"This..." Zhang Cheng hesitated for a moment and then cast his eyes on his father, who had been stroking his beard all the time.
After a brief moment of thought, Lord Zhang said, "There's nothing really to hide. Originally, this should have been an ordinary bandit incident. But they happened to have a very powerful sleeping drug. One sniff of it and you'd faint. That's why all the men we sent to suppress the bandits lost their lives."
Even though they had received the news that the bandits had a sleeping drug before the mission and had all taken drugs to counteract it before going up the mountain, no one had expected the drug to be so powerful. The ordinary antidote pills were of no use.
Fu Zhen frowned tightly. "Do we have an antidote for this sleeping drug now?"
Lord Zhang shook his head.
Fu Zhen immediately stood up, looking shocked. "If there's no antidote, won't they still be affected by the sleeping drug on this trip? What's the difference between this and just sending them to their deaths?"
In her eagerness, her words were rather disrespectful. Zhang Lan immediately grabbed her and told all the maids in the room to leave.
She patted Fu Zhen on the back. "Zhenzhen, take a deep breath. Don't be so anxious."
Fu Zhen's face turned a bit pale. She glanced at Zhang Lan and then at Lord Zhang sitting above. Finally, she managed to suppress her overwhelming worry and anger.
Although Lord Zhang thought she had lost her composure and decorum, he was actually quite satisfied with her genuine anxiety for Chen Xuan and his son.
"The imperial edict came in a hurry. They didn't have much time to prepare," Lord Zhang said, looking at Fu Zhen with a troubled expression. He couldn't help but let out a sigh and decided to tell her the news. "But before they left, they took Doctor Liu from the Imperial Hospital with them. He's an expert at making antidotes. I'm sure he'll be able to help them."
Hearing this, the knot in Fu Zhen's heart loosened a bit. Although she was still worried and anxious, she was much calmer than before. Seeing that Lord Zhang had told her all he knew, she stood up and bowed deeply to them.
Lord Zhang immediately stood up and stepped forward to help her up. "There's no need for such a grand salute! The Marquis's Mansion has always been on good terms with the Zhang family. How could the Zhang family not help when the Marquis's Mansion is in trouble? Please get up. There's no need for such formalities."
Fu Zhen got up following his movement and said gratefully, "I'm just a girl. I don't really understand the ways of the court. But I'll remember your kindness today, Sister Zhang Lan. If you ever run into any trouble in the future, I'll surely come to your aid!"
Lord Zhang smiled. "Good, good. I'll remember that."
After some polite exchanges, Fu Zhen took her leave.
Zhang Cheng sighed. "No wonder the Chen family treats this orphan girl so well. Her concern and worry are really touching."
Lord Zhang watched her leave before sitting back down and sipping his tea. Hearing Zhang Cheng's words, he let out a snort. "She's not only kind-hearted but also very smart."
Just now, Lord Zhang had clearly intended to make the Marquis's Mansion owe the Zhang family a favor. Although the two families were on good terms, why not take advantage of the situation?
But this orphan girl was so clever that she managed to turn the favor into one for Zhang Lan. That was a matter among young ladies in the boudoir, which was completely different from the previous favor.
She was truly a smart girl.
Zhang Lan obviously understood the hidden meaning in his words. She gave the two of them a cold look. "Zhenzhen is my sister. Don't bring those officialdom tricks to her."
With that, she turned around and left.
"Hey..." Lord Zhang scratched his nose, looking a bit embarrassed. He had been so focused on taking advantage of that old scoundrel Chen Xuan that he had completely forgotten about this. "Lan'er's temper... is just like mine!"
He couldn't help but smile proudly.
Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes. "Tell me, what's the point of making Lan'er angry? You'll still have to coax her in the end."
Lord Zhang snorted. "Is that how you talk to your father? Have you forgotten all your manners?"
The Zhang family only had Zhang Lan as their daughter. Apart from Zhang Cheng, the eldest legitimate son, there was also a second legitimate son. There were also three illegitimate sons.
Having too many sons was really a headache!
Lord Zhang had been longing for a daughter for so long. He had doted on Zhang Lan since she was a child but had also been very strict with her, fearing that she might get hurt or be led astray by others.
Zhang Cheng was already used to his father's two - faced nature. He shook his head. "Then you can go and coax her yourself."
Then he brought up the matter of suppressing the bandits again. "There are too many doubts about this incident. I'm afraid there are other people involved."
He didn't elaborate, but Lord Zhang understood what he meant. He took a sip of his tea and said calmly, "They won't be able to stir up too much trouble. At most, the Chen father and son will have to suffer a bit."
*
On the other side, after returning to the mansion, Fu Zhen rushed straight to the main courtyard.
Madam Bai was already up and was being coaxed by Nanny Li to drink a bowl of pork rib soup. When she saw Fu Zhen come in, she quickly said, "Why are you here at this time? Have you had your meal?"
Fu Zhen shook her head and smiled. "I thought it would be too lonely to eat alone, so I came to have a meal with you, Auntie."
Madam Bai immediately looked at Nanny Li. "Did you hear that? Hurry up and prepare a table of delicious dishes for our Second Miss!"
Madam Bai had no appetite at the moment, but with Fu Zhen around to coax her, she could at least eat a few mouthfuls.
Nanny Li quickly agreed and left with a relieved smile on her face.
There was still some pork rib soup on the table. Madam Bai served a bowl for Fu Zhen. "It's already noon. Drink this bowl of soup to warm your stomach."
Fu Zhen actually didn't have much of an appetite either, but she obediently finished the bowl of soup.
She sized up Madam Bai's complexion and was relieved to see that she seemed much better after sleeping. She hesitated for a moment and then said, "Auntie, are you worried about Uncle and Cousin?"
Madam Bai let out a sigh. "How could I not be worried? Your uncle has always been reckless in battles. Every time he goes on an expedition, I'm always worried sick. But now that Shaochuan is with him, he should be able to rein in his father's impulsive nature."
She didn't say much, obviously not wanting Fu Zhen to worry as well.
Fu Zhen held Madam Bai's hand and said, "I heard that the bandits' sleeping drug is very powerful. But Uncle took a doctor from the Imperial Hospital with him when he left the city. That doctor is an expert at making antidotes. If they can solve the problem of the sleeping drug, those bandits won't be a threat."
Madam Bai suddenly looked at her, a bit surprised. "Where did you hear this?"
Although Madam Bai was a woman confined to the inner chambers, Chen Xuan always liked to talk to her about everything, including matters in the court. She didn't know this news, so how could a young lady in the inner chambers find out?
Fu Zhen didn't intend to hide it. She explained, "I just went to visit Sister Zhang from the Zhang family. She told me this."
But she avoided mentioning the matter of the favor.
Madam Bai thought for a moment and understood. Both Lord Zhang and his son were in the court, so they must have access to a lot of information. It wasn't surprising that the Zhang family girl knew about this.
She guessed that Fu Zhen had gone to the Zhang family because she had seen Madam Bai unable to eat or sleep well. Otherwise, with her quiet and introverted nature, who usually didn't like going out, why would she suddenly go to the Zhang family today?
She sighed. "It's my fault. I've made you, a young girl, worry about me."
Fu Zhen smiled at her. "How could it be your fault? If you had hidden everything from me, I would have been really sad."