Qing Yin quickly moved to block Lu Zhaoyue.
"Third Miss, please, do not frighten our young lady."
"I'm frightening her?" Lu Zhaoyue pointed an accusatory finger at Lu Zhaoling's face, her voice trembling with rage. "She is so arrogant and shameless, who could possibly frighten her? Lu Zhaoling, stop acting so pitiful and weak! Bah! You put on a show to hook Prince Jin, and now that you have him backing you up, you've started trampling on Eldest Sister's pride!"
"I'm trampling on Lu Zhaoyun's face?"
Lu Zhaoling looked at the finger practically touching her nose. Her palm began to itch with an impulse she really wanted to snap it.
"You're overthinking it. I'd actually find her face quite uncomfortable to step on."
Qing Bao nearly burst out laughing. She had never heard someone put it quite like that before.
Lu Zhaoyue's face turned a violent shade of red upon hearing those words. In truth, the members of the Lu family were all quite good looking, and Lu Zhaoyue was a dainty, pretty girl. If her face wasn't currently contorted with such venomous rage, her appearance would actually be quite pleasant.
"Hurry up and hand over the bracelet the He family sent! Is that something someone like you is allowed to have? Sister Lianxin is Eldest Sister's best friend. They only sent gifts and an apology because of Eldest Sister. Do you truly believe you're the Princess Consort of Jin already?!"
Lu Zhaoling saw that the finger was truly about to poke her. She reached out, grabbed Lu Zhaoyue's finger, and gave it a sharp twist.
"Ah! It hurts! Let go!"
Lu Zhaoyue screamed in agony, feeling as though her finger was about to be snapped clean off.
"You all keep saying I'm a country bumpkin with no manners or etiquette," Lu Zhaoling said, her voice icy. "But what about you? Raised in the capital, and all you've learned is how to point at your elder sister's nose and scream like a shrew?"
Lu Zhaoling gave a sharp push. Lu Zhaoyue staggered back several steps before falling hard onto her backside. Her finger throbbed, her bottom stung, and most of all, her pride was wounded.
"Lu Zhaoling!" She tried to jump up but couldn't quite find her footing. Trembling with shame and fury, she hissed, "How dare you hit me!"
"Clearly, I dare. Have you heard of the Heir of Marquis Qingfu? I even dared to whip him, so why wouldn't I dare touch you?"
Lu Zhaoling walked up to her and leaned down slightly. She pinched Lu Zhaoyue's chin, forcing her to look up.
"A word of advice: stop running to me and shouting like a brainless fool. If you don't, I might just sew your mouth shut before breaking both your legs."
She spoke with a calm expression and a casual tone, as if she were merely commenting on the pleasant weather. But when Lu Zhaoyue met those dark, shimmering eyes, she felt a chill of genuine terror.
"You..."
How could someone say such ruthless things while looking so serene?
How poisonous!
Lu Zhaoyue was paralyzed with fear. This version of Lu Zhaoling was terrifying!
"Remember it well."
Lu Zhaoling could tell that Lu Zhaoyue was just a reckless, empty-headed girl. She looked bold on the surface, but her actual courage was far less than that of Lu Zhaoyun or Lu Zhaohua.
"Waaaah!"
Lu Zhaoyue actually burst into tears. She swatted Lu Zhaoling's hand away, scrambled to her feet, and bolted.
As they watched her run away, her wails echoing on the wind, Qing Yin and Qing Bao exchanged complex looks.
"Is the Third Miss's courage really that small? She seemed so domineering earlier."
They had assumed Lu Zhaoyue would be the fiercest and hardest to deal with among the sisters.
Qing Bao let out a giggle. "I didn't expect a few words from the young lady would scare her into tears."
Lu Zhaoling patted her hands clean and lowered her gaze.
She hadn't just been "saying words." She wasn't a good person; if people kept pointing at her nose and cursing her, she would eventually resort to violence.
Back in the Xuanmen, everyone knew her temperament.
Tsk. It was a pity this body was so weak. She truly needed to focus on self-cultivation and recovery.
"Go fetch dinner. We'll rest after eating."
That very night, Lu Zhaoyue developed a high fever.
She dreamed of Lu Zhaoling. In the dream, she was chased until her legs felt like they would break, while Lu Zhaoling pursued her, screaming that she was going to snap her hands off.
The next morning, when the maid saw that the Third Miss hadn't woken up, she pushed open the door only to find her face flushed deep red with fever.
"Madam, this is bad! The Third Miss has a fever!"
Madam Lu had also woken up late today. For some reason, she felt exhausted, her mind groggy as if she had been trapped in a nightmare all night.
Startled awake by the maid, she forced herself to go see Lu Zhaoyue.
The moment she touched Lu Zhaoyue's forehead, she cried out, "She's burning up! Quickly, go fetch Physician Fu!"
"Madam, the Eldest Miss has a fever too!" Qiuju came running in as well.
"How could Zhaoyun be sick as well?"
Two people in the Lu Manor had fallen ill at once. Madam Lu, accompanied by a physician, rushed back and forth between them. She was already lacking energy, and this ordeal left her feeling completely drained.
Lu Zhaoyun had suffered a heavy blow to her reputation, had been crying for two days, and had barely eaten; falling ill was expected. However, Lu Zhaoyue's sudden high fever was strange.
When Madam Lu heard from the servants that Lu Zhaoyue had gone to Tingnuan Pavilion yesterday evening and returned crying, her fury erupted.
"It must be that wretched brat's doing! First she shamed Zhaoyun in front of the entire capital, and now she's made Zhaoyue sick. She is a menace to this household! I'll tear her apart!"
Madam Lu wanted to go settle the score with Lu Zhaoling immediately, but Lu Zhaoyue grabbed her hand. "Mother, don't go. Stay here with me!" she wailed.
The moment she closed her eyes, she saw Lu Zhaoling's terrifyingly calm gaze. She was truly traumatized. In her weakened state, she felt incredibly vulnerable.
"Fine, fine. Mother won't go. I'll stay right here with you, my poor Yue'er..." Madam Lu's heart ached. She sat on the edge of the bed and patted her daughter gently. "Once you're better, I'll go settle the score with that brat."
She had to find a way. Once they secured the item the Master wanted, she would kick Lu Zhaoling out immediately!
Keeping that girl in the house meant no peace for anyone!
She wondered if the people back in their hometown had received her letter yet. Once they did, they needed to search the places Lu Zhaoling frequented thoroughly.
Lu Zhaohua was also surprised to learn that Lu Zhaoyun and Lu Zhaoyue had fallen ill at the same time. For the time being, she didn't dare set foot near Tingnuan Pavilion. However, she couldn't swallow her anger and went to find her own concubine mother to plot a way forward.
Lu Zhaoling, meanwhile, enjoyed a few days of peace.
She went to the front courtyard to inspect the three lanterns. Of these three, only one carried death energy and resentment; the other two were perfectly normal. It seemed the person who sent them didn't realize that not every Thousand-work White Lantern was cursed.
Of the three lanterns Physician Fu had sent over, only one possessed death energy as well.
In total, there were five lanterns.
Lu Zhaoling kept one lantern with death energy and used Purification Talismans to burn the rest. The one she kept would be useful later when she went to find the woman who had died such a miserable death.
The Retired Emperor was eventually buried in the Imperial Tombs.
The funeral rites lasted several more days, and finally, everything was settled.
However, on that day, He Lianxin also fell ill.
She didn't have a fever. Instead, she had been plagued by a recurring dream. In the dream, a woman dressed in red wedding attire followed her everywhere, step for step, never saying a word.
Every time she woke up, she was drenched in sweat and her limbs felt weightless and weak.
The dream was so eerie and terrifying that she didn't dare sleep. After forcing herself to stay awake for two nights, she was on the verge of total collapse.
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).