Lu Ming drove the car smoothly on the wide asphalt road.
Rows of green trees streaked past the window.
Su Wanran said, "We're safe. Now you can explain your nonsense to me. Why are you so sure Grandma will give me a good piece of land within three days?"
Lu Ming chuckled and said, "That amulet might not be a ghost artifact, but it's not exactly a clean one either."
"What do you mean?" Su Wanran asked.
Lu Ming explained, "I smelled a strong medicinal scent from that amulet. It's an amulet that has been soaked in poison, and the poison is extremely potent. Wearing that amulet would surely lead to poisoning within three days."
What?
Su Wanran was startled.
"Lu Ming, are you sure you're not just talking nonsense?" Su Wanran thought for a moment and said, "How come I didn't smell anything?"
Lu Ming said, "Don't you remember, my medical skills are very advanced. My nose isn't like yours; I can smell even the slightest trace of poison. Ordinary people like you can't detect it. If I'm not mistaken, the poison on the amulet was personally administered by Han Yun."
This...
Su Wanran couldn't understand. "Why? Auntie has no reason to do this. You and I are the ones who killed her husband. If she wants to hate or kill, she should come after us, not Grandma?"
Lu Ming chuckled, "Because she wants to kill with a borrowed knife and achieve two goals with one stone!"
"How do you mean?" Su Wanran was completely bewildered.
Lu Ming explained, "Grand Madam's health hasn't been good lately. Why? It's because the Old Master just passed away, and Su Jianxiong is dead. On top of that, you offended Han Shichong. With troubles from within and without, Grand Madam is very upset, and her health has deteriorated. If Grand Madam were to pass away now, Han Yun and Su Fei'ang would have ample reason to blame it all on you! They would say you angered Grandma to death!"
He paused and continued, "Don't forget, you also gave Grandma a statue of Guanyin today. With Han Yun's methods, she could easily poison that statue as well. Even if it were investigated later and found that Grand Madam died of poisoning, it could still be claimed that you poisoned her."
Hearing this, Su Wanran's hair stood on end.
If this were to happen, Su Wanran would be utterly ruined.
If Grandma died, Su Wanran would be expelled from the Su family, or even arrested, for murder. This way, Su Fei'ang could smoothly take over as the family head.
This would both eliminate Shen Dianlan, the current de facto leader, and get rid of Su Wanran, a contender for power.
Killing two birds with one stone!
Su Wanran broke out in a cold sweat. "Then, since you've figured this out, why don't you hurry back and tell Grandma the truth? Have Grandma throw away the amulet and not fall for it!"
Heh heh.
Superficial.
Lu Ming said, "If you go back and tell Grand Madam, will she believe you? It's possible Grand Madam might even think you're slandering and framing Han Yun."
Uh... that's true.
"Furthermore," Lu Ming said with a sinister smile, "even if Grand Madam believed you and threw away the amulet, the merit we would gain wouldn't be significant enough for Grand Madam to side with you and give you a good piece of land."
Su Wanran didn't understand. "Saving Grandma's life, and that's not significant merit?"
Lu Ming shook his head. "Saving a life is not always equal. Preventing trouble before it happens, solving the problem before Grand Madam is in mortal danger, although it saves her life, Grand Madam might not feel it as deeply. But if Grand Madam were critically poisoned and on the verge of death, and you then saved her life, her gratitude would be extremely profound! It's still saving a life, but the timing and the effect are vastly different."
After hearing these words, Su Wanran's attitude towards Lu Ming changed dramatically.
Before, she only thought of Lu Ming as an excellent man with good medical skills, superb martial arts, and a mysterious background. But hearing Lu Ming's words now, Su Wanran deeply realized one thing – Lu Ming was incredibly cunning!
It was fortunate that such a man was on her side. If he were with Su Fei'ang, Su Wanran would have been played to death.
Su Wanran felt a touch more admiration for Lu Ming, and at the same time, three parts more awe.
Su Wanran asked, "So, your plan is to wait until Grandma is actually poisoned, and then you'll step in to save her, so Grandma will owe you a favor and give me a prime plot of land?"
Lu Ming snapped his fingers. "Essentially correct."
Essentially?
Su Wanran asked, "What? Is there something incorrect?"
Lu Ming said, "If it were just that, I wouldn't have to say anything; I could just wait for Grand Madam to be poisoned. My talk about the ghost artifact had a different intention."
Su Wanran swallowed. "What intention?"
Lu Ming said, "Grand Madam is a devout Buddhist. While not superstitious, she certainly has a degree of reverence for ghosts and spirits. Even if Grand Madam doesn't believe my claim about the ghost artifact, it will surely plant a seed of doubt in her mind. If nothing happens, it's fine. But the moment something does happen, Grand Madam will immediately think of a vengeful spirit!"
That's right.
If nothing happened, Grand Madam would find Lu Ming's words ridiculous. But once she was poisoned, she would find his words terrifying.
If Grand Madam believes it's a vengeful spirit, she won't have much hope in medical treatment. Furthermore, she'll suspect Han Yun and won't let Han Yun treat her. At that point, even if Han Yun regrets her actions and wants to cure Grand Madam to gain credit, she won't be able to.
It was only now that Su Wanran understood Lu Ming's true intentions.
The talk about the ghost artifact wasn't meant to make Shen Dianlan believe it, but merely to sow discord in her mind, create a rift between her and Han Yun, and diminish her hope in medical treatment.
This move was incredibly malicious.
Su Wanran increasingly felt Lu Ming's terrifying nature. Having such a man by her side was both a source of safety and dread.
At the same time, Su Wanran realized something.
It was why the Jiang family, after the death of Old Master Jiang, was able to revive and flourish. It was also why Jiang Mengxin was able to rise above the rest in the Su family and eliminate enemies one by one to become the family head.
Before, Su Wanran attributed it to Jiang Mengxin's sharp strategies and outstanding ability. Now, Su Wanran understood that the Su family's rise must have been due to Lu Ming's support from the shadows!
It made sense. Jiang Mengxin's strength wasn't that much greater than Su Wanran's. How could she possibly prop up a declining empire alone?
It turned out she had the support of an exceptional man like Lu Ming.
Old Master Su had truly found an extremely reliable pillar of support for the Su family.
It was a pity that Jiang Mengxin was so foolish, failing to cherish such an excellent man and instead spending her days fantasizing about marrying other young talents.
Hmph, stupid!
"Hoo..." Su Wanran let out a long sigh and said, "Once Grandma is poisoned, she'll definitely believe it's a vengeful spirit. Then, she'll trust no one but you, Lu Ming. At that moment, to save her life, Grandma will proactively offer a prime plot of land to appease you. We'll not only get the prime land we want but also win over Grandma. Killing two birds with one stone, achieving two goals with one action, brilliant!"