Pampered Consort of the Fragrant Orchard - Chapter 82.2
Ya Lan Reaches Marriageable Age, Xiao Li Gets Caught! (2)
“You really are doing misdeeds with good intentions!” Zhong Mei Qing looked to fourth yiniang in disappointment, and then turned to the old madam. “Mother, everything has been asked clearly. This is all fourth yiniang having good intentions but caused trouble. Her original intent was good.”
“Hmph!” Du Old Madam had also heard their words, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t angry anymore. If she really were to have used these incenses, then wouldn’t she have been in danger!?
“Although they didn’t mean to, it can’t go without punishment either. Since this matter nearly harmed mother’s body, then will just have them go to the monastery outside the city and pray for mother and master for a month. Additionally, the two will also have half a year’s worth of their monthly allowance deducted. Mother, what do you think?” Zhong Mei Qing stated her own judgement and then inquired the old madam’s opinion.
“You’re in charge of the rear court, so just do it like this then! You all go back, too many people giving me a headache! Xiao Li, you stay behind.” Du Old Madam waved her hand letting everyone else all leave.
Zhong Mei Qing and Du Ke Xin both glanced at Du Xiao Li, seeing her calm expression, with their own expressions varying. However, they still all bowed to the old madam and left, while fourth yiniang and fifth yiniang also quickly followed out. This time, getting send to the monastery was still a better punishment than getting beaten to death or some other punishment! “Xiao Li, come over and examine grandma’s body. I feel awfully dizzy in the head.” Du Old Madam said.
(T/N: Du Old Madam addresses herself as ‘nainai’ here which is a more casual and intimate address, though MC continues to address her as the formal ‘zhumu’-grandmother)
“Alright, grandmother.” Du Xiao Li let Du Xiu Heng return first, while she herself walked before Du Old Madam and reached out to take her pulse.
“How is it? Am I sick?” Du Old Madam watched Du Xiao Li earnestly taking her pulse and felt this face that she’s hated for more than ten years seemingly was also very good looking, and very pleasing to the eyes!
(T/N: I’m getting major side-eye vibes here————you know it’s quite sad that this type of grandmother is more common in rl than you’d think, especially in china where the older generation are still super hung up on family background in choosing daughter-in-laws.)
Du Xiao Li took the pulse for a while and then retracted her hand, “Grandmother, don’t worry. Your body doesn’t have any problems. It’s just that your anger earlier somewhat injured your liver. I’ll prescribe you two-days worth of medicine to adjust your body, you’ll be fine after drinking it.”
Hearing Du Xiao Li’s words, the servant girl to the side very perceptively had the brush and ink prepared, placing them on the table. Du Xiao Li came to the table side. Lifting the brush, she quickly wrote out a prescription and handed it to the servant girl to the side, “Boil three bowls of water down to one, taking it every time before a meal. After drinking for two days, she’ll be fine. In addition, the meals in the next two days need to be light, eat some more vegetables, and don’t drink wine. Also, don’t drink those nourishing herbal soups either.”
“This servant will keep in mind.”
“Grandmother, father should be back now. Regarding the competition this time, I still have some things to ask him about.” Du Xiao Li got up and said after she finished explaining.
“En, go then. The competition this time is a significant matter, you two need to work properly.” Du Old Madam said.
“En, I will.” Du Xiao Li said with a smile. “Grandmother, this incense isn’t good for your body, but I feel the scent is rather good. Can you give me some?”
“Take them all.” Du Old Madam said, waving her hand. She felt her head ache just looking at those incense sticks.
“Then, thank you grandmother!” Du Xiao Li mischievously smiled, “Then grandmother, rest well, this granddaughter will be going first.”
“En, go then. If you have time, come visit your grandmother frequently.” Du Old Madam said with a smile.
“This granddaughter will. This granddaughter bids farewell!” Du Xiao Li curtsied and then left with Xia Yuan.
“This child, really not bad.” Du Old Madam said to the old mama at her side.
“Much better than that mother of hers.” Du Old Madam said, “However, she did give birth to such a pair of children, so can be said to be worthy of having Yun Han leave her the di wife position for this many years. Alright, you all withdraw. I want to rest for a while, wake me up when it’s time to drink the medicine.”
“Yes.” All the servant girls in the room successively retreated, leaving behind one servant girl serving Du Old Madam to rest.
After Du Xiao Li left Du Old Madam’s courtyard, she directly returned to her Jade Bamboo Courtyard. She entered her own room and let Xia Yuan place those incense on the table.
“Miss, is there something wrong with these incense sticks?” Xia Yuan asked as she watched Du Xiao Li open the box.
Du Xiao Li simply made a sound in response, and then let Xia Yuan go fetch a cup of wine. After the wine was brought over, she had incense just now thrown in. The wine very quickly turned blood red.
“Miss, this is poison?” Xia Yuan said somewhat surprised.
“As expected, my guess was right!” Du Xiao Li lifted the cup and carefully examined it for a while. Afterwards, she went to the veranda and threw the bowl and wine into the river below. After seeing the bowl sink into the water, she finally lay down on the guifei couch on the veranda.
(T/N: Oi that’s pollution……throwing poison into water——some peasant is prob gonna die from that.)
Xia Yuan walked up behind Du Xiao Li and said, “Miss, since this incense is poisoned, then back in the old madam’s courtyard, why didn’t you say so? Instead, just saying this incense scent isn’t suitable for the elderly.”
“At first, I also didn’t think of this, but afterwards, after seeing fifth yiniang, she had a kind of ‘being relieved from a burden’ expression, thus I thought of this possibility.” Du Xiao Li said.
“Then that fifth yiniang was being deliberate?”
“First let’s set aside whether or not she’d deliberately put in the poison.” Du Xiao Li looked to the gradually darkening skies and said, “Xia Yuan, don’t you think second mother’s behavior today was somewhat strange?”
“Strange?”
Du Xiao Li nodded, “Based on her personality, given such an opportunity to eradicate fourth yiniang and fifth yiniang, how could she not make use of it? But look at her decision, merely letting fourth yiniang and fifth yiniang go to the monastery outside the city to pray.”
“Hearing miss say it like this, it really is strange.” Xia Yuan said, “But why would she do this?”
“This, I don’t know. But if fourth yiniang and fifth yiniang really are like how father said, having ulterior motives, I believe they won’t miss this opportunity.” Du Xiao Li said.
“Then should we send someone to keep an eye on them?” Xia Yuan asked.
“No need, this matter, we don’t need to interfere. That old fox definitely won’t slack off.” Du Xiao Li thought of Du Yun Han and laughed.
“But lately, hasn’t the master been busy with the matters of the competition? Won’t he be unable to manage this side?” Xia Yuan worryingly asked.
“Che, that old fox, you don’t need to worry. During this period, I can finally understand why he was able to climb onto the prime minister position this quickly. His abilities definitely aren’t a bluff. Just that bit of matter for the competition won’t waste too much of his energy. He’s always been waiting for an opportunity to catch a big fish, perhaps this is precisely the chance.” Du Xiao Li finished saying, and absentmindedly looked out to the horizon’s sunset glow.
Xia Yuan knew Du Xiao Li very much liked watching the sunset. Seeing her lost in thought, she silently stood behind her, not saying a word. She remembered the first time seeing Du Xiao Li absentmindedly watching the sunset, she even curiously asked her what she was looking at.
Du Xiao Li at the time, replied: “When the sky grows dark, it’s time to go home. Watching the night fall, I feel my heart is filled with a warm feeling, that is the taste of home.”
She’d never understood why Du Xiao Li held the home in such high regard, but she could tell, Du Xiao Li was very good to everyone at her side, even if they were her servant girls. This was also an important reason why they were willing to wholeheartedly serve her.
“Xia Yuan, look, today’s sunset is really beautiful.” Du Xiao Li said.
“In miss’s eyes, every day’s sunset is all very beautiful.” Xia Yuan said with a smile.
“Hahah, I just love watching the sunset!” Du Xiao Li smilingly said, “Enough, go invite big brother over for a meal. During this period, we’d been out the whole time, haven’t eaten together with big brother in a long time. Also, go see if father has returned yet. If he’s returned, ask him if he’s willing to come eat dinner with us.”
“Alright, this servant will go notify the kitchen to add two more dishes right away, and then go call master and young master.” Xia Yuan said.
T/N: I wonder if it’s because I also translate TWBW which has the best grandmother in cnovel that I feel so much more annoyed at this grandmother, part way translating I suddenly had the urge to want to strangle this old woman. Also I’ll finish the next part in next few hours for today’s regular chapter release.
