Chapter 3 Return a Favor
A huge fire started in the distance.
The blazing flames licked the sky and ignited the clouds. The red clouds in the sky were torn apart by the strong wind, as if the sky was burning and bursting with bloody wounds.
Yun Yuan suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath from the nightmare.
But the night was dark and there was no fire. Only the ink-like night was wrapped in the faint breathing, resonating with the drum-like heartbeat in the chest.
This was their first night in the Feng family.
Aunt Lu arranged a room in the outer courtyard for them.
"Let's rest on this couch for now. Tomorrow a maid from Master Yuan's courtyard will come to teach us the rules."
Yun Yuan looked around, but saw the quilt and pillow spread out on the Yuzhu couch, but no one was there. Just as she was beginning to feel suspicious, the courtyard door suddenly opened.
The Feng family guards filed in, their torches instantly illuminating the courtyard. Aunt Lu stumbled across the threshold, her voice trembling as she urged everyone to dress and line up. As the naive young women hurriedly threw on their clothes and stepped into the courtyard, they were all startled awake in an instant—the dark-clad guards lined up in the corridor, the cold light of their frosty halberds shattering the moonlight on the ground.
Yun Yuan saw clearly—this group of black-robed guards were the Haofeng Guards who had been selecting slaves at Baihua Tower. Their leader, a scar between his eyebrows, was the same cold-faced leader who had labeled her a slave that day. She still remembered Tao Yao tugging at her sleeve and whispering in her ear, "Did you see that living devil? Feng Wu, the leader of the Haofeng Guards, the Young Master's number one vicious dog."
"One person is missing." Feng Wu's cold, iron-like voice echoed through the courtyard. His eagle eyes swept across the cowering women, finally fixing on Aunt Lu: "Who is missing?"
Aunt Lu's legs trembled. Amid the crackling of the pine torches, her mouth, usually poisoned, opened and closed several times, but no word came out.
"Idiot!" Feng Wu waved his palm and knocked Aunt Lu to the ground, "Who knew?!" He glanced at the maids who were shaking violently, sneered mockingly, and his eagle eyes stayed on Yun Yuan. Although the girl lowered her eyebrows and looked timid, she was still more conspicuous compared to those girls who were shaking so much that they could hardly stand.
"You, know?" He grabbed Yun Yuan's chin and forced her to look up. The sword at his waist clanged with the movement.
At that moment, a night owl startled and took flight from the eaves, its broken feathers brushing against Yun Yuan's eyelashes. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the edge of a night-walker's robe, frozen like a stone sculpture in the shadow of a locust tree behind the guard. Only a pair of cold, star-like eyes pierced the night.
"It's Yuzhu." Yun Yuan's voice trembled.
Feng Wu looked at her and asked, "Is she also from the Jiaofangsi?"
"No, I... I just stayed with her at the inn for one day."
"When did she disappear? Where did she go?"
"I don't know..." Before she finished speaking, she heard the man say "Hmm?" viciously, and the fingers pinching her jaw suddenly tightened. The pain made her tears seep out of the corners of her eyes. "I... only know..." Her jaw was pinched so tightly that she was in great pain and she couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
"Tsk, those who come out of the music school are all spoiled!" Feng Wu loosened his fingertips, "What do you know? Tell me clearly."
Yun Yuan twisted her belt with her bare hands, "She often thought about the bad smell of being tired and exhausted, so she insisted on finding a place to cleanse herself." As the words fell, she caught a glimpse of the dark shadow deep in the locust tree shade that had melted into the night.
"This crappy place provides bathing baths?" Feng Wu frowned.
"Maybe..." Yun Yuan whispered, "Just use some cold water."
"Where did you get the cold water?" Feng Wu frowned, turned around and kicked Aunt Lu who was lying on the ground, "Stop pretending to be dead! Believe it or not, I'll make you speechless!"
Aunt Lu rolled and crawled to her knees, spitting blood and wailing, "Master Wu, please understand! This old servant really doesn't know! But that girl is smelly. This... there is a washing river around this yard. Maybe it's nearby?"
Feng Wu turned around and signaled, and three black shadows suddenly flew out of the yard.
Yun Yuan observed the courtyard during her visit. The laundry yard was adjacent to a stream, its banks lush with trees, and wild kudzu vines tangled like a green curtain. She figured Yuzhu must have seen it, too. At least she had given her a reason. As for how to explain it, it depended on her skill and luck.
Amidst the swaying shadows of the trees, guards were already carrying people back and forth. Yuzhu, wearing a soaked plain gauze midi, her slender figure was hazy in the night. She huddled up in a ball, her long black hair tangled around her shoulders, looking delicate and vulnerable.
Feng Wu glanced at Yuzhu, who was shivering like a quail on the ground, and sneered, "How eager is this lowly servant to climb high and mighty branches, that she even dares to wade into a cold pond."
"Slave...slave really can't stand the sweat..." Yuzhu cried.
Feng Wu's iron boots crushed the dead leaves on the bluestone road. "Go inform Yuanfeng Courtyard that these chicks have been inspected. Please ask the Yuanfeng Guards to clean up their own door."
Before he finished speaking, he had already disappeared into the night. Haofengwei followed Feng Wu and retreated like a black tide.
Aunt Lu gave Yuzhu a gloomy look, but didn't say anything else. She just urged the girls to go back to their rooms and be quiet.
Yun Yuan leaned against the embroidered pillow, watching Yuzhu slip into the quilt like a snake entering a cave. The quilt rose and fell slightly, then fell silent in an instant. She found sleep difficult that night, tossing and turning, only to hear the creaking of the copper clock in the corridor, shattering the long night until daylight pierced through the window screens.
The morning light was dark blue, and the girls got up and dressed up.
Yun Yuan stood up, and a pale face appeared in the diamond-shaped mirror. As her fingertips touched her eyebrows, another figure appeared in the mirror - Yuzhu was dressed neatly, her expression calm, and there was no trace of the embarrassment of last night's wet clothes.
A cold hand rested on Yun Yuan's shoulder: "I relied on my sister to save me last night."
"It's my sister who is so resourceful and turns danger into safety."
Yuzhu took the eyebrow pencil from Yunyuan's hand and suddenly raised her eyebrows sharply: "Sister, can you guess what happened last night?"
"Could it be..." Yun Yuan stared at the person in the mirror: "Someone in Yuanfeng Courtyard was poisoned by mistake?" The last half of the sentence was almost inaudible amid the bustling laughter of the girls.
The wolf-hair brush lingered between her eyebrows for a moment, and Yuzhu suddenly chuckled, "What a clever mind."
The dressing case caught the morning light, and Yun Yuan's fingertips caressed the box of powder, which had been smashed to pieces. Last night, the Xuanyi Guards had searched the dressing case and pouch, sniffing every bottle and jar, searching for anything else besides poison.
Yun Yuan stared at Yuzhu in the mirror, "Is it you?"
Yuzhu, however, only focused on raising her eyebrows.
The copper bells under the eaves suddenly rang out in the morning breeze. "Here they come! Here they come!" After a few whispers, the girls fell silent.
Yun Yuan looked towards the open courtyard gate and saw Aunt Lu leading a maid in a skirt into the courtyard.
The girls had already arranged their seats and stood quietly, their heads lowered and their faces submissive. Someone had already inquired yesterday. Yuanfeng Court's selection process was rigorous, and year after year, only two or three men could hold the broom. The Feng family's mistress couldn't stand it, so she sent new brides every month. This year, as the young master was coming of age, the mistress had added a new rule—he must choose a bed-warming maid. The girls were filled with anticipation—after all, the young master hadn't yet married, and this night attendant was considered half the master of Yuanfeng Court.
But when the maid in the skirt spoke, all the hopes in my heart turned into illusions.
"The young master has been poisoned, so he won't be able to choose a maid for the time being. Let's leave the maids to serve in the outer house for now. If you want to go to another courtyard, you can arrange for it."
Most of the servants in the outer house were menial servants, so this was undoubtedly a drop from heaven. However, they were not allowed to ask any more questions. The maid only said a few words to Madam Lu and turned to leave.
The girls were heartbroken, and they hesitated with all kinds of resentment.
"Sister Ruyue, please stay!" A sweet voice broke the silence in the room. "Young Master, I came to see what the Third Young Master needs from you when selecting a slave. I didn't expect to be late."
Looking up, he saw the woman approaching, wearing a gold and jade hairpin, a tight dress with wide sleeves, and a long skirt that trailed the ground. Although the maidservant called Ruyue was also dressed like a first-class servant, she was completely eclipsed by this woman.
"I've disturbed Sister Xiran again." Ruyue twisted the handkerchief in her hand and said with a wry smile, "Alas, sister, you didn't know that the young master was poisoned and refused to choose a slave."
Xi Ran took Ru Yue's hand, "How could I not know? But since Master Yuan has been poisoned, wouldn't you be too busy to handle it all by yourself? Otherwise, why not pick a few helpers first, and try out the new maids at the same time." She leaned close to her ear and whispered, "The Master and the Mistress scolded the Young Master, and the Young Master is in a difficult situation. Ru Yue, Master Yuan has been poisoned for no apparent reason, and he has insisted on seclusion, not allowing anyone to visit him. Do you want the Master to really investigate the poison..."
Ruyue's face turned pale and she lowered her head guiltily.
Xi Ran smiled: "How about this, I will pick two smart helpers to take back first. Once they enter Yuanfeng Courtyard, the master will have his own instructions. As for whether to use them or how to use them..." She tapped Ruyue's chest with her fingertips, "Isn't it my sister who has the final say?" Without waiting for Ruyue to respond, Xi Ran waved her hand and ordered someone to hand over the slave register: "Young Master Yuan likes quietness and hates stupidity. The girls from the music school are the most suitable." So, the names of Yun Yuan, Qiu Tang and the two girls from Zuixianlou were circled in red pen.
Yun Yuan and the others followed Ruyue into the carriage. Once they were seated, she gently lifted the curtain. The girls' longing eyes seemed to have been torn into scattered dead leaves by the draft. Only Yuzhu leaned against the mottled low wall, a slightly sarcastic smile on her face.
The carriage crawled along for about half an hour before finally coming to a stop. The mossy characters "Yuanfengyuan" lay faintly etched on the stone wall beside the gate. Four figures in rustling silk robes peeked out from behind the brocade curtains and gasped in unison.
Yuanfeng Courtyard was chilling to the bone, silencing to the marrow. Cold pavilions and hushed porches, cold stone and decaying wood, interspersed with stone-carved guards. So quiet was the silence that even the snapping of dead branches seemed to violate some taboo.
As soon as she stepped over the stone screen with its hideous patterns, Qiutang stumbled! Yun Yuan supported her, only to find her arm as cold as iron. Looking up, she saw her face pale as gold paper, her lips bluish purple: "Cold... so cold..." As she stumbled into the wing room, Qiutang curled up in the linen quilt like a shrimp, her teeth chattering: "Behind the stone screen... the green-faced, fang-toothed man... biting my ankle!"
Yun Yuan tucked the corner of the quilt tightly, and when her fingertips brushed over the pulse running on Qiutang's wrist, the north wind suddenly blew open the diamond-shaped window. Qiutang sat up with her legs straight, and pinched Yun Yuan's forearm with her ten fingers: "Look! That thing is gnawing on the beam!" The empty beam was reflected in her pupils, and she suddenly fell limp on the quilt and pillow.
Yun Yuan tucked the quilt around her again, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and sighed softly, "It's better if you don't get involved."
Yun Yuan had anticipated Yuzhu's unwillingness to miss such an opportunity, but she hadn't anticipated her swift action. At midnight, Qiutang, quilt and all, was carried out the corner gate. Yun Yuan stood by the window, watching the stretcher disappear. From the corridor, Aunt Lu's flattering voice rang out: "...Miss Yuzhu is incredibly clever and knowledgeable, and is the perfect fit to fill this vacancy!" Before she had finished speaking, her round face, timidly smiling, came into view, filling the position vacated by the sickly girl.
Yuzhu watched Ruyue's figure disappear into the night, and the fear on her face suddenly disappeared. "Sister, wait and see, when can we see Master Yuan's true appearance?"
"You didn't see me last night?"
"Sister, you are praising me too much."
"Sister, you are so manipulative, how dare I neglect you even a little bit?"
"There's a hint of resentment in those words." Yuzhu put half a piece of jujube paste cake into her mouth. "Could it be that my sister..." She dipped her fingertips in tea and sketched on the table, "wanting to pocket the reward for the Wuliang Ranking alone?"
Yun Yuan sneered and lit the candle. "That's my fault. It's just that my sister's words are all eloquent, but she doesn't show any sincerity at all."
Yuzhu's hand dipped in tea suddenly moved swiftly on the table: "Is this sincerity enough?" The water marks meandered into dots, angles, and circles, with occasional winding paths leading to secluded places.
"Map of Yuanfengyuan?"
"I explored it last night. It's the study room up high - Yuanshanzhai," the jujube cake fell down, "and this circle is the bedroom - Mulan Pavilion." Push it to the circle.
"Were you the one who poisoned me last night?"
Yuzhu smiled, "I thought it was you." She opened her mouth and said, "I was about to approach Mulan Pavilion when Ruyue suddenly came out and shouted, 'Young Master has been poisoned,' and ordered the Yuanfeng Guards to notify the Haofeng Guards to search for him. But she was very steady on her feet, not even a bit of a panicked rush to find a doctor." Yuzhu raised an eyebrow playfully, "And the Haofeng Guards, whether they were searching for the poison or the person, seemed to be just going through the motions."
"The poison isn't important," Yun Yuan asserted, "or maybe he wasn't poisoned at all."
"That's right. To put on this play, you either block people from prying eyes, or..." She glanced at Yun Yuan, "lure the snake out of its hole?"
Yun Yuan paused and continued, "But aren't you curious about why Feng Yanyuan, who is unknown in the martial arts world, appears on the Infinite List?"
"Curious?" Yuzhu scoffed. "A killer doesn't ask for reasons. But today, Xiran, the 'Flower-Destroying Hand,' the young master's favorite concubine, specifically sent a death warrant to Yuanfengyuan. This bounty might have been set by the Feng family themselves!"
Yun Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "He's putting on this act just to test or clear the place. You and I will just be slaves for a few days..."
"I didn't expect that someone as smart as you would just sit there and wait for death."
"Sister, do you have a solution?"
Yuzhu chuckled and threw the last piece of date cake into her mouth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
