That porcelain doll was what Lu Zhaoling had buried in the back mountain of the countryside.
"What porcelain doll?" Lu Zhaoling said nonchalantly, without showing anything on her face. "It's long gone, I don't know where it went."
They wanted it, so of course, she wouldn't give it to them.
Although she also didn't know what was inside the porcelain doll.
"What? Lost?" Madam Lu's voice suddenly turned sharp. "You treasured it so much you wouldn't let go of it even when you slept. How could you lose it?"
Lu Xiaokelian's childhood memories were very blurry. She couldn't remember where the porcelain doll came from, but it definitely wasn't Madam Lu's dowry.
It was a statue of a young girl, gentle and beautiful, made of very fine, pure white porcelain, without any impurities. It was quite heavy, but if shaken hard, one could hear something inside.
The people from the Old Lu Family in the countryside kept trying to steal or snatch the porcelain doll over the years. Lu Xiaokelian felt she couldn't protect it, so she secretly buried it in the back mountain, telling the Old Lu Family that she had hidden it.
Old Madam Lu even beat her a few times to force her to reveal where the porcelain doll was hidden, but she was beaten half to death and still wouldn't tell.
Later, when she grew older, they probably worried that too much pressing would make her discover the porcelain doll's secret, so they never mentioned it again.
Of course, this was Lu Zhaoling's speculation.
Now Madam Lu was asking for the porcelain doll again. What exactly was inside it?
"Who told me my life was so rough? I was often sick when I was little, constantly delirious from illness. Old Madam Lu also didn't let me eat my fill, so I was often muddled from hunger. It's perfectly normal to lose a few things."
Lu Zhaoling said this as if it were quite true.
Madam Lu looked at her, and actually believed her a little.
"You think hard, where did you lose it? I'll write back and have your Third Uncle search carefully!"
Lu Zhaoling thought for a moment. "Hmm, maybe the woodshed? I remember being locked in the woodshed a lot when I was little, and not given food."
Madam Lu: "..."
"Or maybe near the backyard chicken coop? Old Madam Lu said I only deserved to sleep with the chickens, and I slept there for a long time," Lu Zhaoling added.
Madam Lu's mouth twitched.
"Oh right, and the bamboo grove on the west side, the vegetable patch by the river, and the broken Earth God Temple at the end of the village. When they wouldn't let me into the house, I stayed in those places for a few days."
Madam Lu was speechless for a moment.
Qing Yin, however, looked at Lu Zhaoling in shock.
Was Miss really living so miserably in the countryside? The people of the Lu family's old manor were abusing her!
Just listening made her heart ache.
No wonder Miss was so thin, as if a gust of wind could knock her over.
"You can let them go search," Lu Zhaoling said with a smirk. "But, I stayed in the countryside for ten years, so I definitely didn't just stay in these places. It's just that my head is injured now, and I can't remember that much. This morning's breakfast was almost just trash, and I'm not eating or dressing well, so it's probably very hard to remember."
This was a threat!
Madam Lu immediately understood.
Her temper instantly flared. She had originally come to settle scores because Lu Zhaoling had caused trouble in the kitchen and stolen their bird's nest pastries, but now she was being retorted first.
However, the Old Master had said that before she handed over the porcelain doll, they couldn't offend her too badly.
Madam Lu forcibly swallowed her anger, almost choking.
"You just returned, and the kitchen isn't used to an extra person yet, so your breakfast wasn't prepared. It wasn't intentional! You should have just come to me and told me, why did you have to hit people?" Madam Lu said, holding back her anger.
"Can't remember? Then my presence must be too low. It's fine, after this beating, their impression will be deeper, and I'm sure they won't dare to forget."
Lu Zhaoling smiled.
"Aren't you afraid of getting a bad reputation for being arrogant and unruly!"
"Not at all. I've already been bestowed a marriage by the Emperor to Prince Jin, so I'm not worried about not getting married," Lu Zhaoling retorted without thinking.
Madam Lu was practically fuming at her cheeky attitude. She gritted her teeth, "What if Prince Jin hears about it—"
Lu Zhaoling interrupted her, "Oh, then you don't need to worry about it. Prince Jin likes my arrogant self the most."
Pfft.
Qing Yin almost couldn't hold back a laugh.
Was that true?
But hearing Miss say such things in such a cocky tone, she found it very amusing.
Miss was truly different from the other noblewomen in the capital.
"How can you be so shameless?" Madam Lu said in disbelief. "How can you always talk about whether a man likes you or not?"
Was there any modesty left?
"Prince Jin also likes it when I express my affection," Lu Zhaoling winked at her. "He likes me, I like him. Are you jealous?"
Behind the rockery, a tall figure stood. The handsome man listened to these words, a faint smile coloring his eyes. Beside him, Qingfeng's eyes widened.
The Prince had said he wanted to secretly check if Miss Lu was feeling better, and he ended up hearing such bold words.
He secretly glanced at the Prince, seeing the corners of the Prince's mouth turned upward.
Hiss.
Did the Prince actually like that?
They had only met two days ago, hadn't they?
On the other side, Madam Lu left in a huff.
Lu Zhaoling and Qing Yin also walked leisurely towards the front courtyard.
"Your Highness, aren't you going to meet Miss Lu?" Qingfeng couldn't help but ask.
The Prince turned around. "No need. It seems her injuries are recovering very quickly."
Physician Fu had said her injuries were particularly severe, but she didn't seem like it at all.
Meanwhile, Physician Fu, whose medical skills had been secretly questioned by him, was anxiously having his grandson restrained.
Young Master Fu was writhing in pain on the bed.
"Grandfather! It hurts so much! My head..."
Physician Fu's son, Fu Shun, held down his wrist, and asked servants to help hold his son's feet, fearing he might kick his father in his intense pain.
Young Master Fu was in so much pain that he kept wanting to hit his head hard, as if to beat away the intense pain.
Fu Shun's eyes reddened with heartache as he pressed down firmly on his son's hand, "Cheng'er, calm down..."
Beside them, Old Madam Fu and her daughter-in-law were crying, their eyes red and swollen.
"Cheng'er, Cheng'er, my heart's darling, I wish I could suffer for you..."
How could he suddenly be in such severe pain?
Yesterday, Cheng'er had complained of a headache. Physician Fu had already taken his pulse, prescribed medicine, given him one dose, and performed acupuncture. He had slept well last night, and they all thought he was fine. But today, Cheng'er vomited all his breakfast.
Then the headache started, and this time, the pain almost made him lose his mind.
Physician Fu's acupuncture was useless, and even the pain-relieving powder he forced down him had no effect!
Watching Cheng'er drenched in sweat, his face pale, screaming while being held down, the Fu family's hearts were breaking.
"Father, please think of a solution!"
Madam Fu's eyes were swollen from crying. Her son was suffering so much, and her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.
Her father-in-law was a divine physician, yet he was helpless.
"Dad, just kill me, it hurts so much!" Cheng'er cried out.
Hearing him say such words, Physician Fu almost cried himself.
Just then, he suddenly thought of someone.
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