She returned to the Houfu. After arriving back, she sent someone to deliver a message to Zhiyan, instructing her to keep an eye on Luo Heng’s separate residence. By evening, she received a report. As expected, during the afternoon, the head of the Luo family, Luo Heng’s mother, led a group of servants and surrounded the separate residence. Luo Heng was not there at the time, and Xing Dai Rong, along with those who served her, were all dragged out. Upon seeing Xing Dai Rong, Madam Yang, Luo Heng’s mother, after learning her identity, didn’t ask any questions, slapping her face several times with resounding force. Instantly, Xing Dai Rong’s face swelled. As she jumped up to curse, her mouth was stuffed with a piece of cotton cloth by a few maids and servants, before being shoved into a carriage. According to the person watching, the carriage wheels initially headed towards the Ningyang Houfu, but halfway through the journey, Luo Heng intercepted them on horseback. It’s unknown what he said to his mother after catching up, but eventually, Madam Yang turned the carriage around and returned to the Luo family.
“Young Madam, Zhiyan Sister says the person she sent followed Luo Heng’s servant to a location outside the suburbs. There, he smelled gunpowder and heard several explosions, but when he tried to investigate further, he was discovered and almost caught.”
Lu Lingyun’s eyes lit up upon hearing Shuang Hong’s report. Zhiyan’s spy was quite clever. He was able to think of this and find out about it. However, gunpowder? What was Xing Dai Rong’s connection to gunpowder? Did she know how to make it? It was a time when gunpowder existed, with fireworks and firecrackers for celebrations, for instance, all related to gunpowder. Of course, their power was limited. They were mainly for noise and spectacle. The court had a department dedicated to researching weapons, but they only developed low-power, rudimentary gunpowder. It wasn’t even as widespread as the firecrackers and fireworks in the common folk’s hands.
Lu Lingyun couldn’t immediately grasp the connection between Xing Dai Rong and gunpowder. But she took note of this matter. When Cheng Yunshuo recovered, she would let him know and ask him to investigate.
The next day, Lu Lingyun continued to manage the affairs of the Houfu. Madam Jiang sent a message to her, saying that she was grateful for the information about Luo Heng. She learned about Madam Yang taking Xing Dai Rong back to the Luo family, but she didn’t expect Madam Yang to not punish her, but to keep her instead. The doors were closed, sealing off any news of Xing Dai Rong. Seeing this, Madam Jiang finally understood the Luo family’s true colors. They were undoubtedly problematic, their son keeping a mistress outside, with unclear details and no apology. He even swore he would treat her to a meal as a form of apology, but there was no news the next day. Wasn’t this essentially saying that the entire Luo family would accept her? What a mess this family was! Regardless of what happened later, Madam Jiang would never interact with them again, let alone agree to a marriage between their families.
Lu Lingyun listened to all this, her mind fully convinced that Xing Dai Rong must have a trump card to be accepted by the Luo family. These people were like gamblers, hooked on their habit. With this realization, Lu Lingyun was even more curious about what Xing Dai Rong was up to.
“Young Madam, Zhiyan Sister sent me a message this morning, saying that everything regarding the charcoal is ready. Do you want to take a look?”
Lu Lingyun stretched, “Yes, I’d like to.”
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