“Nanny, what should I do? The master asked me to keep it quiet for now, but if Lady Xie asks about it, how am I supposed to answer her?”
Nanny Zeng pulled Wen Lu a few steps away, the two of them hiding in the shadow of the trees. She turned her head to look, and only after confirming that not a single soul could be seen nearby did she lower her voice and continue asking: “You mentioned poisoning just now—what exactly is the situation? Is it serious?”
Wen Lu wiped the sweat that had broken out on his forehead from running too fast, then nodded: “In Lady Xie’s household, there are just two young twin sisters. Uncle Jiang said that when he rushed over, Lady Xie’s mother was in a bad state, and the two girls were nearly crying themselves sick. They only said the situation was critical at the time—fortunately, he arrived in time and managed to keep her alive.”
Nanny Zeng felt a chill of alarm in her heart. She had heard Wen Lu mention it earlier and knew that this Lady Xie had it hard—there was an ailing mother at home. She had assumed it was simply due to frailty, but never expected that someone had actually poisoned her.
She couldn’t understand it. She was just an ordinary village woman, alone and raising three children, living a tight and frugal life. If someone were taken by her beauty, they ought to treat her well—why would anyone think to harm her?
“It’s that serious—can she be treated?”
Wen Lu continued: “She can be treated, yes, but the toxins need to be expelled. Only, from what Uncle Jiang meant, the process is likely to be quite dangerous, since the poison has been accumulating in her body for too long… That’s why today he only administered acupuncture to temporarily slow the toxin’s effects.”
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zeng thought to herself how pitiful it all was, then sighed and asked him: “Did Elder Jiang tell Lady Xie’s mother the true cause of her illness?”
Wen Lu shook his head: “How would he dare? There are just those two young ladies, not old in years at all, and with their mother as sick as she is, Uncle Jiang himself wasn’t sure what to do. He came back to ask the master for instructions, and the master only said to keep it hidden for now—didn’t say what to do afterward. Lady Xie is devoted to her mother, so she’s bound to ask me about the situation. How am I, how am I supposed to answer that!”
Nanny Zeng was clearly calmer than Wen Lu. She looked him up and down, somewhat puzzled: “What are you fretting over? Aren’t you always loyal to the young master? Since he’s given the order for you to keep it quiet, since when do you agonize over whether to follow it? Whatever the young master says, you do. Since she can be treated, that’s a good thing. If Lady Xie asks, just tell her not to worry—fob her off for now.”
Wen Lu was stunned by Nanny Zeng’s words, then suddenly came to his senses.
Right. Why was he agonizing over this?
He pondered for a long while without finding an answer, and could only attribute the reason to the fact that Lady Xie’s gaze when she spoke was truly striking—it was hard to say anything against one’s conscience when faced with a pair of autumn-water eyes like those.
“Alright, go back and rest. If there’s anything, ask the young master tomorrow.”
With that said, the two went their separate ways. Wen Lu glanced back at the small courtyard where Xie Yunzhen was temporarily staying, and what he thought was: his master’s mission to the south was a weighty one—before his departure, the emperor had repeatedly sent palace attendants to instruct him to keep a low profile and never let anyone with ill intent catch wind of anything.
If he had known earlier that Lady Xie’s household was this much trouble, when the master had first singled her out, he should have advised against it. Even finding a maidservant from the residence to relieve the medicine’s effects would have been better than this.
It was truly strange. He had served the master for many years, and it was no exaggeration to say that aside from court sessions where he couldn’t enter the palace, he was with the master nearly every single day. He had never once seen the master take notice of any woman, so how on earth had he come to know Miss Xie’s name?
A village woman—no matter how beautiful, with no family standing and no learning—could her beauty truly be renowned all the way to Shangjing?
He had also just remembered something else Uncle Jiang mentioned upon his return: strange figures had appeared near Miss Xie’s home. They weren’t people sent by their household, nor did they seem to be villagers. When Uncle Jiang spotted them, they fled.
Wen Lu’s mind was now filled with nothing but the word “trouble.”
He knew all too well that in this day and age, for a woman with no one to rely on, being too beautiful was hardly a blessing.
That Liu Wenhong, according to the intelligence they had gathered, was a man who repaid every grievance tenfold. He had suffered a small setback at the master’s hands this time, and for now he was lying low, not daring to strike at the master directly. But there was no guarantee he wouldn’t secretly go after Miss Xie instead—after all, it was because of her that the “slim maids” he had arranged were rendered useless.
The master would stay in Raocheng for at most a few months. Once matters were concluded and he returned to Shangjing, Miss Xie would still have to live under Liu Wenhong’s jurisdiction. A beauty like her—if she fell into his hands, there was no telling what undignified fate awaited her.
Now the master, cold and unfeeling as he was, had already made an exception for Miss Xie once. If she truly met such a fate, could the master still remain as hard-hearted as before?
Ah, trouble! Trouble!
At the thought of all this, Wen Lu felt certain he would not sleep well tonight.
That night, everyone had their own thoughts—except Xie Yunzhen. With her mother’s matter settled and the five hundred taels the master had mentioned on her mind, she slept especially soundly.
Though she hadn’t seen so much as a shadow of those five hundred taels, the master’s word was as good as gold. Surely he wouldn’t deceive her?
Perhaps because her heart was at ease, she slept deeply and woke up late the next day—already past the hour for the midday meal. Someone had placed several appetizing dishes on the table in her room, still warm to the touch.
But Xie Yunzhen had no appetite. She hastily picked out a plainer dress from the ones the master had given her and changed into it, wanting to quickly find Physician Jiang to ask about her mother’s condition. Yet when she stepped out of her room, a maidservant in green stood in the courtyard, as if she knew exactly what was on Yunzhen’s mind. Smiling, she invited her to the Luan Garden, saying only: “The master is waiting for you, miss.”
Xie Yunzhen was taken aback. Why did he want to see her again? Given the master’s attitude toward her, shouldn’t they meet as little as possible?
She said, “But I need to find Physician Jiang—”
The maidservant smiled knowingly: “Physician Jiang is currently in conversation with the master. If you go over, miss, you’ll find him there.”
With the maidservant saying this, Xie Yunzhen had no reason to refuse.
By the time Xie Yunzhen arrived at the Luan Garden, Pei Shu had just finished his midday meal. He set down his chopsticks and bowl, accepting the cloth and rinsing tea offered by the maidservant with an air of composed elegance—the bearing of a true noble scion, natural and refined.
But when Xie Yunzhen looked around, aside from Pei Shu and the maidservants attending him, she saw no one else.
She couldn’t help but feel a sense of having been deceived, yet she could not fathom what reason the master would have to toy with her.
Pei Shu raised his eyes and glanced sidelong at Xie Yunzhen, silently rinsing his mouth without acknowledging her. His movements were unhurried and deliberate, which made Xie Yunzhen anxious to watch. Several times she wanted to speak, but the cold, still aura Pei Shu carried kept the words lodged in her throat.
Pei Shu was born into a household of great wealth and prestige, raised from childhood under the principle of not speaking while eating or resting. In his early years, his grandfather was often ill and paid no mind to household affairs, while his grandmother had always been strict, her authority deeply entrenched. The atmosphere at home was frequently as silent as a stagnant pool. He was accustomed to a daily life where even the whole family gathered around one table without exchanging a word, and naturally did not realize that such an atmosphere was rather torturous for Xie Yunzhen, who was used to the clamor of twins at home.
Yet he seemed to sense Xie Yunzhen’s slight urgency and said, “Uncle Jiang just left, to fetch medicine for your mother.”
Before Xie Yunzhen could ask further, he continued, “I have matters to attend to outside and expect to be away for several days. I depart today—you will come with me.”
Hearing that the physician was still busy with her mother’s affairs, Xie Yunzhen suddenly felt a pang of guilt, realizing belatedly that she might owe this adult a favor.
But at the mention of going out, she could not help but grow curious, her rosy lips parting slightly: “May Yunzhen ask where you are going, sir?”
She had learned her lesson this time—upon hearing the answer, she would not ask why. After all, given the nature of their relationship, if it were not for the antidote, surely he would not be taking her out for fun?
Pei Shu wiped his hands and lightly tossed the handkerchief to the maidservant beside him. He glanced at Xie Yunzhen, noticing her brows curved in a smile, carrying a hint of delight she herself had not realized.
He silently looked away and answered coldly, “Liuhe County.”
The moment Xie Yunzhen heard this, her heart gave a jolt.
Though summer had not yet fully arrived, she felt a chill run down her spine, her hairs standing on end, and the smile on her face nearly crumbled. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, masking her lapse before Pei Shu could look her way.