The morning breeze drifted in from outside, lifting Yu Ying’s hair.
Her eyes were red, filled with fear and dread, as she pleaded, “Madam, this servant was drunk last night and remembers nothing.”
Revenge was a must.
However, she was merely a lowly maid now and must not act impulsively. She had to proceed step by step, biding her time and building her strength.
As the saying goes, “Pay them back in their own coin.” If they could put on an act to deceive her, Yu Ying could do the same!
Nanny Zhou scolded angrily, “What a convenient memory loss!”
“This servant dares not deceive Madam. It must have been the drink that caused the trouble… I truly shouldn’t have had that cup. Madam, this servant knows her mistake. Please spare my life and do not drive me out of the Houfu.”
Yu Ying knew well that they would neither beat her with the board nor expel her. She simply played her part with all her heart.
“Climbing into bed without permission is no small matter,” Baozhu sighed. “I cannot plead for you either.”
Nanny Zhou’s face was stern as she said viciously, “The Houfu has its rules. If she isn’t beaten until her skin splits and flesh tears, other little sluts will follow her example, and then there will be chaos.”
“How about ten strokes of the board? Twenty is truly too severe,” Baozhu said hypocritically.
“How can we make an example of her without severe punishment?”
The warm summer breeze stirred the silver hooks on the window gauze, producing a faint tinkling sound. As she listened to the maids’ clamoring voices, Cui Yichu’s expression remained placid, her fan swaying leisurely in her hand.
She held a palace fan with a sandalwood handle, its surface painted with a pair of mandarin ducks frolicking in water—a masterpiece she had painted herself, so lifelike it seemed real.
“Yu Ying, were you truly drunk last night and completely unaware?”
Born into nobility, she always spoke in this drawn-out, gentle tone.
When the human trafficker first brought Yu Ying to the Jingyuan Marquisate, Cui Yichu had spoken in the same tender and amiable manner, asking Yu Ying her age, ancestral hometown, and who remained in her family.
She had also given her the name Yu Ying and assigned her to work in the Flower Chamber.
Yu Ying had always believed Cui Yichu to be an ethereal fairy, a goddess untouched by worldly affairs—exquisitely beautiful and kind-hearted.
Even after she had inexplicably climbed into Zhao Xuanyou’s bed after a few drinks, and even after she was later sent to the Manor Estate upon becoming pregnant, she had never doubted Cui Yichu.
It was only at the moment of her suffocation in her past life that she realized the venomous heart hidden beneath Cui Yichu’s noble and aloof exterior.
How foolish she had been to think Cui Yichu was a good person.
Recalling the events of her past life, Yu Ying’s hatred surged once more, and she trembled uncontrollably.
Cui Yichu glanced at her with her beautiful, indifferent eyes but did not dwell on it.
The Shizi was a military man and looked like someone with a heavy hand. Yu Ying was still young and untouched—last night must have been rough for her.
Now, with her life threatened, it was only natural for an inexperienced maid like Yu Ying to tremble in fear.
“Madam is asking you a question! Speak!” Baochuan pushed Yu Ying.
Yu Ying lost her balance, stumbled forward, and fell to her knees on the ground.
Noticing the red marks on Yu Ying’s neck, Cui Yichu pursed her thin lips and said with concern, “These marks on you… the Shizi truly knows no tenderness.”
Tenderness was out of the question.
Not daring to drug the Shizi, she had specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare many stimulating dishes—Ox Whip and Deer Antler Velvet, everything one could think of.
Faced with Yu Ying, who had been fed an Aphrodisiac, as long as Zhao Xuanyou was a real man, tenderness would have been impossible.
However, everything had been orchestrated by her. Seeing Yu Ying in such a devastated state only filled her with annoyance, though she forced herself to show concern.
What a wretched creature. If only she herself were not barren, why would she have allowed such a woman into her bed?
"Madam, please understand," Yu Ying lowered her head, trying her best to avoid the other's gaze and forcing herself to remain calm. "This servant does not recall meeting the Shizi. What happened last night, I truly do not know! Nor do I know whether I consumed something unclean, for I cannot remember anything."
As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of the four women in the room—mistress and servants—flickered with unease.
It was the experienced Mama Zhou who spoke first: "Still trying to make excuses even at death's door! Yesterday, Madam generously rewarded the servants with dishes and wine, and what the servants ate and drank was the same as what the masters had. Instead of expressing gratitude, you dare suggest that what Madam bestowed was unclean? What exactly are your intentions?"
"This servant did not mean it that way. I merely… It is my fault. I should not have drunk when I cannot hold my liquor. I know I was wrong. I beg Madam to spare my life."
Cui Yichu paused for a moment before speaking slowly: "That Fruit Wine yesterday was brewed by my mother herself. It was buried beneath the Chinese Flowering Crabapple Tree for a full seven years before being unearthed. It tastes sweet but has an extremely strong aftereffect. How many cups did you drink, you foolish girl?"
"Four cups."
Indeed, yesterday Baozhu had urged her repeatedly, at one moment saying that Madam's kindness should not be disregarded, at another claiming it was like drinking Fragrant Dew. With coaxing and force, she made Yu Ying drink the Fruit Wine laced with Aphrodisiac.
"No wonder," Cui Yichu said with an expression of sudden realization, holding her palace fan as she quietly observed Yu Ying. "After four cups, even a strong man would be knocked out, let alone someone like you."
Having just experienced intimacy for the first time, Yu Ying's cheeks were flushed, her body delicate and weak, as charming as a Chinese Flowering Crabapple blossom freshly watered by rain.
She resembled her, yet possessed an innate sensuality even more captivating.
Cui Yichu's expression shifted slightly, her gaze growing meaningful.
Seeing the opportunity, Mama Zhou, standing nearby, rolled her eyes and asked: "Surely Madam does not intend to elevate her?"
"I have been unwell lately, with my monthly troubles coming irregularly, leaving me extremely uncomfortable. The Shizi has been stationed at the border for a year, and now that he has returned to the capital, I am unable to attend to him. I truly do not know how to explain this to the Shizi. Since you and the Shizi have already consummated the matter, there is no need to select someone else. Yu Ying, from now on, would you be willing to serve the Shizi in my place at night?"
"Madam will not punish this servant?" Yu Ying asked cautiously.
Cui Yichu smiled faintly. "For wrongdoing, punishment is inevitable."
Taking her cue from Cui Yichu's glance, Baozhu made the matter clear at the right moment: "Madam wants you to serve the Shizi, but not as a Tongfang. Do you understand?"
"This servant does not understand," Yu Ying shook her head, looking at Cui Yichu with a face full of fear. "Madam, if I am not a Tongfang, how can I serve the Shizi?"
"What is there not to understand? Madam is currently unwell, yet the Shizi favors her most. Madam does not wish to disappoint the Shizi, so she wants you to serve him in her place at night." Seeing Yu Ying's bewildered expression, Mama Zhou had no choice but to explain more plainly.
"Won't the Shizi notice?"
Pressed by Yu Ying's questioning, Mama Zhou replied patiently: "Your figure and appearance happen to bear some resemblance to Madam. As long as you speak little, you will not be discovered."
For Cui Yichu, the more foolish Yu Ying appeared, the better.
Looking at Yu Ying's confused demeanor, she felt no impatience. Instead, she smiled gently at her: "Do you understand now?"
Understand? Of course she understood.
In her past life, Yu Ying would crawl in the dark night after night onto Zhao Xuanyou's bed, deliberately altering her voice and concealing her face, fulfilling the duties of a wife on behalf of Cui Yichu.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed outside the room.
"Madam, the Shizi has returned!"