Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 12

"Madam, I wish you boundless happiness and longevity. This is my birthday gift to you."

Liu Manman took out a sandalwood box inlaid with pearls and jewels that she had prepared beforehand. She opened the box and found an exquisite white jade bottle inside. Judging from the packaging, it was quite valuable.

Seeing her acting so mysteriously, everyone became interested.

Liu Manman proudly said, "This is a medicine called cephalosporin, which can treat pneumonia, gastroenteritis, respiratory infections, wound infections, etc., and has miraculous effects that no traditional Chinese medicine can match."

She felt that anti-inflammatory drugs were very precious in ancient times, and her pharmacy had limited stock. If it weren't for the old lady of the Liguo Duke's birthday celebration, she wouldn't have been willing to take out these cephalosporins.

"..."

The crowd fell silent.

This medicine sounds amazing, but the problem is... is this a birthday gift?

Seeing that she still hadn't received the astonished looks from the crowd as she had expected, Liu Manman was truly baffled this time.

Did these ancient people not understand what she was saying?

For those with limited medical resources, anti-inflammatory drugs mean several more lives!

She took out anti-inflammatory medicine; shouldn't everyone praise her to the skies?

Seeing that Liu Manman still looked bewildered and clearly had no idea what she had done wrong, Shen Lingjun smiled and, without giving Liu Manman any face, directly pointed out the truth.

“Miss Liu, we know you mean well, and this medicine is good, but it’s not appropriate as a birthday gift. If it weren’t for the understanding and reasonable nature of the old lady of the Duke of Li, she might have misunderstood that you were cursing her to get sick or injured.”

Birthday gifts are usually things with auspicious and celebratory meanings. If you give medicinal herbs, you should also give ginseng, deer antler, lingzhi and he shou wu, which are tonics that prolong life.

People usually wish the elderly person good health and freedom from illness on their birthday. But you send a box of medicine with a long list of frightening-sounding illnesses. What's the meaning of that?

Even if it's well-intentioned, it can still feel unlucky to some.

Liu Manman finally understood, and her face involuntarily turned bright red.

After Shen Lingjun pointed it out, she belatedly realized that delivering medicine was indeed inappropriate.

But she still grumbled to herself, feeling unconvinced. These ancient people had too many rules and regulations. She was a free modern soul, so why should she care about so many things?

The old lady of the Duke of Liguo was not a mean-spirited person. On such a festive occasion, she would not hold a grudge against a junior. She simply smiled and accepted Liu Manman's gift.

"Miss Liu truly lives up to her reputation as a compassionate and skilled physician. She possesses such miraculous medicine. I thank Miss Liu for her kindness."

At least Liu Manman wasn't embarrassed.

Liu Manman failed to steal the spotlight twice and instead made a fool of herself. Embarrassed, she stood aside, no longer daring to attract attention.

After everyone had given their birthday gifts, the birthday banquet began.

The banquet was arranged for couples to sit together, so Shen Lingjun and Qin Shaoze sat together.

Liu Manman was seated at a table with the unmarried young ladies, not far from Shen Lingjun and Qin Shaoze, where she could see the two of them sitting together, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.

Qin Shaoze also sensed Liu Manman's displeased gaze and felt a bit of a headache.

Liu Manman will probably cause trouble for him again, but this is a public place, and there's no way he could abandon his legal wife, Shen Lingjun, to sit with Liu Manman.

While Qin Shaoze turned to look at Liu Manman, Shen Lingjun quietly dropped a small white pill into his wine glass.

The pill dissolved upon contact with the alcohol, leaving no trace.

Shen Lingjun picked up the wine pot and filled Qin Shaoze's wine cup with wine: "My lord, the chrysanthemum wine from the Duke of Liguo's mansion is quite good, mellow and long-lasting, but this kind of wine may have a strong aftereffect."

Ever since Qin Shaoze said he wanted to marry Liu Manman as his second wife, Shen Lingjun had always been indifferent to Qin Shaoze. However, now, perhaps because she was in the public eye, she couldn't be cold to her husband anymore, so she acted like a proper husband and wife.

Qin Shaoze was very satisfied. He also hoped that in the eyes of outsiders, he and Shen Lingjun would still appear to be a harmonious couple, so as not to be seen as neglecting his wife after marrying a new lover.

So he accepted all the wine that Shen Lingjun poured for him and drank several cups. The wine was indeed good and very mellow.

Liu Manman was watching from behind, and she was furious! Everything she ate tasted sour!

After the banquet ended, the guests did not leave immediately. The Dowager Lady of the Duke of Liguo loved a lively atmosphere, so the Duke of Liguo's mansion also arranged a flower viewing party and a poetry gathering in the garden.

Once they reached the garden, everyone dispersed, giving them more freedom. Liu Manman immediately took advantage of the fact that there weren't many people around Qin Shaoze and caught up with him.

"Shaoze!"

She disregarded everything and reached out to pull Qin Shaoze.

She felt she had suffered a great deal of injustice at this birthday banquet and desperately needed Qin Shaoze's comfort.

After leaving the banquet, Qin Shaoze felt a bit tipsy, his body was hot, and his head was a little dizzy.

It seems the wine from the Duke of Li's mansion is indeed potent; he shouldn't have drunk so much.

Shen Lingjun had just walked ahead with her mother, Madam Wen, and several other ladies she knew. Qin Shaoze wanted to say goodbye to Shen Lingjun so he could return to the Yongning Marquis's residence first, but Liu Manman stopped him.

When Liu Manman's hands touched him, it was as if a flame had been ignited, and he suddenly felt a primal urge.

He immediately hugged Liu Manman.

Seeing his passion, Liu Manman was overjoyed. She not only hugged him tightly back but also tilted her head up to kiss him.

This was even more outrageous; like a thunderbolt striking the earth, Qin Shaoze was completely driven by desire, losing all reason.

There was an artificial hill next to them, and behind the hill was a cave. Qin Shaoze picked up Liu Manman and went straight into the cave.

Liu Manman felt it wasn't appropriate to be there, but she was also acting impulsively and didn't refuse Qin Shaoze.

She's a modern person, unlike those ancient women who were so pedantic and rigid. What does she amount to in this artificial mountain?

......

Shen Lingjun walked ahead with Madam Wen and several other ladies. She estimated that it was about time, so she pretended to have just realized that Qin Shaoze was not there.

She deliberately asked Dou Niang, "Where is the Marquis? He was just walking behind us. Did you see him?"

Dou Niang played along, feigning difficulty, and said, "Madam, I just saw Miss Liu go towards the Marquis's direction, and then the two of them disappeared together..."

Shen Lingjun's expression changed.

The second wife of the Cai family, who usually loved watching the excitement, suddenly brightened up.

He hurriedly urged, "Isn't Miss Liu engaged to Marquis Yongning? They're not married yet! We must hurry and go find her, in case something happens!"

As he spoke, he called to his servants, "Lord Yongning is missing! Go and look for him!"

The sound was quite loud, attracting the attention of everyone around.

Shen Lingjun knew roughly where Qin Shaoze and Liu Manman were. She pretended to be anxious and worried, and walked in front, with Madam Wen accompanying her, and a number of people following behind.

When they reached the outside of the artificial hill, Shen Lingjun stopped.

Her face turned pale: "I think I heard the Marquis's voice..."

Everyone listened intently.

Inside the artificial mountain cave, Qin Shaoze and Liu Manman had just finished their passionate encounter.

He calmed down after venting his anger, and suddenly came to his senses.

How could he be so impulsive! This is not a place for him to have a secret rendezvous with Liu Manman!

Qin Shaoze was filled with remorse and, fearing he would be discovered, quickly got up, dressed, and tried to leave.

"Hurry up and get dressed, it'll be a huge problem if someone sees you!"

Liu Manman, however, was still reluctant to leave, holding onto him and not letting him go, her face languid and charming, still reminiscing about the past.

"What's the rush? Nobody's coming here... Kyoto's too restrictive, always saying no to this or that. I still prefer the time three years ago when we were in the Northwest, out on the desolate grasslands, doing whatever we wanted, looking up at the sky filled with stars—it was so beautiful..."

Before Liu Manman could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a cold laugh!

"Well, so Miss Liu and the Marquis had already been having an affair three years ago!"