Jiao Niang was not exceptionally beautiful, but her soft, supple figure was a rare find. During the escape, Jiao Niang was separated from her family and sold into a brothel by traffickers. The madam had people teach Jiao Niang to dance, intending for her to entertain guests once she was older.
Jiao Niang had resisted, but each time she was beaten near death. Just as she was about to give up, she was found by the Xiao family, who redeemed her and brought her to the yamen to serve.
The Xiao family kept Jiao Niang in the yamen, usually not assigning her any chores, treating her like a caged bird. She had dedicated attendants and never had to worry about anything herself.
Jiao Niang knew her fate was to rely on her looks, but she hadn't expected to find such a powerful backer.
Li Shu was not a mere noble with a title but no real power. He commanded troops, a true meritorious family. To marry into such a household, even as a concubine, would be a windfall.
However, the deed of sale remained a constant worry for Jiao Niang. Without it, she would be a free woman, and even as a concubine in a marquis's mansion, she would have dignity. If she remained of low status, she would be no different from merchandise, and even survival would be difficult.
Now that Li Shu had returned the deed of sale to her, she not only saw hope but also gained some insight into Li Shu's character. Li Shu was extremely proud and stubborn, refusing advice. She didn't know what he was like in court, as she had never seen him, but she had seen how he spoke with his daughter in private.
He was impatient and did not tolerate questioning, considering even normal doubts as challenges.
Jiao Niang suddenly felt confident. No matter how strong Li Man'er was, would she dare to defy her own father? As long as she could appease Li Shu, everything would be fine, and she would eventually get her revenge.
Jiao Niang had no idea that Li Man'er didn't take Li Shu seriously at all. She was not from this era and did not have the ingrained belief that a father was paramount. On the contrary, she believed that Ning's death was directly related to Li Shu's indulgence of Cui and Guo, and she was planning revenge against Li Shu.
That night, Jiao Niang employed various tactics on Li Shu, engaging him in the arts of the bedroom. The first half went smoothly, but somewhere in the latter half, something went wrong, and Li Shu suddenly vomited blood while lying on the bed.
Jiao Niang was terrified. If anything happened to Li Shu, her own life would be in danger. Fortunately, she did not let fear overwhelm her. She quickly dressed and called for guards to summon Li Man'er.
Before Li Man'er arrived, Jiao Niang hastily dressed Li Shu to cover him, opened the window for ventilation, and lit a short piece of incense to clear the stuffy air.
When Li Man'er arrived with the scent of medicine, the smell in the room had dissipated, but Li Man'er's unusually sharp senses still detected it.
She glanced at Jiao Niang, who, feeling guilty, involuntarily took two steps back.
"Liu Ya, keep an eye on her," Li Man'er said with a frown, moving a chair to the bedside to feel Li Shu's pulse.
Liu Ya grabbed Jiao Niang's shoulder, glared at her, and scolded, "Behave yourself!" Liu Ya's grip was strong, and Jiao Niang couldn't break free. She could only huddle like a quail, trembling and hugging herself.
Li Man'er placed three fingers on Li Shu's wrist, her brow furrowing.
Old Sun stood with his arms crossed, seemingly casually glancing at Jiao Niang, saying nothing.
Li Man'er withdrew her hand and said, "Old Sun, go and ask Miss Xiao Qi to come over."
"Yes!" Old Sun immediately turned and left.
Li Man'er looked at the messy bed and understood everything. Her sharp eyes spotted a small piece of paper peeking out from under the pillow and, out of curiosity, she pulled it out.
Seeing this, Jiao Niang quickly exclaimed, "Young lady, that belongs to this servant."
"No manners."
As soon as Li Man'er finished speaking, Liu Ya extended her hand, pressing down on Jiao Niang's head with one hand and holding Jiao Niang's chin with the other, pulling it down forcefully until Jiao Niang's jaw dislocated.
Jiao Niang cried tears of pain, but at this moment, she could no longer speak.
Li Man'er also saw the writing on the paper. It was a deed of sale, and its owner was the dislocated-jawed Jiao Niang.
Li Man'er folded the deed of sale and put it into her sleeve, actually placing it into her spatial dimension. She took out silver needles from her box and inserted them into Li Shu a few times.
She sealed Li Shu's vital energy and blood, causing him to temporarily experience weakness, uncoordinated limbs, and speech impairment, making him appear to have suffered a stroke.
In reality, with just a few needles, these symptoms would disappear, and Li Shu would be as energetic as before.
When Miss Xiao Qi arrived, Li Man'er had already removed the needles.
Because the room was unclean, Li Man'er invited Miss Xiao Qi to speak in the outer room.
"Did something happen?" Miss Xiao Qi was genuinely unaware and arrived looking bewildered. She initially thought it was a trap set by the Li family, then reasoned that no matter how bold the Li family was, they wouldn't dare to set anything up on her territory, as they lacked manpower and had no reason to do so openly.
"Bring her here."
Liu Ya brought in the dislocated-jawed Jiao Niang, pushed her forward forcefully, and kicked her in the hollow of the knee, making Jiao Niang kneel before Miss Xiao Qi.
"What is the meaning of this, Miss Li?"
"I know that Miss Qi meant well by sending a companion to look after my father, but this Jiao Niang has a wicked heart and perhaps cannot be kept."
Miss Xiao Qi frowned. "Are you saying Jiao Niang wanted to harm the Marquis? This... she's just a weak woman."
"Does Miss Qi know about 'spring on horseback'?"
Miss Xiao Qi's face immediately turned red. "Young lady, how can you be so indiscreet?"
"I am a doctor, what can't I say?" Li Man'er said. "Jiao Niang fed the Marquis that kind of medicine and didn't restrain herself, wantonly seducing the Marquis, which nearly killed him. Now my father has suffered a stroke, his limbs are immobile, and he has speech difficulties. A perfectly healthy person has become this way, what do you think should be done, Miss?"
Miss Xiao Qi's eyes widened, looking at Jiao Niang with disbelief, her whole body trembling with anger. "Speak, is what Miss Li saying true?"
It seemed she was genuinely angered, not pretending.
Li Man'er nodded slightly. Liu Ya then gently supported Jiao Niang's chin and reset her jaw.
Jiao Niang then began to cry and complain, "Miss Qi, save me, they want to kill this servant."
Miss Xiao Qi was furious. "I'm asking you, is what the young lady said true or not!"
Jiao Niang flinched timidly. "This servant, this servant doesn't know, but the Marquis vomited blood."
"Scoundrel."
Miss Xiao Qi, furious, grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at Jiao Niang. "You useless thing, you can't accomplish anything but ruin everything."