Chapter 99: Contrary To His Normal Behavior

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Lu Tingchen tousled Lu Liangwei’s hair in an indulgent manner. Leaning close to her ear, he asked in a low voice, “Did you do something to her?”

Lu Yunshuang had always been a cautious person, so this incident of her tripping over a threshold seemed far too outlandish.

Previously, he would never have suspected Lu Liangwei. However, since coming back from death’s door, not only had her character changed completely, but she was also displaying far more intelligence.

If she had done something to Lu Yunshuang, he would definitely believe it.

Lu Liangwei knew she could not hide what she had done from Lu Tingchen, but she had never intended to keep this a secret from him anyway.

She lifted a finger and waggled it in front of him, replying in an equally low voice, “I rubbed this silver needle with a medicinal substance that’s instantly able to numb one’s nerves.”

Even though her movements were extremely swift, Lu Tingchen was still able to glimpse a glint of silver.

He stared at her in astonishment.

Lu Liangwei batted her eyes and said innocently, “I’m using this for self-defense. It’s lucky that I stayed alert, otherwise, I would have been in big trouble today.”

When she was in the Palace earlier, she had also pricked the little palace maid with this needle, which was why she had managed to push the girl into the water so easily.

Lu Tingchen’s expression changed as he discerned the meaning behind her words. He caught hold of her arm and asked anxiously, “Was someone in the Palace trying to harm you?”

Lu Liangwei nodded. “Yes.” She cast a glance around their surroundings and murmured, “This isn’t the place to talk about it. Let’s go in first.”

“Very well,” Lu Tingchen returned slowly, sotto voce. His brow was knitted in a tight frown.

“Nothing happened to me, don’t worry.” Lu Liangwei gave his arm a little shake.

However, Lu Tingchen still looked quite unhappy.

Zhu Yu, who was standing off to the side, said energetically, “Miss, how would you like these things to be sorted out?”

Lu Liangwei glanced at the pile of items that had been bestowed upon her; suddenly she felt a slight headache coming on.

However, given Long Yang’s generosity, whatever he had given her must be rare treasures, so she said, “Have Steward Wang come over to record the items, then put them in the storage room. If there are any quality nutritious items such as ginseng or bird’s nests, please send them over to Grandmother at Longevity Hall.”

“Very well, I understand.” Zhu Yu took note of everything Lu Liangwei said and nodded earnestly.

Lu Liangwei paused and noticed that among the heap of gifts were other objects such as the four treasures of the study [TN: This phrase refers to a set of stationery used for scholars, made up of writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, and paper], calligraphy, and paintings. She turned to Lu Tingchen. “Big Brother, go ahead and take a look to see if there’s anything that might be useful to you. If there is, just take it right away.”

Lu Tingchen had sized up the pile of items early on; naturally, he could see there were many superior quality treasures there. His sister’s words warmed his heart, but he shook his head. “Let’s just move everything into the storage room first. If I need them later, I’ll go get them then.”

“Alright.” Lu Liangwei shrugged lightly and did not push the matter further.

The look in Lu Tingchen’s eyes was hard to interpret. He hesitated a moment before asking, “Why would the Emperor bestow gifts on you for no reason?” Not only that, the Emperor had given Lu Liangwei so many gifts and with such generosity.

At this point, Lu Tingchen could not help thinking there was an ulterior motive.

He had served by the Emperor’s side for quite some time now and considered himself to be fairly familiar with the way the Emperor did things.

The Emperor was not someone who favored extravagance and waste, nor was he a fan of luxury. In fact, he was quite an advocate of frugality and thrift.

If any of his consorts were openly extravagant, he would issue a warning in the form of a decree, reprimanding her.

However, right now, the Emperor was acting quite contrary to his normal behavior. No matter what, Lu Tingchen still felt that the Emperor was behaving in a rather unusual manner.

“It’s probably because I gave him medicine as a present,” Lu Liangwei said softly.

Lu Tingchen’s suspicions were allayed only after he heard this.

That explained the matter!