"His marriage is about to be arranged, and the eldest lady wants to arrange a concubine for him. I happen to be ill at the moment and cannot serve him, so he naturally doesn't bother to take care of me."

Su Yue wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and had to hold them back and stand by.

After soaking for a long time, Wanruo finally got out of the cold water. When she came out, her face was already red and she felt dizzy.

Su Yue helped her lie down on the bed, reached out and touched her forehead, which was already burning hot.

-

Songhe Garden.

"Sir, my cousin said she is sick. She suddenly caught a cold and is unable to get out of bed. She cannot come today." Qing'an reported the truth as soon as he arrived.

Xie Xianyu sat in front of the chessboard, arranging the pieces. Upon hearing this, he looked up and asked, "Are you sick?"

"Yes, it's early spring now, and it's sometimes cold and sometimes hot, so it's easy to catch a cold."

"Have you called a doctor?"

Qing'an was stunned for a moment before he remembered that he had forgotten to ask, and immediately made up for it, "My cousin knows pharmacology, it's just a cold, I think you can just take the medicine yourself."

Xie Xianyu's eyes were cold: "If she had recovered, would she still be so sick that she couldn't get out of bed?"

"I..." Qing'an choked and was suddenly speechless.

"Go find a doctor."

"Yes." Qing'an immediately agreed and ran away quickly.

Xie Xianyu looked at the unsolved endgame in front of him, feeling impatient. He threw away the white jade chess piece in his hand and immediately lost interest in continuing.

As soon as Qing'an left, a maid came in with tea.

"Sir, please have some tea."

Xie Xianyu took it casually and brought it to his mouth, frowning as it felt a little hot.

The servants around him never made such a low-level mistake. He looked up and saw an unfamiliar little maid standing in front of him with her back bent, secretly looking at him.

"Where are you from?" His voice became colder.

The little maidservant didn't notice and said shyly, "The eldest lady said that there are not enough servants in the young master's garden, so she asked me to serve you."

It was rare for the little maid to speak so closely to the eldest master, and her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

She took a quick look at his stunningly handsome face and took two bold steps forward: "If you are tired, I will help you bathe."

She was dressed particularly eye-catching today, because the eldest lady had allowed her to dress more beautifully. She wore the latest hairpin with flowers, a lily bun, and a purple gauze and emerald-patterned skirt. She was already very outstanding, and this outfit made her even more charming.

She reached out to support him, but he removed his hand from the arm of the chair and placed the teacup lightly on the table beside him. His voice was cold: "Cuizhu."

A big maid hurried in and said respectfully, "Sir."

"Did I ever tell you that no one is allowed to enter or leave my room at will? Is this the garden you are in charge of?" Xie Xianyu's voice was not loud, but the invisible oppressive aura made the atmosphere in the room suddenly drop.

Cuizhu hurriedly said, "This servant will remember the young master's order, but Miss Shaoyao was sent by the eldest lady, and she specifically asked her to serve the young master closely."

Xie Xianyu glared at her and asked, "Has Songhe Garden changed its name?"

Cuizhu was so frightened that she fell to her knees with a thud: "Please forgive me, sir. It is my fault for failing in my duty."

"Next time, you don't have to stay."

Xie Xianyu's voice was calm, but it frightened Cuizhu so much that she broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly apologized, "Thank you, sir!"

Shaoyao was terrified. She knelt on the ground timidly, reaching out to tug at his clothes, crying bitterly: "Did I do something wrong? Master, tell me, I will never do it again next time."

Xie Xianyu looked at her coldly: "Get out."

Shaoyao's face froze, her face still covered with tears. Seeing his cold and piercing eyes, she was so scared that she didn't even dare to cry.

She had always heard that the eldest son was kind and good-tempered, a gentleman of elegant appearance and modest character. She thought that if she begged him, he would relent, but she never expected...

Cuizhu didn't dare let her do anything wrong again, so she quickly called two maids to cover her mouth and drag her out.

Those who had served the eldest master for many years knew best that the young master hated women who were pretentious and crying. The maids in Songhe Garden were more capable than men, and the servants were more demanding than mules.

The room finally became quiet after the people were dragged out. Xie Xianyu took a look at his wrinkled clothes, frowned in annoyance, took off his outer robe and changed into another one.

-

Qiu Shui Courtyard.

Su Yue sent the doctor away and then brought a bowl of hot medicine.

"The eldest master really cares about Miss, and he even asked Qing'an to invite a doctor. Miss, please take the medicine quickly."

Wanruo took the medicine bowl, stared at it for a while, pursed her lips, and poured it into the flowerpot on the windowsill.

Su Yue was surprised and asked, "Why did the girl fall down?"

Wanruo said in a faint voice: "This illness will last a little longer."