The Rise of Ning – Zhang Wanyi, Ren Min

Luo Yining, the eldest daughter of the Luo family, finally came of age. She received the news about her grandmother's 60th birthday and hurried back from the other estate. On the way, her maid asked if Luo Yining would be staying permanently this time, as the eldest daughter of the Luo family should not always live in the other estate. However, Luo Yining, who had been accustomed to her freedom since childhood, did not like staying in the main house.

Since she could remember, she had been bullied by her stepmother. After her mother had just passed away, the stepmother instigated Luo Yining's father to convert her mother's courtyard into a large pond. At that time, young Luo Yining climbed a tree and saw many people moving things out of her mother's room. She immediately tried to stop them, as this courtyard was the only thing her mother had left her. But the stepmother refused to back down.

In order to ensure that Luo Yining wouldn’t ruin her plan, the stepmother even went as far as to fake a miscarriage and framed Luo Yining for it, claiming that she had caused the loss of the child. Her father was furious, immediately demanded to know if Luo Yining understood her mistake, and then sent her to live in the other estate. Luo Yining’s grandmother had also been part of the decision to send her away.

Knowing that the stepmother was no easy person to deal with, she made the difficult choice to protect the young Luo Yining by keeping her away from the stepmother. The day of her return was both her grandmother's 60th birthday and the day to fulfill the engagement promise made between the Luo and Jiang families when Luo Yining was a child. Grandmother specifically called Luo Yining's father over to ask about the wedding arrangements for the day.

However, her father intended to marry off Luo Yinian’s younger sister, Luo Yilian, who was born of the stepmother, to the Jiang family instead. Grandmother was furious, pointing out that Luo Yining, as the eldest daughter, should marry first. However, the stepmother had been frequently whispering sweet nothings to sway her father, and he had already made up his mind to favor the stepmother’s daughter.

As soon as Luo Yining arrived at the Luo residence, the servants barred her from entering, unaware that the family had a seventh young lady who was the legitimate daughter. Luo Yining didn’t get angry and patiently waited for a few minutes. The housekeeper soon came and immediately welcomed her into the house. The Jiang family had come this time to congratulate the elderly grandmother on her birthday, but they had no intention of proposing marriage.

In fact, they came to call off the engagement. When Grandmother heard the Jiang family’s refusal, she was visibly displeased. The ladies of the family were chatting when the housekeeper announced, “The seventh young lady has arrived! ”Everyone turned to look and was instantly impressed. Luo Yining had grown into an elegant and graceful young woman, pure and refined, like a lotus flower freshly risen from the water—noble and otherworldly.

Luo Yining had prepared a special birthday gift for her grandmother: a large hand-cut paper artwork she had made herself, depicting "Ma Gu Offering Longevity," a symbol of good fortune and blessings. Everyone marveled at Luo Yining’s skill, and even her grandmother nodded in approval. Soon after, Luo Yining’s father arrived.

Luo Yining also presented a carefully prepared gift for him: a collection of precious calligraphy and paintings left by her maternal grandfather, which she had arranged and mounted in a meaningful order. The gift was thoughtful and well-timed. That evening, several children were setting off fireworks. A maid, acting suspiciously, slipped a firework out of her sleeve and placed it on a tray to be handed to Luo Yining. Luo Shenyuan happened to notice this scene.

Seeing that the maid was about to give the firework to Luo Yining, he quietly approached and warned her to be careful with the firework, as he had briefly met her earlier that day. Luo Yining nodded in thanks and joined her sisters to happily watch the fireworks in the sky. Luo Yilian saw the firework in Luo Yining's hand and immediately grabbed it. However, as soon as it was lit, they realized it was scorching and sparks flew everywhere.

Luo Yilian hastily threw it away, but it landed right by the feet of Madam Jiang, who was so frightened that her face turned pale. Fortunately, Luo Yining acted quickly, running over to stomp out the firework with her foot, putting an end to the chaos. Madam Jiang, still furious, stormed out of the Luo residence. Luo Yining’s father began scolding the children, and harshly rebuked Luo Shenyuan, who was supposed to be confined to the house, for leaving. Luo Yining had intended to speak up, but she too was punished and ordered to kneel in the ancestral hall all night.

In the early morning, Luo Shenyuan gently watched Luo Yining, who was sound asleep on a cushion beside him. This girl was quite different from the other young ladies of the Luo family. Even though she had been punished to kneel, she accepted it peacefully and was able to fall asleep on the cushion. Before long, Grandmother personally came to the ancestral hall to bring Luo Yining back.

Luo Yining pleaded with Grandmother to also pardon Luo Shenyuan, and then followed her back home. On the way, Luo Yining asked about Luo Shenyuan's background. Grandmother explained that although he was presented to the outside world as a son of the Luo family, he wasn’t related by blood. He was born out of a secret relationship between one of the Luo family’s maids and a servant.

To keep the family scandal quiet, Luo Yining’s father had adopted him as a foster son. So that’s how it was. Luo Yining recalled seeing scars on Luo Shenyuan’s wrist. After learning that they were old wounds, she took some time to bring her maid, Qingqu, to help with acupuncture treatments. In fact, Luo Shenyuan’s wrist injury was caused by Luo Yining herself.

When they were young, Luo Yining had asked Luo Shenyuan to climb a tree to pick dates for her. He had accidentally fallen, injuring his wrist. Luo Shenyuan chose to endure in silence. For years, he had been living under someone else’s roof, bearing humiliation, mainly for the purpose of clearing his master’s unjust conviction. Over the years, he had been collecting evidence and discovered that it was related to several paintings owned by Luo Yining’s grandfather.

He had been trying to find a way to see her collection. After Qingqu administered acupuncture to Luo Shenyuan, she noticed that he didn’t react at all. Upon returning to Luo Yining’s residence, Qingqu frankly told her that if the acupuncture didn’t cause pain, Luo Shenyuan’s condition should have left him bedridden by now. Yet, Luo Shenyuan moved about with ease. This raised Luo Yining’s suspicions.

She had just heard Luo Shenyuan mention the paintings, and now she wondered if he was trying to see her artwork. Before the matter became clear, she decided to proceed with caution. After returning from the Jiang residence, Luo Yining was filled with frustration. The Jiang family had openly declared during the day that if the engagement wasn’t canceled, they would take the Luo family’s legitimate daughter as a concubine. This was an obvious insult to the Luo family.

The stepmother, listening nearby, was secretly pleased. If Luo Yining married into the Jiang family as a concubine, she would never have any future prospects. She immediately whispered to Luo Yining’s father, suggesting that it could be a good thing, as the Jiang family was currently quite powerful, and it would be beneficial to form such a connection. To everyone's dismay, Luo Yining's muddle-headed father actually agreed.

Initially, Luo Yining planned to return to the other estate after celebrating Grandmother’s birthday, but Grandmother begged her to stay for a few more days. Seeing how serious Grandmother’s illness had become, Luo Yining decided to move back to the Luo residence to take care of her. Luo Yining knew that Grandmother had a heart condition, and if she heard about her joining the Jiang family as a concubine, it would surely cause a relapse.

She repeatedly instructed the maids to take good care of Grandmother and not allow her to move around unnecessarily. However, the stepmother, being sly, arranged for the servants to leak the news. Upon hearing it, Grandmother fell ill. After diagnosing Grandmother, the doctor warned the Luo family not to agitate her further. However, if Luo Yining were to become a concubine in the Jiang family, it would inevitably worsen Grandmother’s condition.

Understanding the events surrounding Grandmother’s relapse, Luo Yining realized that the stepmother was behind it again, so she came up with a plan.

Luo Shenyuan often dreamt of clearing his teacher’s name. He secretly rented a tavern where he and his fellow students would gather to exchange information. One day, he woke up late and stumbled upon quite an interesting scene. Luo Yining had devised a plan to lure out Luo Yilian, making her believe that Luo Yining had personally gone to discuss canceling the engagement with the eldest son of the Jiang family.

Luo Yilian then called their father to the tavern, hoping to embarrass Luo Yining. However, when their father hurried to the tavern after receiving a note, what he witnessed was Jiang’s eldest son discussing marriage with Luo Yilian, declaring that he would marry no one else but her. Furious, Luo Yining's father stormed into the private room. Luo Yilian, seeing her father arrive, panicked, realizing there was no way to explain herself now.

Jiang’s heir directly pleaded for the marriage to be approved, while Luo Yilian tearfully refused. Unable to bear seeing Luo Yilian so distressed, Luo Yining’s father decided to annul the engagement on the spot. Returning home, Luo Yining felt deeply disappointed. Her father, in the end, was still biased. The moment he saw Luo Yilian in tears, he immediately canceled the engagement. Luo Yining realized she would have to be extra cautious in the future.

Reflecting on everything, she discovered that one of the servants had gone to the Jiang family and exaggerated stories from her childhood, leading to the Jiang family’s proposal to take her as a concubine. Not only did this servant gossip to the Jiang family, but they also exacerbated Grandmother’s illness. Upon investigating the relationships surrounding this servant, Madam Lü, Luo Yining instructed Qingqu to search Madam Lü’s room for evidence.

Sure enough, they found a bag of silver containing over ten taels. How could a simple servant possess such a large sum of money? With solid evidence in hand, Luo Yining called for the matron of the house, her stepmother, and her father to confront them. In the face of the evidence, even her father, as biased as he was, could do nothing.

He punished the stepmother with a month of confinement and transferred control of the household finances to the legitimate wife, Lin Hairu. Lin Hairu was overjoyed when she returned to her room. Although she had been the main wife for over ten years, she had never been in charge of the household and had always suffered under the oppression and humiliation from the stepmother. The servants even blurred the lines of respect between the mistress and the maids.

Luo Yining reminded Lin Hairu that since the household authority had changed, new rules had to be established. With Luo Yining’s advice, Lin Hairu immediately set new rules for the concubines, such as mandatory morning and evening greetings and assisting the main wife with daily tasks like massages and back-rubbing. She personally handed the rulebook to the stepmother, whose face twisted with anger upon reading it. Lin Hairu couldn’t have been more pleased.

With her newfound authority, Lin Hairu was delighted and naturally grew more fond of Luo Yining. When Luo Yining asked if she could personally deliver the monthly allowance to Luo Shenyuan, Lin Hairu readily agreed. Luo Yining brought the monthly allowance to Luo Shenyuan, warmly addressing him as “Third Brother,” as if they were true siblings.

Luo Yining knew that it was Luo Shenyuan who had secretly instructed the servants to inform Qingqu, which led to them uncovering Madam Lü’s betrayal. This proved that Luo Shenyuan wasn’t their enemy. While she came under the pretense of delivering the allowance, she was really there to express her gratitude. Luo Shenyuan was finally treated as an equal, and he was overjoyed. His servant asked why he hadn’t mentioned borrowing the paintings.

Luo Shenyuan simply smiled and shook his head. There was no need to bring it up—they could just “look” at them quietly when the time was right.

Luo Shenyuan heard that Luo Yining would visit Lin Hairu after dinner, so he quietly led his servants to Luo Yining’s study to search for the paintings. However, upon entering her room, he saw Luo Yilian's maid, Ying’er, sneaking in and pouring the contents of an entire sachet into the water jug. Luo Shenyuan gave his servant a signal, and the servant immediately pretended to "accidentally" run into Ying’er, then snatched the sachet from her hand.

When Luo Yining returned to her room, her sharp senses detected movement. The intruder was quick, but Luo Yining cleverly grabbed some white lime powder and sprinkled it near the window. She then hid on the other side. Taking advantage of the moment, Luo Shenyuan swiftly escaped through the window, leaving behind a footprint in the lime powder. Luo Yining examined the footprint and noticed that the scroll case had been disturbed.

Recalling that Luo Shenyuan had mentioned her grandfather’s paintings a few days earlier, she suspected that the intruder was none other than Luo Shenyuan. With Lin Hairu now in control of the household finances, Chen Lan from the main branch also began to stir. Her two daughters were dissatisfied with Lin Hairu managing the household, and when Chen Lan scolded them, she punished them by making them copy Buddhist scriptures.

When Luo Shenyuan saw the paintings by Luo Yining’s maternal grandfather, he couldn’t help but remember his childhood. Back then, he secretly listened outside the window, absorbing the knowledge his teacher imparted. After the noble students finished their lessons, Luo Shenyuan would sneak in to practice reading and writing from their books. His teacher noticed his diligence and praised him, encouraging him to be patient and resilient.

A true man could endure humiliation and hardship, and one day, when the time was right, he would soar high. Luo Shenyuan admired his teacher's integrity and wisdom, and he swore to clear his teacher’s name after being framed and wrongfully killed. Luo Shenyuan had his servant place Ying’er’s sachet in a conspicuous spot in Luo Yining’s courtyard. When Luo Yining discovered it, she had her maid inspect it carefully and found that the powder was toxic.

Even the slightest contact with it would cause a rash to break out all over the skin. Luo Yining realized that this was another plot by her stepmother. Over the past few days, she had been diligently reviewing the household accounts and uncovered numerous discrepancies.

For instance, the quantities of bird’s nest and valuable ginseng didn’t match the records, and many of the Luo family’s lands had been rented out at prices far below market value, though the exact reason was unclear. Lin Hairu had been struggling to find an excuse to confront the stepmother, but with Luo Yining’s discoveries, she immediately grabbed the account books and went to question her.

The stepmother had more maids in her quarters than the main household, even more than Lin Hairu’s own maids. Luo Yining took this opportunity to ask Lin Hairu for one of the older maids from Ying’er’s quarters. Although the master of the house had originally agreed, Ying’er begged for mercy in front of him and then fainted. Overcome with sympathy for Ying’er, the master relented once again. Ying’er only wanted to keep Zhang Mama by her side.

Luo Yining knew that when her stepmother married into the Luo family, Zhang Mama had always been with her. Later, when the stepmother had a miscarriage, it was Zhang Mama who found the doctor. Many strange coincidences involved her, and Luo Yining decided it was time to retaliate. Since Ying’er made things difficult for her, she would not take this lightly. Luo Yining purposely went to greet Lin Hairu while the stepmother was present.

She had Qingqu secretly sprinkle some of Ying’er’s powder onto the stepmother’s neck. Pretending to be itchy, Luo Yining began scratching her own neck. Soon after, the stepmother also started scratching. Qingqu deliberately said that this illness could be life-threatening, causing Luo Yilian to blurt out in shock that it would only cause a rash and was not fatal. With that one sentence, the truth was exposed.

Lin Hairu reported the matter to the master, who slapped Luo Yilian’s hand and dismissed all her servants. Luo Yining had once again achieved her goal.

Luo Yining successfully brought Li Mama into her courtyard. At first, she instructed her servants not to trouble Li Mama and let her stay peacefully for a few days. She was confident that her stepmother would make a move soon, and when that happened, Luo Yining would be ready to counter.

The sixth young lady had always loved good food, but when the first wife noticed that she was starting to gain weight, she immediately ordered the maids to serve her a light diet. They were also instructed to measure her waist daily to monitor her weight. However, the sixth young lady secretly moved all her cooking spices into Luo Yining’s room, pleading with her to keep them safe.

Once her waist size met her mother’s expectations, she planned to retrieve the spices. Luo Yining remembered that Luo Shenyuan had recently snuck into her room, likely seeking her grandfather’s paintings. Since the paintings were of no use to her, she decided to help him out. She carefully packed the treasured paintings and sent them to Luo Shenyuan. Luo Shenyuan was overjoyed to receive the paintings.

In gratitude, he gifted Luo Yining a hairpin he had found over ten years ago, which had belonged to her mother. Both were delighted with their exchange, but on the way back, they ran into Luo Chengzhang. Luo Chengzhang had always regarded Luo Shenyuan as a thorn in his side. When he saw Luo Yining so generously gifting the paintings, he ordered his men to take them back. Luo Yining, even though she defied her father, couldn't change his decision.

Hearing that Luo Shenyuan had spoken kindly of her in front of her father, she felt even more indebted to him. The sixth young lady, forced to diet and walk many steps each day, was famished. She wandered to the pavilion to rest and happened to see a fat, white goose by the pond. Thrilled, she immediately envisioned cooking a delicious stew with it.

Just as she was about to instruct her maid to catch the goose, a young man, elegant in demeanor, approached. This handsome young man was Lin Mao. He excitedly asked the sixth young lady if she liked the goose too. When he heard her describe it as "plump and juicy," Lin Mao's face turned red with anger. Someone had set their sights on his pet! His feelings instantly soured.

They began mocking each other—Lin Mao teasing the sixth young lady for her round figure, and she retorting that Lin Mao was so ugly, he ruined the view of her courtyard. Neither was willing to back down. Not long after, Lin Xiaoniang schemed to lure Li Mama away and planned to kill her to silence her. Qingqu, who had been following in secret, realized that Li Mama was in danger and rushed out to save her.

However, Qingqu alone wasn’t strong enough to rescue Li Mama. Fortunately, they encountered Luo Shenyuan, who happened to be searching for a witness to prove his teacher’s innocence. Luo Shenyuan helped Qingqu save Li Mama. Luo Shenyuan had been tracking a man named Li Yinglong, who had been under surveillance for some time. When he learned that another group intended to kill Li Yinglong, he arrived just in time to save him.

During the rescue, Luo Shenyuan discovered that the group trying to frame Li Yinglong belonged to the Imperial Guard. Qingqu secretly relocated Li Mama to a safe place. From her, Luo Yining learned that when she was a child, she had been falsely accused by her stepmother of causing her miscarriage. In reality, Lin Xiaoniang had lost the baby by accident a few days before even encountering Luo Yining, but, fearing Luo Chengzhang's anger, she had blamed Luo Yining.

Now, Luo Yining finally had a witness to prove that the miscarriage had not been her fault. Qingqu also told Luo Yining about the benefactor they had encountered along the way. Luo Yining found it strange; she had only recently arrived at the Luo residence and hadn’t made any friends. Who could have been so kind to help her? She immediately packed a few garments and used the pretext of delivering them to Luo Shenyuan.

Sure enough, at Luo Shenyuan’s residence, Luo Yining made an unexpected discovery. In his room, she found a set of nightclothes, identical to what Qingqu had described. Luo Yining was even more intrigued by Luo Shenyuan. He usually appeared reserved and silent, but he possessed impressive skills and even had nightclothes. He was truly extraordinary!

Lin Mao was temporarily staying with the eldest sister. Since he had already been paid, he found life at the Luo residence quite boring. Luo Yining approached Lin Mao, telling him that Luo Shenyuan was also a fun young man in the household. She mentioned that Luo Shenyuan often found all kinds of entertainment, and if Lin Mao spent time with him, he was sure to have fun every day.

Simple-minded Lin Mao believed her and swore not to tell anyone that it was Luo Yining who had told him this. Soon after, he began frequently seeking out Luo Shenyuan for amusement. One day, Lin Mao saw Luo Shenyuan heading to Liuhe Tavern and quickly greeted him, hoping to join in on the food and drinks. Luo Shenyuan, upon hearing that Lin Mao was Lin Hairu's younger brother, naturally didn’t dare to be impolite.

He ordered several bottles of fine wine and summoned two beautiful women to accompany them. With beauties by his side and good wine in hand, Lin Mao unknowingly drank himself into a stupor! Luo Shenyuan had the women accompany Lin Mao while he went into another room to inquire about the recent investigation on Li Yinglong.

His subordinates reported that Li Yinglong had been frequenting Yuanjing Pavilion and had been searching for a rare medicinal herb called "Longyan Incense," which seemed to be intended for the Imperial Consort's medicine. That night, Lin Mao staggered home drunk and was scolded by Lin Hairu, so he didn't dare to go out for a while. The next day, Luo Yining asked Lin Mao what he had been up to the previous day.

When she heard that he had gone with Luo Shenyuan to Liuhe Tavern, she was quite surprised. Luo Shenyuan was usually a low-key person who didn’t like drawing attention—why would he go to a place like Liuhe Tavern? Soon after, Luo Yining heard from her maid that Luo Shenyuan had gone to Yuanjing Pavilion. The place was bustling with activity that day, as the Shen family had invited an opera troupe to perform, and all the guests were prominent officials.

Luo Yining was puzzled as to why Luo Shenyuan had gone there when her sixth sister came to invite her to join in on the excitement at Yuanjing Pavilion. At Yuanjing Pavilion, Luo Yining began looking for Luo Shenyuan. The sixth young lady told her that one of the guests was the famous local handsome man, Cheng Lang, whose looks captivated many young women. Luo Yining overheard that Cheng Lang had an uncle named Lu Jiaxue, which startled her.

Her face turned pale, and she quickly found an excuse to leave. Lu Jiaxue had once caused her to fall off a cliff, and it was a miracle she survived. Thinking of Lu Jiaxue, Luo Yining's heart began to race. She needed to leave. Yuanjing Pavilion was quite large, and as she walked, Luo Yining got lost.

In fact, when she and the sixth young lady had arrived, Lin Yuexian had already hired assassins, instructing them to find an opportunity to kill Luo Yining. Several assassins closed in on Luo Yining, and just when it seemed she would be captured, she remembered the powder in her pocket. Quickly, she threw it at the assassins and fled.

On the other side of Yuanjing Pavilion, Li Yinglong knelt before Lu Jiaxue, begging for his life and revealing that the testimony about Sun Chengwu was hidden at the Luo residence. Lu Jiaxue was unmoved and ordered his men to leave no loose ends. Luo Shenyuan, who had been listening in the shadows, immediately brought his men to save Li Yinglong. However, Lu Jiaxue had many skilled fighters with him, and Luo Shenyuan personally engaged in a fight with him.

Their martial skills were evenly matched. After Li Yinglong managed to escape, Luo Shenyuan quickly led his men in retreat. Luo Shenyuan noticed Luo Yining observing from the shadows and immediately grabbed her, pulling her along to escape. However, because he was injured and they were being pursued, it became difficult for them to get away. Luo Shenyuan urged Luo Yining to leave quickly, warning her that if she didn’t, the Luo family could be implicated.

Luo Yining had already fled, but when she saw how much blood Luo Shenyuan was losing from his wound, she hurried back to help him. Late that night, Madam Luo was anxious as Luo Yining had not returned home. Lin Hairu wanted to take people to Yuanjing Pavilion to look for her, but Qiao Xiaoniang mentioned that assassins had attacked Yuanjing Pavilion that day, and it was not safe to enter.

Lin Hairu, having learned the general situation from Luo Yixiu, suspected that their stepmother was involved. After everyone left, Lin Hairu secretly brought a few maids to their stepmother’s courtyard. She closed the door and began questioning their stepmother, demanding to know where Luo Yining was being kept.

Late at night, Luo Shenyuan took Luo Yining to hide in a cave. Luo Yining helped Luo Shenyuan bandage his wounds and then asked him about what had happened earlier that day. Luo Shenyuan explained that in his youth, he had received guidance from his mentor, and now that his mentor had been wronged and killed, it was only right for him to clear his mentor’s name.

Luo Yining didn’t oppose Luo Shenyuan's desire to repay his mentor, but she made it clear that she would not allow the Luo family to be implicated. Luo Shenyuan assured her that no innocent people would be harmed. Early the next morning, Luo Yining returned to the Luo residence.

Instead of showing concern, Luo Chengzhang scolded her for not coming home the night before and reminded her that, as the legitimate daughter of the Luo family, she needed to consider the family’s reputation. Luo Yining explained that she had gotten lost and spent the night in a small forest, but their stepmother was relentless, refusing to believe that a young woman could stay in the woods all night.

Luo Shenyuan soon arrived and claimed he could vouch for Luo Yining’s story. With Luo Shenyuan as a witness, no one could say anything further. Although Luo Chengzhang was angry and wanted to punish both Luo Yining and Luo Shenyuan by making them kneel, Lin Hairu stepped in, and Luo Chengzhang backed down. Their grandmother’s heart condition worsened, and this time it was severe. After diagnosing her, the doctor said that only Doctor Du from the palace could save her.

Luo Shenyuan also heard this and knew that Doctor Du had recently been searching for a particular medicinal herb. Since Luo Shenyuan had just obtained some Longyan Incense, he quickly disguised himself and went into the city to find Doctor Du. Luo Yining waited for a long time at the entrance to Doctor Du’s residence.

Doctor Du’s apprentice informed her that the doctor had been exhausted after several days of work in the palace and was currently too weak to even lift his acupuncture needles. Luo Yining had no choice but to send her maid back home while she stayed at Doctor Du’s residence, determined to wait for him to recover so she could bring him to the Luo residence to treat her grandmother.

The reason Doctor Du had not responded to Luo Yining was that he also needed Longyan Incense to extend his life. At this time, Luo Shenyuan met with Doctor Du and presented him with the Longyan Incense, begging him to treat the elderly Madam Luo. Relieved by Luo Shenyuan’s timely gift, Doctor Du agreed and immediately went to the Luo residence. Under Doctor Du’s care, the elderly Madam Luo quickly regained consciousness. The stepmother’s plans were foiled again.

She had been hoping that the old lady would pass away soon, so she could take over the family's wealth. When she heard the doctor declare that the old lady was out of danger, she hurriedly ordered her servants to dispose of the funeral clothes and coffin that had been prepared. Some of the servants, acting suspiciously, crossed the courtyard just as Luo Yining and Lin Hairu were passing by.

The two women quietly followed them, confirming that it was indeed their scheming stepmother behind this. Luo Yining had already suspected that the person behind the attempt on her life at Yuanjing Pavilion was the stepmother. Although she had no concrete evidence yet, Luo Yining warned her that those who commit too many evil deeds will eventually meet their downfall, advising her to be careful. As night fell again, Luo Yining rested by her bed, repeatedly organizing her thoughts.

The Luo residence, where she now lived, was filled with hidden dangers. First, there had been the plot at Yuanjing Pavilion, and who knew where the next scheme would arise? She summoned her maid and instructed her to keep a close eye on Bi Yi, one of the stepmother’s maids. Since the stepmother’s plot had been exposed during the day, she was sure that the woman would try to destroy any evidence that night.

Meanwhile, Luo Shenyuan had captured Li Yinglong and was interrogating him about the secret meeting at Yuanjing Pavilion. Initially, Li Yinglong refused to speak, but when he learned that Luo Shenyuan only wanted to clear the name of his mentor, Chen Jiuheng, he revealed the truth. Years ago, Sun Chengwu of the Imperial Bureau, along with several officials, had been involved in smuggling tea and had profited greatly from it.

When Chen Jiuheng received an imperial decree to provide disaster relief, Sun Chengwu and the others, fearing that their tea trade would be exposed, falsely accused Chen Jiuheng of embezzling the relief funds. Lu Jiaxue also knew the full story and had been hunting for a secret ledger, which contained important codes related to the case. This was why Lu Jiaxue had been relentlessly pursuing its whereabouts.

At dawn, Luo Shenyuan happened to see Luo Yining's maid rushing out in a hurry. He asked her what had happened, and the maid explained that Luo Yining had developed a high fever. Luo Yining had ordered her not to make a fuss, only to fetch some cool water. Since Luo Shenyuan had a personal connection with Doctor Du, he told the maid to go back, and he sent his own people to summon Doctor Du.

After diagnosing her, Doctor Du not only confirmed that Luo Yining had symptoms of typhoid fever but also noticed that her physical weakness was something she had been born with. He deduced that her mother must have taken a large amount of strong labor-inducing drugs, which would have caused premature labor and posed a great risk to the mother.

Luo Shenyuan vaguely remembered that Luo Yining's mother had suffered greatly during childbirth, and after delivering the baby, she had died from massive blood loss. Now Luo Shenyuan understood that Yining's mother, Madam Gu, had also been an unfortunate woman. Doctor Du added that Luo Yining's weakness would worsen unless they could find the dangerous drug that had been used on her before birth.

Otherwise, this condition would become increasingly apparent, and if she were ever to give birth in the future, it would put her life in serious danger. Determined to uncover the root cause of Luo Yining's condition, Luo Shenyuan immediately ordered his men to investigate the servants who had attended to Luo Yining's mother at the Luo residence. After several days of searching, they finally found a clue.

Luo Shenyuan sent his men to threaten the maid from that time, and the maid confessed that Luo Yining's mother had not had a good relationship with Luo Erye, Luo Yining's father. After their stepmother got involved, Luo Yining's mother was sent to live in a separate courtyard. She had gone missing for a time after an encounter with bandits, and when she was found again, she was already pregnant.

Fearing the scandal would be exposed, Luo Yining's mother had secretly taken an abortion drug, but Luo Yining was born prematurely as a result. Therefore, Luo Shenyuan and Luo Yining were not biological siblings. After the maid finished her confession, Luo Shenyuan sent her far away, warning her never to return. Luo Shenyuan had uncovered a shocking secret and immediately ordered his men to keep it absolutely confidential.

When he saw Luo Yining again, she had regained her healthy complexion and her fever had subsided. Luo Yining knew that Luo Shenyuan had gifted Doctor Du the precious Longyan Incense, and she was grateful for his help during her illness. She not only thanked him but also decided to organize a lively birthday celebration for Luo Shenyuan.

Realizing she couldn’t do it alone, Luo Yining enlisted the help of her sixth sister and Lin Mao to make it more festive. Luo Shenyuan had never celebrated his birthday before, and now seeing that Luo Yining had carefully planned this event and even invited friends to join in a game of drinking orders, he was touched by the warm and lively atmosphere.

The sixth sister and Lin Mao drank too much during the game and soon fell asleep on the couch. In the end, only Luo Yining and Luo Shenyuan remained sober. They continued playing the drinking game, and Luo Yining reminded Luo Shenyuan to always protect himself no matter what happened and to avoid putting himself in danger at the Luo residence.

Luo Shenyuan agreed to everything and added that even if Luo Yining weren’t the seventh lady of the Luo family, he would still treat her like a sister. Luo Yining was moved by his words but did not fully grasp their deeper meaning. Meanwhile, Lu Jiaxue had been thinking about Sun Chengwu’s testimony.

Upon hearing that Li Yinglong had mentioned the testimony being hidden at the Luo residence, he sent his nephew, Cheng Lang, to the Luo residence to investigate the matter. The sudden visit from the young master of the Cheng family, who claimed he had come to visit the elderly Madam Luo, surprised the Luo family.

However, since Cheng Lang was known to be as handsome as Pan An and came from a wealthy family, the grandmother, who had been hoping to arrange good marriages for her granddaughters, happily invited Cheng Lang to stay at the Luo residence for a few days.

Luo Shenyuan's sister-in-law, Chen Lan, discussed with the grandmother about marrying Luo Yiyu to Cheng Lang. However, the grandmother wasn’t optimistic about Cheng Lang. She shared some of his background with Chen Lan: as a child, Cheng Lang had been bullied by his two older brothers. He didn’t retaliate at the time, but after his uncle rose to power, Cheng Lang sought revenge.

One of his brothers died, and the other was forced to live far away, showing that Cheng Lang was not to be trifled with. His uncle, who had achieved a high position at a young age, clearly had his own means. The grandmother did not approve of marrying Yiyu into such an unpredictable family. She preferred Liu Jing, from a scholarly family. However, Chen Lan thought that Liu Jing’s family, being only of the sixth rank, was too lowly.

Luo Yining had just overheard Cheng Lang mention to her grandfather that Lu Jiaxue also enjoyed paper cutting but was afraid of being discovered. Worried about this, Luo Yining hurried back to her room and quickly threw all her previous paper cuts into the fire. The maid didn’t understand Luo Yining's anxious expression but obediently carried the brazier away. After the maid left, Luo Yining fell into deep thought. She recalled the time she was sent to a separate courtyard.

One day, her kite landed in the neighboring residence. She climbed a ladder to the wall and called out several times, but no one responded. So, she jumped over the wall to retrieve her kite. At the time, Lu Jiaxue seemed to have an eye injury. Feeling sympathy for his blindness, Luo Yining often brought him snacks and flowers, and even gave him a few of her paper-cut designs.

It must have been from that time that Lu Jiaxue developed feelings for her. Later, she also brought him ointment for his eyes, and eventually, Lu Jiaxue regained his sight. Luo Shenyuan, as usual, tended to flowers and sent them to others. Though the people of the Luo family treated him like an outcast, Luo Shenyuan, who never cared for fame or fortune and avoided conflict, was gradually ignored.

Luo Yining saw the white peonies that Luo Shenyuan had sent to her room, each one blooming proudly and beautifully. She couldn’t resist seeking him out to ask if Cheng Lang had ulterior motives in visiting the Luo residence. Luo Shenyuan nodded but did not reveal any specifics. Hearing Luo Shenyuan promise that he wouldn’t let anything harm the Luo family, Luo Yining finally felt at ease and left.

That evening, the Luo family steward came to report to the elderly lady that assassins had attacked the Muxi Hall. The elderly lady clasped her prayer beads and sighed, “The thing I’ve feared all these years has finally come to pass. ”Lin Mao, wanting to thank Luo Yixiu, specially prepared a recipe for digestion and weight loss. He presented it to her that night.

At the same time, Luo Yixiu noticed that Luo Yilian had been frequently visiting Luo Yiyu lately, and she couldn’t help but wonder what scheming thoughts she had. Sure enough, soon after, Luo Yining discovered that Luo Yiyu was using unopened lotus buds to pass love poems to Cheng Lang. The passionate words were so bold they were hard to look at directly.

Luo Yining instructed her maid to keep the matter a secret, as revealing it now would surely provoke Luo Yiyu’s wrath. Luo Yining discreetly disposed of the note. She thought it would be best to quietly stop her eldest sister, as Luo Yiyu was already engaged to the young master of the Liu family. If this scandal were to spread, it would affect the reputation of all the unmarried girls in the Luo family.

The next day, Luo Yining found an opportunity to approach her eldest sister. She pretended to have found a handkerchief belonging to Yiyu and suggested that it would be lovely to embroider a poem on it. As she spoke, she recited the love poem she had seen the day before. Realizing she had crossed the line, Luo Yiyu immediately promised not to act privately again.

Cheng Lang, having learned from Luo Yiyu that the elderly lady often spent time in Yixin Studio, believed the crucial item must be hidden there. Seizing a moonless, windy night, he snuck into the studio, intending to steal the testimony. However, Luo Shenyuan appeared to stop him. A fierce fight broke out between the two, with Yixin Studio engulfed in flames. The fight was evenly matched, and in the end, both men escaped.

After the fire was finally extinguished, the Luo family servants found a body among the debris. Cheng Lang's men identified the deceased as Li Yinglong. They assumed that Li Yinglong had also been searching for the testimony in Yixin Studio and believed that the fire had completely destroyed it.

Cheng Lang's objective in coming to the Luo family had been achieved, and after a few days, he came to bid farewell. The grandmother discussed with the family about hosting a farewell banquet for Cheng Lang. Luo Yining heard that a charred corpse had been found in Yixin Studio and guessed that the incident must be related to Luo Shenyuan. After greeting her grandmother in the morning, she went to Luo Shenyuan’s separate courtyard to seek confirmation.

Luo Shenyuan admitted that he had set the fire the previous night but explained that he did it for the good of the Luo family and urged Luo Yining not to pursue the matter further. He told her the less she knew, the better. Trusting Luo Shenyuan’s words, Luo Yining decided not to ask any more questions. Qingqu had already brought the doctor who treated the miscarriage years ago to a location near the Luo residence.

Luo Yining arranged for the doctor to stay at a tavern, where she asked him for details and confirmed that he would testify. She then had her subordinates take good care of him. However, as soon as the doctor entered the city, he was spotted by one of the informants working for the concubine, who carefully followed him.

Luo Shenyuan, watching from the upper floor of the tavern, also noticed the tail behind Luo Yining and immediately sent word to warn her. The concubine, aware that Luo Yining was investigating the truth behind her miscarriage, decided to strike first. She and her daughter schemed to frame Luo Yining. Taking advantage of the farewell banquet being held for Cheng Lang by the grandmother, they bribed a performer.

The performer secretly took Luo Yining’s belt and then knocked her unconscious, locking her in a room. Soon after, Luo Chengzhang and the grandmother went to attend the farewell banquet. A maid, bribed by the concubine, acted suspiciously, arousing Luo Chengzhang’s suspicion. When the maid claimed that Luo Yining was alone in a room with a man, Luo Chengzhang forced the door open. Inside, a disheveled performer called out Luo Yining's name.

However, emerging from the opposite side was none other than Luo Shenyuan! It wasn’t Luo Yining after all, indicating that things were more complicated than they seemed. Luo Shenyuan claimed he had been in the room the entire time, and it was clear that Luo Yining was about to be framed. Luo Yining immediately questioned the performer, asking for evidence that they had known each other for some time. The performer then presented a belt embroidered with orchids.

With both the witness and physical evidence present, Luo Chengzhang furiously accused Luo Yining of being shameless and was ready to punish her. However, Luo Yining reminded her father to carefully examine the orchid on the belt, noting that it wasn’t one of her personal belongings. Upon closer inspection, Luo Chengzhang realized that the belt wasn’t her mother’s but belonged to Qiao Yuechan.

Years ago, he had given orchid belts to both Luo Yining’s mother and Qiao Yuechan—Luo Yining’s mother’s belt had six orchid leaves, while Qiao Yuechan’s had seven. The performer’s testimony was full of holes, and it became evident that someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. The belt alone was enough to prove that Qiao Yuechan was the mastermind behind everything. Qiao Yuechan tried to argue, but Luo Yining was already prepared.

She presented evidence proving that the miscarriage years ago wasn’t caused by her, then brought forth witnesses like Nurse Li and Old Master Zhang. These people testified that Qiao Yuechan had not only framed the young Luo Yining in the past but had also continuously schemed against her since she returned to the Luo family. With all the evidence laid out, Luo Chengzhang finally saw the true face of the woman he had shared his life with.

Despite her outward appearance of being pitiful, she was insidious and cruel behind the scenes. Even though Qiao Yuechan tearfully pleaded for the years she had devoted to the Luo family, Luo Chengzhang had already become completely disheartened.