Shiru thought for a moment then said.
"Oh Really"
"Can she suppress your cold poison"
Wen Shixuan and Wen Shige spoke at the same time, but both their points of focus were the same.
"Hmm!"
Wen Shirui nodded, he hesitated a little, not knowing if this was a coincidence or someone had arranged it deliberately.
What did Fifth Madam say
She said that Hua Lianyi, Hong Ling'er, and Song Jia all understood pharmacology.
Wen Shixuan heard this and frowned.
The poison in Miss Liu's body was powerful, nearly killing him as soon as it entered his system. However, there was no trace of the poison.
All of her food, clothing, and necessities were controlled by Wenjia Fort. The poisoner couldn't have gotten to her through those means, so the only possibility is that someone she came into contact with poisoned her.
"I've examined the body myself. Besides bleeding from the seven orifices, there are no other signs of injury. Could it be that the poison was directly administered into her mouth"getting stronger and stronger. Next spring, he'll be able to run on the ground."Li ripples lifted Tiger up high, making him giggle nonstop.Hui Niang and Song Dachuan also smiled.Because of the return...