Su He obediently closed her eyes.
The next moment, his fingertips landed on her lips, gently kneading them a few times before his lips pressed against hers.
The little thing had drunk wine, making her lips soft and plump, tasting them was quite delightful.
Su He wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her small face up to meet his. No matter what he thought of her, tonight he had saved her once again. The scene of the old marquis kneeling and kowtowing was something she would never forget.
Since her mother’s death, he was the second person to protect her. The first was Ye Lang, but Ye Lang was too bound by rules—he was a good boy who would never defy his elders or dare to kick an old man.
Pei Yan was different—he truly dared! Only someone with confidence and ability could be so unrestrained!
If she could stay by his side a little longer, might she learn more? But after the old marquis’s disturbance today, Princess Chang had already grown weary of her. It was likely she wouldn’t be able to stay much longer, so she needed to prepare to leave as soon as possible.
That night, Su He still slept in Pei Yan’s room. He seemed to enjoy such things, thoroughly exhausting her over and over again, not falling asleep until after midnight. Once Pei Yan was asleep, Su He quietly got up and tiptoed into the courtyard.
During the day, she had gathered some bamboo leaves but had forgotten to soak them in well water when she went to Princess Chang’s place in the evening.
The courtyard was quiet. She moved as lightly as possible, drawing a small bucket of well water and washing the bamboo leaves one by one. She had a recipe for making cool tea from bamboo leaves. Back in the Su residence, she used to make bamboo leaf tea in the summer to earn a little money. However, the bamboo at the Su residence wasn’t as good as here—the leaves she gathered today were all tender, and once steamed, they would surely be refreshing. It was a pity she couldn’t go into the garden; otherwise, she could add some flowers and herbs to make it even more fragrant.
With her sleeves rolled up high, she buried her small head in her work, meticulously cleaning each bamboo leaf. By the time she finished, it was already past the hour of the ox. She placed the small bucket back into the well to soak, rubbed her aching back, and looked up at the moon.
Tonight’s moon hung in the sky like a silver hook, bright and gleaming.
Indeed, after leaving the Su residence, even the moon seemed much brighter.
Inside the room, Pei Yan turned over, his hand landing on the empty half of the bed. He sat up and immediately spotted Su He washing bamboo leaves. She had washed bamboo leaves in front of Ye Lang during the day yesterday—what was so special about a few leaves that needed such washing?
After waiting a while, he grew impatient, lay back on the pillow, and paid her no further mind.
The little girl was probably still thinking of Ye Lang in her heart. Let her think—it was all in vain anyway.
When Su He woke the next day, Pei Yan had already left for court. After breakfast, she began to suffer from a stomachache. Qiu Yun said it might be due to the greasy food she had eaten the night before. The physician Liu came again, took her pulse, and prescribed a medicinal soup to regulate her stomach and spleen.
Su He copied down the prescription, studying and memorizing each ingredient one by one.
“Are you interested in medicine, Miss?” Qiu Yun asked curiously.
“Have you ever seen chickens and ducks being treated?” Su He held the prescription, tilting her small head. “I once had a stomachache so severe I couldn’t bear it, so I secretly ate a handful of herbs they used to treat chicken plague, and I actually got better. So later, I came up with a few folk remedies myself. Compared to this prescription, their effects are surprisingly similar.”
Qiu Yun was a house-born servant. Although she was a slave, she lived much better than Su He.
“No one who falls sick should take medicine meant for animals,” she said sympathetically, taking out a handful of osmanthus candies and speaking softly. “You can only eat lightly today. Have a few candies to lift your spirits.”
Su He took the candies, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “Sister Qiu Yun, if I make some bamboo leaf herbal tea, do you think it would sell?”
“Bamboo leaf herbal tea?” Qiu Yun looked at the emerald-green bamboo leaves on the well platform in surprise and asked, “Who would you sell it to?”
Su He thought for a moment and asked, “Don’t the servants in the mansion drink herbal tea in the summer?”
“In the Princess’s Mansion, during the hottest days, each household distributes herbal tea,” Qiu Yun replied. After a moment’s thought, she tentatively asked, “Do you want to buy something but don’t have the money?”
Su He stuck out her tongue slightly and nodded gently. “Yes, I want to save up some money.”
“How did you sell bamboo leaf tea before?” Qiu Yun asked again.
“I used to take it out of the Su residence to sell. Two bowls for one coin—it was very tasty and especially refreshing in the heat.” Su He rubbed her still-aching stomach and said, “I’ll make a few jars today. Would you like to try it? If you think it’s good, I’ll ask the master for a token so we can sell it outside.”
“The master won’t let you go out to sell herbal tea. If you want to buy something, I still have some silver here. You can use it first. By the end of the month, when you receive your allowance, you’ll have more to spend,” Qiu Yun said gently.
“How much does a concubine in the Princess’s Mansion earn per month?” Su He asked curiously.
“Our master doesn’t have concubines or secondary wives, so I don’t know how much it should be. However, the first-class maids in the mansion earn two taels of silver per month. It certainly wouldn’t be less than that.”
That was twice as much as the first-class maids in the Su residence! Staying in the Princess’s Mansion for a year would earn her twenty-four taels of silver, plus the rewards during festivals. Wouldn’t that add up to thirty taels a year?
Su He’s eyes reddened with longing.
“Actually, if you want something, you can just ask the master for it,” Qiu Yun hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to her ear while tidying her hair and whispered softly.
“It’s not good to ask for money outright,” Su He shook her head. She used to think that if she could conceive his child, the reward would allow her to live a carefree life forever. But after entering the Princess’s Mansion, she realized that someone as noble as Princess Chang would never allow a woman of her background to bear Pei Yan’s child. What she needed to strive for from Pei Yan was temporary shelter and lasting capability.
Of course, if he insisted on giving her money, she would be very happy.
It would be best if he could shower her with several ingots of silver every day…
After much thought, Su He still felt it was better to take advantage of the fresh bamboo leaves now to make some herbal tea and bamboo leaf sachets. The tea she made sold quite well in the market—after all, it was cheap and tasted good.
Seeing her enthusiasm, Qiu Yun didn’t try to stop her.
After steaming, boiling, simmering, and cooling, Su He spent over two hours making a large jar of herbal tea. Back in the Su residence, she used to sell both sweetened and unsweetened versions, as sugar was expensive. In the scorching heat, laborers were just grateful for a bowl of refreshing herbal tea and usually didn’t opt for the sweetened version.
“It’s quite tasty—refreshing and sweet,” Qiu Yun said after drinking a small bowl, pleasantly surprised.
Pleased with the praise, Su He begged Qiu Yun to find someone to help her carry the tea out to sell.
Seeing her eager expression, Qiu Yun couldn’t bear to refuse, so she took the jar and found a young eunuch who ran errands in the outer quarters, asking him to take it to the market and sell it at a shop. The Princess’s Mansion had its own regular procurement shops, and for just a jar of herbal tea, the shopkeeper, eager to curry favor with the mansion, might not even taste it before buying it outright.
Su He spent the afternoon practicing calligraphy and learning accounting, with Qiu Yun teaching her how to use an abacus.
“Miss Qiu Yun, the herbal tea has been sold. Here’s the money,” the young eunuch returned, handing Qiu Yun a money pouch.
Qiu Yun weighed the pouch in her hand and asked in surprise, “Who bought it? There must be more than twenty taels here, right?”