Chapter 2 First Encounter
It was afternoon when the carriage entered Yongzhou City; the sun was shining obliquely and a cool breeze was blowing.
Aman lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and secretly looked at the unfamiliar bustling city outside.
Even in the afternoon, the streets were still bustling with people. Vendors displayed their goods to passersby, and children ran around on the street. If they bumped into someone, they would immediately apologize instead of wiping their noses and running away.
The women walking on the street were dressed either simply or elegantly, but all of them were clean, tidy, and poised.
This is Yongzhou, the closest city to the capital, and known as the second capital.
Aman sighed silently in her heart, but suddenly heard a cough, which startled her so much that she hurriedly lowered the curtain.
“Madam, why don’t I talk to the young master? You must be tired from your journey, you should go back to the manor and rest.” Zhang Mama said, patting Madam Fu on the back.
“No, thank you,” Madam Fu waved her hand. “Yun Xiu is stubborn, I’ll go there myself.”
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Marquis's mansion. Aman got out first and was greeted by a magnificent and luxurious courtyard with towering buildings, upturned eaves, and two imposing stone lions at the main gate, with a guard holding a long spear on each side.
Aman looked up at the words on the plaque in the center of the high gate: Cheng'an Marquis's Residence.
The four large characters flowed smoothly, with the brushstrokes like dragons and snakes, clearly the work of a master.
Just as Aman was somewhat stunned, the small door next to the Marquis's residence opened, and a woman flew out. "Madam, you've returned just in time. The young master is back and is talking with the clan elders in the hall."
Madam Fu, who had just stepped off the carriage looking somewhat listless, immediately beamed with joy upon hearing the news. "Yun Ting is back! Quickly, take me to see him!"
"Madam, slow down and watch your step." Granny Zhang followed her into the door, leaving only Aman and the coachman outside.
"?" Faced with Aman's questioning gaze, the coachman didn't know what to say and could only lead the horse to the stable.
Only Aman remained at the doorway.
The two guards looked fierce and menacing, and were clearly not to be trifled with. Aman didn't dare to go forward and ask them anything, so he could only wait where he was.
However, she was also puzzled. Madam Fu had clearly shown great concern for the eldest son in the car, but now that she heard the young master was back, she immediately forgot about it.
This young master must be the younger brother of the eldest son of the Fu family!
However, it was not her business as a servant to concern herself with her master's affairs. Aman clicked her tongue and found a sheltered and sunny spot to stand and stare blankly.
As Aman was picking at the thirteenth piece of plaster, a sweet voice suddenly rang in his ears, "What are you doing, sneaking around here like this?"
The speaker was a girl about the same age as Aman, wearing a green padded jacket, with her hair styled in two double buns, and carrying an exquisite flower basket. She stepped forward and said, "You look unfamiliar. You don't seem to be from the Marquis's mansion. Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"I..." Her questions came out like a torrent, and Aman didn't know how to answer them for a moment. She could only pick the simplest one, "I was brought by the madam."
"Madam, that Madam?" The girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I know, you're the First Madam... You're here to serve the Eldest Young Master, right?"
She spoke in a very straightforward manner, clearly a girl with a blunt and outspoken personality. She looked Aman up and down, then leaned forward slightly and whispered, "You're really bold. Everyone knows that the eldest young master is the most terrifying person in our Marquis's mansion. All the maids who came to serve him before were scolded away by him. And let me tell you, the eldest young master's residence, Wutong Garden, is a haunted house. It's often haunted at night, and it's very scary."
As fate would have it, Ah Man is afraid of nothing except ghosts.
When she was little, she was playing hide-and-seek with her friends when someone blindfolded her and led her to a graveyard. Everyone else ran away, leaving her alone to wander around all night. When her grandmother found her, she had already fainted from fright. That's how she developed this fear of ghosts.
Just like now, even if someone says something casually, she feels a chill down her spine.
But Aman also knew that he couldn't completely trust what others said.
"Who are you? How do you know that place is haunted?"
"Of course I'm a servant of the Marquis's mansion. I'm telling you, what I said is absolutely true. Someone died in the Wutong Courtyard, and it was a gruesome death. It often happened at night."
"Cough cough." A cough suddenly sounded in her ear. The familiar voice made her stop talking and turn her head, only to be met with Yu Xiang's cold face.
Yu Xiang was a maidservant of the First Madam. She had grown up with the First Madam since childhood and was the oldest and most senior maidservant.
"Aunt Yuxiang." She smiled, but looked somewhat embarrassed at being caught.
“Hongxing, what are you doing here at this hour instead of serving the Second Madam?” Yuxiang asked.
"The Second Madam suddenly wanted to eat pastries from Daoxiangzhai, so she sent me to buy some." As she spoke, she held up the basket she was carrying to prove her identity.
Yu Xiang glanced at her vaguely, then her voice became stern, "If you're just buying things, go home early after you've finished. If I hear you gossiping about the young master again, I'll worry about your tongue."
"Yes, yes, yes." Hongxing nodded repeatedly, and hurriedly left after seeing that Yuxiang had no other instructions.
Although the Second Madam is now in charge of the household affairs, the maids and servants in the mansion are actually a little afraid of this First Madam's confidante, especially since she was just caught red-handed for speaking ill of the Eldest Young Master.
Yu Xiang watched her flee in disarray and sneered, "That's all the Second Madam can do."
Looking at Aman, her eyes softened again, and she explained, "Miss Aman, there's no need to be afraid. That person is the Second Madam's maid, who is always gossiping and talking badly. Think about it, if Wutong Courtyard were really haunted, why would the Eldest Young Master live there?"
She smiled and introduced herself, "I am Yuxiang, a maidservant of the madam. The madam is tied up with matters in the manor and asked me to escort you to Wutong Garden."
As she spoke, she handed two sets of clothes to Aman, saying, "These are clothes for you to change into. It's cold in Yongzhou, and you're dressed too lightly. You might catch a cold. But you came in such a hurry that I can't find any clothes that fit you right away. I'll make you new clothes in a couple of days."
"It's alright, it's already very good." Aman shook her head. The clothes in her arms were soft to the touch, with a thin layer of cotton inside. Although the style was similar to what Hongxing had worn earlier, she was already very satisfied.
"Thank you," Aman said softly.
“Miss, you don’t need to be so polite. Let’s go, I’ll take you there.”
Wutong Garden is located in a secluded alley, some distance from the Marquis's residence. Aman followed Yuxiang all the way here, and had no other feelings, her only thought was that this place was really quiet.
There were few shops along the way, and even fewer houses. The alleys were dark, with snow and ice that hadn't melted in winter still on the shady side.
Wutongyuan is located at the deepest part of this alley, and it is also the largest courtyard in the alley. From afar, Aman could see the plaque hanging high above it.
Unlike the elegant style of the Marquis's mansion, the calligraphy on this plaque is very delicate, as if it were written by a woman. The paint around the plaque has almost completely peeled off, and the pillars on both sides of the courtyard gate also look weathered and have been there for many years, not to mention the scattered blue tiles on the courtyard wall.
The entire courtyard's exterior gives the impression of being dilapidated and uninhabited, having been neglected for many years.
Does the eldest son of the Fu family, that favored son of heaven, actually live in a place like this?
Yu Xiang went up and knocked on the door, while A Man waited quietly to the side. After about half a breath, a voice finally responded from inside.
Then, the door opened a crack, and a long, thin head popped out. "Aunt Yuxiang, what brings you here?"
"Madam asked me to bring someone over." After Yu Xiang finished speaking, the thin man noticed that there was another person standing next to Yu Xiang. He was thin and small, and his face could not be seen because he had his head down.
Remembering what the lady had said earlier, the thin-haired man immediately understood and stepped aside to let them in. "Come in, young master is reading in the courtyard."
When Aman saw the outside of the courtyard, he had already given up hope for what was inside.
But she didn't expect that the scene in the courtyard was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
The courtyard seemed to have been flooded, with signs of fire everywhere. All the trees were charred black, and the exteriors of the houses bore the marks of flames. The houses on the east side were slightly better, only blackened by smoke, and still habitable. The houses on the west side, except for the northernmost one, were almost completely burned beyond recognition.
In an instant, Aman felt that he might have been deceived by Yuxiang. This house did not look like it was not haunted at all.
Especially when they passed by the west wing and saw the half-collapsed, devastated interior, Aman's hair stood on end. He quickly took a few steps, afraid of falling behind.
The thin-faced man led them over and finally stopped at an open space at the back of the east wing.
That place should have been a pavilion, but it was demolished due to a fire, leaving only a raised platform.
On the high platform, a man in a gray robe leaned against a stone table, a book between his fingers that obscured his face. His ink-black hair was casually tied up with a hairpin, hanging loosely over his shoulders, blending into his black wheelchair. The man was covered with a blanket, concealing his legs, so at first glance, one could not tell that he was disabled.
Perhaps their voices disturbed him, for the man slowly put down his book, revealing his face.
What kind of face was that?
Aman felt that with her limited knowledge, she was unable to describe the man's appearance in words, leaving only two words—"handsome."
He was more handsome than any man she had ever seen.
Even though his face was pale from illness, and even though there was a faint sadness in his eyes, he was still handsome.
Aman thought this was the most beautiful person she had ever seen.
Aman didn't dare look him in the eye, and could only hide behind Yuxiang, stealing glances at him out of the corner of her eye. The man didn't seem to notice her presence either, and instead looked at Yuxiang, "What are you doing here?"
Yu Xiang bowed and said, "Madam asked me to bring Miss Aman over."
As if afraid he would misunderstand, Yuxiang hurriedly explained, "Madam originally wanted to deliver it herself, but she was held up by matters at the manor."
"Ha!" The man sneered, then waved his hand dismissively, "Now that the person has been delivered, Aunt, please leave."
His voice was indifferent, revealing no emotion.
But Yu Xiang was still persistent and continued to explain, "Miss Aman was personally brought back by Madam. Please understand Madam's good intentions and let her stay."
"Get out," the man interrupted Yuxiang impatiently. "Mantou, take Aunt Yuxiang back."
“Young master, Madam also hopes that you can leave an heir. Young master... you must understand Madam’s good intentions.” Mantou dragged Yuxiang out with a tearing and pulling motion, leaving only Aman in the large open space.
Judging from the man's attitude just now, Aman felt that he did not approve of this matter and that it was Madam Fu who made the decision on her own.
Noticing the man's gaze scrutinizing her, Aman lowered her head even further. But the man's gaze was so intense, so burning, that she felt completely uneasy; with each glance, her face flushed more.
He quickly became very embarrassed.
Now Aman dared not look up, afraid that someone would recognize her.
On the high platform, Fu Yunxiu coldly surveyed the people below.
A few days ago, his mother came to see him and said that she had arranged a maid for him to share his room. She also said that this one was different from the previous ones, that this one knew some medical knowledge and could take better care of him, and so on. He clearly refused at the time, but unexpectedly, the person was still sent over.
He was skinny and bony, and to be honest, he looked a lot like someone from their compound.
Fu Yunxiu lazily lifted his eyelids, his voice carrying a hint of the frivolity of a playboy, "You're the concubine my mother arranged for me?"
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