In the courtyard, Cao Yin was wearing a greatcoat, casually tossing the horsewhip to the little servant following behind him, and as he walked inside he asked questions.
The little servant respectfully followed behind Cao Yin, and said clearly, “In reply to Master’s question, Miss is still eating.”
When Cao Yin heard this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and immediately frowned as he said, “How do you people serve her? You let Yue’er eat so late. Don’t you know Yue’er has a weak body and can’t go hungry?”
As soon as the words fell, Cao Yue came out at the sound. She unobtrusively turned her head to glance at the main room, then said in surprise, “Big brother, why are you here? Haven’t you been very busy during this period?”
The surprise in her voice could not be hidden, and anyone hearing it would feel that the siblings had a very good relationship.
In the main room, when Kangxi originally heard Cao Yin’s voice, the movement of getting up had already paused for a moment. Then he heard Cao Yin’s words, so he simply stayed in the room, concentrating on listening to the movements outside.
Cao Yin gave Cao Yue’s forehead a light flick in exasperation, and indulged her by saying, “You, you’re so clever, always changing the subject. These servants are all about to be spoiled rotten by you.”
Although he said that, Cao Yin still followed Cao Yue’s words and answered her: “Even if big brother is busy, he still has to make time to personally pick you up and take you back to the residence. What day is tomorrow? Surely you haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
Cao Yue answered first, then probingly asked, “Big brother, can I not go back? There will be so many people tomorrow. If I don’t go, no one will notice, right?”
Cao Yin seemed to realize something, and recalling the letter Cao Yue had written to him two hours ago, he deliberately comforted her:
“Big brother knows you don’t like crowded places. If you like living here, then after the matters at the residence are dealt with, you can come back and live here. But you’re also of age now. If the whole residence were not busy, the matter of arranging your marriage should already have been put on the schedule. It will also be inconvenient for you to run to the manor often in the future.”
Cao Yue liked to do things thoroughly, to avoid leaving any leverage behind. This matter of arranging her marriage was indeed real, but it was also only for show.
Inside the room, as soon as Kangxi heard the words arranging her marriage, his face became somewhat gloomy. But he held his temper and did not appear immediately, instead wanting to see Cao Yue’s reaction.
However, Liang Jiugong was somewhat enlightened. He had originally thought that the Cao family had so carefully taught this girl, gifted in both talent and beauty, for the emperor. But hearing the movements outside now, it seemed that was completely not the case.
The smile on Cao Yue’s face froze. She said with difficulty, “I only came of age not long ago, and big brother is already thinking of arranging my marriage. Could it be that Yue’er is being disliked?”
Neither on her face nor in the tone of her words was there the shyness a woman should have upon hearing the words arranging marriage. Instead, there was some resistance.
During the years serving by Kangxi’s side, Cao Yin had seen plenty of Kangxi’s expressions, so when it came to a young lady from the inner chambers, Cao Yin only needed to use a little thought to understand Cao Yue’s meaning: “Why would Yue’er say that? Big brother is all for your own good. Besides, this matter is decided by Father and Mother. Big brother also has to carry out orders.”
Cao Yin’s words carried helplessness. Cao Yue lowered her head dejectedly, and after hesitating for a long while, she bit her lip and struggled out, “Then… then has Mother said which family’s young master it is?”
“That she did not say. However, Mother has always doted on you, so she will surely ask your opinion.”
Cao Yin’s gaze swept over the top of Cao Yue’s hair, and he covertly glanced at the main room again before quickly drawing his eyes back.
“Really?”
The surprise burst out uncontrollably. Cao Yin could no longer ignore the strangeness in his heart after this repeated abnormality. He hesitated and said, “In the past, whenever this matter was mentioned, you always did not care at all. Why are you so unusual today?”
After saying that, as if he had thought of something, he angrily shouted at An Ning, “You say. During these days the young lady has been at the manor, what has happened, and who has she met?”
That sharp gaze was like a blade, and for no reason at all it made An Ning feel as if her face was hurting. She went pale and knelt down, saying nothing.
Cao Yue also seemed to have been frightened by Cao Yin. Her lips turned white: “Big brother…”
Rarely, Cao Yin did not comfort Cao Yue. Instead, he forced An Ning by questioning her: “What a loyal servant. Have you thought it through? If you still don’t say it now, if I have to use punishment before you speak, it will be too late.”
“Please forgive me, Master. This servant really doesn’t know anything.”
An Ning banged her head several times, continuously crying out for forgiveness and mercy, but about Cao Yue’s matters she simply did not reveal a single word.
Hearing this, Kangxi suddenly had a suspicion in his heart. Adding to that the appearance of the young lady from the Cao family in the peach grove that morning, Kangxi’s gloomy expression instantly cleared. He took Feiyanggu and Liang Jiugong around the Duobao shelf and came out of the main room.
Cao Yin had his back to the courtyard gate and was facing the main room door. As soon as Kangxi came out, Cao Yin saw him. His expression twisted for a moment, and he forcefully changed from harsh and stern to surprised, then from surprised to respectful, and in the blink of an eye knelt down: “This servant pays respects to the Emperor. May the Emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years.”
An Ning’s voice begging for mercy abruptly stopped. In the courtyard, all the little servants and maids hurriedly knelt down, and only Cao Yue, whose body was stiff and who was still standing, was especially conspicuous.
She turned around mechanically. Looking at that extremely familiar young master, she slightly widened her eyes and said in disbelief, “Em… Emperor?”
Seeing this, Cao Yin quickly tugged Cao Yue’s sleeve and, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, said softly, “Yue’er, why aren’t you hurrying to salute?”
Cao Yue revealed a bitter smile, and there was thick disappointment in her eyes.
She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again she knelt straight down, saying in a dry voice, “This servant greets the Emperor. Previously, not knowing the Emperor’s identity, I was much neglectful and offensive. I hope the Emperor will forgive me.”
This word servant was the first time in her two lives that she had addressed herself like this. Just one appellation had trampled the pride of both her lives underfoot. She had originally thought this term would be very hard to say, but when the time came, Cao Yue discovered that it was not very hard.
Compared with the suppression of imperial power and her own honor and life, calling herself a servant was nothing at all.
Every change in Cao Yue’s expression fell into Kangxi’s eyes. Kangxi’s thick brows slightly furrowed, and he said in a deep voice, “All of you, rise.”
Then Kangxi walked two steps toward Cao Yue and said in a gentle tone, “Miss Cao need not be so polite. Not knowing is not a crime. It was I who never made my identity clear at the beginning. It cannot be blamed on you.”
Cao Yue kept her head lowered, her gaze falling on the tips of Kangxi’s shoes. Seeing him step forward twice, she retreated two steps herself and respectfully said, “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
Noticing the change in Cao Yue’s attitude before and after, Kangxi felt a blockage in his chest. Just as he was about to say something, Cao Yin hurriedly asked with a smiling expression, “Please forgive this servant for being rude and asking one question, Your Majesty, do you know my younger sister?”
After all, he was his trusted aide, and Kangxi still gave Cao Yin some face. He gave a faint mm and said, “We happened to meet in the peach grove.”
There was nothing more. After all, his private matters did not need to be explained to a servant.
“So that’s how it is.” Seeing that Kangxi did not wish to say more, Cao Yin also tactfully did not ask further.
Looking at the sky that was about to darken, he asked Kangxi for instructions: “The receiving-enthronement decree this servant originally received was for tomorrow. This servant did not know that Your Majesty had arrived in Jiangning ahead of time. It is already late now, and the manor is too small. This servant fears that Your Majesty may be wronged. Why not have Your Majesty return to the city with this servant? This servant has already ordered people to prepare the residence where you will stay.”
Kangxi had originally wanted to refuse, only to suddenly remember that Cao Yin’s purpose in coming was to take Cao Yue back to the city. Thus, after some thought, he nodded in agreement.
When Cao Yin came, he had the residence prepare a carriage, intended for Cao Yue. At this moment, it could only be used by Kangxi, so he had the manor prepare another carriage, and the group returned to the city together.
However, when sending Kangxi and Cao Yin and the others out of the courtyard gate, Cao Yue stopped in her tracks and said softly, “Big brother, I suddenly feel that my body is somewhat unwell. If I go back with you, I’m afraid I’ll hold things up. Why don’t I just stay here instead.”
Cao Yin thought about it, and was about to agree, when he heard Kangxi’s concerned voice: “If Miss Cao is unwell, then all the more she should return to the city and have the imperial physician treat her. This place is remote. If something goes wrong, even if a doctor is summoned, it will surely delay matters.”
After Liang Jiugong carefully considered Kangxi’s meaning, he also followed along to persuade her: “What the Emperor says is right. Miss Cao, please rest assured. Following the Emperor out this time is also an imperial physician. The medical skill of the physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau is not known to be how much more brilliant than ordinary local doctors, and they will surely be able to treat the young lady.”
Although he did not know why, after Miss Cao learned of the emperor’s identity, her attitude toward the emperor became distant, he knew that the emperor had some interest in Miss Cao, otherwise he would not have said those words just now.
One must know that the imperial physician accompanying the emperor on this trip was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau. In the palace, aside from examining the emperor, only the Great Empress Dowager could call him into service. That showed the emperor’s intentions.
Different from Liang Jiugong’s loyal service to his master, Feiyanggu’s already dark face became even darker, though no one could tell.
If not for the fact that in the days of the Shunzhi reign their Dong’e clan had produced an Empress Xiaoxian, causing the Great Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager to loathe her without end, then their Dong’e clan would not now have to rack their brains trying to send someone into the palace and still fail to get in.
Now look at this. Anyone with eyes could see that this girl from the Cao family was resistant to the emperor, yet the emperor acted as if he could not see it, still treating the young lady with a warm and courteous expression. The Cao family really had good fortune.
The words had been said to this point. If Cao Yue still refused, that would be slapping Kangxi’s face, and it would be bad if it backfired.
So she pressed her lips together, hesitated for a moment, and got into the carriage behind with An Ning.
Cao Yin and Feiyanggu rode ahead on horseback. In the middle were two carriages. At the back was a squad of guards and several Cao family retainers who appeared at some point.
The carriage traveled for a while. Cao Yue lifted the curtain and looked forward once, and the pale, strained look from when she had been at the manor was already gone from her face.
After only a breath, Cao Yue lowered the curtain and said in a low voice, “Has Wang-shi’s side been arranged properly?”
An Ning smiled secretly. “Rest assured, Miss. These next few days, the table miss will be staying properly at the manor and will not come out and run around.”
The drug she had people use on Wang-shi was enough for Wang-shi and her maidservant to sleep for two or three days.
“That’s good.” Cao Yue sighed. “Actually, if she hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have wanted to treat her like this. It’s just that in order for the plan not to go wrong, I can only wrong her for a few days.”
After all, Wang-shi’s identity was special. One-third of the people in the Cao household knew the purpose of Wang-shi’s presence. If Wang-shi were sent out of the Cao family and then made some trouble, it would be no good for the Cao family’s reputation, and it would also easily arouse Kangxi’s suspicion.
An Ning snorted softly. “Miss is still too kind. Staying in the manor well-fed and well-cared for for a few days, how is that a hardship? Compared with the energy and money the masters have spent on her over the past two years, what does this amount count for?”
Cao Yue smiled but did not speak. She looked at An Ning’s swollen forehead and said with concern, “When we get back, apply the blood-activating and stasis-dispelling medicine from my room. Tomorrow the swelling will go down.”
An Ning nodded. “Miss, don’t worry. This servant doesn’t hurt.”
This little bit of pain, compared with the pain back then when the human traffickers whipped her body with a horsewhip, was simply not worth mentioning.
The carriage rocked and swayed along. On Cao Yue’s cool-faced expression, fatigue gradually showed. In less than the time of a cup of tea, she leaned against the soft pillow behind her and closed her eyes.
An Ning picked up the blanket at her side and carefully covered Cao Yue with it, then silently sighed. She had spent the whole day on edge and plotting. She ought to rest well.