Chapter 104 Little Heartless
The dew grows heavier as night deepens.
Liu Rumei sat by the window without lighting a lamp.
Looking at the moon that was almost full in the night sky, I felt like a leaf drifting with the current, not knowing where I was going.
The moon is full, but people are not reunited. Since that person died, she has not had a single good day.
She had resentment and hatred, but in the end, she compromised.
She had finally managed to get Sheng Huai'an under her control and was about to gain her freedom, no longer trapped in this small, square courtyard. How did things suddenly turn out like this?
Where exactly did we go wrong?
I sat there until dawn.
Hearing footsteps in the courtyard, Liu Rumei was startled to realize how much time had passed.
The beaded curtain at the entrance to the inner room was lifted, and Jinzhu walked in carrying a basin of hot water. Her gaze fell on her, full of surprise: "Grandma, you haven't slept all night?"
"Hmm." Liu Rumei nodded casually and said, "I have something to tell you. Come here."
"Yes." Jinzhu quickly placed the copper basin on the wooden stand and walked briskly to Liu Rumei's side.
Liu Rumei asked directly, "Do you know any stewards who frequently leave the manor? Could you bribe one or two of them?"
Jinzhu exclaimed in surprise, "This... isn't Granny Chen allowed to leave the manor?"
Although Liu Rumei was confined to her home, she was different from Jia Shi.
On Jia's side, no one in Rongshou Hall was allowed to leave the courtyard. In fact, all the servants except for Granny Wang were poisoned and rendered mute. On Qinghui Garden, the restrictions were much more lenient.
Aside from Liu Rumei, who was forbidden from leaving the courtyard by the old matriarch's decree, the maids and servants were allowed to. Even someone like Granny Chen could occasionally leave the mansion, just to keep an eye on the servants guarding the side gates.
Upon hearing Jinzhu mention Granny Chen, Liu Rumei fell silent.
She had long suspected that there was a traitor in her life, monitoring her every move.
This has become especially noticeable recently.
When she and Sheng Huai'an met in secret, they were interrupted several times by servants sent by Jia. How did Jia know her and Sheng Huai'an's movements so accurately?
She observed the gold and silver beads, and finally fixed her suspicious gaze on Granny Chen.
But there's no need to tell Jinzhu these things.
Liu Rumei said, "Chen Mama can leave the manor, but there are some things that are more convenient for men. It's always good to have a servant who can run errands, and it would be even better if there was a manager who was more capable."
Jinzhu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly said, "Madam, why don't you entrust this matter to Yinzhu and let her handle it?"
"What?" Liu Rumei asked.
Yinzhu happened to walk into the inner room, and Jinzhu didn't hide from her. She glanced at her gloatingly and said, "Madam, you probably don't know, but Fu'an, who serves the Second Master, once took a liking to Yinzhu and even went to Yinzhu's house to propose marriage. If you let her win over Fu'an, it will definitely work!"
Yinzhu's face paled, and she quickly said, "Jinzhu, what nonsense are you talking about?!"
"I'm not making this up!" Jinzhu laughed. "It's true that Fu'an went to your house to propose marriage, isn't it? It's just that your parents arranged someone else for you, so he gave up. With that old relationship, do you think he would refuse if you tried to win Fu'an over? The eldest mistress needs you right now, are you unwilling to share her burdens?"
After being questioned several times, Yinzhu blushed and said, "I, I... that happened more than a year ago. I'm just a lowly servant girl. How could I possibly win over Fu'an?"
She then looked at Liu Rumei: "Madam, it's really not that I didn't try, I'm just really incompetent!"
"Winning people over is easy, just use silver," Jinzhu said.
Yinzhu asked anxiously, "Where would I get the silver?"
Jinzhu couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth as she said, "If you don't have money, then use your body! Since you don't want to serve the Second Master anyway, why don't you go serve Fu'an? You can also help the First Madam."
To serve Fu'an?
A good woman doesn't serve two husbands. She has already given her body to Sheng Huai'an, and has lost her marriage because of it. Is she going to suffer even more after this?
Yinzhu's heart clenched, and she subconsciously looked at Liu Rumei. She saw Liu Rumei sitting calmly in a chair, her eyes quietly watching her, as if she was considering something. Yinzhu was immediately filled with panic.
With a thud, Yinzhu knelt on the ground and pleaded in a tearful voice, "Madam, please don't listen to Jinzhu. She wants me dead! She wishes I were dead!"
She could only use Sheng Huai'an as an excuse: "This servant is already the Second Master's woman, and will only follow him for the rest of my life. I would never dare to have anything to do with anyone else! If, if... this servant would rather die!"
She had barely finished speaking when a gentle male voice suddenly rang out: "Why are you suddenly talking such nonsense?"
For a moment, the three people in the room all looked at Sheng Huai'an standing outside the window, their eyes filled with surprise.
Sheng Huai'an had just come out of the secret passage when he unexpectedly heard Yinzhu's excited voice cracking. Although he didn't know why, it stirred his heart and made him take a second look at her.
Upon seeing this, his eyes lit up with satisfaction.
Previously, he only thought that the two maids Liu Rumei had asked him to take as concubines were decent-looking, but they were timid and hesitant. Now, he saw that this one named Yinzhu was actually quite good-looking.
Those tearful eyes, filled with a mixture of vulnerability and stubbornness, stirred his heart when they looked up in surprise.
"Why did you come here?" Liu Rumei walked to the window and asked softly with concern, "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing." Sheng Huai'an came back to his senses, looked away from Liu Rumei, and said, "I've come to tell you some good news, sister-in-law."
"What good news?" Liu Rumei asked, feigning curiosity.
Sheng Huai'an smiled: "Didn't you want to go out? I've made arrangements. I'll take you to Jing'an Temple the day after tomorrow. What do you think?"
"Of course," Liu Rumei said with a smile. "Thank you for your trouble."
"As long as my sister-in-law is happy, I am happy." Sheng Huai'an squeezed Liu Rumei's hand resting on the windowsill, then didn't linger. "I'm going back to my study to study."
Liu Rumei responded softly and nudged him, "Go ahead, don't worry about me."
"Mm," Sheng Huai'an replied, turning around.
Before turning around, he glanced at Yinzhu kneeling on the ground one more time.
...
Ye Mingzhu learned immediately that Sheng Huai'an planned to take Liu Rumei out of the mansion.
When Sheng Yunche returned from his shift that day, she told him about it while he was watering and loosening the soil for the Bizhu flower.
...Speaking of which, as the time for the third bloom of the Bizhu flower drew closer, Sheng Yunche took even more diligent care of it.
It seemed as if it was afraid the plant wouldn't bloom on time, making her feel a little guilty.
She wanted to be honest with him, but she couldn't find the right opportunity.
"You want to follow them?" Sheng Yunche sat down on the soft couch with her in his arms, seemingly disapproving.
But just when Ye Mingzhu thought he would say "no", he said instead, "I'll give you two more bodyguards to protect you."
Ye Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes lit up, and she asked in surprise, "Really?"
But she had asked him for bodyguards before, and he had refused for quite a while.
As if understanding her meaning, Sheng Yunche laughed in exasperation and pinched her cheek hard: "You little ingrate... female bodyguards are not easy to train, and I am also short of people under my command. But when you are out in the world, I can give you two male bodyguards who are highly skilled in martial arts."
Ye Mingzhu: "Didn't you say before that you wouldn't give me male bodyguards?"
Sheng Yunche added, "As long as I'm not protecting you personally, I won't be jealous."
Ye Mingzhu felt a little flushed.
His candor left her unsure how to react.
Before she could react, Sheng Yunche suddenly said, "I have to go out of the capital in two days. Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Wait for me to come back at home."
"What?" Ye Mingzhu was suddenly startled.
In his previous life, Sheng Yunche died of illness after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
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