"I'm telling the truth!" the man said urgently, seeing that no one believed him.
"Alright, brother, if Princess Yongning truly cursed her kin, everyone in the General's manor would have died long ago. Who would be left alive? As for the third young lady, she's gone out to study."
"Then what about Old Madam Xiao falling ill?"
"When people get old, it's normal to have minor ailments." Speaking of which, the crowd immediately changed the subject. "I heard Princess Yongning's husband rankings have been updated again. Have you seen it?"
"I have. Minister Qin and the head of the Shangguan family have been newly added."
"And General Dugu," another person chimed in. "I once saw Princess Yongning and General Dugu strolling hand in hand, so affectionate. That's why I bet on General Dugu this time!"
"I think the head of the Shangguan family has a better chance. The head of the Shangguan family is incredibly beautiful, surpassing even the head of the Cen family. And Princess Yongning is known to be fond of beauty!"
"Speaking of beauty, isn't the National Teacher beautiful?" someone asked abruptly.
"The National Teacher possesses celestial beauty. How could she be entangled in mortal affections? Besides, the National Teacher and Princess Yongning are master and disciple!"
"Masters and disciples can be together, too. It's not like father and son!"
The crowd suddenly realized this, but upon thinking of the National Teacher's pure face, they shook their heads. "The National Teacher is an otherworldly being, having long seen through the vanities of the world."
"I think those two look quite a match together."
"I still think Minister Wen is the most suitable for Princess Yongning!" Su Dan Novel Network.
The man tried to interrupt the conversation several times but failed. He could only retreat dejectedly and duck into a nearby alley, where someone was waiting.
"My lord, it's no use. Those people don't believe it. Furthermore, Master Wuyou and Daoist Tianyi have both divined Princess Yongning's fate. To tarnish her reputation, we must find another way."
"Useless." The person spat out two cold words and turned away. He took several turns, wandered on the street for a long time, and only after ensuring he wasn't followed did he slip through the back gate of the General's manor.
Xiao Man sat in a teahouse not far from the General's manor. The vantage point was excellent, offering a clear view of the entire manor.
"Since Miss is back, why not visit the General first?" Shangguan Jin asked as she refilled Xiao Man's tea.
"As long as I don't show myself, they won't dare to act rashly. Besides, Mother is already on her way back," Xiao Man replied, sipping her tea.
"Aren't you afraid something might happen to the General in the meantime?"
"Do you really think my father is a pushover?" Xiao Man teased. "I just haven't figured out whether this is the work of someone in the manor or someone in the palace."
"Miss suspects it's the Emperor..." Shangguan Jin stopped herself immediately. "Why do you think so?"
"Having too much merit invites suspicion from the throne. It's a great taboo," Xiao Man said slowly. "On this matter, I am a living example."
"If this is enough to provoke the one in the palace to act, and if you and the Prince of Qin..." Shangguan Jin trailed off, remembering the rumors of the past two days. "By the way, Miss, have you heard the rumors outside?"
"What rumors?"
"The Prince of Qin has taken his junior sister, Luo Bingqing, as his consort."
Xiao Man looked at Shangguan Jin with indifference. Shangguan Jin immediately felt foolish. The Prince of Qin had always been with Miss. Whether he had taken anyone else, Miss knew best.
"Miss, the Prince of Qin's marriage has always been a hidden concern for many. Now that such rumors are spreading, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Chu would likely be pleased, and even His Majesty might welcome it."
"The Crown Prince's restriction has been lifted, hasn't it?" Xiao Man said softly. Otherwise, he couldn't have rushed to the Prince of Qin's manor to catch them in the act. It was just too impatient; it exposed his arrangement of spies in the Prince of Qin's manor. If he had endured patiently, it might have yielded excellent results later. He was ultimately not steady enough!
Within the General's manor, imperial physicians came and went, yet Xiao Zhen's condition showed no improvement.
Old Madam Xiao sat by the bed, her brows furrowed. After a moment, she fiercely struck the ground with her cane. "Useless! All of you are useless! If you can't cure him, at least you should be able to figure out what illness he has!"
The various concubines stood to the side, afraid to speak. After the old madam returned, her temper became even more erratic, and they dared not provoke her.
"Old Madam, since the imperial physicians from the palace are of no use, why not invite doctors from outside? There are many skilled doctors hidden among the common folk. Perhaps someone can treat the General," Concubine Lin suggested cautiously. If anything happened to the General, the General's manor would collapse.
"Common folk doctors?" Old Madam Xiao frowned. "Are common folk doctors more useful than imperial physicians?"
"It's still a way. What if someone can truly cure him?" Concubine Lin said obsequiously. "It's worth a try. We can't let the General remain ill like this."
Old Madam Xiao pondered for a moment and nodded. "Steward, go and post a notice. If anyone can cure the Great General, a reward of a thousand taels of gold will be given!"
"Yes, Old Madam." The steward bowed and went out to make arrangements. The old madam glanced at her unconscious son, ordered him to be well cared for, and then returned to her courtyard.
"By the way, is there any news of Third Miss?" the old madam inquired. When she returned to the capital, she discovered that Xiao Man was gravely injured and recuperating at Gan Ye Temple. The whereabouts of Third Miss were unknown, and her life was uncertain. Everyone said Xiao Man had taken her away and she had never returned.
"No."
"She is indeed heartless." The old madam's expression was complex and unutterable. "After all these years of sisterhood, she could still strike with such cruelty!"
"Old Madam, didn't the steward say it? Third Miss went out to study."
"That's a lie a three-year-old child would believe. A girl who has come of age, why would she go out to study? She's not a man aiming for officialdom. I suspect she was killed, and they've fabricated an excuse to fool the world!"
The old madam harbored deep prejudice against her eldest daughter. Moreover, after the eldest daughter fell out with the General and was sent to Cangzhou, she disliked her even more.
Madam Xu dared not say much. Originally, there were many elderly servants attending the old madam, but because the old madam had poisoned the eldest daughter, all those around her were dealt with by the General. Only she, who had gone to Cangzhou, escaped the calamity.
"And He Qingyi!" The old madam had been very pleased with He Qingyi. However, after He Qingyi married into the General's manor, she didn't even proactively invite her back, and instead went to the epidemic-stricken area of Jiangzhou. She was truly ungrateful.
"As the matriarch of the General's manor, she doesn't serve the General in the manor or manage the inner courtyard, but instead goes out and about to treat people. Such a woman, how can she be fit to be the matriarch of the General's manor!"
"Auntie." A beautiful woman walked in from outside. "Auntie, has the General recovered at all?"
"Alas, he's still the same, never waking up." Speaking of her only son, the old madam's heart softened. If it weren't for that little brat, their mother-son relationship wouldn't have become so strained. "You, starting today, move into the main residence and take good care of the General. When the General wakes up, he will surely be grateful to you."