Wen Jinxin was not without suspicion about how the mastiff had appeared, but she never imagined it was Shen Jue’s deliberate doing, merely thinking it somewhat coincidental.
At this moment, gazing in the direction Shen Jue had departed, she felt somewhat dazed. Before her eyes surfaced Shen Jue’s gaze—painful yet deeply affectionate.
In truth, it was no wonder she hadn’t sensed this emotion. In the year since she entered the mansion, she had almost no significant interactions with Shen Jue.
It was only after Shen Henglin arrived in Guangzhou Fu that, due to his relationship, her opportunities to interact with Shen Jue increased.
She had no idea when Shen Jue had fallen for her, nor why he would like her.
But one thing was certain: the current Shen Jue did not yet like her; she was merely a cousin he had met only a few times.
Even afterward, she felt that blocking the whip had been somewhat impulsive, yet she never regretted it.
Shen Jue could rebel for her sake, could defy the opposition of the entire world to make her his empress—what was a single whip lash she endured in comparison?
“Miss, was that Shiziye just now?”
Lan Hui had already witnessed her young lady’s life-risking behavior last time and had a very deep impression of Shen Jue. How to put it? Privately, she did not like Shen Jue.
It wasn’t because everyone said he was bad—the merits and faults of a master were not something a maid like her could discuss. Her dislike stemmed purely from Wen Jinxin’s loss of composure.
She had served Wen Jinxin since childhood, and her young lady was absolutely the kindest and most innocent girl in the world.
Her mistress had taught her to read and write from a young age; even without leaving the inner chambers, she understood many principles. She excelled in Lute, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, literature, and writing—Lan Hui admired her young lady most in this lifetime.
She had never seen her young lady lose her temper or get angry with anyone, nor had she ever treated her as a servant. There wasn’t a single person in the mansion who didn’t like the young lady.
But ever since entering the Prince’s mansion, her young lady had seemed bewitched—something that had never happened in all these years.
After much thought, Lan Hui concluded that the root of all this was Shiziye.
Moreover, the young lady had taken a whip for him, sparing him the Prince’s punishment, yet he hadn’t uttered a word of gratitude nor once visited. She had never seen such a rude person.
As her young lady’s maid, she naturally had the duty to protect her. Having lived in the Prince’s mansion for over half a month, she felt everyone was quite good—the only one to be wary of was this Shiziye.
Seeing that fiery red clothing just now, she immediately became alert. After all, how could a well-ordered Prince’s mansion suddenly have a vicious dog running about?
Upon careful consideration, she felt Shen Jue was even more dangerous, instantly wishing she could go before Laotaifei and lodge a complaint—she absolutely could not let her young lady be bullied by this little tyrant.
Of course, Wen Jinxin had no idea what Lan Hui was thinking. She nodded absently and withdrew her gaze, turning to walk back.
“Shiziye is truly something. No matter what, you are his cousin. Instead of protecting you, he thinks of bullying you. And after you’ve treated him so well…”
Wen Jinxin, fearing her words might be overheard by others, quickly interrupted her.
“Lan Hui, do not speak recklessly. Whether that was my cousin just now is another matter. Even if it truly was him, he would not set a dog upon others. I do not wish to hear you speak such words again.”
Lan Hui then realized they were no longer at the Wen family home. Although Wen Jinxin was Laotaifei’s grandniece, she was still an outsider in this Prince’s mansion. Living under someone else’s roof, they naturally had to be cautious with their words and actions.
She must not bring trouble upon her young mistress because of her own carelessness.
She had spoken rashly out of anxiety earlier, but as soon as Wen Jinxin reminded her, she covered her mouth in realization and glanced around. Fortunately, no one was passing by at that moment.
“This servant spoke out of turn and will not dare to speak carelessly again.”
Wen Jinxin knew Lan Hui was concerned for her and patted her hand reassuringly.
“I’m not blaming you, and I know you mean well. It’s just that we are guests here now, so we must be more careful. Alright, let’s return to the courtyard.”
Lan Hui nodded, not daring to speak recklessly again, and supported Wen Jinxin as they made their way back to the courtyard.
Cai Zhu had already retrieved the medicine and had been waiting for them for a while. Seeing them return, she hurried out to meet them.
“Where has the young lady been? You returned even later than this servant.” Her tone carried a hint of anxiety and an unintentionally inquisitive note.
Wen Jinxin instinctively frowned. Previously, when she was ill, it was Mama Du who took care of her. Once she had mostly recovered, she had Mama Du return to serve Laotaifei.
She hadn’t noticed it when Mama Du was around, but now that Cai Zhu had become her head maid, she was actually putting on airs.
How dare a maid question her mistress’s whereabouts?
In her past life, she hadn’t paid much attention to those serving her. She only knew that Cai Zhu was quick and eloquent, often talking about the people and affairs in the mansion. For a time, she had been quite fond of Cai Zhu.
Because of this, she had even neglected Lan Hui. Later, when Cai Zhu reached the age to leave and marry, she had rewarded her with a generous sum of silver and sent her off to her wedding.
Now, upon reflection, this Cai Zhu was quite something.
Wen Jinxin had an easygoing nature, but she was not truly weak or easily bullied. Previously, she hadn’t paid it any mind, but now that she was aware, she couldn’t allow a maid to climb over her head and act arrogantly.
Upon hearing Cai Zhu’s words, Wen Jinxin didn’t even glance at her, neither looking at her nor acknowledging her, and simply walked past her with Lan Hui.
Only then did Cai Zhu realize her mistake. She had always thought Wen Jinxin was gentle and easy to talk to, and since she had been sent by Li Shi, she felt somewhat emboldened.
Considering herself the top servant in the young lady’s quarters, she even looked down on Lan Hui, often boasting to other servants about how well the young lady treated her.
Everyone envied her, saying she was lucky to have met the young lady, but only Cai Zhu herself knew the truth.
She had come to serve Wen Jinxin with a mission—Li Shi had instructed her to care for her while also keeping a constant watch on her, even reporting her daily activities.
Fortunately, Wen Jinxin was quite well-behaved, staying in her room to recuperate, which allowed Cai Zhu to relax and enjoy benefits without having to do much work.
Cai Zhu had even thought to herself that Li Shi was making a fuss over nothing—what could such a delicate young girl possibly do to cause trouble? Why did she need to be watched so closely?
But she hadn’t expected that after just a short while of not following her, the young lady would disappear.
Cai Zhu was afraid that something might have happened during that time and that she would be punished by Li Shi, which was why she had been anxious and hadn’t paid attention to her tone.
Seeing that Wen Jinxin ignored her, Cai Zhu quickly followed. “This servant deserves death for displeasing the young lady. This servant was only worried for the young lady’s safety and spoke in haste. I beg the young lady to forgive me.”
Wen Jinxin still did not speak and walked straight into the room. When Cai Zhu tried to follow, Lan Hui blocked the doorway.
“I’ve only ever known masters ordering servants around, never heard of a servant daring to question a master’s whereabouts. Sister Cai Zhu truly has fine upbringing.”
Cai Zhu didn’t dare barge in recklessly. The commotion earlier had been loud, and the other young maids in the courtyard had all peeked out to look. She felt even more humiliated, but fearing she might anger Wen Jinxin further, she could only stomp her foot and wait outside the door.
Seeing Cai Zhu put in her place, Lan Hui felt much more at ease. This Lan Hui considered herself a maid of the Prince’s mansion and always acted superior, having tripped her up several times before.
Afraid of causing trouble, Lan Hui had endured it all without telling Wen Jinxin. This time, she finally got to vent her frustration.
“Miss, don’t bother with someone like her. She’s shallow-minded but doesn’t really mean any harm.”
If it were any other day, and if Cai Zhu had been more restrained, she truly wouldn’t have bothered with a mere maid. But today, she was genuinely somewhat angry.
If she didn’t make her stance clear this time, next time they might even dare to reach into her own room. And what concerned Wen Jinxin the most was the person behind Cai Zhu.
Wen Jinxin explained the twists and turns of the matter to Lan Hui, who widened her eyes and lowered her voice in surprise.
“Was it really Madam’s intention? But why keep an eye on you, Miss?”
This was something Wen Jinxin hadn’t figured out either—not just in this lifetime but in her previous one as well. Why did Li Shi guard against her so vigilantly?
Before Wen Jinxin could say more, Cai Zhu’s voice sounded from outside again.
“Miss, someone from the Old Madam’s side is here, saying she invites you to join her for the Evening Meal.”
Wen Jinxin nodded, and Lan Hui called out clearly toward the door, “Understood. Miss will change her clothes and be right over.”
Cai Zhu waited anxiously outside. After a while, Wen Jinxin finally changed her clothes and emerged.
A white upper jacket paired with a gradient light green skirt, topped with a pale blue short vest—it looked both playful and lively, naturally catching the eye.
“Miss looks truly lovely in this outfit. The Old Madam is sure to be pleased.”
Wen Jinxin ignored her the entire time, letting Lan Hui support her as she headed straight for the main hall.
She lived in the backyard of the Old Madam’s Fuxi Hall. Passing through two courtyard gates would bring her to the old lady’s quarters. Living nearby was precisely for the convenience of her visits.
Even before entering the room, Wen Jinxin could hear Laotaifei’s laughter. There were already guests inside. Cai Zhu was about to eagerly share the news she had gathered, as if presenting a treasure.
But the maid by the door lifted the curtain as soon as she saw her and bowed in greeting, “Greetings, Cousin Miss.”
Wen Jinxin nodded without acknowledging Cai Zhu, stepping directly inside. Only when she entered and saw the people inside clearly did she pause slightly in surprise.
A young man dressed in fiery red was raising a cup to drink tea. Hearing the commotion, he lazily lifted his phoenix eyes and glanced outward, their gazes meeting.
One was deep and probing, the other startled and bewildered.
For a moment, Wen Jinxin forgot to react, standing frozen in place until Laotaifei called out to her from above. Only then did she lower her head and approach with small steps to pay her respects.
Kneeling properly before the hall, she kowtowed and called out sincerely, “Ancestress.”
Though Laotaifei was old, her eyes were sharp. She had noticed Wen Jinxin’s slight reaction earlier, and in that very moment, an idea struck her about something that had long troubled her.
The more she thought about it, the happier she felt. She quickly ordered someone to help Wen Jinxin up. “Rise, rise quickly! There’s no need for such formality between us, grandmother and granddaughter. Come quickly to my side and let me have a look.”
As Wen Jinxin approached, Laotaifei grasped her hands, looking her over from side to side while sighing with emotion, “My darling, why have you grown thinner again? You must have suffered so much these past days.”
Laotaifei couldn’t get enough of looking at her. Previously, when Wen Jinxin was confined to bed, she hadn’t had the chance to see her properly. Thinking carefully, this was the first formal meeting between grandmother and granddaughter since Wen Jinxin entered the mansion.
Naturally, they had to indulge in some affectionate bonding—one calling the other “my precious darling,” the other addressing her as “dear grandmother.” In no time, both were teary-eyed.
From the moment Wen Jinxin entered, Shen Jue’s gaze had been subtly lingering on her.
Shen Jue had been waiting for Wen Jinxin to mention him. After all, he had just scared her half to death with the dog, and he thought she would at least pout or complain about it.
Unexpectedly, Wen Jinxin never brought him up throughout the entire conversation. Apart from that brief glance when she first entered, she didn’t even look at him again afterward.
What was going on?
Shen Jue suddenly felt a pang of displeasure at being ignored. Hadn’t she risked her life to shield him from the whip before? Was this some kind of ploy to play hard to get?
The more he cared, the more he stared at her. And the more he looked, the more he noticed how his cousin’s skin was as fair as snow, her lips as red as cherries, her waist as slender as a willow…
Damn! She was really, really beautiful!