Union

Chapter 49 Something happened
Second Master does have a certain ability to see through appearances to the essence, but would Yunying admit to such a hurtful thing?

She's tired of living, that's why she admitted to it.

Yunying immediately said righteously, "That's definitely not it." She opened the box, revealing the book inside. "This servant is giving you this book. I had a hard time finding it, and I hope it will be of some use to you, Second Master."

Second Master looked at the tattered books in the box, then at Yunying, his gaze growing even deeper.

The gift box was already perfunctory enough, but I didn't expect this birthday gift to be even more perfunctory.

This book is so rotten, it's probably going to turn to dust if you touch it.
That's what the second master thought, and that's what he asked with a sneer.

Yunying hurriedly replied, "That's definitely not possible."

She carefully took out the tattered, thread-bound book and solemnly declared her loyalty, "This servant originally intended to give you the book I copied, but I was afraid that I might miss or make mistakes while copying it, which would delay your important business, so I didn't dare to touch the book."

Upon hearing this, He Sui looked up at her mistress. She couldn't understand how her mistress could have such a shameless way of saying such things, despite her ethereal, otherworldly face.

What do you mean by worrying about missing or making mistakes while copying, and fearing that it might delay the Second Master's important matter, so you dare not touch the book too much?

She recognized every single word in the sentence, but when put together, the meaning left her speechless.

To be honest, the girl's words were just meant to fool the Second Master, but in reality, wasn't the girl's refusal to copy the book simply due to laziness? Furthermore, while the girl could be described as somewhat cherishing the book, she still read it quite a bit after getting her hands on it. Once, she even fell asleep while reading for so long that the book fell to the ground and broke in half.

He Sui knew what was going on, but she dared not say it aloud and embarrass the girl. Otherwise, not only would the girl suffer, but she herself would also be caught in the crossfire.

Back to the present moment, Yunying took out the book and handed it to the Second Master.

The second master looked disgusted, but his actions betrayed him.

He cautiously took the book, casually flipped over the blank cover, and looked at the contents of the first page.

But before he could even finish reading a single page, the Second Master's expression grew increasingly grave.

Second Master looked up at Yunying, only to see her staring at him expectantly, as if asking him if he was satisfied with the book.

The second master didn't speak, but he was indeed pleased.

He had done so many pointless things all night, as if he had been waiting for this moment. Obtaining this book made all the time he had wasted on these people worthwhile.

The second master carefully closed the book, his sharp eyes fixed on Yunying. "Where did you get this book?"

Yunying had anticipated that the Second Master would ask this question, so she was about to speak. Just then, the Second Master stood up and said, "Come with me to the study. Let's talk there."

Yunying realized that now was not the time to talk about these things, so she obediently stood up and prepared to leave with the Second Master.

But Aunt Ding stopped them.

Aunt Ding said, both amused and exasperated, "Second Master, have you forgotten something? Today is your birthday, and you haven't even had your birthday banquet yet. Whatever it is, even if it's urgent, there's no need to rush. Why don't you take a break, eat your meal first, and then leave?"

Aunt Ding pointed to the banquet table set up in the side hall. All the dishes were already served, just waiting for them to take their seats. If it weren't for the young ladies taking birthday gifts to the Second Master and causing the delay, the banquet could have started earlier.

Aunt Ding said, "While the food is still hot, you should eat some. I've also personally prepared a few dishes; see if they suit your taste."

Since Aunt Ding had said so, Second Master naturally couldn't refuse her. Besides, this was something he had promised Aunt Ding long ago, and it would be inappropriate to leave now.

Although the Second Master was somewhat anxious, things were indeed as Aunt Ding had said, and there was no need to rush.

However, because of this matter, the Second Master had no appetite for his meal.

After the meal began, the Second Master did not touch his chopsticks, but instead slowly sipped the wine that Yunying had poured for him.

Aunt Ding, adhering to her duty as a servant, did not sit at the same table as the Second Master. She sat at another table with Ruizhu, Qiuning, and Mujin.

Yunying should have sat with them, but Aunt Ding arranged for her to serve the Second Master, so Yunying had no choice but to sit down and serve him his meal.

However, the Second Master had no appetite, and Yunying wasn't interested in eating either. Lost in thought and sipping his wine, the Second Master didn't notice that Yunying had only served him food, without touching her own.

The flower hall was very quiet, and it was precisely because of this quietness that even the slightest noise outside seemed very noisy.

A commotion, shouts, and screams erupted outside. The Second Master frowned and asked Sui Yun, who was guarding outside, "What's all this noise?"

Sui Yun replied, "This subordinate does not know, this subordinate will go and investigate."

Aunt Ding was about to come over to apologize, blaming it on her lax management, but just as Aunt Ding stood up, Qiu Ning's chopsticks slipped from her hand and fell to the ground with a "clatter".

"Ouch, my stomach hurts so much!" Qiu Ning's cry of pain seemed to flip a switch. As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Jin and Rui Zhu's faces also turned pale and painful. Even Aunt Ding could hardly stand and directly leaned on the table, clutching her stomach.

Aunt Ding, having seen so much shady dealings, immediately pointed to the dishes on the table and said tremblingly, "The dishes... the dishes have been drugged."

Yunying hurriedly stood up and went to help Aunt Ding, who had fallen to the ground.

Because the Second Master had been drinking the whole time, she hadn't touched her chopsticks at all, and thus escaped unharmed. Now, in this flower hall, only she and the Second Master remain safe and sound.

Yunying looked up at the Second Master and saw Chen Yanzhou with a cold and stern face. He flicked his clothes and strode out the door. When he reached the door, he seemed to remember something, so he ripped off the purse from his body and threw it to Yunying. "The pills in the jade bottle can cure the poison."

Yunying hurriedly grabbed the purse, but when she looked up again, she found that the Second Master had already disappeared into the vast night.

Yunying disregarded everything else and quickly took out a white jade bottle from her purse. The jade bottle looked very precious. When she opened the lid, a refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out. Yunying poured out the black pills inside.

There were exactly four black antidote pills left inside. If another person were poisoned, there wouldn't be enough antidote pills, and someone would inevitably die.

With these thoughts in mind, Yunying moved swiftly. She first put one pill into Aunt Ding's mouth, and then went to feed the other three medicines.

Qiu Ning, who was the first to cry out in pain, was now rolling on the ground, black blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Yun Ying hurriedly stuffed medicine into her mouth. Just then, Rui Zhu rushed over and snatched it, saying, "Give it to me first."

Yunying ignored her and gave the other two pills to the maid who rushed in, while she herself stubbornly broke free from Ruizhu's grasp and fed the antidote in her hand to Qiuning first.

Fortunately, the antidote was administered in time, and it was a rare and effective medicine that melted in the mouth. As a result, in a short while, not only did Aunt Ding's complexion improve significantly, but the tremors of Qiu Ning and the other two also lessened and gradually subsided.

Seeing that the poison in them was under control, Yunying finally breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

In those brief moments, her hands and feet trembled, her heart raced, and her back was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat. She was so frightened that her limbs felt weak.

She wasn't afraid of the villains hiding in the shadows who would poison them; she was just afraid the antidote would be ineffective and the four of them would die in front of her.

Fortunately, everything is moving in the best direction, and the lives of Aunt Ding and the other three have been saved.

Yunying moved her weak hands and feet, stood up, and was about to walk outside.

Ruizhu's shrill voice suddenly rang out, "What are you going to do? You, you can't leave, you have to stay and protect us."

Upon hearing this, Yunying felt both amused and exasperated.

She protects them?

She's completely defenseless; if danger comes, she can barely protect herself, let alone them.
Ruizhu must be dreaming.

But seeing the fearful expression on Ruizhu's face, Yunying ultimately didn't say those words.

She simply explained, "I'm not leaving. There's all this shouting and fighting outside. Who knows how many bad guys have come in? Even if I leave, where can I go? You all stay in the flower hall. I'll just keep an eye on things from the doorway."

Hearing that Yunying wasn't leaving, Ruizhu and the others calmed down considerably. But they still didn't dare rest, staring intently at Yunying, as if afraid that she would deceive them and abandon them to find a secluded place to hide.

Not only them, but even the maids, including He Sui, were in a panic, trembling as they looked at Yun Ying, who was in charge.

But Yunying wasn't that despicable; she said she wouldn't leave and she wouldn't. First, the situation outside was unclear, and she didn't dare to run out rashly. Second, she was, after all, someone born under the red flag, raised in the new China, and well-educated. In this critical moment, she couldn't bear to leave these people, tortured by poison and utterly helpless, to their fate.

While sentimentality was one thing, Yunying grew increasingly frightened as she listened to the escalating sounds of battle outside.

She got goosebumps all over her body, and her heart was pounding. In addition, it was late at night and the air outside was chilly, so Yunying quickly returned to the flower hall.

She told He Sui and the other maids to close the door, and even prepared to move tables and chairs to prop the door of the flower hall open, so that it could at least hold out for a little longer in a critical moment.

However, before she could say these words, Yunying heard someone outside shout, "County Magistrate Fan!"

Yunying paused, then asked the others in the flower hall, "I heard someone call for Magistrate Fan, did you hear that?"

Qiu Ning nodded weakly, "It must have been Magistrate Fan who broke in. Our poisoning today is definitely related to Magistrate Fan!"

Aunt Ding also said, "Since it was premeditated, I'm afraid there will be quite a few of them. Yunying, make sure to hold the gates shut and absolutely do not let them break in."

Yunying nodded, "That's what I was planning to do too."

Yunying then told people to close and brace the door. She also had the lights in the flower hall turned off and hid Aunt Ding and the others under the round table in the living room.

(End of this chapter)