Union

Chapter 141 is absolutely wicked
It was only early December, and Yun Gui County was still warm. But the further north you went, the colder it got.

For Yunying, the most unbearable thing was not the increasingly cold weather, but the severe physical discomfort caused by riding horses.

Yunying had long since learned to ride a horse. Occasionally, when she went to the porcelain workshop, she would find the journey too long and taking a carriage too time-consuming, so she would take two maids with her on horseback.

The Caicifang (Colorful Porcelain Workshop) is located in Yaocun (Kiln Village). It used to be quite far from the county government office. However, since all the roads under the jurisdiction of Yungui County were completed, there is now a convenient passage between the two places. If you ride a horse from the county government office to Caicifang, it only takes about half an hour.

Yunying was not used to it at first, but she gradually got used to the journey by making frequent trips back and forth.

But the journey back to Beijing isn't just a matter of one or two Yungui counties to Yaocun; it involves thousands or even tens of thousands of kilometers, making it truly, truly, truly far...

With such a long distance, aside from eating, drinking, and relieving herself, Yunying spent all her time on horseback. Her strength was failing her; she inevitably suffered from headaches, fevers, body aches, and felt like her body was falling apart.

That wasn't the worst part; the worst part was her inner thighs—their inner thighs were chafed raw!
Yunying naturally wouldn't tell the Second Master about this unspeakable secret.

She tried her best to endure it and persevered all the way, but as soon as she left Lingnan Prefecture, Yunying developed a high fever due to the festering sores and inflammation of her wounds, and fell off her horse.

When Yunying regained consciousness, she felt her back pressed against the soft bed. She was covered with a thick quilt, and the room smelled warm and pleasant. Her whole body ached unbearably, as if her bones had been disassembled, and her eyelids were too heavy to open.

At the same time, she felt a chill at the base of her legs, and if she sniffed carefully, she could faintly smell a medicinal fragrance in the room, which clearly indicated that someone had applied medicine to her.

Yunying's thoughts were racing. She seemed to be both asleep and awake. She was in a state of confusion, and her body seemed to be floating.

Just then, the door creaked open, and someone pushed it open from the outside.

Familiar footsteps approached, and the newcomer carried the familiar scent of paper and ink, along with a faint hint of sandalwood.

The second master sat down on the bedside beside her, first touching her forehead, then taking her hand.

Yunying opened her eyes, looked at the Second Master in front of her, and said in a hoarse voice, "How long have I been asleep?"

"Not long, less than an hour."

"An hour isn't long enough?"

Yunying tried to sit up, but the Second Master pressed her down. "Your fever hasn't gone down yet, you should lie down. You've been exhausted these past few days, your body... Didn't you tell me that your injury wasn't serious and that you'd been applying medicine properly? You little liar, you're lying."

Upon hearing this, Yunying's face flushed even more with embarrassment.

Her cheeks were already slightly flushed due to a persistent high fever, but now, out of embarrassment, even the back of her ears and neck turned red.

Yunying knew that her leg was ulcerated, but the group consisted entirely of men—except for Suiyun, who had been assigned to the gold mine by the Second Master as a precaution; the other three had all come along. Furthermore, the Second Master had arranged for escorts from a security company, so the group had at least twenty men.

With so many people around, and so many people talking, Yunying couldn't very well speak out even if she had something on her mind.

The key point is that she didn't expect the wound to become infected and cause a high fever. Otherwise, she would have taken it more seriously and taken some medicine or pills beforehand.

Unfortunately, Yunying didn't have the ability to foresee the future. She didn't know she would have a high fever and even fell off her horse.

If the Second Master hadn't caught her in his arms, her head would have been smashed.

Even now, thinking back on it, Yunying still feels lingering fear. Her lingering fear outweighs the embarrassment of being touched, but she still feels somewhat uncomfortable, so Yunying lifts the blanket and covers the area below her lips.

Yunying said, "...I didn't expect it to be so serious. I've been applying medicine every night, but being on horseback all the time, the wound just won't heal completely. Let's not talk about that anymore. Second Master, I think I felt someone come in just now. Did they call a doctor for me?"

Yunying avoided the topic, so how could the Second Master keep bringing it up? After all, it concerned a young lady's body and involved private parts. If Yunying didn't mention it, the Second Master wouldn't bring it up either.

The second uncle said, "I've had a doctor examine your pulse and prescribe a medicine. It's almost ready. Drink it and rest well for a couple of days..."

Yunying disagreed, "Let's rest for today. The further north we go, the harder it gets. If the heavy snow blocks the roads, we'll all be delayed. Second Master, you need to see the Emperor, not even a moment later."

"It's not that serious. It's only the beginning of December, there's still time."

"We should still be on the safe side..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Yunying stopped talking, and the Second Master stood up and walked to the door.

At the door, Sui Yu brought over the medicine and handed it directly to the Second Master, asking, "Lunch is also prepared. Would you like to take it now, or wait a little longer?"

"You guys eat first, I'll eat with Yunying later."

"Tsk, I knew it would be like this."

Sui Yu turned and left, and Second Master came in carrying scalding hot medicine.

The medicine was still warm, and the Second Master placed it on the table beside him. He then walked to Yunying's bedside, sat down, and spoke to her.

Yunying, however, seemed a little absent-minded. She urged the Second Master, "You should go and have your meal first. I'll rest for a bit and then take my medicine."

"No rush, I'll stay with you a little longer."

"No need, I'm not going anywhere. You can come and keep me company after you've had your meal. I'm not a child, I wouldn't throw away the medicine to fool you, why are you still worried?"

Second Master feigned sudden realization, "You've reminded me, so you were thinking of throwing the medicine away?"

Yunying was so angry she choked, and then she simply turned over and faced away from the Second Master.

This person is really something, their words are so infuriating.

Yunying was initially just annoyed, but since her fever hadn't subsided, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep again.

She was sleeping soundly when the Second Master woke her up again.

"Yunying, drink your medicine first before you go to sleep."

Yunying responded vaguely, but remained lying in bed without moving.

The second master helped her up, supporting himself on her back, holding the medicine bowl in his hands, and even bringing the bowl to her lips.

Yunying felt the chill emanating from the Second Master and shivered, her body clad only in her nightgown. She immediately snapped back to reality, smelled the pungent odor of the bitter medicine, and, with a tearful face, took the bowl of medicine, saying, "I can do it myself."

Yunying drank the medicine in one gulp, and the Second Master produced a candied fruit from somewhere, saying, "Have a candied fruit to sweeten your mouth."

Yunying opened her mouth reflexively, and the Second Master put the candied fruit into her mouth.

Yunying, belatedly realizing what had happened: "..."

She lay down, pulled the blanket over her head, still with her back to the Second Master, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm going to sleep. You should go and have your meal."

"Go to sleep, I'll go after you fall asleep."

Yunying quickly fell asleep again. As for whether the Second Master went to have dinner, Yunying didn't know. But he probably did, though he might not.

Because while she was asleep, Yunying felt that there was always someone beside her. And the only person waiting for her in her room could be the Second Master.

Yunying's fever didn't subside until evening.

Not wanting to delay the Second Master's time, she insisted on setting off early the next morning. The Second Master, however, wanted her to rest for a couple more days, saying he didn't care about the short notice.

The two were arguing, but then a winter rain began to fall outside.

The rain wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either; it was a steady drizzle, which was rather noisy.

But the second master said, "Heaven wants to keep us here, whether it wants to or not. Traveling in this weather, even I would get sick from the cold. Alright, you can rest now."

Yunying was somewhat relieved and lay peacefully in bed to recuperate.

When it was time to turn off the lights and rest, Yunying urged Second Master to go back. Second Master touched her head and found it wasn't hot anymore. He turned to leave, but then remembered something and stopped in his tracks.

The second master said, "You haven't applied the medicine yet..."

Yunying panicked, "I'm awake, I can apply the medicine myself."

Second Master laughed directly, "What's the rush? I was just saying that if it's inconvenient for you, I'll call the innkeeper's wife. Before, when you had a high fever, it was that aunt who helped you apply medicine and change your clothes. But now that you can move around by yourself, there's no need to trouble anyone else."

Yunying immediately understood the Second Master's unspoken meaning: he was worried that she might misunderstand and feel uncomfortable, so he specially explained the whole story to her.

Then again, isn't it too late to explain now? She's been overthinking things for most of the day.

I refuse to believe Second Master can't see through it!!

That person is truly wicked!

Yunying was annoyed and personally got out of bed and pushed the Second Master out.

The second master didn't resist, but his laughter grew louder and louder, which made Yunying so angry that she lightly punched him twice on the back.

After pushing the Second Master out, Yunying slammed the door shut and bolted it from the inside.

Upon hearing the commotion, the second master chuckled softly again.

After laughing, the Second Master instructed Yunying, "Go back to sleep. I live next door. Just call me if you need anything. Don't go out by yourself at night; the area isn't very safe."

Worried about scaring Yunying, the Second Master repeated, "I live right next door to you. If you need anything, just call out and I'll come over when I hear you."

Yunying mumbled, "Alright, I know, you should go back now."

After Yunying lay down on the bed, she turned over twice.

The brazier in the room had just been replaced, and it was burning with top-quality silver frost charcoal. It was obvious that this was definitely something Second Master had someone buy for him.

The charcoal fire is burning brightly, and with plenty of extra fuel added, it will likely burn for half the night.

As Yunying pondered these random thoughts, she wrapped herself tightly in the thick quilt and tried to fall asleep.

But perhaps because she slept too much during the day, she was now wide awake and tossed and turned in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep.

As the second watch of the night passed, Yunying heard the sound of the door next door being opened, and then someone walked up to her door and stopped.

Second Master lived in the wing room to her left. Why was Second Master standing at her door so late at night instead of sleeping?

Was he sleepwalking?

Just then, Second Master knocked lightly on the door. "Yun Ying, I've opened the door."

What does "I opened the door" mean?

Yunying sat up, but before she could figure out what was going on, she heard the sound of the door bolt being slid.

In the darkness, even the slightest sound can send shivers down one's spine.

It could be said that if the Second Master hadn't given prior warning, and all she saw was a dagger inserted between the cracks of her two doors, the dagger sliding and opening the bolts... This sight caused Yunying to scream twice, waking everyone in the inn.

But with Second Master's prior warning, Yunying wasn't afraid anymore; she was just quite nervous.

So, what exactly is she doing with that door bolt?

If you don't need to guard against a virtuous person, and you can't guard against a petty person, then isn't that just a waste of effort?

In the still of the night, the Second Master pushed open the door and immediately saw Yun Ying standing under the bed.

Both were dressed in snow-white nightgowns. The difference was that the Second Master's jade crown was neatly tied up, and even in just his nightgown, he was still dignified and outstanding. In contrast, Yun Ying's long hair was draped over her shoulders, and her nightgown was wrinkled from constantly rolling around; her neckline was wide open, almost revealing half of her collarbone.

Second Master glanced at it only once before turning his gaze away.

He reminded Yunying, "What are you doing getting up? Go back to bed."

He walked straight to the brazier.

The charcoal in the brazier had burned out, leaving only some grayish-white embers that still emitted a faint glow.

Second Master added more charcoal and made the fire burn even brighter before letting go of his tools and looking at Yunying.

Yunying obediently went to bed, but she didn't sleep. She just sat on the bed, wrapped in her little jacket, quietly watching the Second Master's actions.

Perhaps it is the darkness of night that softens the heart, or perhaps it is seeing this heartwarming scene that makes one's tenderness overflow.

When the Second Master spoke to Yunying again, his voice softened. "Go to sleep. You've been tossing and turning all night. If you don't sleep soon, it will be dawn."

"Was I making too much noise while turning over, disturbing your sleep?"

Second Master chuckled upon hearing this, "It's not that bad. I was just so engrossed in my book that I forgot to rest. Anyway, go to sleep. This charcoal fire is enough to burn until dawn. I'll add some more charcoal for you after dawn. These two days are precious, so make the most of your rest. We'll have to travel afterward, and you won't have time to rest then."

Yunying nodded, while yawning involuntarily.

She took off her jacket from her shoulders, tossed it at her feet, lay down on the bed, and said, "Okay, I'm going to sleep."

As soon as she said she was going to sleep, she felt really sleepy. It seemed like only a moment later, and Yunying's mind began to wander.

The second master hadn't expected that she had this ability—to sleep with someone so easily.

Under the pitch-black night, the Second Master checked that all her windows were closed, then locked the door again and went back to his own room to rest.

The inn wasn't crowded to begin with, but the sudden freezing rain brought in two groups of merchants and travelers who were stranded there, so the inn became much busier.

As the second master was about to reach his door, he glanced at the stairwell.

A thin young man nimbly dodged the attack, but a gust of wind struck him, and he was hit on the leg by a thrown teacup.

The slight "crack" was only heard by him. The young man wanted to scream in pain, but he bit his lip and suppressed the sharp pain. He tumbled down the stairs.