Chapter 24: Seriously? Again?

"Jiang Luan, you..." Prince Suping’s expression was complex for a moment.

But Jiang Luan swallowed that bowl of "poison" as if nothing had happened, even smacking his lips as if savoring it. "They seem to have put a bit too much garlic in it."

The crowd: "..."

Qi Yuheng laughed heartily, "So even the little God of Cooking has his clumsy moments?"

"After all, it wasn't prepared by my own hands," Jiang Luan said, turning to the kneeling servant. "Tell the kitchen to use less garlic next time. Is this a stew or a bowl of garlic? Can't you smell how overpowering it is?"

The servant: "???"

The servant couldn't help but subconsciously glance back at Huazhao. Huazhao’s heart sank, a bad premonition washing over her.

Qi Shaoyang lost his patience and asked, "Jiang Luan, what kind of riddle are you playing at?"

"Ah, aren't you supposed to call me little sister-in-law?" Jiang Luan asked, looking surprised.

"You? You think you're worthy?" Qi Shaoyang sneered. "You bribed someone to poison our grandfather..."

Jiang Luan looked aggrieved. "You're talking nonsense! When did I do that?"

"You just admitted it yourself," Prince Suping said, steadying his nerves. Regardless of what kind of sorcery the boy used to remain lively after eating poison, he had to press on. "You said with your own mouth that you ordered this servant to put poison in the soup! Dozens of people here heard it with their own ears!"

"Poisoning? I can't take the blame for that crime," Jiang Luan said, looking "shocked." "I did admit to telling the servant to add something... but what I meant was garlic. Grandfather is aware of this, too."

"Garlic?"

Qi Yuheng stroked his beard. "I haven't been feeling well lately and caught a slight cold, so young Master Jiang added minced garlic to my meals to help me recover faster."

No wonder he had been so calm earlier, watching the scene unfold like a spectator.

"Then why did the silver hairpin turn black when dipped in the soup?" Qi Shaoyang persisted, unwilling to give up.

"I don't know the principle myself," Jiang Luan said slowly. "I just heard from the elders that garlic juice must never be kept with silver, or the silver will turn black."

Did he not know the principle? Jiang Luan knew it perfectly well. Silver turns black when it encounters sulfur, and garlic juice contains a large amount of sulfides. He knew Qi Yuheng had been unwell and had encouraged him to eat garlic precisely for this moment.

Of course, if Prince Suping had backed down in time, this ridiculous scene would never have occurred.

Prince Suping was bitter and speechless, never expecting that the old man would collude with the little brat.

At that moment, the wretched servant crawled over on his knees and hugged Prince Suping’s leg. "My lord, I truly don't know how the poison turned into garlic! Please spare my life!"

"What are you babbling about?" Prince Suping kicked him away. "Don't you dare frame me, you dog! Someone, drag him away and break his mouth!"

By now, anyone with eyes could see what had happened.

However, Qi Yuheng chose not to say anything, allowing Prince Suping to have his men drag away the wailing, pleading servant.

Jiang Luan had long expected that Qi Yuheng wouldn't pursue the matter, so he stood quietly by.

"Apologies for the farce, everyone," Qi Yuheng said calmly to the guests.

"You are too modest, Patriarch Qi. It was nothing."

"Indeed, it was just a misunderstanding."

Everyone, being shrewd, scrambled to smooth things over.

No matter how frustrated Prince Suping felt, he had to awkwardly apologize to Jiang Luan. "It was my fault for blaming you earlier."

He was only bowing his head temporarily to smooth things over, but Jiang Luan took on an air of importance and nodded. "As long as you know."

"You!" Prince Suping was so furious he nearly keeled over.

Jiang Luan ignored him and turned to Qi Yuheng. "Grandfather, you have seen what kind of servants are usually employed in the East Wing."

Qi Yuheng knew full well what went on in the East Wing and had always been too lazy to intervene. But since Jiang Luan had brought it up to his face, he had no choice but to say, "They are indeed some foolish creatures. You may go and select a few clever ones from the Qi household to take back with you."

"There's no need for such trouble; Luan'er will just buy a few outside," Jiang Luan pushed his luck.

With so many people watching, Qi Yuheng couldn't say much and let Jiang Luan have his way.

In this manner, Jiang Luan purged the East Wing’s staff, leaving Prince Suping gritting his teeth in rage.

After the banquet, Prince Suping threw another massive tantrum in his room.

"It’s all your fault! What kind of useless servants did you find? They couldn't even handle a simple task!"

Qi Shaoyan was not in the room this time, so Prince Suping vented his unbridled rage on Huazhao.

Huazhao sighed. "I didn't expect the man to be so incompetent. I don't know what trick Jiang Luan used; the whole affair is riddled with fishy details."

"Why didn't you employ Zuo Lang?" Qi Shaoyang asked curiously. "Watching that boy follow him around, he seems to have the little brat's full trust."

"I originally did it to be safe..."

"The boy's mother is in my hands; he wouldn't dare pull any tricks," Prince Suping said dismissively, huffing. "We will proceed according to the plan. Has Qi Baili arrived yet?"

"Reporting to Father, he is still on his way," Qi Shaoyang said.

"Call Zuo Lang over; we need to prepare." Prince Suping didn't bother asking for Huazhao's opinion, sneering, "This time, I will make sure that little brat is disgraced and driven out of the Qi family for good!"

Seeing that Prince Suping’s trust in her had diminished, Huazhao felt uneasy but dared not say anything more.

She had a subtle... ominous premonition.

...

As Jiang Luan and Qi Shaolin walked along, Jiang Luan noticed the little simpleton hadn't spoken and seemed unhappy.

"What's wrong now?" Jiang Luan asked. "Weren't you quite happy while eating earlier?"

Qi Shaolin glanced at him, remained silent, and just sighed.

The little simpleton sighing actually amused Jiang Luan. "What is it? You have something on your mind?"

"I didn't protect you well, my wife," Qi Shaolin said unhappily.

Jiang Luan understood. The boy was talking about being targeted during the banquet. He shrugged, "Aren't I perfectly fine now?"

"Why are Father and younger brother so mean, always trying to bully you?" Qi Shaolin asked, confused.

Jiang Luan originally wanted to explain that people fight for nothing more than "fame" and "fortune." But then he remembered that before he arrived, Qi Shaolin himself had likely been targeted by Prince Suping and his son, so he asked, "Is your father very good to you?"

"No," Qi Shaolin said. "But Lin'er is used to it. I just worry that you will get hurt."

Qi Shaolin’s sincerity made Jiang Luan feel a bit embarrassed.

He patted Qi Shaolin’s shoulder. "Don't worry. Since ancient times, these troublemakers only ever use the same few tricks. How many TV shows have they watched? Could they possibly be as cunning as I am?"

Qi Shaolin: "???"

Jiang Luan was just rambling, taking advantage of Qi Shaolin’s lack of mental acuity. As they rounded a corner, they found two people crouching under the wall.

"What the hell!"

Jiang Luan was startled by the two figures and instinctively grabbed Qi Shaolin’s hand.

The people crouching were busy and were also startled by Jiang Luan's sudden outburst.

Both sides looked up. The crouching person was none other than Prince Suping’s daughter, Qi Shaoyan, and the other was young Doctor Xu from the medical clinic.

"Young Master Qi, Young Madam," Doctor Xu stood up and bowed.

Before Jiang Luan could say anything, Qi Shaoyan’s face turned bright red.

She stood up, looking nervous, and took the initiative to explain, "Brother, sister-in-law... I found an injured rabbit under the tree. It looked so pathetic, so I asked Doctor Xu to help bandage it."

Jiang Luan looked at the rabbit, which was tied up like a dumpling—it looked exactly like the meat rabbits found everywhere in the kitchen. Combining that with Qi Shaoyan’s shy and nervous expression, he immediately understood.

He glanced at the two standing before him. Young Doctor Xu was clean, upright, and fresh-looking, while Qi Shaoyan was in the prime of her youth, slim and beautiful. They were indeed a matching pair. But would Prince Suping look favorably on such a son-in-law?

Thinking this, Jiang Luan didn't want to gossip, so he smiled and said, "Then you two continue. We were just passing by..."

He then noticed Qi Shaoyan looking at their joined hands with envy... and immediately let go of Qi Shaolin’s hand.

"Sorry to disturb you, haha." Jiang Luan pushed Qi Shaolin along.

"Wait a moment, Young Madam," Doctor Xu suddenly called out.

"What is it?" Jiang Luan turned back, curious.

Young Doctor Xu looked at the peach-blossom-faced Young Madam of the Qi family and gave a soft "tsk." "Young Madam, it would be best if you did not go out these next few days."

"Huh?"

Jiang Luan thought to himself that Prince Suping really was a menace; even a little bookworm like Doctor Xu, who spent his time healing people and ignoring the world, could see he was plagued by villains.

But the next second, Doctor Xu said, "Your estrus period is due in these few days. It would be best to... well, stay in your room."

Jiang Luan: "..."