Chapter 184 Zhu Luo
At 3:45 AM, the morning mist began to dissipate.
The bronze bells under the carved porch were quietly swayed by the wind, and a wisp of sandalwood incense rose from the gilded Boshan incense burner, blurring the figure sitting on the rosewood Luohan bed with dragon patterns at the head of the table.
Lin Hui held a celadon cup and calmly took a sip of tea.
Two rosy-cheeked girls, about sixteen or seventeen years old, knelt quietly below. One was dressed in a lotus-colored brocade with floral patterns, and the other in a light green plain brocade. Both of them looked fearful and nervous, with their eyes lowered and not daring to look directly at each other.
Standing beside Lin Hui, Li's mother noticed the look in her eyes, took a half step forward, and cleared her throat.
“Raise your head.”
The two girls looked up in response, revealing two delicate and beautiful faces. The silver hairpin tassels made a soft clinking sound. Lin Hui's gaze swept over their faces in a light but not heavy manner.
“Zhu Luo, Nian Dong, now that you’ve had your faces opened, go to the eldest young master’s courtyard to serve him today… In three days, you will accompany the eldest young master to his post. It’s an important job with many trivial matters to attend to. With you by his side, the eldest young master can rest assured.”
"Yes—we will do our best to take care of the young master and will not dare to be negligent in the slightest."
The two girls were in the prime of their youth, and even though their voices were strained with anxiety, they were still as melodious and pleasant as pearls falling onto a plate.
Just then, the lid of the celadon cup in Lin Hui's hand scraped against the rim of the cup, making a sharp sound like tearing silk, before slowly being placed down beside her.
"Furthermore," Lin Hui said calmly, "the eldest young master is an official in the countryside, and he is bound to have worries. You two must be good at reading his expressions and comforting him. You must not upset him over trivial matters... If the eldest young master acts in an extreme or inappropriate way, you must dare to advise him and not just let him do as he pleases."
Both of them were servants born into the household, and they were of good looks and figure. They were also well-behaved and unafraid to cause trouble.
The reason she chose these two women for Xiao Jue was twofold: firstly, Xiao Jue was repeatedly demoted and his marriage was uncertain; secondly, it was because she, as his mother, had been too idealistic in thinking that her son should be as loyal as his father, and therefore had not proposed having a concubine early on.
There's no point in saying more now. Since Xiao Jue is going to Xiangyin to take up his post, we should select a concubine for him to avoid him causing any more trouble once he arrives.
"We have noted it down—"
When Xiao Jue returned home in the evening, he was furious to find two maids in his study, who were keeping him company. He kicked them out that very night.
Zhu Luo was easily embarrassed. After being scolded by Xiao Jue, she left Xiao Jue's courtyard and, instead of returning to her residence, went to a secluded spot by the lakeside rockery in the garden and began to cry.
Under the moonlit sky, a beautiful woman, her face streaked with tears, silently sheds her sorrow.
Xiao Su, who was already troubled, suddenly stopped in his tracks upon seeing this scene.
Once upon a time, Gu Linyan was just like this, full of grievances but unwilling to let him see them, and could only silently endure them alone... But things have changed, and people are constantly changing, and they can never go back to the way they were before.
"ah--"
Seemingly startled by the sudden appearance of the figure, Zhu Luo let out a soft gasp.
She was afraid of being discovered crying here. Being punished by the madam was a minor matter; what she feared was losing the position of concubine she had worked so hard for, and then she would have to go back to emptying chamber pots and washing clothes.
Forgetting all about sobbing, she quickly stepped back, but her foot slipped and she nearly fell into the lake.
"careful!"
Seeing that he had frightened the girl, Xiao Su panicked a little. He rushed forward and pulled the little girl who was about to fall into the lake.
Whether it was due to a lack of proper strength or someone's deliberate act, Zhu Luo was unexpectedly pulled into his arms.
A trembling, soft, and fragrant body crashed into his arms, and Xiao Su's arms stiffened.
"Bang--"
After Xiao Su stood where he had been, the lantern in Xiao's hand suddenly fell to the ground, the candle inside was knocked over, and the lantern quickly caught fire on the spot.
A sudden burst of light appeared at their feet.
Steward Xiao looked dazed, seemingly not understanding how he, who had been obediently following behind the master, suddenly saw the master rush to the rockery and hug a maid!
"Oh dear! Why is it so bright over there? Is there a fire?"
Several maids and servants rushed over from the garden.
Upon seeing this scene, they all gaped, wishing they could immediately cover their eyes and pretend they hadn't seen it or been there.
"Go away, get out of here! Don't look at what you shouldn't see, and pretend you don't know what you shouldn't know!"
Steward Xiao snapped out of his daze and quickly shooed away several servants who were heading towards the burning lantern. He then returned to Xiao Su's side, looking somewhat troubled.
"Sir...look at this..."
The maid who had just been held in Xiao Su's arms had long since broken free and knelt down with a thud, trembling like a leaf and covered in cold sweat.
Xiao Su still seemed to retain the scent of that young woman in his arms. He lowered his eyes and stared at the trembling maid on the ground, his voice neither warm nor cold:
"What's your name? Where do you work?"
Zhu Luo's voice was filled with undisguised panic; she was too flustered to utter a complete sentence, her voice trembling as she said:
"Replying to Master, my name is... Zhu Luo. Today I was assigned to the eldest young master's courtyard... to serve him."
Xiao Su suddenly smiled:
"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."
"Master, I have offended you. Please have mercy on me and don't sell me off. Please have mercy on me—"
Zhu Luo was so frightened that she kept kowtowing, and her fair forehead was instantly covered in dust and filth.
"It's alright. I was afraid you would fall into the water, so I pulled you out. I'm just glad you're okay."
Xiao Su dusted off his sleeves, said nothing more, turned around and strode away in the direction he wanted to go.
Butler Xiao immediately followed, but before leaving, he glared at Zhu Luo, who was still kneeling on the ground, with a rather unpleasant expression.
This maid must have deliberately seduced him! He must report to the madam as soon as possible and deal with this wicked maid!
Two days later.
Xiao Jue's departure date is tomorrow. All his belongings have been loaded onto the carriage, and he is ready to set off early tomorrow morning.
Lin Hui was looking at the account books of the various estates for the month, and Li Mama was advising her to rest when a little maid rushed in, shouting something like "Something bad has happened!"
"What are you doing, making such a racket? What kind of behavior is this?!"
Li's mother immediately scolded her.
The young maid looked unfamiliar, not someone who served in the main courtyard. She seemed to have forgotten the proper etiquette, and immediately knelt down, her head bowing deeply to the ground, without even having time to apologize.
"Madam, Miss Zhu Luo in the eldest son's room is threatening to hang herself. Although she has been rescued, she is barely breathing. I'm afraid, I'm afraid she's not doing well!"
"What did you say?!"
Lin Hui suddenly felt her vision go black, and she lost her grip on the vermilion pen, which fell heavily onto the ledger, leaving a thick, scarlet mark.
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