143: A Cover-Up Only Makes Things Worse

A Cover-Up Only Makes Things Worse

The Dowager Duchess patted Lu Liangwei's hand, the delight in her eyes toward this granddaughter of hers becoming even more obvious. "You're so thoughtful."1

Aunt Lan took the ginseng from the Dowager Duchess, beaming from ear to ear. With a soft chuckle, she complimented, "Second Miss Lu is so thoughtful toward the Dowager Duchess. Don't worry, I'll definitely remember to boil this every day for her, so I don't let your filial intentions down, Second Miss Lu."

Lu Liangwei could not help feeling slightly embarrassed. "It's only right that I should be filial to Grandmother."

As she said this, something crossed her mind, and she looked at Lu Yunshuang. "That's right, Big Sis, how did you find time today to come and visit?"

Only by digging her nails viciously into her palms was Lu Yunshuang able to suppress the displeasure she felt.

Grandmother's fond love for that dimwit, Lu Liangwei, seemed as if it might very well overflow.

When had Lu Yunshuang ever come empty-handed to visit? She had also gifted her grandmother with precious, superior quality medicinal materials, but her grandmother had never demonstrated the happiness that she was currently displaying toward Lu Liangwei.

Lu Yunshuang's expression was slightly stiff. She was about to say something, but the Dowager Duchess spoke first with a sigh. "Your older sister is here because of Aunt Zheng's situation."

Lu Liangwei nodded. "Oh, no wonder. And here I thought that Big Sis came specially to accompany Grandmother."

This time, Lu Yunshuang's expression truly became unpleasant when she heard those words.

This imbecile Lu Liangwei had obviously had said that deliberately for the sole purpose of sowing discord between Lu Yunshuang and their grandmother.

Lu Yunshuang gave a forced laugh. "I'm here because of Aunt Zheng, yes, but my main purpose is to visit Grandmother, which is why I came back."

This explanation was an obvious case of a cover-up only making things worse.

The Dowager Duchess did not respond to Lu Yunshuang at all.

Lu Liangwei's lips quirked up slightly.

Lu Yunshuang had courted a snub entirely through her own agency, and her face turned both green with envy and red with anger simultaneously.

She was not able to bring up Aunt Zheng's situation at all, not even until the time came for her to return to the Eastern Palace.

The conversation had come to a point where she would incur her grandmother's displeasure and antipathy should she mention the matter again.

She was in a distinctly morose mood because she had come home without achieving what she had set out to do. However, it was at this inopportune moment that a palace maid came to deliver a message. "The Crown Prince said he needs to go through some Palace Memorials so he won't be coming over. He wishes for you to have an early night."

The palace maid had just finished conveying the message when she heard the sound of a smash, and her forehead was struck by a vase. The bloody wound immediately covered her head and face with blood.

The palace maid was terrified. She was too afraid to wipe the blood off her face with her hands and could only kneel in fear, trembling.

"You're nothing but a lowly servant, and even you dare to make fun of me?"

"Please do not be angry, Crown Princess. Your humble servant dare not act in such a manner." The palace maid did not understand why this had happened but hastily tried to explain herself. 

"You dare not do so, or you did not do so?" Lu Yunshuang could no longer suppress the humiliation she had suffered today at the Grand Duke Mansion and had to vent it on someone.

"Your humble servant did not do so, Crown Princess. Even if this humble servant had a hundred times more courage, I would never dare to even entertain such thoughts."

When Lu Yunshuang saw the palace maid's cowering, fearfully cautious manner, it fueled her anger even further.

She cocked her head at Hong Xiu and ordered, "Bring me my horsewhip."

Hong Xiu's heart trembled at the words. She decided to pluck up her courage and advise Lu Yunshuang, "Crown Princess, today we are in the Eastern Palace, and many eyes are watching us. Please do not let a moment of strong emotion influence your actions, and lay yourself open to being caught in a bind by ambitious individuals…"

Before she could finish, a smack sounded as a slap landed squarely on her face.

In pain, Hong Xiu covered her face with her hand, staring at Lu Yunshuang in some disbelief.

Since girlhood, Hong Xiu had served Lu Yunshuang and understood her mistress' temperament very well. Lu Yunshuang had always presented herself as a dignified and virtuous woman in public, but in private, she would take her anger out on servants whenever things did not go according to her liking. 

In the early days when they were still living in the Grand Duke Mansion, quite a number of servants had been tortured to death by Lu Yunshuang. To the outside world, however, Lu Yunshuang and Hong Xiu claimed that those servants had been sold off for stealing from them.

However, no matter how cruel and vicious Lu Yunshuang was in her methods, she had never harmed a single hair of Hong Xiu's head, as Hong Xiu was her most trusted maid. Even though she would lose her temper at times, she had never crossed the line like she had today.

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