Ling Changyi, now like a madwoman, shoved away the two people holding her and slammed herself fiercely against a pillar.
"Mother..."
"Eldest Miss..."
"Quick... quick, save her, go fetch a doctor!"
Unexpectedly, Ling Changyi would do something so drastic, Steward Wu was also startled. Recovering his senses, he quickly ordered a servant to fetch a doctor.
"Mother... Mother, wake up... Mother..."
Zhang Miaor, scrambling on hands and knees, rushed to Ling Changyi's side, carefully holding her in her arms, her face covered in tears.
Steward Wu stepped forward to check Ling Changyi's breathing. Seeing she still had a pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Quickly carry her back to her room... You, go report this to the Old Master..."
After some thought, Steward Wu called back the departing servant. "You stay here and guard. I will go report to the Old Master."
To prevent any embellishments, it was best for him to report it himself.
...
"How did it come to this? Didn't I warn you to persuade them to leave the capital with kind words? How could you have nearly caused a death!"
Old Master Ling slammed his teacup heavily onto the table, his tone laced with anger.
Ultimately, she was his own daughter, and he could not bring himself to force her to death.
"Old Master, please forgive me. How would this old servant dare to disrespect the Eldest Miss? This old servant previously tried to persuade her with kind words and spoke well of the situation, but the Eldest Miss refused to leave no matter what. This old servant had no choice but to have the servants forcibly escort her out. I never expected the Eldest Miss would attempt to take her own life."
"It is all this old servant's lack of foresight that caused the Eldest Miss to act foolishly. It is all this old servant's fault. Please punish me, Old Master."
Having served Old Master Ling for many years, Steward Wu knew his master's mind best.
Only by admitting fault early could he quell Old Master Ling's anger.
"It's not entirely your fault. I know what kind of person she is. She is exactly like her birth mother."
When speaking of Ling Changyi's birth mother, Old Master Ling's eyes were filled with disgust. Back then, Ling Changyi's birth mother had also been like this, making a scene and refusing to leave. In the end, relying on the madam's soft heart, she was allowed to stay in the Ling family, causing so much trouble. The events of that year were still vivid in his mind.
He absolutely would not allow this to happen again. Old Master Ling stood up and looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, his mind made up.
"After she wakes up, even if we have to tie her up, we will tie her onto the carriage and send them away from the capital. They are not allowed to set foot in the capital again."
Ultimately, she was his own daughter. He could not bear to harm his own flesh and blood, but he would absolutely not keep this troublemaker in the Ling family to continue harming other descendants.
The only way was to send her away, ensuring she never set foot in the capital again in this lifetime.
"This old servant understands."
Steward Wu nodded in agreement. After a pause, he continued to ask, "Old Master, do you want to go see the Eldest Miss? This old servant worries she will continue this way when she wakes up."
"Then tie her up and send her back to her husband's home safely. Furthermore, send them a sum of money so her husband's family can take good care of her."
He absolutely refused to see Ling Changyi again. He would simply dismiss her.
"This old servant understands."
Seeing Old Master Ling's resolve, Steward Wu wisely said no more and withdrew.
After Ling Changyi woke up, people were ordered to tie up the mother and daughter with ropes and put them into a carriage, sending them away from the capital that very night.
...
"You mean Steward Wu took people and bound Ling Changyi last night and sent her out of the capital? How could they act so quickly?"
Feng Jin was combing her hair, asking Chu Qing by her side.
"This servant only heard from the servants on duty last night. Originally, Steward Wu took people to ask Ling Changyi to leave the Ling family, but she refused and tried to hit the wall to kill herself. It even reached the Old Master's ears. After she woke up, the Old Master directly ordered Steward Wu to tie her onto a carriage and send the mother and daughter away overnight. He also ordered everyone in the mansion not to discuss the matter, or they would have their heads cut off and be expelled from the Ling family."
Chu Qing described what she had heard, which had taken considerable effort and expense to gather.
"With her gone, it's finally peaceful. I won't bother with these matters anymore."
With the troublemaker Ling Changyi gone, the mansion would finally be quiet. She was too lazy to quibble over minor gains or losses.
"Is the porridge from the small kitchen ready?"
"It was ready early. Young Madam hasn't gotten up yet, so it's still being kept warm on the stove. This servant will go fetch it for you."
"Don't forget to prepare another portion to send to Ling Muzhu."
Given what happened yesterday, to prevent any further attempts to drug him, Ling Muzhu's meals before the imperial examination would all come from the small kitchen.
When Ling Muzhu was mentioned, a hint of panic flashed in Chu Qing's eyes, and her voice became a little tense. "Someone has already been sent... sent. Young Madam doesn't need to... don't worry..."
"That's good. After eating, we'll go see how he's doing with his studies."
The imperial examination was only two days away. She had to check on Ling Muzhu's progress and prepare some things for him to take into the examination hall. After all, he would be staying there for several days, and everything needed to be prepared.
"Later, find that silk mattress and send it to Ling Muzhu. The imperial examination hall is very cold, so take a piece of that wool blanket too..."
"This servant remembers."
Chu Qing lowered her head, her voice soft, seemingly trying to avoid something.
Her strange behavior immediately attracted Feng Jin's attention. Just as she was feeling surprised, she suddenly remembered what Ling Muzhu had said last night and immediately understood. How could she have forgotten this matter? But it was not easy to explain clearly.
After some thought, she said tactfully, "Chu Qing, if you are tired, you can stay and rest well today. I will go over myself later."
"Young Madam, how can you go by yourself? This servant is not tired, this servant will accompany you."
No matter how unwilling she was to go, she would never let Young Madam go alone. She had to be by Young Madam's side.
"Then... alright!"
Feng Jin felt it was impolite to directly expose the matter, so she could only agree to Chu Qing for now.
When the two arrived, Ling Muzhu was still studying. Seeing Feng Jin, he put down his book and went to greet her.
"Eldest Sister-in-law, why are you up so early today? Usually, you don't get up until the sun is high in the sky."
At this time, Feng Jin would indeed still be sleeping according to her usual routine. If it weren't for her concern about Ling Changyi's matter that made her lose sleep, she would never have gotten up so early.
Feng Jin coughed lightly to mask her embarrassment. "It's good for the body to sleep early and wake early. I just came to see how you are doing with your studies. You'll be going to the imperial examination hall the day after tomorrow. Bring this silk mattress and this wool blanket. It's cold in the examination hall, don't catch a cold."