A life of ups and downs is pure joy

"It's this dead girl. She looks just like her elder sister." Nanny Zhou pinched the face of the girl who was about sixteen or seventeen years old and was tied to the ground, and threw her aside fiercely.

"I know you don't want to live anymore, but if you don't tell me what I want to know today, I will kill your brother in Mengxian and Qiyang's grandparents." Cheng Ping looked at the girl on the ground and said sternly, then waved her hand and asked someone to pull out the cloth stuffed in her mouth.

"No, no, no, my brother and grandparents didn't do anything, don't hurt them." The girl was half lying on the ground, her hands were tied and she could only support herself with her arms. She looked at the old woman in front of her with frightened eyes.

"Then tell me, who asked you to enter the mansion and harm people?" Nanny Zhou shouted.

"Mammy, I can't tell him. If I tell him, he will kill my grandparents too." The girl cried wailingly, her face dirty.

"Your grandparents are staying at the farm now. Why don't you open your eyes and see clearly who is sitting in front of you?" Nanny Zhou looked at her impatiently.

"Grandfather, I was wrong, I was wrong. Please let my grandparents and brother go. I will tell you everything." The girl kept using her arms to support herself and kowtowed frantically, begging.

"It was Butler Hong. He let me in and said he had a way for me to avenge my elder sister." the girl shouted.

Cheng Ping shook her crutch to the ground, and Pei Lan, the maid next to her, understood what she meant.

"Who else?" asked Nanny Zhou. If it was Butler Hong, she really couldn't think of any reason why he would want to harm Lin Qinghuan.

"I can point out a lady who came to me and cured my illness. So I listened to her and waited patiently for Butler Hong to come to me," said the girl.

"What does that woman look like and how can she treat you?" asked Nanny Zhou.

"I, I, since my eldest sister died, I was sold to Chunxianglou and contracted a women's disease. It was the woman with the scar on her eyebrow who saved me, but now she wants to kill me too."

"A scar on her eyebrow?" Madam Zhou glanced at the old ancestor. "I remember Feng Sanniang, who was by Concubine Chang's side, had a scar on her eyebrow. I heard she was beaten in the music hall before."

"Go, bring Chang Xinrui and Feng Sanniang here. You go in person and tell them I want to inquire about Qinghuan's condition." Cheng Ping said to Madam Zhou, then kept looking at the girl lying down below. "Take her away first."

Half an incense stick's time passed, and Chang Xinrui came in, dressed in fancy clothes, twisting her body and waving a scented fan. Feng Sanniang followed her with her head lowered. When she looked up, the scar on her eyebrow was particularly eye-catching.

"Mother, if you call me, I will just ask the servants to run the trip. Why bother Nanny Zhou?" Chang Xinrui looked at Nanny Zhou and said with concern.

"Please sit down, Feng Sanniang. Come over and tell me how Qinghuan is doing." Feng Sanniang glanced around and walked forward quickly.

"My dear ancestor, the fifth lady's pulse is weak now. The second lady and I have tried everything, but we are really powerless." Feng Sanniang said while kneeling on the ground.

"Bring him up!" Cheng Ping shouted.

The servant brought up the girl. The girl glanced at Feng Sanniang and backed away in fear.

"Ancestor, it was her, it was her, who asked me to deliver the bowls and dishes infected with the plague to Lingzhuyuan." The girl shouted in fear.

Feng Sanniang's face turned pale instantly, and she looked at Chang Xinrui with horror. Chang Xinrui trembled.

"What are you talking about? I don't even know you." Feng Sanniang said.

"Madam Feng, you and Butler Hong tricked me into avenging my elder sister, and now you're trying every possible way to kill me. If the ancestor hadn't brought me here earlier, it wouldn't be Ling'er who died in there, but me." The girl kowtowed to Cheng Ping repeatedly, "Ancestor, I've told you everything I know. Please let my family go."

"Feng Sanniang, tell me, who ordered you to do this?" asked Madam Zhou.

Feng Sanniang glanced at Chang Xinrui and said, "Humph, no one ordered me to do this. I did it all myself."

"You did it. You are just a maid. You have no grudge against the Fifth Young Lady, and you have nothing to do with Aunt Xue. Why don't you tell the truth quickly!" Nanny Zhou shouted sternly.

Chang Xinrui clutched her handkerchief tightly, her palms full of sweat.

"Hmph, believe it or not, I'll kill you if you want." Feng Sanniang looked ready to die, without any fear.

"Grandfather, Madam Liu said that the Fourth Prince asked her to come and deliver a message." The maid outside knocked on the door and said.

"Grandfather, the Fourth Prince said that he and the Third Young Lady went to the farm today and saw the little grandson of Nanny Chang, who was in charge of the fields. He thought the child was very cute, so he and the Third Young Lady brought the child back and planned to take him to Kyoto. Now he and the Third Young Lady are playing with a football in the eldest son's courtyard. He asked me to come and report." Nanny Liu, the housekeeper in Lin Yuzhi's courtyard, saluted Cheng Ping and then spoke slowly.

"What do you want to do?" Feng Sanniang lost her momentum when she heard this. She turned around and looked at Chang Xinrui crying, "Madam, please save Fu'er."

"What are you telling me? You've done all these ridiculous things, what are you calling me to do now?" Chang Xinrui screamed in fear.

"My wife, everything I have done over the years has been in accordance with your instructions." Feng Sanniang said while kneeling.

Cheng Ping took a deep breath and asked, "Has Hong Tao arrived?"

"Grandfather, I'm innocent." Butler Hong came running in, "These two vicious women ordered me to do this."

"Chang Xinrui, do you have anything else to say?" Nanny Zhou looked at her and asked.

"Hmph, old thing, when is it your turn to call me by my name?" Chang Xinrui stood up and yelled at Nanny Zhou.

"My son dotes on you, and I thought you never did anything wrong and gave birth to a son and a daughter for my son, so I turned a blind eye. I never thought that you, a vicious woman, would harm my daughter-in-law and my grandson. Now I can't feel relieved even if I kill you." Cheng Ping said angrily.

"Hahaha, how dare you mention my Fifth Son? If it weren't for Zhang Yulan being too pampered and refusing to let the doctor treat my son, how could my Fifth Son have died? So she deserves to die. Why can her child live but my Fifth Son can't?" Chang Xinrui shouted almost crazily.

"What does Wu'er's death have to do with Yulan? You. You. You killed Yulan!" Cheng Ping stood up and shouted excitedly, tears streaming down her face.

"If her maid hadn't been unwilling to inform, how could my Wu'er have been without a doctor in the middle of the night? I begged like that at the gate of the courtyard, and they just said that the mistress was not feeling well and it was inconvenient to inform." Chang Xinrui cried.

"Yulan was bedridden due to morning sickness, and the maidservant below was ignorant and refused to report it. The first thing Yulan did when she found out was to ask Feng'er to call a doctor, ignoring the curfew in Kyoto. What else do you want from her?" Cheng Ping condemned loudly, "You are narrow-minded and plotted to murder the mistress out of jealousy. What's the point if I kill you a thousand times now? You are committing a sin, Tang'er, you are really committing a sin." Cheng Ping was shaking with anger.

"It was her child that sealed my son's life. Xue Feng also deserves to die. She was just a maid, but she dared to become a concubine overnight and even wanted to give birth to a son. I don't have one, so how dare she, a servant, have one?" Chang Xinrui sneered.

"Crazy woman, absolutely crazy woman."

"Hahaha, now Zhang Yulan's daughter is also going to die. That little bitch actually looks just like her dead mother. I want to strangle her to death every time I see her."

"Someone, come and beat this crazy woman to death." Cheng Ping excitedly shook the ground with her crutch.

"Mother, mother." Lin Qingwan ran in crying, knelt on the ground and hugged Chang Xinrui, then kowtowed to Cheng Ping and begged, "Grandma, what did mother do that you beat her to death? Grandma, please spare my life."

"Go, take Qingwan away." Cheng Ping no longer wanted to speak.

"No, I won't leave. I want to stay with my mother."

"No, all this has nothing to do with Wan'er. She knows nothing. She is a good child. I did it all by myself. Go away quickly and just pretend that I don't exist as your mother." Chang Xinrui stopped being crazy when she saw Lin Qingwan's face. She hurriedly pushed Lin Qingwan away and begged Cheng Ping.

"Grandma, no, don't beat my mother to death." Lin Qingwan didn't know the whole story and just begged for mercy for her mother.

The maids Peilan and Juxiang took Lin Qingwan, who was crying, away. The sound of Lin Qingwan's crying became farther and farther away.

Later, Feng Sanniang explained that Chang Xinrui blamed the pregnant Zhang Yulan for the death of her fifth son, so Feng Sanniang added a herb called Hongyanjiu to Zhang Yulan's medicinal food. This herb can make people's blood rosy when taken on a daily basis, but if it is added to a pregnant woman every day, it will cause hemorrhage. It happened that Zhang Yulan was pregnant with twins, so the hemorrhage after delivery would not arouse suspicion, and she was able to conceal the truth. The same Hongyanjiu was also used in Xue Feng's diet, but Xue Feng happened to see Ginkgo and the drunk Lin Mutang having sex in broad daylight, and they were wearing Zhang Yulan's old clothes in Zhang Yulan's boudoir. Xue Feng was excited and stimulated, which caused a premature miscarriage but accidentally saved her life.

When Lin Qinghuan woke up and saw Lin Mo sitting beside the bed with a smile on his face, she realized that while she had been trying so hard to pretend to be sick to find the person behind the bad guys, Anxinzhai had already found out everything.

In the yard, Ning Junze was drinking the medicinal tea newly developed by Lin Mo. When he saw them coming out, he pointed to the stone seat beside him and asked them to sit down.

"Fourth brother, when did you know?" Lin Qinghuan looked at him and asked.

"I don't know. I just suddenly remembered yesterday that Yu Zhi mentioned that among the herbs you take all year round, there happened to be one that I collected from several counties this time, and this medicine is the most indispensable for this epidemic." Ning Junze took a sip of tea and said to them. Lin Qinghuan saw that what he had been playing with in his hand was the rhizome of Aster chrysanthemum.

"Huan'er suffered for so many days in vain, and in the end it was thanks to grandma that the murderer was found." Lin Mo whispered.

"No, your pretending to be sick was useful. Madam Zhou said that for decades no one knew that Feng Sanniang understood medical knowledge, which caused Madam Chang to reveal her flaw. It's not easy for you two, who are so young." Ning Junze praised.

The two girls smiled at each other, and Ning Junze put away his smile and continued, "After drinking this cup of tea, you two should go to Anxinzhai and admit your mistakes. This trick you played has almost cost Grandma Cheng her life."

In Anxinzhai, Ning Junze didn't join in the fun. Lin Qinghuan and Lin Mo knelt in front of the hall. Cheng Ping watched them remain silent, then angrily stood up and wanted to hit the two girls with a ruler, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to do it. When Lin Qinghuan looked up, she saw her grandmother's tearful eyes, and instantly she was moved to tears. The old lady beckoned, and Lin Qinghuan threw himself into her arms. The two of them burst into tears, "It's all grandma's fault. I didn't save your mother back then, and then Feng'er died tragically. Now my good grandson has suffered so much."

"Grandma, I was wrong. I didn't discuss it with you in advance, so I dragged Sister Mo to play with me. I made you worry about her health. I am an unfilial grandson." Lin Qinghuan admitted her mistake while crying, and Lin Mo was also choking beside her.

"Okay, okay, it's all over. No bad people will harm you anymore." The old lady said while hugging her two granddaughters tightly.

Lin Mo stayed behind to take his grandmother's pulse for diagnosis. Lin Qinghuan left first accompanied by Nanny Zhou and Chu Xia. When they reached the gate of Zelan Garden, they saw Lin Qingyi with a look of resentment and unhappiness written all over her face. Only then did Lin An beside her look at him nervously.

"Fourth sister, now that you're here, why don't you go into the yard and wait for me?" Lin Qinghuan walked up to her and coaxed her with a smile.

"Lin Qinghuan, from now on, I will never come to your yard or my second sister's yard again." Lin Qingyi shouted angrily, then turned her back and didn't look at her.

"My dear sister, you have to come. What's the point of this yard without you?" Lin Qinghuan stepped forward, took Lin Qingyi's arm and coaxed her kindly.

Lin Qingyi angrily pulled her arm away, and Lin Qinghuan staggered and fell to the ground. Lin Qingyi was so scared that she knelt on the ground to support her sister, "Huan'er, are you safe? Where are you safe?" When Lin Qinghuan raised her head and looked at her, Lin Qingyi burst into tears, "Damn Qinghuan, you scared me to death. I could have drowned all the tears I shed these days in Lingzhuyuan. Why did you and second sister hide it from me? Even if you let Chuxia come to tell me the news, it would be fine." Lin Qingyi complained aggrievedly, causing Lin Qinghuan to cry too.

"Fourth sister, this happened too suddenly. Only if you believe it, can we be sure that everyone will believe it. I'm sorry, sister Yi, Huan'er will not hide anything from you in the future." Lin Qinghuan reached out and wiped the tears from her third sister's face. Chuxia and Nanny Zhou stepped forward to help the two up and returned to Zelan Garden. Ning Junze had stopped drinking tea and had probably gone to his eldest brother's yard.

Nanny Zhou did not tell them what happened to these people. She just said that the girls did not need to worry about anything and the old lady would handle it. Lin Qinghuan did not want to ask any more questions. If they died, it would just be paying with their lives, but living under the grandmother's nose might be more painful than death.

Lin Qingwan knew nothing, but from then on she would never see her mother again. She was so heartbroken that she fell seriously ill. Lin Qinghuan and Lin Mo went to visit her. Lin Qingwan asked, "Qinghuan, what evil could mother have done that grandmother would not allow her to live?"

"Third sister, I don't know. I only know that Aunt Chang is Aunt Chang, and you are you." Lin Qinghuan said.

Lin Qingwan stared at Lin Qinghuan blankly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She might never know, if she hadn't told Ning Junze that Feng Sanniang went to the farm several times a year, how could she have let her identify Chang Xinrui.

All the people infected with the epidemic in Lingzhuyuan have recovered, and Lin Qinghuan has moved back. The epidemic in Xijiexiang is still there, but it is under control. Grandmother agreed to let Lin Mo go to help, and Lin Qinghuan also returned to the daily life of teaching Lin Qingru to write, paint, eat and drink. Ning Junze returned to Kyoto first, saying that Chuqiu would send someone to Luofeng to pick up the Lin sisters and Lin Ancai.