Chapter 4 Visit
Having served the Fourth Miss for a long time, Mu Jin considered herself to have some skill in reading people's expressions. Ever since this biological daughter returned, the Fourth Miss had been sullen for many days, and as a result, all of them, the servants, became more and more cautious, not daring to offend their mistress.
Moreover, in the past month, the Fifth Miss and the Fourth Miss have had quite a few subtle exchanges. Although the Master, Madam, and the young masters still side with the Fourth Miss, thinking that the Fifth Miss is being immature, their blood ties are undeniable. When the whole family eats together, the five of them look alike, clearly a family. What is the Fourth Miss? Even if she tries to squeeze in, she'll still be an outsider.
Mu Jin was clear-headed and not very willing to get involved in the conflict between the two young ladies.
As Xiao Yuxuan walked into the courtyard, she saw the little girl kneeling under the eaves, already swaying precariously.
The little girl looked to be under ten years old. She held a large bowl of water aloft, her two thin, bony arms swaying like a sieve, not daring to spill a single drop of water. Her head, styled in two buns, was buried deep in her chest. Looking down, her knees were stained red, and beneath them knelt a pile of shattered porcelain shards. The shards were sharp, embedded in her flesh and bone marrow—the mere thought of it was terrifying.
She couldn't resist squeezing Bihui's hand.
Bihui had already seen the kneeling child. As a fellow maid, she felt sorry for him and waited for her mistress's permission to speak.
"Sister Mulan, what terrible thing has this girl done to be kneeling here so early in the morning? Doesn't Fourth Miss find it unlucky?"
Mu Jin realized something was wrong; she had been so focused on bringing the Fifth Sister in that she had forgotten about this.
"What could have happened? She broke the glass lamp that the Imperial Concubine had bestowed upon her, and the Fourth Miss, being kind, didn't hold it against her. But this morning, her roommate discovered that she was dishonest and had stolen the Fourth Miss's jade pendant, which is why..."
As she spoke, she suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and slapped her mouth, then turned to Xiao Yuxuan and said:
"This servant has lost her mind, and she has even mentioned these troubling matters to Fifth Miss. I hope Fifth Miss will forgive this servant for speaking so bluntly. This servant will send the person away now so as not to offend your eyes."
She winked at the two maids guarding the entrance to the corridor, and immediately someone went to pull the kneeling maid out.
Xiao Yuxuan pressed her hand down and asked:
"Since this maid has repeatedly refused to change her ways, why not just tell Mother to sell her off and let her go? Why keep her in Baozhen Courtyard and constantly upset Fourth Sister? Besides, it's a small matter if she gets sick from kneeling, but if she becomes ill and can no longer serve her mistress, we'll have to find another old woman to serve her. Wouldn't that be a loss?"
Mu Jin froze. She had only intended to brush the matter off casually, thinking that Fifth Miss would be too lazy to listen to the affairs of a clumsy girl. She never expected that Fifth Miss would actually care.
"Fifth Miss is joking..."
Her expression was troubled, implying that this was not something a servant like her could decide, and that Baozhen Courtyard was not under her jurisdiction.
"It's still chilly outside, Fifth Miss, please come inside with me."
Xiao Yuxuan nodded readily, but inadvertently felt the gaze from the child kneeling under the corridor—resentment, hatred, and some other indescribable emotions, but not a trace of weakness, grievance, or sadness.
She's been a ruthless person since she was a child, Xiao Yuxuan thought to herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have almost killed Xiao Yuyao in her previous life, and almost become the first empress of Qi.
This child was one of the reasons she came here this morning; she wanted to rescue this little princess who had been separated from her family.
However, at this moment, she had something more important to do.
Baozhen Courtyard is exquisitely and magnificently laid out, with rare and beautiful flowers and plants. It is the result of fourteen years of careful collection and pampering.
Mu Jin led her through the covered walkway, past the artificial hill and small lake, until they reached the bedroom door. She lifted the heavy fur curtain, and a sweet fragrance mixed with warmth wafted out, dispelling some of the chill from Xiao Yuxuan's body.
Behind the beaded curtain, Xiao Yuyao, pale and frail, sat on the bed drinking medicine. Her eyebrows were delicate and her lips were light red. One maid supported her back, while another knelt on the ground, gently scooping the medicine with a small silver spoon and bringing it to her cherry-like lips, coaxing and urging her on.
"Good girl, how can you get better without taking medicine? The Third Young Master sent over some candied fruit yesterday. Try sucking on some in a bit, and I guarantee it won't be bitter at all."
Xiao Yuyao, however, had two bags of tears in her eyes as her gaze fell on the exquisite box of candied fruit held by the maid beside her:
"Was it bought from Baihuazhai? Did Third Brother also give some to Fifth Sister?"
"The Third Young Master dotes on the young lady the most, how could he not know that the young lady loves the pastries from Baihuazhai the most? This candied fruit is naturally a one-of-a-kind gift for the young lady, how could anyone else have such a blessing..."
The girl, who had been pampered and cherished on the bed, finally stopped crying and smiled, happily swallowing the medicine.
The mistress and servants were talking intimately, oblivious to everyone else. Behind the beaded curtain, Mu Jin, who was leading Xiao Yuxuan, was in agony, her heart pounding. If these words were just spoken in private, it wouldn't be so bad, but just now the young lady had asked her to go outside and fetch the fifth young lady, and now she was saying these things. It was hard not to make people think...
Mu Jin cleared her throat and said softly, "Miss, Fifth Miss has come to see you."
There was a rustling sound from the other side of the beaded curtain before Xiao Yuyao's delighted voice finally came out.
"Really? I must be dreaming. When you came to report this, I thought I was dreaming. It turns out that Fifth Sister really came?"
The crystal beaded curtain was gently lifted by a maid. Xiao Yuyao was about to get out of bed when she spoke, but before her small feet could touch the ground, she was stopped by several maids who told her to take care of herself and lie down quickly.
Bi Sui heard and saw it all, but her mind wandered elsewhere. She thought to herself, "This pampering and coddling should have belonged to the Fifth Miss. Now, it's been taken by some girl from who-knows-where for fourteen years. If I were the Fifth Miss, I'd be furious by now."
But when she glanced at the girl's profile, she saw that the Fifth Sister was calmly observing with a hint of curiosity, as if the person inside was not the one who had usurped the place for fourteen years, but a mere entertainer. Startled by her own thought, Bi Sui quickly lowered her head, almost bursting into laughter.
"No wonder, I thought I was the only one who was afraid of bitter medicine and didn't like to drink it. It turns out that Fourth Sister is the same."
Looking at Xiao Yuyao, who was weak and unable to take care of herself on the bed, Xiao Yuxuan softly uttered these words.
"You may all leave now. I will personally serve Fourth Sister her medicine."
Xiao Yuyao pursed her lips, her previous weakness suddenly dissipating by a third. She dismissed the maids serving in the room, and only after they had all gone some distance did she fix her gaze on Xiao Yuxuan:
"Fifth sister, what do you mean by that? I don't understand."
Xiao Yuxuan took the initiative, picking up the bowl of medicine that she hadn't finished drinking, and holding a small spoon in her hand:
"Fourth Sister is so clever, how could she not understand? It's just that I didn't want to fall into the water, get sick, and take medicine, but Fourth Sister was willing. I thought it was because Fourth Sister liked bitter medicine, so she took the opportunity to drink more doses."
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