Lu Ying clearly remembered that ten years ago, she had indeed brought a bowl of something to the death row cell in the Imperial prison for Ding Rukui to drink.
But that thing wasn't daughter-in-law tea.
It was a fake death potion prepared by Wei Caiwei. After taking it, one would fall unconscious with shallow breathing and a rigid body. With some powder applied to the face, they would resemble a corpse.
Since Ding Rukui insisted it was daughter-in-law tea... well, if that's what he wanted to believe!
Lu Ying made an effort to appear gentle and virtuous, stepping forward slowly to bow to Ding Rukui. "Father-in-law has arrived. The journey must have been exhausting. Is your health well?"
Ding Rukui's old bones felt nearly shaken apart from the horseback ride, and even now the ground seemed to undulate beneath his feet. Fortunately, Ding Wu supported him, preventing a fall. "I'm fine. Ding Wu traveled all the way to Yunnan to fetch me—such a long journey. I've put my daughter-in-law through hardship."
Ten years ago, Lu Ying had been rigidly upright and incapable of lying. But after a decade of being influenced by the compulsive liar Wang Daxia, she had learned bad habits and could now tell lies effortlessly. "Your daughter-in-law doesn't mind the hardship. I'm endlessly grateful that Father-in-law and my husband arrived in time to rescue me."
At this point, the stunned Li Shi finally collected herself—so Ding Wu was the man her daughter had mentioned, the one on a secret mission!
But ten years ago, her daughter had clearly been in love with Wang Daxia!
Li Shi looked at the cheerfully grinning Wang Daxia, who seemed quite content to wear the green hat.
Ah, the world of the young was beyond us old folks' understanding. Still, with Lu Ying becoming a member of the Ding family, the punishment wouldn't extend to a married daughter. She could gain freedom without being implicated by her natal family.
Li Shi cleared her throat and said, "To protect our son-in-law, the wedding ten years ago was very simple—only my husband, myself, and the in-laws were present. We've kept it secret all these years. Now that our son-in-law has returned with achievements, we planned to hold a proper wedding ceremony. Ding Wu went to Yunnan to bring his father back so the family could reunite and arrange the wedding. Little did we expect the Lu family would face disaster. Alas, such is fate—my daughter's marriage path has been too rough."
For her daughter's freedom, Li Shi joined in the deception. At the emotional part, she even took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Everyone present, except Wang Daxia, believed the secret marriage between Ding Wu and Lu Ying was real!
Lord Li never expected that a house raid by imperial decree would uncover a son-in-law! This Lu Bing certainly had sharp judgment in choosing in-laws!
In this kind of marriage known only to those involved, if the Ding family chose to deny it, the Lu family's fourth daughter—being a secretly married daughter-in-law unknown to anyone—would have no recourse. As the daughter of a convicted official, she could simply be abandoned to swallow this bitter pill alone. Yet the Ding family rushed back as if she were a precious treasure to acknowledge her as their daughter-in-law!
What kind of spirit was this? It was practically madness!
Ding Wu, supporting his elderly father with one hand, took Lu Ying's hand with the other and said to Li Shi, "Mother-in-law, your son-in-law has come to take my wife home. On my way here, I already sent people to prepare the Sacrificial House at Sanlitun. All daily necessities—canopies, bedding, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, firewood—have been moved there. It should be barely habitable by now."
It was only during the house raid that Li Shi met her fourth son-in-law for the first time. As the saying goes, the more a mother-in-law looks at her son-in-law, the more she likes him. Ding Wu's appearance and demeanor were first-rate to begin with, and now that his father Ding Rukui had been restored to his official position, Ding Wu instantly became Li Shi's favorite son-in-law.Li Shi said to Lu Ying, "Return to your husband's home. Don't worry about your maternal family. Your father was farsighted—the Sacrificial House is solidly built, and the Sacrificial Field is tended to every year. The crops have been growing well all these years, and the land hasn't fallen into disuse. We can support ourselves."
Even someone as strong-willed as Lu Ying couldn't hold back her tears at this moment. She longed to join her mother and second sister in the Sacrificial House to share their hardships, but she understood that being confined at Sanlitun's Sacrificial House would render her powerless, leaving her only to passively await the court's judgment. However, by remaining outside as Ding Wu's wife, she could at least move freely, strive for her family's cause, and visit the prison—Lu Yi, Lu Cai, and Yan Shaoting were still imprisoned, and who knew what methods Gao Gong might use to torture them for confessions.
With tears in her eyes, Lu Ying bowed deeply. "Take care, Mother. Your daughter must go now."
This parting was for the sake of a better reunion in the future. Though Li Shi was reluctant to let her daughter go, she steeled herself and boarded the carriage, taking her second daughter and a group of children to the Sacrificial House at Sanlitun.
Once inside the carriage, Li Shi's tears flowed freely. The second young miss Lu said, "Mother, you kept this from me so well. So Fourth Sister has been married for ten years. This is for the best—at least Fourth Sister can remain free. With her inherently unrestrained nature, being trapped in the Sacrificial House would have stifled her. Fourth Brother-in-law is a righteous gentleman who didn't kick us when we were down. Since Fourth Sister has found a good home, you should be happy for her and not cry."
Li Shi thought to herself: My son-in-law is a good one, but all the dowry lands and properties I had saved up for Lu Ying over the years have been confiscated. Apart from the simple clothes and jewelry she's wearing, Lu Ying has nothing else. She's entering her husband's household empty-handed, without any dowry to rely on—it's truly shabby.
After Li Shi and the others had left, Ding Wu took his newly acquired wife Lu Ying to bid farewell, and the couple returned home together.
Except for Wang Daxia, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were stunned when they saw the Lu family's fourth young miss, who looked almost identical to their superior Lu Ying. But since she was Lu Ying's sister, they adhered to "see no evil" and didn't dare look directly at her, much less discuss her appearance.
Lord Li ordered all doors and windows of the Lu residence to be sealed, the main gate locked, and the confiscated chests and boxes secured with locks and seals. Wang Daxia supervised nearby to prevent anyone from planting evidence, then escorted Lord Li all the way to the Ministry of Justice before leaving with his subordinates.
Among their own, Battalion Commander Wu was the first to voice his curiosity, asking Wang Daxia, "That Fourth Miss Lu looks so much like our chief. If our chief wore women's clothing, he'd look just like that. Fourth Miss was born to Lady Li, while our chief is an illegitimate child with a different mother—how can they look so alike?"
Wang Daxia fabricated a story, "Actually, they're twins. It's hard to marry off an illegitimate daughter, so Lord Lu brought the girl home to acknowledge her ancestry, while the boy was left to his own devices—whether he succeeds depends on his own abilities. Besides, Lord Lu has always been cautious; not acknowledging our chief was also a precaution, so that if the family ever faced disaster, at least one could be preserved."
So that's how it was! Everyone believed him. Battalion Commander Wu still had doubts, "Where did our chief go? He disappeared as soon as Fourth Miss Lu showed up."
Wang Daxia said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. He was urgently summoned by the Duke of Chengguo for some emergency matter."Wang Daxia immediately changed the subject, "Everyone needs to step up their efforts recently and dig up all the background information on those Ministry of Justice officials. Aside from Hai Rui, which official is truly as clean as water? Whether it's money, women, or men, everyone has their weaknesses. Also, focus the investigation on Meng Chong, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch. Don't overlook any relatives or adopted sons within three generations of his family. Gather as much compromising material as possible—we'll need it for future use."
Battalion Commander Wu and the others acknowledged the orders and dispersed to carry out their tasks.
Upon returning home, Wang Daxia intended to inform Wei Caiwei about Ding Wu's "ten-year secret marriage," but an unexpected guest had arrived—Feng Bao, the Chief of the Eastern Depot.
"Depot Director!" Wang Daxia hurriedly bowed in greeting. Feng Bao handed him a large chest. "I've come to deliver a generous gift to Commander Wang. Our Eastern Depot's intelligence network remains quite efficient."
Wang Daxia expressed his gratitude.
"No need for formalities. We're all in the same boat—when one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer." Feng Bao put on an eye veil to conceal his true appearance. "The Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard keep each other in check. I must avoid suspicion and cannot stay long. Farewell. Don't tell anyone I was here."
After seeing Feng Bao off, Wei Caiwei opened the chest. It was filled with thoroughly documented compromising material about Meng Chong, the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, Supervising Eunuch, along with his relatives and adopted sons.
Wei Caiwei remarked, "Feng Bao has twice failed to obtain the position of Supervising Eunuch. How could he not resent Meng Chong—a mere cook from the imperial kitchens—usurping the position that should belong to an outstanding graduate of the Inner Study Hall? He's probably been watching Meng Chong for a long time. With Feng Bao in charge of the Eastern Depot and its extensive network of informants, he likely knows every detail of what Meng Chong eats for each meal."
The Lu family is saved! Overjoyed, Wang Daxia eagerly sifted through the chest of treasures, forgetting all other matters. When he went to bed that night, he felt there was something he needed to tell Wei Caiwei, but having exhausted himself from the day's house raid, he fell asleep without giving it further thought.
Meanwhile, at the Ding residence.
Ding Wu led Lu Ying by the hand all the way back to the residence, announcing that she was his wife of ten years in a secret marriage. He instructed all the servants to address her as Young Mistress.
Ding Rukui cooperated fully, handing over the household accounts and keys to Lu Ying and entrusting her with managing the domestic affairs.
After the three shared a reunion meal, Ding Wu and Lu Ying entered the bridal chamber.
Finally alone and able to speak privately, Lu Ying asked, "Your father has agreed to our marriage?"
Ding Wu nodded. "My father is a man who distinguishes clearly between gratitude and resentment. Although your father arrested him and sent him to the imperial prison's death row for ten years, he understands it was Yan Shifan who stabbed him in the back, making him take the fall for Yan Song. Despite receiving a death sentence, he survived ten years because your father bribed the palace eunuchs every year to bury his execution review documents at the bottom of the pile. Your father saved him, so he repays kindness with kindness by agreeing to cooperate with our act to save you."
Having experienced both extreme sorrow and joy throughout the day, Lu Ying was physically and mentally exhausted. Wanting to relax and briefly forget her troubles, she gazed at her beloved beside her. Since they were now publicly recognized as a married couple of ten years, she immediately removed her rhinoceros horn hairpin and threw it toward the candle. The hairpin severed the candlewick, extinguishing the flame and plunging the room into darkness.
The sound of clothes being removed and the heavy breathing of a man and woman filled the room. A maid who had come to deliver bathwater overheard and discreetly retreated with her bucket.Ding Rukui waited in his study for his son to come and speak with him. After waiting for a long time without any sign of him, he sent a page to hurry him along. The page returned and reported, "Master, the young master and his wife have already retired for the night."
"What?" Ding Rukui exclaimed in shock, rising from his seat. Weren't they just putting on an act? How did it become real?
The page said, "They've already gone to bed. The lights in their room have been out for quite some time—probably due to exhaustion from the journey."
Ding Rukui counted on his fingers. Judging by the time the lights went out, the deed was already done by now. As a father-in-law, it would be utterly inappropriate for him to rush over and intervene at this point.
Since things had already reached this stage, how could he possibly deny it? The Ding family would never stoop to such dishonorable behavior. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it.
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