"Chun Xing, do we have any camphor balls here?"
Wen Ning knew well that abortifacient medicine was not the most urgent matter at hand. What was most pressing now was the issue of her body fragrance—she had to find a way to conceal it, or she would surely not escape Granny Li's cane tomorrow.
In the past, she could have simply gone up the mountain to gather a few herbs and make a sachet to solve the problem. But now, she couldn't leave Hou Manor, and she had nothing useful on her.
Chun Xing was busy rummaging through two wooden boxes. She turned around and said, "Sister Wen Ning, are you afraid of mosquitoes? Camphor balls aren't something servants like us can use. Only the first-class maids serving the masters receive such rewards. But there's a row of mint and mugwort planted in front of our servants' quarters—they work quite well for repelling insects."
Wen Ning pushed open the firwood door and indeed saw mint and mugwort growing along the base of the wall. Likely neglected and untended, they grew sparsely, almost hidden by weeds.
She picked a handful of the older leaves and returned to the room. Borrowing an old piece of cloth from Chun Xing, she sewed it into a small pouch with needle and thread, then filled it with the mugwort and mint leaves.
Lifting the sachet for a gentle sniff, she thought it should be enough to mask her scent.
She lied, claiming she was particularly prone to mosquito bites, which was why she was used to wearing such sachets. Chun Xing didn't suspect a thing and even helped her tie it to the innermost layer of her clothing.
The next day, the head cook explained the rules to Wen Ning and gave her a general overview of where each master resided.
The kitchen was located in the southwest corner of Hou Manor, divided into hot stove, cold dish, and pastry sections, with corridors connecting to the various courtyards.
Yifu Hall was the residence of the old madam. She observed fasting on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, abstaining from meat and disliking arguments on those days.
To the east was the Marquis's Tingsong Courtyard, divided into inner and outer sections. The outer courtyard housed the study and a training ground, while the inner courtyard was the Marquis's bedchamber, which servants were not allowed to enter freely.
In the rear courtyard was Danyue Residence, where the eldest young lady, Xie Wan, lived. The eldest young lady was already married, her husband being Shen Lin, the heir of Chengen Duke's Mansion. She was temporarily staying in the manor recently to accompany the old madam in praying and making offerings to the gods.
The head cook reminded her to work more and speak less in the manor, and not to pry into matters that didn't concern her.
From then on, she went to the woodshed every day at the hour of Yin, splitting and arranging firewood according to the characteristics of pinewood for strong flames, jujube wood for long-lasting burns, and willow wood for removing fishy odors. Then, using a shoulder pole made of thorny branches, she carried the firewood to the kitchen, where she lit fires, tended to the stoves, watched the flames, cleared the ashes, and was always ready to boil hot water for the masters. Despite enduring morning sickness, she worked diligently like this for over half a month, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
…
That day, in Yifu Hall, the old madam and Xie Wan were discussing arranging a bedchamber maid for Xie Jinglan after finishing their evening meal.
The old madam reclined on the couch, while Xie Wan sat upright on an embroidered stool in front of it. Between them was a small rosewood table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and both wore thoughtful expressions.
"It's all my fault. In the past, when he was away on military campaigns, he always said there was no hurry to take a wife or concubines, so I went along with him. There were bold maids in the manor who tried to throw themselves into his arms while serving tea, but he had them caned twenty times and driven out of the manor. I thought he had a cold temperament and didn't like having bedchamber maids, so I never brought it up again.
Who would have thought that less than two months after returning to the capital this time, he would be poisoned? Some vile wretch is trying to cut off our Hou Manor's lineage!"
The old madam grew more agitated as she spoke, wishing she could seize the poisoner right then and have him torn to pieces.
Xie Wan rose to help soothe her grandmother while offering comfort: "Grandmother, please don't blame yourself—your own health is what matters most. Jinglan is at that vigorous age where passions run high. Once he has a woman in his chambers and tastes the sweetness, he’s sure to develop thoughts of taking a wife or concubines.
Even if… even if he can’t have children of his own someday, having a few intimate companions by his side would still be good for him.
Tang Li is Granny Li’s daughter from the kitchen, and she’s also a homeborn servant of our Hou Manor. She’s perfectly suited to serve as a bedchamber maid. The instructing matron has already trained her these past two days, and she’s ready to be sent to Tingsong Courtyard. Later, I’ll go and have a word with Jinglan, so please don’t worry."
Old Madam Xie nodded after hearing this, yet resentment still simmered in her heart. In other families, young men this age already had children crawling all over the place—why must their Xie family alone suffer such hardship?
In a corner of the kitchen, Wen Ning was tending to the medicine pot, gently waving a palm-leaf fan to keep the heat just right.
Chun Xing had accidentally overturned a pot of hot soup today, scalding half her arm with blisters, so she likely wouldn’t be able to work for the next few days.
The head cook, noticing how steady Wen Ning’s hands were and that she never made mistakes with adding firewood or controlling the flame, had assigned her the task of brewing medicine as well.
Seeing that the time was about right, Wen Ning picked up a coarse cloth to pad her hands, carefully lifted the medicine jar from the stove, and poured the dark brown decoction into a white porcelain bowl. She then placed the bowl gently on a sandalwood tray.
Recalling Xie Jinglan’s aura of stern lethality, Wen Ning couldn’t help but shiver. She inwardly steeled herself before picking up the tray and heading in the direction of Tingsong Courtyard.
Passing through a covered walkway, she happened upon a maid holding a gauze lantern under the corridor, half a step behind a young woman dressed in fine attire. The woman bore some resemblance to the Marquis in her features—this was likely the manor’s eldest young lady, Xie Wan.
Wen Ning immediately stepped aside near a corridor pillar and curtsied: "Greetings, Young Mistress."
Xie Wan halted, her gaze sweeping over Wen Ning before settling on the tray in her hands. "Is that medicine for the Marquis?"
"Replying to Young Mistress, yes," Wen Ning answered with bowed head.
Xie Wan pondered a moment, then suddenly drew a small booklet from her sleeve and placed it on the tray beside the medicine bowl.
"Deliver this as well. Say it’s the Old Madam’s meaning—the Marquis will understand when he sees it."
Her younger brother had shouldered the responsibilities of a military family since childhood, following their father to battle and kill enemies at just twelve years old.
When he was little, he would still tug at her sleeve asking for candy, but over the years, a distance had grown between them.
Years of battlefield slaughter had added a blade’s edge to his eyes; the way he looked at people seemed to pierce through flesh and straight to the bone.
She both ached for and feared her brother as he was now. Sometimes, if she advised him too much, she would earn nothing but a cold glare.
She didn’t know whether her brother was simply unenlightened about matters between men and women, or if he simply couldn’t be bothered with them.
But as his elder sister, how could she possibly explain such things to him in words? Would she have to point at an illustrated booklet like teaching a child to read characters, telling him to study it carefully?
Thinking of it that way, it was better to just use their grandmother’s order to pressure him.
Later, she would have the instructing matron send Tang Li over directly—surely he wouldn’t dare refuse their grandmother’s goodwill.
Wen Ning only saw that the booklet had a blue silk cover with gilded edges, no larger than a palm, and quite exquisite.
She thought to herself: The young mistress still dotes on the Marquis as if he were a child, even choosing such an adorable booklet—truly a deep bond between siblings.
She hurriedly responded, "This servant will deliver it to the Marquis right away."
In front of the study in Tingsong Courtyard, Qing Feng, seeing that the person bringing the medicine bowl was not the usual round-faced maid, asked warily, "Why has someone been replaced today?"
Wen Ning replied truthfully, "Chun Xing scalded her arm and likely won't be able to work for the next few days, so the kitchen mistress ordered this servant to bring the medicine to the Marquis."
Qing Feng nodded, then raised his hand to gently knock on the door: "Master, the medicine is here."