Be good at doing it
Yu Linlang didn't know when she had fallen asleep in a daze.
In the early morning, she was awakened by the sound of someone pounding on the door. She reached out, rubbed her forehead, and muttered, "I didn't sleep well."
Just as she was about to get up and open the door, she heard Jiujin's angry voice coming from the courtyard.
"Miss, have you not caused enough trouble for a night? And now you're knocking on my girl's door before dawn? My girl still needs to sleep, even if you don't!"
Yu Qiuping ignored Jiujin's scolding and continued banging on the door frantically.
Yu Linlang got out of bed, slipped on an outer robe, and pulled open the copper bolt expressionlessly. She looked at Yu Qiuping, who stood at the door, disheveled and ghostly pale.
"Girl, why are you dressed so thinly?" Jiujin hurriedly put down the wooden bucket he had been carrying and stepped forward to support Yu Qiuping. "Miss, go back to your room and rest!"
"Go away!" Yu Qiuping shoved Jiujin aside with unexpected strength, then lunged forward and clutched Yu Linlang's hand tightly.
"Third Sister, please help me! Can you help me? Please!" Her voice trembled, her desperation palpable. "I know you can help me!"
"For the sake of our shared misery, please! Just once!" She held up a trembling finger. "Third Sister, I was wrong! As long as you help me, I'll admit my mistakes! I'll even kowtow to you a hundred times if I must!"
With a loud thud, Yu Qiuping fell to her knees before Yu Linlang as if her very life depended on it. Even as her knees bruised against the threshold, she showed no sign of pain.
Baliang, who had just arrived, was startled by the scene. Seeing her mistress raise a hand, she immediately stopped in place.
Yu Linlang glanced at her coldly. "Even a fool knows when to act mad. Timing is everything. I just told you about my marriage yesterday, and today, you suddenly go insane? Who in the mansion would believe you?"
"This marriage is already decided by the old madam. Once the birth charts are exchanged, the wedding date will be arranged. Your father said the ceremony will be kept simple, which likely means the wedding will take place before the New Year."
Yu Qiuping looked as if her soul had left her body.
Seeing her in such a pitiful state, Yu Linlang shook her head and took a booklet from Jiujin, flipping through its pages.
"The man chosen for you is named Wu Zhe. Though he is over thirty and already has a daughter, he is decent-looking, has no bad habits, and has a stable official career."
"He is a branch member of the Wu family in the capital. Though not from the main lineage, he is capable and well-regarded by his clan elders. He has served as a county magistrate in Wuhu County for years and has made notable achievements. If nothing unexpected happens, your father's reason for choosing him is likely because he will be transferred back to the capital early next year."
Yu Qiuping was stunned. Slowly, she looked up at Yu Linlang, a flicker of hope in her eyes.
"Third Sister… are you saying the marriage arranged for me… isn't that bad?"
"It's actually quite good—for someone of your status as a concubine's daughter." Yu Linlang's words were sharp and ruthless. "As far as I know, Wu Zhe's parents have long since passed. If you marry him, you will be the mistress of the household."
"The governor isn't a fool. A daughter's marriage is a transaction—if he marries a daughter well, it brings benefits to the family in the future."
"If he were careless, he'd have married you off to a beggar in a rundown house. Your father must have weighed his options carefully before settling on this match."
"The marriage itself cannot be changed, but the path you take after that is in your hands."
"You can either enter the marriage willingly and live harmoniously with Wu Zhe, or you can carry resentment in your heart and ruin your own future. The choice is yours."
Yu Qiuping trembled. Hearing Yu Linlang speak of transactions and benefits, she realized her father and the governor had never truly regarded her as family. A chill spread through her heart.
She didn't question how Yu Linlang knew all this. Instead, she lowered her head and kowtowed solemnly.
"Third Sister, I will never forget your kindness. In the past, I was blinded by resentment and willingly became a lackey for Yujing, even conspiring against you. But from now on, I won't make that mistake again!"
Yu Linlang remained expressionless. "Whether you scheme or not is your own business."
"If you truly want a better future, stop stepping on those weaker than you. Learn to stand on your own."
With that, Yu Linlang turned and stepped back into her room. Jiujin and Baliang immediately pushed Yu Qiuping out and shut the door behind them, looking at her with disdain.
Outside, Yu Qiuping called out, "Third Sister! I'll remember what you said today. Thank you!"
Jiujin scoffed, fetching water for Yu Linlang to wash her face. "It's strange. How did she suddenly become sensible after a night of madness?"
Yu Linlang sighed. "She finally realized that pretending to be mad wouldn't change anything."
Baliang, combing Yu Linlang's long hair, asked softly, "It's so early in the morning, why did you even bother talking to her?"
Yu Linlang frowned in frustration. "I wanted to make things clear and send her away so she wouldn't come bothering me again."
"That's true. These concubine-born daughters are either wailing about their fate or causing trouble in the household," Jiujin muttered.
Yu Linlang couldn't help but laugh, pushing Jiujin's shoulder lightly. "You're just copying me now."
Meanwhile, outside the city, the number of refugees had been increasing over the past few days.
Lu Qian sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If this continues, things could turn disastrous. We've contacted many clinics to offer free medical aid daily, but medicinal supplies are becoming increasingly scarce."
"Even though the clinics are willing to provide treatment and distribute medicine, they can't possibly support such a large group of refugees indefinitely."
Mu Zhao sat at his desk, reviewing reports on the refugees while cross-referencing them with the food storage records. He frowned, deep in thought.
At that moment, Chen Buyu entered with Wei Ling and spoke directly.
"My lord, we need more manpower here."
"We sent people to the Niu family manor and met Niu Daji's wife. That's when we learned that Niu Daji's mother left home a day ago, saying she was heading to Weizhou Prefecture to find her son."
"By our estimate, she should have arrived by now. But there's no sign of her. The murderer seems to have a vendetta against the Niu family, so my subordinates believe we should find Madam Niu first and question her."
"Where is Niu Daji's wife? What did she say?" Lu Qian asked.
"She only entered the family at the beginning of the year. She knows little about Niu Daji's past affairs. When she heard he was killed, she just wept and couldn't provide any useful information," Chen Buyu sighed.
"That's why we request additional men from the governor's yamen to search for Madam Niu. If possible, we hope the prince can persuade Lord Yu to grant us the personnel needed."
Lu Qian glanced at Mu Zhao with concern. The prince had been worrying over the refugees' food and health for days, and he feared it would take a toll on his body.
Mu Zhao considered the situation and finally nodded. "If we are to secure medicine, we must first solve this murder case. Bring Yu Shoudao here as soon as possible."