Chapter 32: The Conspiracy Rises Again (Part One)

Early the next morning, as the craftsmen arrived to repair the main gate of Serenity Residence, an unexpected invitation appeared before Wanxia. She weighed it in her hand, unable to make a decision, and so she carried the card into the rear courtyard.

In the back courtyard, Anran had instructed two older servants to turn over the garden beds where flowers and plants grew, and she herself was working the soil with her own hands. The maids watched from the side with anxious caution, finding their mistress’s actions astonishing—how could such heavy labor befit a young lady? Yet, seeing her so at ease with the task, it was as if she were long accustomed to such work.

The maids attempted three times to intervene, but each time Anran barked at them to stand back. No longer daring to approach, they could only watch in silence. Two little white foxes, their fur snowy and soft, tumbled about in the soil, their coats now stained the color of earth, utterly filthy. Anran, however, paid them no mind, letting them play as she continued to dig.

When Wanxia entered, this was the scene she beheld: Anran, hoe in hand beneath the blazing sun, working in the garden. Wanxia stepped forward and handed the invitation to Anran. “Miss, a letter has arrived from the Qin family. They request that you come to the estate to attend to Madam Qin.”

Anran paused, looking over at Wanxia. “A summons from the Qin household?”

Wanxia nodded.

The Qin family was a newly risen noble house, relatives of the favored Consort Zhen—her maiden name, Qin Ruoxi—who had entered the palace less than half a year before being diagnosed with a royal pregnancy and delivering a healthy son. The Emperor, delighted to have a son in his later years, bestowed the title of Consort Zhen upon her and showered her with affection. With one person’s ascent, her entire family flourished overnight, buying property and land, their status now incomparable to before.

Anran handed her hoe to the maid beside her, a faint smile touching her lips. “I had thought Leng Yiyun would wait a while before taking action. So, she already has a plan to deal with me and can’t wait to make her move—she’s burning the bridge after crossing it!”

Anran knew Leng Yiyun was not the sort to suffer a loss in silence, but she hadn’t expected things to move so quickly. Only yesterday, she’d mended Lu Junfan’s leg, and today trouble was already brewing. Did Leng Yiyun truly believe that by striking so swiftly, she could remove her greatest threat once and for all? How naïve! Anran had always said she never did a losing trade.

Every glance from Leng Yiyun brimmed with malice, as if she wished she could flay Anran alive—a tactic that fit well with her ruthless ways. Yet, compared to fifteen years ago, her patience had diminished greatly.

It might seem an honor to be invited to treat the mother of the Emperor’s most favored consort, but who in Moon City did not know that Madam Qin had long been unwell? Ever since Consort Zhen rose to power, the imperial physicians had been summoned time and again, yet Madam Qin’s health showed no improvement. The imperial physicians had suffered countless reproaches for this—some had even faced the Emperor’s wrath.

Attending Madam Qin was a precarious task. If Anran failed or made the slightest misstep, exile from Moon City would be the least of her worries—she might well lose her life. On the other hand, if she succeeded and restored Madam Qin’s health, she would certainly win the favor of the Qin family and Consort Zhen herself. But that would only prove her skills superior to the imperial physicians, delivering a stinging blow to their pride. How would the doctors at the Imperial Hospital view her then? They would surely wish her gone from Moon City as well.

She had been in Moon City for only two days. Though the incident with Lu Junfan had stirred the city, without someone whispering to the Qin family or Consort Zhen, they would never have heard of her.

Now, it seemed only four words could describe the situation: the visitor comes with ill intent.

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