After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The cabinet door shook so violently that Lu Jinyao almost screamed out loud, and she even started to think about how she would die.

Liu Ying called out to Qing Zhi, causing the cabinet door, which had been slightly ajar, to close again. In the darkness, Lu Jin Yao let out a soft sigh, then, remembering that Liu Ying and Qing Zhi were still outside, immediately covered her mouth.

The long wait was finally over, and Lu Jinyao carefully moved the dress out of the closet. The doors and windows were tightly closed, and the room was pitch black, except for the soft glow emanating from the expensive custom-made dress and the jade box in her hand.

Lu Jinyao didn't dare to linger. She hurriedly put the jade box back on the bed and frantically pulled a paper packet from her sleeve.

This was given to her by her mother when she went to the capital.

The journey from Weinan to the capital was a long one, and to prevent any accidents along the way, her mother gave her some self-defense items. The paper package contained medicine bought from the black market; even a tiny bit of it would cause excruciating pain and itching.

As Lu Jinyao imagined Lu Zhiyuan scratching her skin raw from the unbearable itching, she sprinkled the powder onto her undergarment with a cold smile.

This undergarment was worn by Lu Zhiyuan when she entered the palace. If she were to embarrass herself in front of the Empress, she would be half-dead, if not killed.

Outside, fireflies and green branches hid quietly in a corner, waiting for Lu Jinyao to finish her misdeeds before entering the house.

Their clothes were untouched, their jewelry intact, and there were no foreign objects in their shoes. Their gazes fell on the rose-red bodice; they exchanged a glance and then pinched the edges to fold them up.

"How did you know she would come, Miss?"

“Because she’s jealous of me.” Lu Zhiyuan examined the medicinal powder on her bodice. “I had you spread the word to lure her here.”

"How did the young lady know she was going to tamper with the undergarment?"

"Because of what you said to Sister Qingzhi, and because she couldn't bear to tamper with other things." Lu Zhiyuan wet a handkerchief, dipped it in some medicine powder, and handed it to Qingzhi: "Try catching a mouse."

Qingzhi nodded, took the handkerchief smeared with the medicine powder, and left. Liuying followed her with her eyes until Qingzhi left the bedroom, before continuing, "Miss had me lift the undergarment in the guest room to lure her into poisoning it?"

“If she wants to harm me, I have to make things convenient for her, right?” Lu Zhiyuan folded her bodice again. “The clothes were custom-made, and she couldn’t bear to part with them. The shoes were also custom-made, and she couldn’t bear to part with them either. As for the jewelry my mother prepared for me, whether it was gold, silver, jade, pearls, or agate, each piece was exquisite. Not to mention her, even I couldn’t bear to part with them.”

Liu Ying was puzzled: "I understand that Miss is reluctant to part with me. What is there for her to be reluctant about? It's not even hers."

“In her eyes, that was hers.” Lu Zhiyuan tapped Liu Ying’s nose: “She harmed me so that she could take my place at the palace banquet. Do you think she would be willing to destroy that thing?”

Liu Ying pointed to the bodice: "This was also worn when entering the palace, how could she bear to part with it?"

Lu Zhiyuan smiled, pursing her lips: "Firstly, compared to others, this thing isn't particularly valuable. Secondly, it's worn underneath, so others can't see it."

Liu Ying pouted and muttered, "This isn't suitable to wear outside either! She's taller and fatter than Miss. The clothes in Jinxiu Pavilion are perfect, down to the last inch. How is she supposed to wear them?"

The firefly understood this, but Lu Jinyao did not: the one who was valued was not the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family, but Xie Chaoyun's daughter. The things in the guest room would only belong to Lu Zhiyuan, not Lu Jinyao.

Qingzhi returned, looking rather unwell.

How did the mouse react?

"Miss, you should see for yourself."

Qingzhi moved aside, and Lu Yun came in carrying two rats that looked as if they had been skinned alive.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the rats hadn't been skinned; rather, their outer skin had been bitten off. The blood and scum on their whiskers indicated that they had been fighting amongst themselves.

Did Lu Jinyao give her a maddening poison?

Does she know the consequences of such a breach of etiquette in the palace, accidentally injuring the Empress and noble ladies? At best, her family's property will be confiscated; at worst, her entire clan will be exterminated. Is Lu Jinyao out of her mind? How dare she use such poison!

“It doesn’t drive people crazy, it just makes them itchy.” Qingzhi turned to look at the rats. “They were quiet when they first got the powder on them, but after a while they started squeaking and licking or slapping that spot with their mouths or tails. Then they went berserk, running around the cage. I noticed they were trying to relieve the discomfort from the powder by banging against it. Just as Lu Yun and I were about to take them out for a closer look, they started tearing at each other, and in the blink of an eye, they were like this.”

Lu Yun's face was gloomy: "This is an anti-itch powder, also known as a skinning powder. It was developed by a cruel official in the previous dynasty and was often used on serious criminals. When I was a child, my grandfather often took me to the prison. Out of curiosity, I touched a little bit of it."

Lu Yun stretched out his hand, and there was a small, inconspicuous defect on the fingertip of his left hand.

"Fortunately, my grandfather had the antidote, otherwise I might not have been able to see the young lady."

Liu Ying huffed, "That Lu Jinyao is truly vicious, actually coming up with such a way to harm Miss. Where's the undergarment? This servant is going to stuff the powder on it into her mouth."

Lu Zhiyuan's eyes darted around, and she gestured for Qingzhi and Lu Yun to come forward. She instructed Qingzhi to go to Jinxiu Pavilion at dawn to buy a set of clothes according to Ji Wanwan's size, sprinkle the medicine powder on the clothes, and deliver them to Ji Wanwan, who was currently in prison. She also instructed Lu Yun to stuff the skinned rat into Lu Jinyao's bed.

She wants to play, right? Then she'll play along and have some fun with her.

She was not the original owner of this body who was weak-willed and bullied by everyone, but Lu Zhiyuan who was vindictive and petty.

In Fulin Courtyard, Old Madam Lu clutched her chest, too distressed to eat. When Lu Huai was summoned by the nanny, he still reeked of alcohol. Xie Chaoyun refused to take Jin Yao to the palace banquet, and wouldn't let him into the prison of the Commandant's Mansion. The Emperor had many complaints against him, and seeing his hard-won position slip away, he was extremely agitated.

Seeing Lu Huai reeking of alcohol, Old Madam Lu felt not only chest pain but also a terrible headache. She picked up her cane, which was lying to the side, and swung it at him. But being her own son, she stopped herself in time and couldn't bring herself to hit him.

"Look at you, you've lost all semblance of a marquis. You can't even manage things at home, and outside you're in complete chaos. It's a good thing your father is dead, otherwise he would have been driven to his death by you, just like your mother."

Lu Huai lifted his eyelids: "What is it now?"

The old woman handed over the prescription, saying, "The old lady's medicine is gone."

Lu Huai took the prescription with an impatient look: "If you run out of medicine, just go buy some. Do I need to personally handle such a small matter? Snow lotus from Tianshan, century-old ginseng, century-old lingzhi—these aren't rare things. Just go to Deshantang in western Beijing to buy them. As for the rest, go ask Madam. She's in charge of Mother's medicine; she knows where to buy it."

The old nanny glanced back at the old lady and, at her prompting, said, "This old servant has spoken to the madam. Not only did she refuse to give the old lady any money to buy medicine, she also beat me. The madam said that the household affairs are not under her jurisdiction, and the old lady should pay for these medicines herself."

"Then just pay for it yourself. It's not like we don't have money in our manor." Lu Huai shoved the prescription back into the nanny's hand: "Hurry up, send someone to buy the medicine."

The old woman took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and said, "The manor is out of money. Even the antiques and paintings in the storeroom have been sold by the old lady."