Lingxiu ordered the maid and Qiu Mama to go out to the main room and light the red charcoal, while she went alone into Shuiling's bedroom.
Only a tiny candlestick was lit in the room. The person in bed heard the noise, had woken up, and was about to get up.
"Who is it?" Shui Ling opened her eyes when she heard the noise. Actually, she hadn't been asleep at all; she was just too cold, so she crawled under the covers.
"Why is Madam Ji sleeping so early?" Seeing the simple house, Shui Ling felt even more that she must have reached a dead end.
Upon hearing the unfamiliar woman's voice, Shui Ling quickly sat up from the bed, dragging her still aching legs. When she saw who it was, she was greatly surprised: "Aunt Lingxiu from the Fujin's quarters, why have you come to my place?"
Although Qiu's mother had told her about what happened during the day, Shui Ling decided that she should not have any contact with the Fujin, otherwise she was afraid that she would be disliked by the Fourth Prince even more.
“I heard from Aunt Qiu that Madam Ji’s charcoal got wet, so she specially sent a basket of red charcoal to Madam Ji as instructed by the Fujin. Let’s make do with it for tonight. It’s really cold here. Why is Madam still wearing clothes?” Lingxiu saw that Shuiling was wearing clothes at the moment. She hadn’t even taken her clothes off yet, and was just lying in bed like that. She was obviously cold.
Shui Ling's face flushed. She couldn't stand seeing others in her embarrassing state, and now that the Fujin's people had seen it, she felt really bad.
"Aunt Xiu, the brazier is lit." At this moment, the little maid outside came in carrying a brazier of red charcoal that had already been lit.
"Put it with Madam Ji," Lingxiu instructed the maid. "You go and keep watch."
After the maidservant had set up the brazier and left, Lingxiu looked at the slightly reddened brazier and said, "The charcoal in that basket is only enough for three days. If Madam Ji needs more, she should not send Mama Qiu to find me. I will take my leave today."
Shui Ling looked at the bright red charcoal; its glow was so warm that it finally brought feeling back to her hands and feet. Because the room was small, a brazier was enough to warm it up.
Shui Ling recalled that when she served Lan Qin, the brazier in her room was always burning, her clothes were always new for all four seasons, and she received many rewards from Lan Qin. But now, she was almost freezing to death here, and not a single person came to visit.
Shui Ling knew she could never receive the same favor from the Fourth Prince as Lan Qin, and she didn't dare to hope for it; she only wanted a little bit. But now, the Fourth Prince hadn't even come, and probably didn't even remember that she, his concubine, existed.
No, I must get better, I absolutely must get better. If I can hold on until the eve of the Lunar New Year, I'll be able to see the Fourth Master. On this day, all the women in the inner quarters must go to the front courtyard to perform the ancestral rites with the Fourth Master, and then dine together. Even the lowest-ranking concubines have the right to go on this day.
Shui Ling pondered what she should say and do when she saw the Fourth Master in order to evoke even the slightest bit of pity from him. She knew that she had to evoke his pity, otherwise she would never have a chance to rise above others and would forever be trampled in the mud without even a brazier for warmth.
Meanwhile, Yun, who lived next door, was also awake. Hearing a noise from next door, she went to the window to look at Shui Ling. In the darkness, she saw two figures come out of her room and then leave.
Lady Yun had once been favored by the Fourth Prince, but because of her lowly status, she was forgotten after a few nights with him. Like most concubines, if they had no ambition and followed the rules, they could live a quiet and uneventful life in the inner quarters. If they didn't follow the rules, like Lady Zhang before her, they died at the hands of Consort Li.
After Zhang's death, Yun Shi lost all hope; whether the Fourth Prince came or not gradually ceased to interest her. However, life as a concubine was never easy; she was constantly subjected to hostility, living worse than a favored maid. Over the years, Yun Shi had become accustomed to her status and this life, until one day, Wu Gege came to her, asking her to occasionally find fault with the newly arrived concubine. Wu called her an ungrateful and lowly servant and told her to keep an eye on her every move. Wu promised that if she did so, she could improve her treatment; for example, her daily meals would be upgraded from three meals and one soup to five dishes and one soup, all of them of high quality, and she would be given better fabrics and wouldn't have to rely on the seamstress for her clothes. Yun Shi agreed and began to find fault with Ji Shi on Wu's behalf.
That day, when Lady Ji came out, Lady Yun secretly poured some oil in front of her door so that she would slip and fall. This was an order given to her by Lady Wu, who said that she should not participate in the tomb sweeping on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Sure enough, Madam Ji slipped and broke her leg. If nothing unexpected happened, she wouldn't even be able to get out of bed and certainly wouldn't be able to go anywhere. But what was unexpected was that Zhang Mama actually went to report to the concubine, who then sent a doctor over, leaving Madam Yun completely bewildered.
Lady Wu was on good terms with the concubine, so why were their actions completely opposite? The concubine could have easily refused to send a doctor to Lady Ji, and had simply let her lie there, suffering uncontrollably. But instead, a doctor came, and someone even prepared medicine for her; not only that, but now someone was even bringing her gifts.
Yun Shi watched every move next door, utterly baffled. Meanwhile, Shui Ling remained awake. She pondered her future path. She knew why she had fallen—it was the work of that old woman, Yun Shi, next door. But why was Yun Shi constantly targeting her? She had no prior grudge against her; someone must have instructed her to do this.
But today, Doctor Lin came, clearly with Lanqin's permission. What exactly is she doing? Why did she first have someone harm her, and then send a doctor to treat her?
Shui Ling believed that Lan Qin was the one who instructed the Yun family to deal with her. She always thought that Lan Qin would not tolerate her, but Lan Qin never actually dealt with her, and never even mentioned her. Shui Ling pondered, constantly hesitating about what path she should take in the future.
The next day, before Shui Ling had even woken up, she heard a noise. She vaguely heard some voices: "How come she has red charcoal here?"
It sounded like Zhang Mama's voice! Shui Ling hated Zhang Mama to death. Although she hadn't actually harmed her, her duplicity and condescending attitude made Shui Ling despise her. She vowed to repay her in full once she could escape her current predicament.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
