Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 458 Opportunity
Seeing that everything was going as she had expected, Minglan nodded to Xiaotao.

Xiao Tao understood immediately and began the next step of the plan.

Soon, Xiao Tao "casually" arranged for a maid to go outside to clean.

……

In the courtyard of Linxi Pavilion, Lu Zhong, who was once a first-class maid of Linxi Pavilion but is now a lowly maid, is chopping wood with a hunched back, while Granny Sun, who is in charge, is dozing off under the eaves.

The casual chatter of people, full of local flavor, drifted in from outside the wall, as clear as if it were right next to Lu Zhong's ears.

There, a young maid was sweeping fallen leaves under the eaves while chatting idly with the maid in charge of tending the fire. Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, carrying the lively spirit of the marketplace, and was just loud enough for the "rough maid" of Linxi Pavilion, who was gathering firewood at the foot of the low wall, to hear clearly.

"...Hey, have you heard? That sixth young master of the Yongchang Earl's Mansion, Young Master Liang Han, tsk tsk, what a filial son he is!"

"Oh? Tell me quickly!"

“I have a distant cousin who works in the kitchen of Yuqing Temple, and she saw it with her own eyes!”

"On every fifth day of the month—the fifth, the fifteenth, and the twenty-fifth—Young Master Liang will invariably go to Yuqing Temple to offer incense and listen to sutras! Not even wind or rain can stop him!"

"My cousin said, look at how devout he is kneeling before the Bodhisattva. He's been kneeling for almost half an hour without moving an inch! He said he's praying for his parents and elders to have longevity. He's very sincere! Even the old Taoist priest in the temple praised him for his pure and filial nature. He's a rare and fine young man..." The maid's voice was full of admiration and envy from the common people.

This seemingly casual "gossip" was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, quickly creating ripples.

At least, that's how it is for some people with ulterior motives.

"...Young Master Liang...Yuqing Temple...He goes there every fifth day of the month...He is very sincere...Even the old Taoist priest praises him as a fine young man..."

Lu Zhong's hand, which was chopping wood, suddenly stopped, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand!
She dared not look up, but used the corner of her eye to memorize those words: Yuqing Temple! Every five days! Liang Han! Handsome young master!
She suppressed the gasp that almost escaped her lips and pretended to continue chopping wood, but her ears were perked up. Only when she heard Granny Sun, the guard in the corridor, snoring softly did she take advantage of the opportunity to gather up the scattered firewood. She quickly picked up a small piece of charcoal ash that she had rubbed off from the stove, wrapped it in a torn piece of scrap paper, and slipped it through the tiny crack in the window of Mo Lan's cell when no one was looking.

Lu Zhong was originally a first-class maid, but now she has become a lowly servant in the mansion, a situation that makes her feel resentful.

However, she couldn't change it on her own. Right now, the only thing that could change her fate was for her daughter to marry into a good family, so that she could also have a future.

That's why she pays special attention to these things.

Inside the cell, Mo Lan was overjoyed. On the charcoal-ash paper, Lu Zhong had written in a crooked hand: "Liang Han, Yuqing Temple, on the fifth day of the month, filial son, fine young master."

Yuqing Temple! Liang Han!

A terrifying glint flashed in Mo Lan's eyes!

This was her hope! And her only way to survive!
Beneath the ecstasy lay a deeper resentment and sense of injustice. She gripped the piece of paper tightly, her knuckles turning white, almost crushing it!
"My mother...my mother must have been harmed by them! It was Wang Ruofu! It was Sheng Minglan! They framed me and took everything from me! I want to get out! I want to catch Liang Han! I want to get justice for my mother! And I want them to suffer eternal damnation!"

This self-deceiving "injustice" was like boiling oil poured on the poisonous flames of resentment in her heart, burning away all her reason.

"The letter must be sent!"

Mo Lan's eyes were red with anxiety.

She thought for a moment, then immediately tore off the lining of her plain white undergarment, bit her fingertip, and used her blood as ink to write words that were as plaintive as weeping: "To Liang Langtai: It has been so long since we last met, and my longing for you has driven me mad. I have suffered a great misfortune, and am now imprisoned, weeping blood day and night..."

"My birth mother, Lin, suffered a terrible injustice, imprisoned, chained, and on the verge of death... The villains framed her, and heaven and earth grieve! I wish I could take her place and clear her name!"

"I am imprisoned here, like a caged bird awaiting death, eating coarse food, wearing tattered clothes, and being trampled upon by lowly servants... Only the memory of Liang Lang's kind eyes, like a beacon in the dark night, gives me the will to live..." "I recall the spring banquet of yesteryear, Liang Lang's handsome appearance captivated my heart, haunting my dreams... Now I am trapped in a desperate situation, with no way forward, only Liang Lang is the only good man I can entrust my life to, the only hope for survival!"

"However, my father's will is as firm as iron, and my family is as vast as the sea. I think that if you, my lord, still remember our past affection, pity my loneliness and helplessness, and believe that my mother's grievance is as deep as the sea... I hope that on the fifteenth of this month, at a secluded spot behind Yuqing Temple, I can pour out my heart and plead my case with tears of blood!"

"If you would not abandon me and would lend a helping hand to save me and my mother from this dire situation, I... would spend the rest of my life serving you and repay your kindness with the utmost devotion!"

The blood oath was completed, each character scarlet and shocking.

Mo Lan regarded it as a lifeline. She summoned Lu Zhong, who was bringing water, and through the narrow crack in the door, Mo Lan lowered her voice, her eyes burning with a desperate, mad flame: "Lu Zhong! Get this to your mother by any means necessary! Only your mother can save us! Hurry!"

She stuffed the blood-written letter, rolled up as thin as a little finger and tightly wrapped with torn strips of cloth, into the cloth.

Lu Zhong was shocked, but seeing the girl's resolute determination, she nodded heavily and clutched the blood-written letter tightly in her hand.

She found the mute old woman who had been bribed by Lin Qinshuang with a large sum of money and was responsible for delivering swill to the woodshed. Using Mo Lan's last bit of savings—a small silver coin—she gestured and promised a generous reward if the matter was resolved, finally getting the mute old woman to agree.

The mute woman hid the wax pills in the thick grime at the bottom of the swill bucket and took them into the woodshed.

……

Inside the cold, foul-smelling woodshed.

The mute old woman put down the bucket of swill as usual, glancing at Lin Qinshuang with a flickering look in her eyes.

Lin Qinshuang's cloudy eyes suddenly lit up like a hungry wolf. After the mute old woman left, she rushed to the bottom of the bucket, found the wax pill, and desperately pried open the wax seal with her frostbitten fingernails.

In the dim light, she greedily read the words her daughter had written in blood.

The daughter's words, written in blood and tears, especially the phrases "suffered a great injustice" and "framed by villains," were like oil being poured on a raging fire, completely igniting the last remaining resentment and unwillingness in her heart, burning it into a morbid ecstasy and twisted scheming!

"Good! Good! Good daughter! You are indeed my offspring! That's how it should be! Show weakness! Plead your case! Arouse his pity and tenderness! When you meet him... with my son's skills and looks... I'm not afraid that Liang Han won't be completely infatuated with her!"

A chilling, low chuckle escaped her throat, like the hooting of an owl.

Immediately, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, she bit her already frostbitten finger again, and with the last of her strength, crookedly added a few more scarlet words to the blank space on the back of the blood-written cloth strip: "Zhang Tou! Lanyue Pavilion on the back mountain of Yuqing Temple! At 11 PM on the 15th! Help Molan leave the mansion! If successful, a large reward will be given, and she will be released from her official status!"

This head was the most deeply hidden piece she had laid in her early years—the old servant in charge of purchasing fruits and vegetables for the outer courtyard.

This man had committed a grave offense punishable by death by caning, but Lin Qinshuang secretly saved him and covered his tracks completely, without even Sheng Hong knowing the truth.

This person has always been her most loyal and most secretive dagger.

Lin Qinshuang knew that the opportunity was fleeting.

She violently slammed the iron chain against the stone pillar behind her, creating a deafening clang, while simultaneously letting out a shrill, hysterical scream: "Sheng Hong! How cruel you are! You want to starve me to death! To freeze me to death! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Heaven, have mercy..."

The old woman guarding the house was startled by the sudden loud noise and wailing, and she opened the door to check while cursing.

Just as the door opened and everyone's attention was drawn, Lin Qinshuang used all her strength to stuff the resealed wax pill into a moldy and hardened cornbread, and threw it violently into the shadows outside the door!
The cornbread rolled into the shadows of the corner of the wall not far from the woodshed.

Already alerted by Lin Qinshuang's wailing, Old Zhang, who had been lying in ambush behind a pile of junk nearby, darted out silently like a ghost, quickly picked up the dusty cornbread, stuffed it into his arms, and disappeared into the depths of the intricate back alley in a flash.

……