Chapter 11: The Bewitching Fragrance of the Mandrake Flower
"Baoguo…" In the dead of night, she woke up calling his name, her body drenched in cold sweat, her heart racing.
Outside the window, a waning crescent moon hung askew, casting a ghostly pallor over the world. A handful of faint, trembling stars seemed to shiver in the ink-blue sky. The night exuded an aura of desolation and bleakness, mirroring the chill in her heart.
Baoguo. Wang Baoguo. The most harrowing memory of her past life.
The days of love had once seemed as sweet as a delectable feast. But when betrayal struck, it felt as if a fat green fly had landed squarely on that feast. No matter how exquisite the food had been, the mere thought of that fly left her nauseous, disgusted, and utterly repelled.
The man from her dream—dark-skinned, small-eyed—was far from handsome. She had always believed appearances didn't matter, as long as he treated her wholeheartedly. Yet, when she gave him her heart and treated him with equal devotion, the love between them had already soured, devoid of any remaining sweetness.
Was this the kind of judgment she had in her past life?
Their pledges of eternal love still echoed in her ears, their promises yet to be fulfilled, but the world had already shifted beyond recognition. She shook her head repeatedly, trying to cast away the nauseating memories. She refused to dwell on them. She couldn't dwell on them.
No woman tolerates being deceived or betrayed. Yet life's path is riddled with thorns, often leaving us battered and bruised. Seeking revenge? Even if she lived another lifetime, she wouldn't have enough time or energy for that.
Because you once shone brightly, you must now wither; because you once flowed freely, you must now run dry. What comes must come; what goes must go. In the end, she had lost nothing—at least she still had herself.
She had been given another life. Her priority now was to uncover who had orchestrated her fall. The prime suspect was undoubtedly Lu Qiaoqiao. Yet she couldn't dismiss the possibility that Yu Zhong had framed Lu Qiaoqiao, using her as a stepping stone for her own ambitions. Yu Zhong's seductive demeanor and shifty gaze betrayed her refusal to remain an ordinary maid forever.
Her stomach growled with hunger. Lian Heng decided to get up and find something to eat.
"Miss! You're awake!"
Despite her careful movements, she had woken Luo Ma, who had been keeping vigil by her side.
"Thank heavens! Miss, you've been unconscious for two days, murmuring in your sleep the whole time! You must be starving. I'll go make you something to eat."
"Thank you, Luo Ma! You've worked so hard!" After what happened with Xiao Ge, Luo Ma had been personally overseeing Lian Heng's meals.
Before long, Luo Ma returned from the kitchen with a steaming bowl of noodle soup with meat.
"What's hard about it? The Master and Madam had it hardest! Even Doctor Liu couldn't figure out why you wouldn't wake up. It was that old monk's medicine that worked." Luo Ma chuckled.
"Old monk?"
"Yes, everyone was beside themselves with worry when you wouldn't wake up, and Madam couldn't stop crying. During dinner last night, a wandering monk came by asking for alms. When he heard about you, he gave us a sacred Buddhist remedy, saying you'd wake up by midnight after taking it."
"How strange! Why would Father and Mother trust him? What if it had been poison?"
"That monk was no ordinary man. You could tell at a glance he was a holy figure. He even whispered a few secrets to the Master, things only the Master knew. The Master was stunned and nodded in admiration! The monk also said that you, Miss, have a rare destiny—great calamities, great fortune, and a unique fate. He claimed you'd face three deaths before you could enjoy peace and true happiness. When Madam heard that, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry!"
"Three deaths? Where is this monk from?" Happiness, it seemed, did not come easily.
"I don't know. Let's hope his bad predictions don't come true and his good ones do!"
Lian Heng nodded and silently sipped the soup.
Not long after, Yu Luoying entered her room, wrapped in a cloak.
"Mother! Why come so late? Don't catch a chill!"
"You've been unconscious for so long! I held you all night yesterday, and you didn't wake up! It scared me to death!"
Looking at her mother's face, etched with worry, Lian Heng felt warmth flooding her heart.
No matter the time or place, family love always offered the greatest comfort.
"Mother, you must take care of yourself! Someone is clearly targeting me. Perhaps you'll be next! Please, be extremely careful!"
"Don't worry, I'm prepared! Yu Zhong said the Third Madam seems most suspicious. What do you think?"
Lian Heng pondered. "Honestly, the suspicious ones aren't limited to one person. No one in this house can be trusted completely. We must maintain appearances while remaining vigilant. I believe it won't be long before the real culprit reveals themselves."
Yu Luoying's expression grew grave, but she slowly nodded.
Lian Heng also shared her uneasy feelings about Yu Zhong. Yu Luoying's face turned pale as she sighed. "It's not impossible! I've always been wary of the Third Madam but overlooked this maid! This household has too many foxes!"
Lian Heng suddenly smiled. "Don't blame the foxes. No matter how cunning they are, Father still has to like them!"
Yu Luoying froze for a moment, then let out a long sigh and patted Lian Heng's face. "You're right. Little Heng, for someone so young, you see things with astonishing clarity!"
The next morning, Lian Zheng and Lu Qiaoqiao came to check on Lian Heng.
"That maid Yu Zhong is outrageous! Heng, ever since I entered this house, you've always treated me with respect, never looking down on me. I've always admired you, so how could I harm you? I can't fathom why Yu Zhong would slander me—does she want to replace me?"
"Qiaoqiao, you're with child. Don't get upset!" Seeing her agitated, Lian Zheng grew anxious.
Lu Qiaoqiao quickly replaced her indignation with a gentle smile. "Yes, Master. I understand and will be careful!"
Relieved, Lian Zheng praised her for her understanding.
Lian Heng spoke thoughtfully. "Father, you trust Third Mother, and I trust her too. But that doesn't mean others do. Until the truth comes out, I suggest we treat all three suspects—Third Mother, Xiao Qiao, and Yu Zhong—as suspects. Let's confine them to their rooms temporarily. This will prevent further trouble. I suspect there's more to come, and this will help us see who's behind it."
Lian Zheng beamed at his daughter. "They say there isn't a girl for miles around as exceptional as Heng. I'd say there isn't one for thousands or even tens of thousands of miles! Calm and brave under pressure, you surpass even men! We'll do as you suggest. But remember, the threat might not come from within the house. It could also be an enemy from my business dealings. So, you shouldn't go out unnecessarily for now."
Lian Heng agreed readily.
That afternoon, detectives Di Yun and Yun Zixing visited with fruit to apologize.
"I failed to protect you, Miss Lian. I'm sorry," said Di Yun, looking deeply regretful.
"Not at all… I owe you my life." Lian Heng felt awkward, seeing the sincerity of his guilt.
Yun Zixing, grinning mischievously, presented her with a clay doll. "Here, for you! Do you like it?"
Startled by how much it resembled her, she asked, "Who made this? Was it you, Detective Yun?"
"Me? I wouldn't know how! Someone else made it but wanted to throw it away, so I grabbed it!" Yun Zixing laughed, glancing at Di Yun.
"I made it on a whim," Di Yun admitted, before abruptly stopping, his face flushing.
Lian Heng, catching the deeper meaning behind his words and his reddened face, felt a sudden pang of emotion.
Later, the detectives reported their findings: the powder found on the windowsill was a rare substance called Mandrake Flower Incense, made from a highly toxic plant.
This revelation only deepened the mystery. The true mastermind had yet to be uncovered, but Lian Heng vowed to find them.