"Yes." Xu Yu bowed and stepped out of the room, gently touching the two jars of chilblain ointment hidden in her sleeve as she walked slowly back toward the servants' quarters.
So, Lord Nie had been treating her so well all along because of some ulterior motive? No… she couldn't think that way. Whatever Lord Nie's intentions, he had genuinely helped her. If not for his assistance, she might have lost her life the very night of her high fever.
"What are you thinking about?" Xiang Yuxue suddenly appeared.
Xu Yu jumped in fright and stammered out an explanation: "N-nothing, really. Lord Nie had me organize the documents today, and I was just going over them in my head, afraid I'd made mistakes."
Xiang Yuxue pulled her into the room, slamming the door shut with a bang, and questioned her in a low, stern voice: "What did Lord Nie have you do in the study today?"
"Organize documents. I already told you."
"What documents?"
"I can barely read. I don't know what kind of documents they were."
Xiang Yuxue studied her for a moment. Seeing her calm demeanor, she asked again: "Why does Lord Ni keep treating you so generously, time after time? What have you done?"
She thought of her conversation with Nie Huiming that day and said quietly: "Lord Nie is kind-hearted. When he heard I'd been severely punished, he took pity on me. That's why he's been so lenient with me."
"Is that all? What else did you two do today?"
"I…" She hesitated, but ultimately decided to relay Nie Huiming's final instruction. If she didn't say it today, others would find out eventually—and that would only make them target her more. She said, "Lord Nie took pity on my terrible chilblains and told me I no longer need to clean the main hall—at least until they've healed."
"You!" Xiang Yuxue's eyes widened in shock.
Xu Yu nervously swallowed, terrified she might strike her again, ready to turn and run at any moment.
But Xiang Yuxue didn't lay a hand on her. Instead, she strode out the door.
Xu Yu was still puzzling over this when she saw her return with Liu Shanyue and Qin Rusu in tow, then slam the door shut with another bang.
"What is this? Dragging me around like that—you've ruined my clothes. Are you going to pay for them?" Liu Shanyue straightened her clothing with an irritated scowl.
Xiang Yuxue snapped: "No matter how nice those clothes are, they're useless if Lord Nie doesn't even look at you."
Liu Shanyue's face twisted with rage as she pointed at her: "You—!"
Xiang Yuxue turned to Xu Yu and said: "There's no point being angry at me. Go on, ask her what Lord Nie said to her."
Liu Shanyue frowned, a sudden sense of unease rising in her chest: "Tell me—what did Lord Nie say to you today? You went into the study and never came out again."
Xu Yu pressed her lips together and said quietly: "Lord Nie took pity on my chilblains and told me I don't have to clean the main hall anymore."
Liu Shanyue pressed further: "Then what does he want you to do?"
Xiang Yuxue gave a cold sneer: "Does that really need to be spelled out? She's already been to the study twice. It's obvious Lord Nie intends for her to serve in the study from now on."
"You! You little vixen! What kind of spell have you cast on Lord Nie?" Liu Shanyue closed in on her, pointing and cursing.
Xu Yu backed away in small steps: "I haven't. It's not what you think. Lord Nie simply felt sorry for me. What kind of person is Lord Nie? He came from the capital—he's seen every kind of woman there is. How could it possibly be what you're imagining?"
Liu Shanyue calmed down somewhat and snorted in disdain: "I suppose that's true."
"Even so, you've still managed to win the Lord's favor. What are the rest of us supposed to do?" Qin Rusu spoke up. Her voice was always soft and gentle, completely unlike those other two.
Xu Yu glanced at her and said quietly, "I don't understand what you mean."
"You don't understand?" Xiang Yuxue demanded coldly. "Don't think I don't know. I didn't know you before, but I've spent the past few days making inquiries. You've been here for over half a year, haven't you? The kitchen steward always sends you to deliver food to the front. Don't tell me you don't know what the three of us were brought here to do."
"I…" Xu Yu lowered her eyes.
Xiang Yuxue pinched her chin again and warned in a low voice, "Let me tell you—orders have come from above. We're to find a way to get close to Lord Nie. If anything goes wrong, our lives will end right here. If I'm going to die, I certainly won't let you live comfortably. Don't delude yourself into thinking you'll walk out of this place alive!"
Xu Yu was terrified, her heart pounding wildly, a layer of cold sweat breaking out across her back. Nie Huiming's words, combined with Xiang Yuxue's reaction—everything told her that the situation was far from the calm waters she had imagined.
She swallowed and ventured carefully, "It's true I've been here over half a year, but I'm just a lowly servant in the back kitchen. There's much I still don't understand. If you want something from me, please just say it plainly."
"Good. At least you're straightforward." Xiang Yuxue released her and said, "We came here to win Lord Nie's favor and serve at his side. But now Lord Nie is cold toward all three of us, while he treats you with particular care. I want you to find a way to turn his attention toward us."
"You overestimate me. I'm just a servant girl—how could I possibly influence the Lord's thoughts? Or perhaps you could tell me directly—what exactly should I do?"
"Of course you can't directly make Lord Nie turn his attention to us, but you can do it indirectly. All you have to do is act a little foolish, a little clumsy, and annoy him. For instance, drop an inkstone, or break a porcelain bowl—little things like that. Given Lord Nie's temperament, he won't punish you severely, and you'll come out unscathed. What do you say?"
Xu Yu's mind was in disarray. "I…"
Xiang Yuxue gave her no time to think, pressing her: "What? Don't tell me you're hoping to climb into Lord Nie's bed?"
Her mind raced, and she immediately countered, "I don't know what you mean by climbing into Lord Nie's bed, but the fact is Lord Nie has been protecting me. If I anger him and he sends me back, I'll have to return to the filthy back kitchen. Not only that—I've already offended Lady Song. If she learns Lord Nie no longer protects me, she'll surely come after me. What am I supposed to do then?"
"So you do know you took Lady Song's place. But since I'm the one asking this of you, naturally I won't let you suffer for it. I know you came here to earn money. Rest assured—as soon as Lord Nie loses interest in you, I'll give you a sum of money immediately. Once you have it, you can leave at once, and you won't need to work as a hired hand again for at least two years."
Xu Yu froze and looked up, her eyes full of disbelief. She had never expected Xiang Yuxue to offer such terms.
What she lacked most right now was money. If she could obtain the sum Xiang Yuxue had mentioned, then in two years, once the mourning period was over and her elder brother secured an official post, everything would change completely.
Xiang Yuxue saw the temptation in her eyes. She removed a small hairpin from her temple and pressed it into her hand. "Once it's done, you'll be paid in full."
She lowered her head, staring at the silver hairpin in her palm, and couldn't help swallowing.
Whether she wanted to accept this deal or not, she had to accept it today, and she had to take the silver hairpin—otherwise Xiang Yuxue would not let her off.
She gripped the hairpin and forced a fawning expression. "Thank you, milady."
Seeing the nervousness in her eyes, Xiang Yuxue assumed it was only natural for someone doing this sort of thing for the first time. She thought nothing more of it, patted her shoulder lightly, and turned back toward her own bed. "I'll be waiting for good news."
Qin Rusu followed her over. "Sister, you're so amazing—you resolved such a huge problem so effortlessly."
Xiang Yuxue removed the ornaments from her hair and said flatly, "That's because I genuinely want to complete the mission, unlike certain people who have ulterior motives."
"Who are you talking about?" Liu Shanyue's brows knitted.
"Whoever gets angry is who I'm talking about." Xiang Yuxue didn't even turn her head.
Liu Shanyue rushed forward to fight her. "You—!"
Qin Rusu stepped between them. "Enough, enough. We've worked together for so long—why quarrel like this? Since Xu Yu has agreed to this matter, what happens next depends on each of our own abilities. As for our motives, we all end up at the same place anyway—we're all just striving for a good future."
The three exchanged barbed words. Though no blows were struck, it was a battle of tongues where no one yielded an inch.
Xu Yu had no mind to listen. She was terribly flustered, barely ate a few bites of dinner, and lay down on her bed early—yet it took her half the night to fall asleep, and her dreams were filled with bizarre, kaleidoscopic images. Even during the day she was absent-minded.
What exactly should she choose? Things here were surely far more complicated and more dangerous than she had imagined. Now that a chance to extricate herself had appeared, shouldn't she leave while she could?
But…
She looked at the man seated across from her.
Lord Nie had helped her more than once or twice. Even if she was going to leave, she ought to at least warn him—even if Lord Nie probably didn't need her warning.
But how should she bring it up? Just days ago, Lord Nie had told her he hoped she would not become someone else's person.
She pondered this, twisting the ink stick in her hand.
Suddenly her wrist slipped. With a crash, the inkstone slid off and smashed to the ground, splitting in two, splashing blooms of ink everywhere.
"My lord!" Qizhang rushed through the door.
Nie Huiming waved a hand and said calmly, "It's nothing—just a broken inkstone. You may go."
Qizhang looked over, saw the ink stains on Xu Yu, frowned, and, not daring to comment, quietly withdrew from the study.
"You've been absent-minded for days now. What's on your mind?" Nie Huiming drew a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her. "Your face is splattered with ink. Wipe it off."
She stepped back several paces and knelt in a deep bow. "This servant has broken Your Lordship's inkstone. I beg Your Lordship to punish me."
Nie Huiming did not withdraw his outstretched hand. "It's only an inkstone—there's no need for all this. Take it."
Xu Yu hesitated a moment, then took the plain handkerchief with both hands and gently pressed the ink from her face. A faint fragrance, as mild and warm as Nie Huiming himself, drifted into her nose, soothing her panicked heartbeat.
Nie Huiming watched her. "Tell me—what has happened?"
His tone was gentle, his expression gentle as well, yet inexplicably, Xu Yu didn't dare to lie.