Chapter 37 The Slave Bullies His Master
Meng Qingci waited at the gate of the mansion for a while. After returning, she felt listless and slumped on the chaise longue as if all her strength had been drained. At dinner, she only ate a few bites of the exquisite dishes before claiming that she was too hot and asked the maid to take them away.
"I told you not to go out, but you wouldn't listen. You're pregnant now, and your master isn't in the manor. If something happens to you, how will we explain it?" Xia Guang ordered a maid to clear the table while grumbling, "I'll go and call Zhang He over to take a look at you right now."
Meng Qingci felt extremely hot. Because of her pregnancy, she dared not use too much ice, so she had someone place a bronze ice basin three feet away. The coolness turned into a warm breeze before it even reached her bed. She lazily waved a silk fan, the twin lotus flowers on the fan opening and closing intermittently. Her heart was burning, and it was truly unbearable.
She didn't dare joke about her own health, so she nodded and smiled, "If I don't do as you say, you'll probably keep nagging me."
Xia Guang turned and left in a huff, but before long, she led Zhang He back in, lifting the curtain.
This Zhang He was indeed somewhat of a bookworm. He put down his medicine box and began to take Meng Qingci's pulse meticulously. After carefully examining both hands, he frowned and remained silent for a long time, and the surrounding air seemed to become heavy as well.
Xia Guang nervously gripped her handkerchief, urgently urging, "What happened? Tell me, don't scare me!"
Zhang He held back for a while, then complained irritably, "The young lady's health was already severely depleted before, and it was only with great difficulty that she managed to recover and conceive this child! Now she's also suffering from heatstroke, this, this... sigh!"
Meng Qingci withdrew her hand, listened to Zhang He's words, half-closed her eyes, concealing all her emotions, and remained silent. She simply got up, her skirt swaying slightly, and went straight into the inner room, where she collapsed onto the soft couch.
Xia Guang gave Zhang He several meaningful glances, her eyes and brows conveying urging and hints. But Zhang He was a complete bookworm, utterly absorbed in his medical theories and case studies.
Zhang He, holding a pen, muttered to himself, carefully considering the ingredients and dosages: "I'll prescribe a Zhuye Shigao Decoction, using bamboo leaves, gypsum, ophiopogon japonicus, pinellia ternata, ginseng, licorice root, and japonica rice, plus atractylodes macrocephala and scutellaria baicalensis to stabilize the pregnancy. Remember, the gypsum must be prepared exactly as I've specified; there can be no mistake." (From *Shanghan Lun*)
Xia Guang suppressed her anger and patiently waited until Zhang He finally explained everything. She quickly helped him pack his medical kit and practically pushed the bookish doctor out the door.
She arranged for two maids to guard the corridor, and then, without a moment's delay, she went straight to the small kitchen, tended the red clay stove, and carefully began to decoct the medicine for relieving pregnancy and heatstroke.
Meng Qingci leaned back on the soft couch, her fingertips touching the bamboo ribs of the round fan, yet a slight, weak tremor escaped her lips. That subtle tremor could not conceal the turbulent emotions churning within her.
She was already afraid of the pain of childbirth, especially under these conditions where medical care was not guaranteed. If it weren't for the hope of escaping Fu Heng, that old pervert, she would never have been willing to get pregnant with this child. The more she thought about it, the more intense her hatred for Fu Heng became.
Just as Meng Qingci was feeling down, Xia Guang came in with the medicine: "Miss, the medicine is ready. Please drink it while it's hot."
Seeing Meng Qingci sit up, take the medicine bowl, test the temperature, frown, and drink it in small sips, Xia Guang advised again, "Your pregnancy is not yet stable, so you must be careful in everything. You can't do things like this again."
Meng Qingci silently finished the medicine, placed the empty bowl aside, then rinsed her mouth with honey water, catching her breath. Leaning back against the soft pillow, she said leisurely, "If I hadn't intervened today, given the Zhu family's ability to distort the truth, who knows how high this storm would have gone. It's a good opportunity to settle this once and for all, and let those lurking, restless demons and monsters think twice before acting."
Xia Guang frowned upon hearing this: "You know, the timing of Fifth Madam Cheng's arrival today is too coincidental, as if she timed it perfectly. I wonder what she's up to, coming here specifically to make us unhappy."
Meng Qingci curled her lips into a cold and disdainful smile: "They're just after your Third Master. When your master returns, let him deal with them himself. As long as they don't cause a scene in front of me, I won't bother with these tricks."
Xia Guang agreed verbally, but secretly thought to herself: Madam Cheng's words just now were clearly aimed at the young lady. But she dared not say it outright. The young lady and her mistress had just developed some affection for each other. She was afraid that speaking out of turn would cause more trouble, and in the end, she would be the one to suffer the consequences.
Meanwhile, Madam Cheng followed the clerk to the yamen, and naturally, the divorce did not go as she wished.
In the end, it was still Master Cheng with a livid face who brought the person back to the Cheng residence. As soon as he closed the door, a fierce argument and fight broke out inside. Finally, Master Cheng stormed out and slammed the door shut.
The maidservant entered the room tremblingly and helped the half-paralyzed Grandma Cheng Wu to her feet. Seeing her disheveled appearance, she couldn't help but shed tears: "Why did you do this? Now that things have come to this, I'm afraid your days will be even more difficult."
Grandma Cheng's lips were cracked and bleeding, and half of her cheek was swollen and red. She looked disheveled, but her eyes were as cold as a dry well, without the slightest ripple. She pushed away the maid's hand, staggered to her feet, and slumped onto the soft couch. Suddenly, she laughed softly, her laughter hoarse and terrifying: "I never expected a little girl like her to accomplish anything."
Grandma Cheng pulled her maid over and whispered in her ear, "Go tell that man I've changed my mind. I want him and that slut's family of three dead. My child can't have died in vain."
The maid trembled with fear: "Master, why are you doing this? Why not take the divorce papers and leave this den of demons, the Cheng family? If this gets out, killing...killing...is a grave crime." In the end, the maid dared not utter the words 'kill her husband'.
Grandma Cheng's eyes were vacant; a bleak smile tugged at the corners of her lips: "Leave? In this vast world, where can I find refuge? If I offend the Cheng family, how dare my maternal family acknowledge me as their daughter?"
The maidservant still tried to persuade her, "Madam, what if that person is unwilling?"
Grandma Cheng smiled mysteriously: "She has no choice but to agree. That girl is clearly the governor's darling. With the governor out of town, she can command the government offices and soldiers at will. If the governor finds out, she'll be secretly sabotaging his beloved woman while he's away. Heh heh~~"
Just after noon, a commotion arose outside Meng Qingci's courtyard.
Xia Guang put down her work and hurried outside, feeling a bit resentful. She muttered to herself, "Mo Song is becoming more and more outrageous. It's one thing that he didn't report back on the things you asked me to do earlier, but now he even dares to neglect the daily chores in the manor, letting people cause trouble in front of you."
After having breakfast, Meng Qingci, seeing that the morning air was still crisp and refreshing, went for a stroll in the garden to clear her mind. When she returned, she was talking with two maids, holding a few freshly picked flowers in her hand.
From afar, they saw three or five maids and old women surrounding a young woman dressed exquisitely. The woman was slender and graceful, and her turquoise and gold-embroidered skirt flowed gracefully in the sunlight, making her look incredibly wealthy.
Meng Qingci raised her hand to stop the two maids behind her. The three of them quietly stopped at the corner of the corridor, watching the commotion in front of the courtyard gate with great interest.
"What, is this how your governor's mansion treats its guests?" Jin Xiu raised her eyebrows, looking very dissatisfied. "It's one thing for our palace guards to be kept outside, but now you're even keeping our young lady out?"
“Miss Shen, please forgive me. This courtyard contains the master’s study, a very important place, and outsiders are strictly forbidden from entering. Now that the master is away from home and has not returned, without the master’s personal order, I dare not allow anyone to pass. Please forgive me.” Mo Song stood motionless outside the courtyard gate, his attitude respectful but not overstepping his bounds: “The front hall has already prepared the finest tea and refreshments for you. The furnishings are elegant, and the place is quiet and pleasant. Why don’t you come in and have a seat, Miss Shen, and enjoy them?”
“Others are others, how can my young lady be compared to them?” Jinxiu raised her chin, unconvinced, and questioned, “Does the absence of your master mean that you servants dare to be so arrogant and disrespectful?”
Meng Qingci, who was listening intently from the corner, couldn't help but curl a mocking smile at the corners of her lips. She thought to herself, "The phrase 'the servant bullies the master' is truly a brilliant use of language."
Out of the corner of his eye, Mo Song caught a glimpse of Meng Qingci, who was calmly watching the battle from the corridor. Seeing the cold smile on her lips, he felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat almost soaked his inner garment. He thought to himself: This is bad.
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Author's Note: Thank you for waiting! [heart emoji][cat paw emoji]
Fu Heng: My family can't do without me.
Meng Qingci: Ha, I'll make you pay when I get back.
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