Chapter 24: Spat

Just this palm-sized silver box alone was worth several taels of silver.

Qingyin, having begun to grasp Lu Zhaoling’s temperament, took out her personal dagger and pried the small silver box open with a sharp click. Inside lay a jade pendant.

"Oh, wow."

Lu Zhaoling picked it up. It felt warm and smooth, the jade quality was delicate, and it was carved with a pattern of blessings—it was clearly a piece of high-quality jade.

Qingyin was not without experience; Nanny Qing had taught them to be companions to the Prince of Jin, which naturally included broadening their horizons. Looking at the pendant, she said to Lu Zhaoling, "Miss, this pendant looks like it came from the Mingbao Pavilion. This type of white jade with blessing patterns was very popular among noble ladies a few years ago. They usually bought them to gift to the younger generation, hoping for their health and good fortune."

But why would such a pendant be kept in a small silver box and buried beneath that tree?

"Could it belong to one of the young ladies of the Lu family? Or perhaps Madam Lu?" she guessed curiously.

Lu Zhaoling’s fingers brushed lightly over the jade. Qingyin could not see it, but a faint layer of black mist on the pendant dissipated under her touch, revealing the natural oily luster of the white jade. Although Qingyin couldn't see the black mist, she clearly noticed the change in the jade. She had initially thought the pendant had lost its luster due to being buried in the soil for so long, but for some reason, after the Miss brushed it with her hand, its shine returned.

"This jade does not belong to the Lu family," Lu Zhaoling said.

"Not the Lu family's?" Qingyin was stunned.

"There is no trace of any Lu family member's aura on this pendant."

Qingyin believed her immediately. She already knew her mistress possessed extraordinary abilities, but now she realized how little she truly knew.

"Then whose could it be?" Qingyin wanted to ask if they should return it to its rightful owner.

Lu Zhaoling handed the pendant to her. "It is ownerless. Take it and the box to the pawnshop."

"Oh?" Although Qingyin had many questions, seeing Qingbao approach, she handed the items over. Qingbao had finished weaving the hand-rope; the two dark green beads threaded onto the black cord looked simple and elegant.

"Tie it on for me," Lu Zhaoling said, extending her right hand.

The rope looked exceptionally beautiful and fitting on her slender, fair wrist.

"Thank you, Qingbao, it looks lovely." Lu Zhaoling gazed at it; the vitality emanating from the small beads nourished her meridians, making her headache feel significantly lighter. Her bundle had been recovered by the Prince of Jin’s men; that was a good deed, so she decided to add ten points back to his score.

"You’re too kind, Miss." Qingbao was delighted that Lu Zhaoling liked the hand-rope. She looked at the small silver box in her hand. Qingyin instructed her to take it to the pawnshop.

"I’ll go right away," Qingbao nodded and started to leave.

"After you're done, buy some snacks on your way back," Lu Zhaoling added.

"Yes."

After Qingbao left, Qingyin looked at Lu Zhaoling with a touch of heartache. "Miss, you cannot survive on snacks alone. Should I have Qingbao buy some pots and pans? I can set up a small kitchen here in Tingnuan Pavilion..." She had assumed that because Lu Zhaoling couldn't stand up to Madam Lu, she was planning to rely on store-bought snacks.

Lu Zhaoling chuckled. "Setting up a small kitchen is fine; it'll be useful for cooking medicinal meals or a late-night snack. However, they cannot withhold what is rightfully mine." She was not the type to suffer in silence. Besides, this entire Lu estate belonged to her. "Let's go. We'll take another stroll and see what else we can 'pick up'."

Qingyin felt a strange sense of anticipation—could her mistress really find more gold and silver jewelry?

However, Lu Zhaoling’s first destination was the kitchen. She had woken up late, and it was long past breakfast time, but that didn't matter. When they arrived, the cooks and servants were eating their own breakfast, finally finding time to sit down now that the masters were finished. They were chatting, and the center of their conversation was none other than Lu Zhaoling.

"Is Madam not afraid that the Second Young Lady will complain to the Prince of Jin? Can we afford to offend him?"

"This betrothal is very strange. The Master and Madam probably don't believe the Prince truly fancies the Second Young Lady; there must be some hidden story. That’s why she wouldn't dare to report anything."

"Exactly. Besides, the Second Young Lady is injured; she shouldn't be wandering around anyway."

"But don't you find it strange? She grew up in the countryside. That old woman from the village came to the capital a few years ago, and we all know her temperament. Shouldn't the Second Young Lady be crude and unrefined?"

Someone whispered a warning, "Sister Gui, how dare you gossip about the old woman behind her back?" If she heard them, there would be hell to pay. The servant called Sister Gui shuddered and cautioned the others, "You lot better not betray me."

They had all been tormented by the old woman in the past and still carried the scars.

"The Second Young Lady really doesn't look like someone raised in the wilderness."

"If Madam keeps ordering us to mistreat her, will it cause trouble?"

Originally, everyone in the Lu household assumed Lu Zhaoling was Madam Lu's biological daughter, but looking at how they interacted, what kind of mother treats her own child like this?

"Madam says not to worry, so it must be fine. This is the Lu estate, and Madam is the lady of the house. Even if the Second Young Lady is betrothed to the Prince, the wedding isn't for another year. The Lu family is still her natal home. If she really dares to fall out with us, she’ll have no one to rely on if something happens in the Prince’s manor later."

Qingyin was so angry she laughed. Based on the Lu family’s behavior these past few days, they would support her? It would be a miracle if they didn't hold her back. Their mistress was someone with profound hidden talents!

"So, how did Madam Lu instruct you to mistreat me?"

Lu Zhaoling walked in, her tone light and casual. The cooks and servants jumped in fright. Sister Gui’s bowl slipped from her hands, shattering on the ground, spilling half a bowl of lotus seed and white fungus soup. A faint, sweet scent filled the air.

Lu Zhaoling glanced at it and suddenly laughed. "Could it be that she instructed you to drink the lotus seed and white fungus soup yourselves while feeding me overnight, spoiled buns? And, perhaps, that spicy pickled vegetable that had been spat into?"

Qingyin’s expression changed drastically. She had thought it was just a dish of pickles; she never imagined it had been spat into. A dark, thin servant standing next to Sister Gui also turned pale; she stood up abruptly, feeling a chill run down her spine. It was she who had spat in it. She had done it when no one else was looking! None of the people in the kitchen had seen her, let alone anyone from Tingnuan Pavilion. How did Lu Zhaoling know?

As the woman stood up, Qingyin moved in a flash, grabbing her by the collar and dragging her forward. "Was it you?"