Chapter 16: Cool Night on the Sky Steps
Feng Yanyuan was carried back to the courtyard by the Yuanfeng guards. The four guards' clothes and armor were stained with blood, as if they had just experienced a life-and-death battle.
Young Master Yuan lay prone on the brocade couch, his white undershirt soaked in blood, clinging to his mangled back. Trembling, Ruyue lifted the fabric, revealing a crisscross of whip marks so deep they stretched to the bone. Some wounds had even ripped the skin apart, more hideous than those caused by swords or knives. She burst into tears, "Why has Young Master been subjected to such a punishment? He hasn't faced such a punishment in years. What's the reason?"
After the doctor finished the examination and wrote out the prescription, Ruyue entrusted the responsibility of taking care of the baby to Yunyuan and hurried to boil the medicine.
Feng Yanyuan closed his eyes tightly, trying to catch his breath, when he felt a cool, soft handkerchief brush against his back. He opened his eyes slightly, and in the dim candlelight, he saw Yun Yuan, her expression calm, expertly cleaning his wound. Unlike Ruyue, she looked completely panicked. Only beneath her drooping eyelashes did a faint, elusive glint of sadness flicker.
"Master, are you awake? But did I hurt your wound?" Yun Yuan suddenly caught a glimpse of Feng Yanyuan's gaze and asked carefully.
Her concern and sadness were more obvious now than before, but he felt it was much more fake. He didn't want to look at it any longer, so he closed his eyes again and fell into a deep sleep. He woke up in the early morning, frowned and reluctantly sat up. He carefully saw that the person lying on the table in the distance was Ruyue.
"Master, are you awake?" Ruyue asked dazedly, trying to open her red and swollen eyes.
"Where is Yun Yuan?" Feng Yanyuan asked.
Ruyue said, "Yuan'er has been guarding for a while. This time it's my turn. She will go back to the room to rest for a while. Does the young master want her to accompany him?"
"No need." Feng Yanyuan frowned and was about to lie down again, but as soon as his back touched the bed, his face suddenly froze, and he turned over immediately with a tense face.
Ruyue felt pain just looking at it.
The next morning, when Yun Yuan was about to serve Master Yuan, she was stopped by the guards. They said that the master's injury was poisoned and became more serious. No one except Ruyue and Feng Jiu could enter his bedroom.
She didn't see Mr. Yuan for many days after that.
Ruyue gave Yunyuan a pass, explaining that the young master was unwell and that she had to accompany him at all times. She told her to do as she pleased and left her alone. The maids gathered in groups, speculating on the young master's illness and its severity. Some speculated that he was crippled, given the amount of blood that day. Others worried he had been poisoned. After all, it was Young Master Hao who enforced the family rules, and everyone knew he looked down on the arrogant and illegitimate Third Young Master. Rumors suggested that there were already servants of Young Master Hao within Yuanfeng Courtyard, and they feared a servant was secretly aiding his master, rendering him bedridden. Furthermore, everyone noticed Ruyue's preoccupation. Except when she was there to serve the young master, she retreated to her room, refusing to see or speak to anyone. Some, impatient, blocked Ruyue's path to question her, but the usually cheerful and forthright Ruyue evaded glances and evaded the question.
Ruyue didn't spend much time looking after the young master; it was Fengjiu who came in and out the most. Whenever Fengjiu went to see the young master, there were always people hiding nearby, watching, hoping to spot some clues, but Fengjiu was always very cautious. For example, today, before they could even get close, Fengjiu spotted them. With a shrug of his donkey face, they were so frightened they just ran away.
Feng Jiu scared away these nosy people, then entered the house and closed the door. He saw Master Yuan reading a letter at the table.
"What is she doing now?" Master Yuan put down the bamboo slips.
"Yun Yuan is still flying the kite." Feng Jiu responded.
When the young master first tried to test Yun Yuan, he was extremely cautious. That day, when Yun Yuan was left alone with the young master, he waited in secret without even blinking an eye. But Yun Yuan was just doing what a servant would do, and had no intention of murdering the young master.
Afterwards, Master Yuan asked him to relax the sentries at various posts in the courtyard. She had Ruyue's pass token, and Master Yuan was seriously ill, which was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any spy.
Yun Yuan wandered around aimlessly at first, but Feng Jiu felt a trick was going on wherever she went. Later, he realized it was all his fault. He grew increasingly frustrated, until she went to the crossbow workshop, where he became excited again. He thought she might be applying something to the weapons, but she actually took the young master's half-finished wooden frame and continued working on it. Puzzled, he could only watch, becoming mesmerized. He felt that this little maid was much more clever than the young master. Within half an hour, this seemingly unrecognizable wooden frame had a nose, eyes, colors, and a long string. It turned out that the toy the young master had intended to make was actually a kite!
After finishing the kite, Yun Yuan flew it again. Initially, many maids followed her, but Yun Yuan only flew it at noon. In the scorching sun, they only followed her once or twice before returning to speculate on what had become of the young master. Yun Yuan flew the kite in many places, and the string grew longer and longer, slowly soaring beyond Yuanfeng Courtyard. Even in Xuanfeng Courtyard, Haofeng Courtyard, and even further afield, the kite could probably be seen.
Finally, on this day, Yun Yuan cut the rope.
By then, the kite had already melted into the sunlight, and Qiutang, who was following beside her, could no longer see it. Only the taut string was still pulling upward, as if a hand in the sky was resisting the kite. Once the string snapped, the kite flew away.
"How can it fly so high? Where does such a strong wind come from?" Qiutang looked at the rope that Yun Yuan had cut hanging limply in surprise. There was no strong wind around them.
"It's the valley wind." Yun Yuan looked at a distant mountain. "The valley wind is so strong that it flew so far."
The kite was blown farther and farther by the wind in the valley, leaving the Feng family's mansion of hundreds of acres, until it reached the deep forest in the distance, and finally swayed and landed on the treetops.
A galloping horse came through the forest, trampling fallen leaves and branches. Like a sword, the rider plunged into the treetops, sending leaves flying. The kite followed the figure and landed on the horse. Then, with a tug on the reins, the horse turned and disappeared into the depths of the jungle, leaving behind a cloud of dust.
It was a moonless night, a sky filled with stars. The white expanse of the Milky Way flowed into the shadows of distant mountains. A stillness reigned in Yuanfeng Courtyard. A shadow, like a ghost, flitted through the unguarded corner, like a bird drifting through the darkness, reaching the heights of the distant mountains.
Yun Yuan landed on a high ground behind the Feng family's mountain. It was pitch black all around, and she frowned tightly. This was the place where the kite was blown away by the valley wind at noon. She stretched out her hand to feel the wind direction. The Wind Valley is affected by the terrain. The valley wind blows upward during the day, and the mountain wind blows downward at night. At this moment, it is undoubtedly a downward mountain wind, but there is no valley here. She took a handkerchief from her body, waved it into the distance along the wind, and the cloth was carried down by the wind. She stared closely, and finally the handkerchief actually passed through the ground and disappeared. She looked at the place in a daze, but suddenly heard several people behind her floating to the ground. She stood up from the grass, turned around, and saw only a few dark figures standing there in the night.
"What are you doing here late at night?"
Although I couldn't see the person clearly, the voice was undoubtedly Feng Jiu.
Yun Yuan murmured, "Is this a forbidden area?"
"Why, do you want to break into the forbidden area again?" Feng Jiu glanced around, and several guards immediately stepped forward to capture her. "You'd better go back first and explain to the young master."
"Is your injury healed?" Yun Yuan asked.
"Do you want the young master's injury to heal, or not?" Feng Jiu snorted coldly, and then said: "Take her back."
Yun Yuan was carried back to Yuanfeng Courtyard by several people. As soon as she arrived at Master Yuan's house, she saw Ruyue waiting there. Ruyue frowned and glanced at the captured Yun Yuan, then sighed softly and said, "The Master is in Yuan'er's house and wants you to take her there."
Feng Yanyuan, holding Yun Yuan's jewelry box, sat at the table, examining it. Seeing Feng Jiu bring Yun Yuan in, he said nothing, simply removing all the jewelry from the box. He tapped it again, examining it over and over again. Then, with a firm push from the side, he pushed open a hidden box. A closer look revealed scattered fragments of jade beads, hairpin parts, and a few hair-thin silver needles.
"These are some small pieces of jewelry. I didn't string them together for fear of losing them, so I put them in the secret box. The guards checked them when I left the brothel." Yun Yuan said.
Feng Yanyuan put down the box and asked her, "What are you doing on the mountain so late at night?" "I'm looking for this." Yun Yuan took out a strange herb with red stems and sunflower leaves from her sleeve and presented it with both hands.
Feng Yanyuan took the grass and was slightly stunned.
Yun Yuan looked at the grass and asked, "Is this the ghost grass mentioned in the young master's book? I've seen it in the 'Mysterious Mirror of Herbs' in the young master's study. Most of the herbs mentioned in it can be found in the mountains, but this one I've never seen before. Late tonight, I couldn't sleep, and it suddenly occurred to me that this name, ghost grass, might be derived from the meaning of night-born, so I went looking for it at midnight... But I actually found one, and in my excitement, I forgot the boundaries and accidentally strayed into the forbidden area."
"Why...are you looking for this?" Feng Jiu asked in confusion.
"The book says this herb can calm the mind and relieve worries. I know a little about medicine, and I can see that although the young master's injuries are serious, his meridians have not been damaged. Why has he been bedridden for so many days? I also think that the young master is under family discipline, so he must have something unspeakable on his mind, so I guess it's a heart disease."
Feng Yanyuan studied the grass for a long moment. "Bai Cao Xuan Jian" was a pharmacopoeia. Many of the herbs listed there were later planted on the mountain. He himself had never seen this ghost grass before.
There was no flaw. Feng Yanyuan looked at the calm and composed Yun Yuan, wondering if this was a prepared excuse or if he had truly wronged her.
Feng Yanyuan placed the ghost grass on the wooden box. "What a pity," he said, but there was no regret in his tone. "Last time I broke into the forbidden area, I could blame the Second Young Master, but this time, I have no one to blame. I can only leave it to the Young Master to deal with. I can't protect you either."
"Young Master..." Feng Jiu frowned. How could he not protect her? This girl hadn't really entered the restricted area this time. Besides, Hao Fengwei didn't know anything about it. Wouldn't it be over if he didn't say anything? But when he saw the young master's indifferent expression, he suppressed his words in his heart.
Yun Yuan didn't know why he was like this, and was just stunned and at a loss.
Feng Yanyuan didn't say another word, nor did he look at her. He just stood up and walked out the door. The guards looked at each other, then after seeing Feng Jiu's expression, they all followed him out.
Yun Yuan hurriedly stood up and followed him to the door. Her outstretched hand hung in the air. In the end, she failed to grab Feng Yanyuan who was walking away quickly. She could only watch his figure slowly go away and gradually blend into the darkness until she could no longer see him. Her heart sank to the bottom of the valley.
He paused, out of her sight, and glanced back at the dimly lit, flickering room. Her slender figure still stood quietly in front of the open door. But he couldn't see her face, nor did he know what she was thinking.
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