After crossing, I was forced to hold on to my thighs and build a kingdom

Chapter 123: Secret Means

That night, at the residence of Minister Du in the capital.

The lights in Shoukang Hall were bright. An old lady with silver hair was lying on the bed in the bedroom, a woman in her forties was sitting beside the bed, and a woman in her thirties was standing by the window not far away.

The two women are the eldest daughter-in-law Qin, who has been in charge of household affairs for many years, and the youngest daughter-in-law Wei. Their husbands are Du Wenyuan, the current Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, and Du Wenya, the lecturer of the cabinet.

At this time, both ladies looked worried.

It was because the old lady on the bed suddenly fainted in the evening five days ago. The mansion invited several imperial doctors but they could not find the specific cause. They could only prescribe some warm and nourishing medicines to feed the old lady every day to barely keep her alive.

Wei was relatively okay, but Qin was extremely anxious, her hands clenched tightly under her sleeves.

Although the old lady is a bit old, she has always been in good health. The maids and servants in Shoukang Hall where she lives are all experienced and have always served her very attentively.

The eldest lady, Madam Qin, even gave the highest monthly salary, hoping that the old lord in the mansion could be well served, which would not only reassure the princess and sister-in-law who were thousands of miles away, but also allow the gentlemen outside to concentrate on their official careers.

Mr. Du has been sitting in the position of Shaoqing of Dali Temple for many years. At the end of last year, his immediate superior, Mr. Li, who was then the Minister of Dali Temple, almost lost his life to a cold. After he had recovered with great difficulty, his health was not as good as before.

Since the beginning of this year, two months ago, Elder Li has repeatedly submitted petitions to retire. Although the Emperor has declined several times out of courtesy, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is simply a routine process of mutual fulfillment, a virtuous monarch and virtuous ministers. Soon, when this process is complete, Elder Li will retire and return home in glory.

Once Lord Li resigns, the vacant position of the third-rank Dali Temple Minister will naturally have to be filled, and the elder master, who has worked diligently and conscientiously as his deputy for many years, is the best candidate.

The third-rank official has always been a watershed in one's official career. Some people may never cross that threshold in their entire lives, but once they cross it, it means that they also have the opportunity to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister, bringing honor to their family.

Who can resist such temptation?

Even Mr. Du, the current Minister of Revenue, has repeatedly reminded everyone in the mansion that during this period they must perform their duties conscientiously, be careful in what they say and do, and must not affect the career advancement of the eldest master.

The eldest lady worked even harder to manage the household affairs in an orderly manner.

Mr. Li will retire in a few months. The master has endured all these years just for this moment.

Everyone was just waiting for the news that the eldest master would be successfully promoted soon, but at this critical juncture, the old lady who had always been in good health suddenly collapsed.

What does falling mean?

This means that if the old lady can no longer bear it and passes away, then the eldest master, as her son, must put down his government affairs and immediately report to the emperor that he will mourn for 27 months.

Twenty-seven months later, when you return to the court, the opportunity will be gone, not to mention that you are the highly sought-after position of the Dali Temple Minister, who is being closely watched by those with ulterior motives.

Madam Du prayed silently in her heart, "Old Madam, please be brave and wake up quickly! At the very least, you must hold on until my master is promoted to the position of Dali Temple Minister before you collapse!"

Unfortunately, the old lady at the head of the bed remained motionless. When I reached out my hand, I could only vaguely feel the sound of faint breathing from the tip of her nose.

The eldest lady's tears instantly filled her eyes. She really wanted to cry for her master. After nearly ten years of hard work and victory in sight, was it all going to be in vain?

Seeing her usually calm sister-in-law's eyes filled with tears, Wei, who was standing by, pulled Qin up and took out a handkerchief and put it in her sister-in-law's hand.

The eldest lady picked up the handkerchief and wiped her tears while she was also trying to calm herself down.

The Second Madam turned and called out to the two maids not far away, "Chun Qian, Qiu Nong, stay here and keep a good look after the old lady. The First Madam has been taking care of her all day and hasn't finished her meal yet. I'll accompany her back to the main courtyard to eat and rest."

Two maids, about seventeen or eighteen years old, came over in response.

As the Second Madam and the First Madam walked to the door hand in hand, a woman in her fifties came towards them. She greeted them with a smile, "Madam, you've both had a tiring day. Go back and have a peaceful meal and rest. I'll continue to watch over the old lady tonight."

"Thank you for your hard work, Mother Wang!" The eldest lady nodded at her.

"Taking care of the old lady is part of my job, so I dare not complain about the hardship." Mother Wang wiped her eyes. "I just hope the old lady wakes up soon, so that the ladies and masters in our mansion, as well as us servants, can rest in peace sooner."

The eldest lady's face showed some sincerity. She patted Mother Wang's hand and said, "You care so much about our old lady. It's worth her kindness to you. If anything happens at night, please remember to report to the main courtyard as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, madams. I will keep a close eye on the old lady and report back to you immediately if anything happens."

After getting Mother Wang's assurance, the first and second wives left hand in hand.

Looking at the two ladies walking away, Mother Wang was stunned for a moment before turning around and walking towards the old lady's bed.

"Hello, Mom!" The two maids, Chun Qian and Qiu Nong, who were working together to feed ginseng soup to the old lady's mouth, saw Mom Wang come in and took the time to shout.

"Well, how much of this ginseng soup can you drink, old lady?" Mother Wang asked with concern.

"Oh." Qiu Nong sighed, a look of worry creeping onto his face. "Yesterday I could still eat three or four mouthfuls, but today I can only manage two. If this continues, what should I do?"

"Let's have the Master invite another imperial physician to come and see him tomorrow!" After muttering this, Mother Wang instructed the two of them, "You two stay here for now. I'll go see if the old lady's medicine is ready. I'll come back later to take over."

The two girls said yes, and Mother Wang went out and headed towards the small kitchen.

The night was as dark as ink.

Su Cheng'an, dressed in nightgown, flew silently and swiftly over the roof of the Du Mansion like a nimble swallow.

According to his childhood memories, he quickly locked onto the house where the dim lights were still on. If his guess was correct, that should be Shoukang Hall where his grandmother lived.

Su Cheng'an took off, preparing to head there when he heard a low conversation behind him. "Put this in the old woman's medicine tonight, and I guarantee she'll die within seven days!"

"Okay, I understand." A low, hoarse female voice rang out, "Now that this is over, can I retire?"

"Don't worry, the higher-ups said that once this matter is resolved, you will be allowed to return home in glory. Your nephew will also have a worry-free future."

Su Cheng'an was shocked. It seemed that his grandmother was indeed murdered by a villain.

He raised his foot to walk, but unexpectedly a tile under his feet loosened and fell down with a "crash".

"Who?" A sharp male voice sounded.

The man was about to get up and go upstairs when he was stopped by another female voice: "Please be patient!"

Sure enough, a cat meowed and flashed past at the corner.

The female voice complained, "Can you be more cautious? If someone does come, how will you and I deal with it?"

After a moment of silence, the female voice spoke again: "Okay, I should help the old lady take her medicine. Wait for my news tomorrow."

Then there was the sound of footsteps fading away.