Thinking of this, and listening to the bursts of laughter that followed their quiet conversation, the Princess turned her gaze towards Wen Zhu again, a satisfied smile on her face, and said, "As long as you feel better, that's all that matters."
Concubine Xiao, who was standing by, carefully examined Wen Zhu for a moment, then smiled and praised her, saying, "This girl is quite pretty, with delicate features and elegant manners. Come, come closer so I can take a closer look."
Wen Zhu didn't want to attract attention, but he had to obey the order and take a few steps forward.
As she approached, she lowered her head slightly, looking a little shy.
The concubine took Wen Zhu's hand, gently asked her many family questions, and also inquired about her daily trivial matters with concern.
After a conversation, she took out an exquisite white jade hairpin from her body and handed it to Wen Zhu, "This is a reward for your performance just now. I hope you like it."
When he took the hairpin, although he appeared calm on the surface, Wen Zhu's heart was beating like a drum.
She wondered if being too high-profile would bring unnecessary trouble?
Fortunately, not long after, as dishes of delicious food were placed on the table one after another, Wen Zhu was finally able to find an excuse to retreat behind the Duke's wife.
At that moment, she couldn't help but let out a long breath, feeling relieved.
At the same time, several young girls were sitting not far away, among whom Sheng Shuyan was staring at this side with eyes full of jealousy and resentment.
Sensing the presence of hostility, Wen Zhu simply lowered his eyes quietly and did not pay much attention to it.
Could it be that the other party is envious of me for gaining the recognition of the concubine?
Or is it because everyone present is focusing their attention on themselves, making the other person feel uncomfortable?
After thinking for a moment, Wen Zhu decided to reflect on whether his previous actions were really too ostentatious.
In the following days, despite her doubts, Wen Zhu still devoted herself to fulfilling her duties as a personal maid.
Just as the dinner was about to end, she almost collapsed from a sudden bout of physical discomfort: she felt dizzy, nauseous, and could barely stand.
Aunt Mei noticed something was wrong and immediately stepped forward, whispering with concern, "You don't look very well. Go down and get some rest! I'll be watching over you."
The words are full of the care and understanding unique to elders.
After nodding gratefully to Aunt Mei, Wen Zhu was able to slowly retreat.
A cool night breeze blew towards her, instantly relaxing her tense nerves.
Wen Zhu accidentally caught a glimpse of the quiet and scenic lakeside promenade not far away, and couldn't help but think of going there to sit down and rest.
Just as she was walking alone through a path surrounded by flowers, she heard a familiar, pleading voice: "Brother Mu Bai, please come and help me... I sprained my foot for some reason, and it hurts so much that I can't even walk!"
After hearing this, Wen Zhu immediately stopped and thought about taking a longer route to avoid this disturbance.
She didn't want to get involved in any unnecessary trouble, especially something that might get her into trouble.
But Yu Mubai responded indifferently: "Isn't that a maid in the mansion? Can't we just ask her to help?"
His tone was full of an unquestionable command, making it difficult to refuse.
"She is now..."
Sheng Shuyan said angrily, obviously extremely dissatisfied with Wen Zhu's appearance, as if Wen Zhu's arrival disturbed her plans or mood.
Then came the sound of Yu Mubai deliberately raising the volume of his voice and calling out the name: "Miss Wen Zhu——".
His voice echoed around, attracting everyone's attention.
Although he was particularly reluctant to get involved, Yu Mubai's continuous loud shouting had attracted the attention of many people, and Wen Zhu knew that he could no longer escape.
She had no choice but to stop and slowly take a few steps back. She pretended to be unwell, covered her stomach, bowed, and said softly, "I am not feeling well now. I am afraid I can't accompany you. Please forgive me."
"Huh? Are all the maids in the Duke's Mansion so weak?"
Yu Mubai said with a sarcastic smile, obviously he didn't believe Wen Zhu's statement.
"I do feel uncomfortable. Please forgive me and allow me to leave first."
After saying this, Wen Zhu turned around and prepared to leave, hoping to escape this embarrassing situation as soon as possible.
At this time, Yu Mubai lowered his head and said something to the person sitting next to him. There was a hint of a sarcastic smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was still laughing at Wen Zhu's current situation.
"It seems that you can't even command your own family."
Then, he turned to Sheng Shuyan, who was about to cry, and said, "Wen Zhu, come, help me walk."
He said it nonchalantly, as if the matter was of no importance.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Wen Zhu knew she had no other choice but to step forward and support Sheng Shuyan.
After seeing this situation, Yu Mubai immediately turned around and left, leaving the two girls there at a loss.
Sheng Shuyan was furious. She felt that it was Wen Zhu's sudden appearance that ruined the opportunity to be alone with her cousin.
She glared at Wen Zhu and demanded, "You must be following me around on purpose, not wanting to see me happy, right? Are you deliberately trying to destroy the relationship between Mu Bai and me? Could it be that your hypocritical mother is behind this? She's obviously afraid that I'll surpass her daughter! Is that so?"
Sheng Shuyan spoke out these thoughts in one breath, her voice full of indignation and grievance.
Wen Zhu felt more and more uncomfortable, and his face gradually turned pale: "Second Miss, you misunderstood. I really just feel unwell and want to come out for some fresh air and relax..."
"You're still quibbling!"
Sheng Shuyan shouted angrily, then pushed Wen Zhu hard.
Her eyes seemed to be spewing fire, and her face was filled with anger that was difficult to conceal.
The air around them was filled with the strong fragrance of Sheng Shuyan, which made Wen Zhu, who was already dizzy, feel even more uncomfortable.
She managed to stand, then staggered to a weeping willow by the lake and vomited violently, almost unable to control her body.
"You...you have such an attitude! Are you trying to show how much you hate me?!"
Sheng Shuyan looked at the embarrassed Wen Zhu in front of her and was so angry that her voice was trembling.
She was already blinded by anger and ran forward trembling, accidentally bumping into Wen Zhu who was struggling to keep his balance.
Wen Zhu lost his balance and swayed a few times before finally falling into the freezing cold lake, splashing water with a "splash" sound.
The originally tranquil lake surface suddenly became chaotic.
Seeing Wen Zhu falling into the water, Sheng Shuyan smiled triumphantly.
But she did not turn around and leave immediately. Instead, she quickly walked over to watch the chaotic scene caused by the accident.
Filled with resentment, Wen Zhu used up his last bit of strength to grab the edge of Sheng Shuyan's clothes as she was about to leave, but the two of them fell into the freezing cold lake bottom together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
