Chapter 88: Drugged

Cui’er’s eyes flickered with excitement, but she quickly suppressed it, leaving only a look of heartache and sadness on her face for Li Yunbi to see.

She seemed extremely nervous, looking up at Li Yunbi with rapid breaths, her heart pounding. In a low voice, she said, “Miss, do you know… there is a kind of medicine that, if used, will… make one lose control of oneself.”

Li Yunbi was startled, suddenly stood up, and took several steps back in shock, staring at Cui’er incredulously. “Are you suggesting that I drug Third Brother Lu?”

Cui’er shook her head. “No, Miss, it’s not for you to administer the drug, it’s for me.”

Li Yunbi stared at her maid intently, shaking her head. “No, what difference does it make? Besides, Third Brother Lu’s heart isn’t with me. What’s the use of forcing it?”

She broke down in tears as she spoke.

Cui’er stood up, grabbed Li Yunbi’s hand, and said, “Forcing it may not be useless. Over time, feelings may develop. Miss, I’m afraid you’ll torture yourself like this and won’t be able to go on living.”

Tears streamed down her face as she continued, crying even more sorrowfully than Li Yunbi. “Since returning from Anyi County, Miss, you’ve been locked in your room crying every day. It’s been just over a month, and you’ve lost so much weight. When Madam asks about you, you won’t tell her the truth. How can this continue?”

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“Ykpp, nyd usw alyzzu clya vs pll Mbkae Jasvbla Nw xyaau psxlsdl lzpl? Esd’v usw altalv kv qsa vbl alpv sq uswa zkql? Zsw’hl zkjle Mbkae Jasvbla Nw qsa ps xydu ulyap.”

“Ykpp, yp zsdt yp usw’al olzz, yp zsdt yp R nyd qkde xu casvbla clqsal Flnsde Zswdt Yypvla alvwadp bsxl, yde jllr vbl dlop sq Mbkae Jasvbla Nw’p hkpkv qasx Flnsde Zswdt Yypvla, vsxsaaso xsadkdt… kv okzz osaj swv. Gzz vbl czyxl okzz cl sd xl, yde usw osd’v cl kdhszhle.”

Nk Zwdck’p blyav oyp nsxrzlvlzu kd vwaxskz.

Xcplahkdt bla lmralppksd, Uwk’la pyke, “Mbkae Jasvbla Nw kp ps jkde-blyavle, yde swa xypvla yde xyeyx byhl blzrle vbl Nw qyxkzu ps xwnb. Xdnl kv clnsxlp y alyzkvu, bl okzz valyv usw olzz. Ykpp, usw okzz cl yczl vs zkhl byrrkzu lhla yqvla okvb Mbkae Jasvbla Nw kd vbl qwvwal. Ebu es usw dlle vs vsavwal uswaplzq zkjl vbkp?”

Nw Ubldtmkys oswze valyv bla olzz.

Nkhl byrrkzu lhla yqvla.

Mblpl osaep nywple Nk Zwdck vs clnsxl yzxspv eygle. Fbl zkjle Nw Ubldtmkys cwv nswzed’v byhl bkx, obknb bye clnsxl yzxspv y pknjdlpp kd bla blyav. Lso, rlapwyele cu Uwk’la’p osaep, pbl tayewyzzu pwnnwxcle vs bla kddla elxsdp okvbswv lhld alyzkgkdt kv.

Uwk’la’p hsknl lnbsle kd bla lyap ytykd.

“Miss, this is your last chance. If you miss this opportunity, you will only be able to watch Third Brother Lu get engaged and marry that girl from the Liu family. Please make a decision quickly.”

Li Yunbi couldn’t make a decision.

But Cui’er gritted her teeth. “I’ll go find my brother now. If you regret it later, just call for Cui’er.”

With that, she walked briskly out of the room.

Three steps, five steps, she opened the door, her lips trembling, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t speak.

A hint of a smile flashed in Cui’er’s eyes as she left the inner courtyard.

---

In the outer courtyard, Cui’er knocked on the door of Li Zhongjue’s servant Liu Liang’s residence.

Liu Liang opened the door and saw his sister standing there, puzzled. “Why are you here so late at the outer courtyard?”

Cui’er glanced in the direction of Li Zhongjue’s bedroom and didn’t see any light. She lowered her voice and said, “Brother, let’s talk inside.”

After pushing his older brother into the room, Cui’er closed the door behind her.

Inside, Cui’er spoke in a very low voice, but soon there was a sound that even Liu Liang couldn’t suppress.

“You’re crazy!”

That was all that was said before the voices lowered again.

After a long while, the door opened again, and Cui’er walked out.

Liu Liang’s face turned pale. Seeing Cui’er had already left, he couldn’t help but grab her and say, “Have you thought this through? What if something goes wrong… it’ll affect our whole family…”

But Cui’er interrupted him abruptly. “It won’t. Our parents have been following the master and madam for so many years. Outside matters of the Li family are handled by my father. Besides, Mother was Second Young Master’s wet nurse. Madam won’t forget old ties. Besides, I’m doing this for Miss. I’m innocent too.”

“Brother, please help me this time. I’m only asking for this one time.”

These words eased Liu Liang’s worries. Their parents had been with the master and madam for over twenty years, which made them different from ordinary servants.

The siblings looked at each other, and in the end, Liu Liang relented.

Cui’er smiled, turned, and left the courtyard. She glanced in the direction of the inner courtyard but chose the path leading to the back door of the Li residence. Today, Li Yunbi wouldn’t be able to change her mind.

Watching his sister’s figure disappear from the courtyard, Liu Liang glanced at Li Zhongjue’s bedroom, swallowed nervously, closed his eyes for a moment, then closed the door. Soon, the candlelight in the room went out.

---

Li Zhongjue returned late at night, but Liu Liang, who usually waited to bring him water, was nowhere to be seen today. Seeing his room dark, Li Zhongjue knew it was too late, and he probably fell asleep while waiting, with the candle burning out.

He was exhausted and didn’t bother waking anyone up. He washed up casually and went straight to bed. As usual, he didn’t have breakfast at home the next morning and headed straight to the dyeing workshop.

When Lu Chengxiao and Babao came to visit, they only saw Qian Shi.

Unlike Li Cunyi, who valued Lu Chengxiao, Qian Shi felt that they had already repaid the favor for saving their lives. Therefore, her treatment of Lu Chengxiao or the Lu family was more of a matter of face. After Lu Chengxiao conveyed his parents’ greetings, they exchanged a few polite words and then fell silent.

Qian Shi took the initiative to ask her servant, “Where’s Zhongjue? Usually, when Chengxiao comes, he leaves the fastest. Go and check on him.”

The servant, who was not a stranger but Qian Shi’s dowry maid, and later paired with Li Cunyi’s servant, smiled apologetically and went to the outer courtyard to find him.

Soon, she returned with Liu Liang and apologized to Qian Shi, “This boy fell asleep last night before Second Young Master returned, so he hasn’t delivered the message to Second Young Master yet. I didn’t discipline him well, that’s why he’s being so lazy. I should give him a good lesson.”

However, Qian Shi knew how obsessed her second son had been with those dyes recently. She smiled and said, “I’m afraid Zhongjue only returned late last night. You can’t blame Liu Liang.”

Then she turned to Liu Liang and said, “You go find someone now and tell them that Chengxiao is waiting at home.”

Lu Chengxiao, on the other hand, said, “Since I’m free anyway, why don’t I go with Liu Liang? It saves Zhongjue from having to come back.”

Qian Shi was about to agree when Liu Liang said, “Second Young Master often visits many dye workshops in the city and sometimes goes to the mountains to find plants for dyeing. It’s really hard to find him with me. Why don’t you wait in Second Young Master’s study? I’ll send a few more people to look for him, which should be faster.”

In this way…

Lu Chengxiao nodded and said, “Alright.”

He gave Qian Shi a bow and followed Liu Liang out. When they reached the outer courtyard, Liu Liang led Lu Chengxiao to the study and said, “Master Lu, please have a seat. I’ll have a maid bring tea.”

Then he asked, “Babao is also familiar with the city. Can I ask him to help me find someone?”

The Li family had few servants, so it wasn’t easy to send several people to find someone at once. Lu Chengxiao and Li Zhongjue had been classmates for several years, so their servants were also very familiar with each other. Lu Chengxiao waved his hand to let Babao go with Liu Liang and then casually picked up a book from the shelf to read.

After the two left, Cui’er entered with a tea tray. The tea set was made of white porcelain with landscape paintings, obviously part of Li Zhongjue’s brother’s tea room collection.

Cui’er placed the tea tray next to Lu Chengxiao and smiled, “Master Lu, please have some tea and take a rest. If you need anything, just call me.”

With just these words, she respectfully withdrew.

Lu Zhongjue had often visited Li Zhongjue’s study over the years. The Li family was not wealthy, with mostly household servants, but only two maids. One was in Li Zhongjue’s older brother’s room, and the other was Cui’er.

Because Cui’er was the sister of Liu Liang, she often came and went in Li Zhongjue’s courtyard, so it was common for her to bring tea. After serving the tea, she would leave without saying much, so Lu Chengxiao didn’t feel anything unusual. When he felt thirsty, he poured himself a cup of tea from the pot and took a sip.

As the tea entered his mouth, Lu Chengxiao frowned slightly. He took his eyes off the book and looked at the porcelain cup in his hand.

Zhongjue always liked the clear and elegant Emei Xueya tea. When did they switch to Wuyi rock tea? And this rock tea… it was bitter without sweetness, and even had a somewhat unpleasant astringency.

Wasn’t this a problem with the tea-making process?

How could the Li family serve guests with such tea?

He furrowed his brows but didn’t say anything. He just put down the teacup and didn’t touch the remaining half.

The study door was wide open. Across the room, Cui’er, who had been pretending to clean, saw Lu Chengxiao drink the tea and a smile appeared on her lips.

He drank it, so it was done. She pretended to work for a while, counted the time, and then left the outer courtyard.

---

In the inner courtyard, Li Yunbi had been feeling extremely nervous ever since she heard that Lu Chengxiao had come. It wasn’t excitement, but rather anxiety. She didn’t even dare to go out to see him.

Cui’er hadn’t returned to her room since last night, and Li Yunbi had searched for her several times but couldn’t find her. She wasn’t sure if Cui’er had gone back to her own home on the back street, but Li Yunbi couldn’t go out to look for her.

She hadn’t slept all night, and when she heard that Lu Chengxiao had come, Li Yunbi finally became scared, so scared that she couldn’t sit still.

She paced anxiously in the room, about to go out to find Cui’er, when the door creaked open.

“Cui’er!” Li Yunbi hurriedly greeted her and grabbed her, saying, “You haven’t done anything yet, right?”

She had been in a daze last night, but as soon as Cui’er left, Li Yunbi regretted it and became scared.

But Cui’er didn’t give her a chance to say anything. She grabbed her and ran outside. “Miss, hurry, it’s done!”

Her voice was extremely low, but Li Yunbi felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

It’s done?

In a daze, she was pulled outside by Cui’er until they passed through the flower gate. Li Yunbi suddenly realized what was happening and wanted to stop Cui’er to ask questions, but she was much weaker than Cui’er and was dragged along. Unable to do anything, she could only follow along and look around until they were in an empty place. Then she dared to ask in a low voice, “How did it happen? Where did you get the medicine from?”

Of course, it had been prepared long ago.

Cui’er could tell that Li Yunbi was scared, but at this moment, Li Yunbi couldn’t afford to be scared. Cui’er hadn’t really intended to deceive Li Yunbi; she was just using her.

The property prices in Yuanzhou City were not low, but compared to the Lu family, the Li family was just an ordinary business family in Yuanzhou. Their house was not particularly large, and they had already arrived at the entrance to Li Zhongjue’s courtyard.

---

In the study at this moment, Lu Chengxiao inexplicably felt hot, unable to suppress an indescribable restlessness.

He had a bad feeling, but he couldn’t pinpoint what the problem was. His breathing became heavy, and Lu Chengxiao finally realized what was happening. In a flash of lightning, he remembered the strange situation with Zhou Ruyi at the Niangniang Temple.

With disbelief, he glanced at the tea he had just drunk. Since he entered the Li family’s residence, the only thing he had consumed was this tea.

Lu Chengxiao’s expression changed, and he was about to leave. However, before he reached the door, he heard a woman’s voice outside, speaking in a very low tone.

“Don’t worry, Miss, you don’t know anything. I did everything.”

Lu Chengxiao stopped in his tracks, realizing that the only person in the Li family who could be addressed as “Miss” was Li Yunbi.

Was Li Yunbi plotting against him? Lu Chengxiao wasn’t entirely convinced. He hadn’t interacted much with Li Yunbi, but Li Cunyi was very strict in teaching his children, so Li Yunbi wouldn’t do something like this.

As he was pondering, Cui’er pushed him back into the room, pulled the courtyard doors shut, and quickly locked them from the outside with a copper lock she had prepared beforehand.

Lu Chengxiao frowned, realizing that he had fallen into a trap. He considered whether to leave now or to lock the study door from the inside. Then he heard Li Yunbi outside the courtyard doors.

She wanted to speak up and ask Cui’er to open the door, but she didn’t dare speak loudly, fearing that Lu Chengxiao inside the study would hear her.

Cui’er’s low voice came from outside the courtyard doors, “Miss, as long as you enter the study, you will be able to marry Master Lu as you wish. I’ll guard the courtyard doors, and no one will know.”

As long as she entered the study, she could marry Lu Chengxiao as she wished.

Li Yunbi kept hearing these words in her ears, her legs trembling. She looked at the open door of the study as if it were the mouth of a beast about to devour her.

From adolescence to adulthood, she had imagined countless times that when she grew up, Lu Chengxiao would also fall in love with her. But before anything could begin, he had already found someone he liked.

Now, as long as she walked towards the study, her wish would come true.

But was this the wish she wanted? Li Yunbi leaned against the courtyard doors, unable to take a step forward.

If she really did this, she would be accompanied by shame for the rest of her life. How would her parents and brothers see her? How would Lu Chengxiao see her?

Li Yunbi suddenly woke up and turned to pull open the courtyard doors. But at that moment, footsteps sounded from the study. Li Yunbi trembled, raised her eyes, and met Lu Chengxiao’s stern gaze.

It was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, leaving her completely exposed in her shame.

Lu Chengxiao must have known.

Li Yunbi’s face flushed red with anger. Finally, she became determined and slammed on the courtyard door, shouting, “Cui’er, open the door!”

Lu Chengxiao had also gained some insights. He couldn’t imagine that the daughter of the Li family’s steward would have such courage. But now, he was preoccupied with himself, his mind clouded by the effects of the drug. He couldn’t think too much. With a leap, he used a stone table in the courtyard to jump onto the courtyard wall.

Inside the courtyard, Li Yunbi, and outside, Cui’er, who was preparing to pretend and then open the courtyard door, were both dumbfounded.

Lu Chengxiao left quickly, but Li Yunbi was overwhelmed with shame and anger. Suddenly, she burst into tears.

Cui’er finally opened the courtyard door, feeling lost and also on the verge of tears. “Miss, I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

Li Yunbi didn’t even have the face to see anyone. She covered her face and ran towards the inner courtyard.

As for Cui’er, who had just looked like she was about to cry, as soon as Li Yunbi left, there was no trace of frustration on her face. Seeing that there was no one around, she quickly walked towards the study. She poured the half-cup of tea that Lu Chengxiao had used into a flowerpot, quickly washed the cup clean, and then put it back on the tray in the study. She then opened the lid of the teapot, took out a small packet from her sleeve, and added half of the powdered medicine into it.

The medicine seller had said that the medicine was very powerful, but Cui’er wasn’t sure. What if Lu Chengxiao didn’t drink much? She didn’t want to miss this opportunity. After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and poured the entire packet into the teapot, ensuring that even if he only took one sip, it would work.

After making sure that no powder was spilled, she closed the teapot lid, shook it a few times, tidied up, and then slipped out of the study, hiding in her brother’s room nearby, where Liu Liang was on night duty.

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