maidservant

Chapter 15 Yunshan meets Yanyu at the farm

The two came to a clothing store on the street.

Li Song bought a short linen dress, and she changed into a plain blue cloth skirt and shirt, with a simple bun on her head, looking completely different from the maids in the marquis's mansion on weekdays.

"This color suits you very well."

Li Song looked at her new outfit and smiled slightly, "She looks like a beautiful girl from a small family."

"Young Master, you're making fun of me."

Afterwards, Yunshan bought some food, cloth and daily necessities at the grocery store.

Yunshan carefully selected Yan Yu's favorite crimson silk and also chose a new pipa dress for her.

Finally, they rented a donkey cart and drove towards the farm outside the city.

Yunshan sat in the carriage, watching the scenery passing by quickly outside the window, her eyes wide open, unable to help but feel excited.

Li Song and Yunshan got off the donkey cart and followed the path through the fields to a quiet farmyard.

The courtyard gate is low, and a few wild chrysanthemums sway in the wind by the fence. A string of homemade scarecrows are hung on the gate to drive away idle people and animals.

Pushing open the door, sunlight slanted in from under the eaves, casting a mottled light and shadow on the ground.

Gan Qing was sitting on a stone bench under the eaves. When she saw them coming, her thin figure trembled slightly.

Yunshan almost ran over and hugged Gan Qing, and both of them couldn't help crying.

"You've lost weight... You've really lost a lot of weight."

Yunshan's tears kept falling and her voice was choked with sobs and she couldn't speak.

Gan Qing reached out and patted her back gently: "My dear sister, you have lost weight too. I almost can't recognize you."

The crying of the two alarmed Yan Yu who was in the house.

She walked out of the room with a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes were slightly red.

The master, servant and three others sat facing each other, and the atmosphere was a little dull for a moment.

Yunshan noticed that the room was tidy and tidy. Although it was a farmhouse, it had clean windows and everything you needed.

The sunlight shone through the window lattice onto Yan Yu's face, making her look as pale as paper.

"How are you doing lately, Miss?" Yunshan asked in a gentle and concerned voice.

Yan Yu shook her head without saying anything. Gan Qing sighed softly, "Miss, you have a hard life."

Yunshan asked anxiously, "What exactly is going on with what Gan Qing just said about Tang Wenyao? Why did he want to harm your father?"

Yan Yu closed her eyes slightly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the corner of her clothes. After a long while, she slowly spoke.

"You're right. Tang Wenyao..."

She paused, a gleam of disbelief and hatred flashing in her eyes. "He wanted to climb the social ladder. He heard that my father... was about to fall from power, so he took the initiative to go to the government and report that my father had sold official positions and kept a slave as a concubine."

Yan Yu's voice grew lower and lower, as if she was recalling a nightmare that suffocated her.

"My father was the Minister of Personnel, in charge of the selection and appointment of officials. A few years ago, he promoted my eldest sister's husband's younger brother to a nominal position. Tang Wenyao, probably relying on his recent Jinshi degree, volunteered to serve as the chief witness in this case. He accused my father of a crime in court... and fabricated it himself."

Yun Shan was shocked to hear this and couldn't help but tighten her grip on Yan Yu's hand. "Later... because of his bravery and his meritorious service in exposing the truth, the court gave him the position of Vice Minister of Personnel."

Yan Yu's eyes flashed with sarcasm as he spoke. "The funny thing is, my father originally planned to nominate him for the position of Minister of Personnel. Evil people are always powerless and will do anything outrageous to achieve their goals."

Li Song asked, "I heard that Miss Yu and his wife are very loving. Why did Tang Wenyao insist on divorcing you?"

"Love? I was also obsessed with it at first, thinking I had found my true love." Yan Yu smiled bitterly, "That day I finally realized that what he wanted was his father's support."

"It's all to distance himself from the Yan family. He's very adept at handling officialdom, so naturally he doesn't want to be associated with anything that might implicate him."

Gan Qing gnashed his teeth and said,

"He was afraid of getting himself into trouble, so he divorced the young lady in front of everyone and kicked us out of the Tang family!"

Yan Yu lowered her head and whispered, "He also took all my dowry for himself, saying it was 'confiscation'."

Yunshan felt a tightness in her chest when she heard this. She looked at Gan Qing and then at Yan Yu, feeling heartbroken.

Yan Yu raised her head and looked at Li Song. "Thanks to Master Li. When he heard the news that day, he immediately contacted us and arranged for the farm. If he hadn't helped us in time, we wouldn't even be able to save our lives."

Yunshan lowered her head and shed tears, and together with Gan Qing, she thanked Li Song again.

He turned around and looked at Yan Yu with some reproach: "Miss Ke, since you survived, why don't you take good care of yourself? You look so bad..."

"I'm fine." Yan Yu waved her hand.
"Maybe I'm too tired. I haven't been sleeping well recently. And..." She paused, her voice lowered, "About my mother's death..."

When the Third Aunt was mentioned, Yunshan's eyes became red again and she could only persuade her that the Third Aunt passed away peacefully and did not experience the humiliation of having her property confiscated.

She remembered that Li Song had mentioned the Fourth Concubine's experience a few days ago, and she couldn't help but say, "But the Fourth Concubine..."

"The Fourth Concubine has been in charge of all matters within the mansion for many years. The Jinwu Guards believed she knew something about Master Yan Jing's affairs. So they brought her in for questioning. Although they didn't have any solid evidence, they still sentenced her to exile."

"He died on the road after only half a month..."
"The rules of etiquette in a large family are really harsh,"

Li Song woke up and turned to look at Yunshan. His eyes were deep and sincere, with some emotion in them.

"If one person makes a wrong move, the entire family will be implicated."

Yunshan remained silent. After going through so much, she also deeply understood the principle that everyone in an aristocratic family, from the master to the servants, was connected by their roots.

The scene outside the car window changed rapidly before her eyes: low houses, bluestone roads, children occasionally peeking out, and those busy vendors. The atmosphere of people's lives was overwhelming.

"If I were born in an ordinary family, I might be able to control my life to some extent, but people like us seem to be bound by an invisible net since birth," Li Song continued, with a hint of regret in his tone.
"Women from aristocratic families are even more helpless."

Yunshan nodded thoughtfully.

She thought of some young ladies of her age whom she had met before. Some of them married far away for the benefit of their family, some had to suppress their temperament for the sake of their father's family background, and some... Her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt.

"Mr. Li." Yunshan raised her head, her eyes filled with sincerity.

"You have always been studious, and when you were young you often received praise from your teachers. You will definitely pass next year's imperial examination."

Li Song smiled, and that smile made his handsomeness even more prominent. "Miss Yun, you are too kind."

"I'm not exaggerating." Yun Shan looked at him seriously. "Over the years, your talent has been evident to all. If there were more people like you, both kindhearted and loyal, serving in the imperial court, the lives of women in this world would surely be much more comfortable."

　Everyone~ From February 2th to February 18nd, this novel will be participating in the ranking. Please read the two newly updated chapters every day. This "reading rate" is very important to me! Thank you! ~~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)