Union

Chapter 58 Home invasion
Speaking of Mu Jin and Qiu Ning, the two of them were originally going to come out together today to see Aunt Ding off. But then Qiu Ning thought that she had been poisoned for so long, her body had not fully recovered, and even her appearance was much worse than before.

This was the first time they had seen the Second Master since they were poisoned. Even if they couldn't impress him at first glance, they absolutely couldn't let him think that they were inferior to before.

That's what Qiu Ning thought, and that's what she did. When Mu Jin learned of Qiu Ning's plan, she simply stopped coming out.

The two said goodbye to Aunt Ding in the back courtyard and did not come out.

Although they didn't come out, they sent a maid to find out what was happening outside.

They knew exactly what Aunt Ding and Yunying had said. They also knew that Ruizhu had almost scratched Yunying's face, and were very glad they hadn't gone out.

However, when they learned that the Second Master had taken Yunying out alone, a wave of bitterness welled up in their hearts.

They did try to chase after it, but it was too late; the carriage had long since disappeared from sight.

They didn't know what the Second Master was doing taking Yunying out, so they went to ask He Sui. He Sui had guessed what it was, but she didn't want to tell them.

And so, He Sui was annoyed to death by the two of them all day, and only regretted that she could not go out with her own daughter.

"Please wait, young lady. When Qiu Ning and Mu Jin find out you're back, they'll definitely come looking for you."

Yunying said, "That's not necessarily true. It's already this late, they should both be asleep."

He Sui, however, looked completely certain. “Miss, trust me. If we don’t get something out of you today, Miss Qiu Ning and Miss Mu Jin will definitely not be able to sleep.”

As He Sui had predicted, just as Yun Ying was waiting for the maid to prepare bathwater for her, Qiu Ning and Mu Jin arrived together.

Qiu Ning was aggressive from the moment she arrived, asking Yun Ying and the Second Master what they had gone out to do and why they hadn't taken them with them, and so on.

Yun Ying frowned as she looked at Qiu Ning, who was being unreasonable. What kind of tone was that? She was speaking so aggressively, as if Yun Ying had done something to offend her.

Yunying originally thought it wouldn't hurt to tell them about the notebook, since it wasn't some kind of secret that couldn't be told. But now she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She put on a stern face and said, "If you want to know what we did, go ask Second Master. He told me to tell you, so I'll tell you."

Qiu Ning hadn't expected Yun Ying to have such an attitude; her tone was so firm and unyielding. This was definitely not the Yun Ying she knew.

Qiu Ning stomped her foot angrily, "Fine, I knew it! Now that you're in charge, you look down on us. You even ignore me when you talk to me. Fine, if you don't want to talk to us, then don't. Who told you to be in such a high position now? We have to live at your beck and call."

As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Ning pulled Mu Jin outside. As they walked, she said, "We're just servants, and she's the head mistress. From now on, what we eat and use will depend entirely on her mood. If she's unhappy, you won't get any food, you'll just have to drink water!"

Yunying: "..."

Yunying had never seen anyone more unreasonable than Qiu Ning.

What are you even talking about? It's all so rambling and sounds like a theatrical performance.

Why are they not allowed to eat but only allowed to drink water? How did things get so complicated?
Yunying covered her head in pain, "Sui'er."

Sui'er quickly ran out of the washroom, "What's wrong, Miss? Do you want me to go and bring Miss Qiu Ning back?"

Yunying waved her hand, "Why would I chase her back so late at night? Let her be angry if she wants to, what can I do about it? I wanted to ask if your bath water is ready yet, ouch..."

Yunying sneezed loudly and felt a little dizzy.

Seeing this, He Sui said, "Miss must have caught a chill," while pushing Yun Ying towards the clean room. "The bath water is ready, Miss, go and take a bath to get rid of the cold."

After taking a bath, Yunying felt warm again, her hands and feet warmed up.

Taking advantage of the warmth, she quickly crawled into the covers and fell asleep in no time.

However, in the middle of the night, Yunying suddenly felt very cold.

She dreamt that on the way back to the city, the Second Master abandoned her in the carriage. It was pitch black all around, and a biting wind swept in from all directions. She was only wearing a light jacket, and she was cold, hungry, and scared. She stood there in the deserted wilderness, sobbing.

"Girl, girl, wake up!"

Yunying was nudged twice by Sui'er before she finally woke up with difficulty. But her eyelids were still very heavy, as if they were glued on, and she had to try to open them several times before she could.

In her dazed state, Yunying recognized the person in front of her as Sui'er and asked in a muffled voice, "What's wrong, Sui'er?"

As soon as she spoke, Yunying felt a sharp pain in her throat, as if a razor blade was cutting into it. It was then that she belatedly realized her discomfort. Yunying frowned, "Do I have a fever, Sui'er?"

"That's right, miss. Please don't sleep anymore, I'll go and fetch a doctor right away. I heard sobbing in your room, so I came to check if you were asking for water, and it turns out you're almost delirious with fever." Sui'er was extremely anxious. "Miss, please don't sleep anymore, I'll go and fetch a doctor."

Sui'er placed a towel soaked in cold water on Yunying's forehead, then got up to run outside.

"Sui'er, don't go. Didn't Doctor Yao make some fever-reducing pills before? Let's take those pills out and use them as a temporary measure."

Upon hearing Yunying's words, Sui'er slapped her forehead, "What you say is true, Miss. How could I have forgotten about that?"

Speaking of those pills, it all started when Doctor Yao was helping Aunt Ding detoxify at the manor. Yunying had asked the Second Master for extra money to buy a large batch of herbs, which she then had Doctor Yao make into various kinds of pills for later use. Among these pills were those for reducing fever, detoxifying, preventing heatstroke, and treating dizziness and headaches... Basically, anything Yunying could think of, and anything Doctor Yao could make, she had him make some of.

Besides the ones made in the manor for the Second Master, Yunying also paid out of her own pocket to make a few things herself.

Qiu Ning had previously mocked her for making a fuss over nothing, but now, looking at it again, this thing has come in handy.

After taking a pill, Yunying covered herself with the blanket and sweated, and her fever subsided. But in just two hours, Yunying's fever returned.

By this time, light had appeared outside, and the maids and servants on duty in the mansion began to move about.

He Sui entrusted Yun Ying to another maid, and then she ran off.

She was running too fast and didn't pay attention to where she was going, so she bumped her head into Sui Yu.

Sui Yu cried out twice, pushed He Sui aside, and scolded, "Where are you from, maid? Why don't you watch where you're going?"

He Sui didn't have time to argue with him. Without even looking up, she said, "My daughter has a high fever and has fainted. Please, sir, let me out to fetch a doctor."

"what happened?"

The Second Master, who was doing his morning exercise, saw and heard the commotion and glanced over. It was just a casual glance, but he saw Yunying's maidservant, sweating profusely, talking anxiously to Suiyu.

Second Master, with his sharp ears and keen eyesight, heard the words "young lady" and "fever" even from a distance. He immediately frowned and walked over, looking down at He Sui and asking, "You just said that Yun Ying's fever wouldn't go down?"

He Sui was terrified of the Second Master, especially the image of him with his furrowed brows and cold, sharp eyes. Just one glance from him made He Sui tremble, and she would have nightmares at night.

But there was no time to worry about anything else at that moment; the girl was waiting for her to call a doctor to save her life.

He Sui hurriedly explained, "Miss developed a high fever at the first watch yesterday, and the fever subsided after taking the pills made by Doctor Yao. But just now the fever returned, and Miss is burning hot all over, almost delirious from the heat."

Upon hearing He Sui's words, Second Master disregarded everything else and instructed Sui Yu, "Go and invite Doctor Qu here." He then told He Sui, "Lead the way."

Suiyu went to carry out his orders, but He Sui took a moment to realize what the Second Master meant.

Although she didn't know why the Second Master was going to see the young lady at this time, he was her master, and there was no reason for a maid to question her master's orders.

He Sui took off running ahead, leading the Second Master towards Yun Ying's courtyard.

The county government's rear residence was neither too big nor too small, with three courtyards.

However, since the mansion only had the Second Master as a proper master, and the Second Master often lived in the front courtyard, leaving only a symbolic courtyard in the back, there was a lot of space left for Yunying and her several "pseudo-concubines and maids".

The four of them, along with Aunt Ding from before, were each given a small, private courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't large, but each courtyard had two main rooms and one wing room on the east and west sides.

Of the two main rooms, Yunying usually lived in one, and the other was used for entertaining guests and for Yunying's daily leisure.

In the east and west wing rooms, Sui'er lived in the east wing room, while the west wing room had a simple stove where she could occasionally boil water and brew tea in her own courtyard.

Now that they've entered the courtyard, because the layout is so simple, the Second Master doesn't even need He Sui to lead the way anymore. He can tell where Yun Ying lives just by glancing at her.

A faint, delicate fragrance wafted from the room, and a coarse, light blue cotton curtain with a subtle floral pattern hung at the door.

The Second Master knew almost immediately that this was Yunying's boudoir.

Sui'er was already standing at the door, lifting the curtain, but Second Master stopped in his tracks at that moment.

This is Yunying's boudoir, and he is a man who has already come of age.

Although the family's purpose in sending Yunying and the others over was not pure, everyone inside and outside the mansion knew the shady dealings and had long regarded them as his concubines.

Furthermore, because Yunying had been in charge of things during this period, everyone thought that Yunying had won his favor and would sooner or later rise to a higher position.

But this is only what everyone thinks; in fact...

"Sparrow, is that you back?"

Just then, Yunying's voice rang out from inside the room. Her voice was no longer as clear and melodious as it had been yesterday; instead, it had become dry and hoarse.

Upon hearing the sound, Que'er looked at the Second Master with an urging gaze, and the Second Master lifted the curtain and stepped in.

Upon entering the room, a delicate and pleasant fragrance wafts towards you. Because the air outside is colder than inside, the room feels warm and inviting as soon as you step in.

The warm fragrance became even stronger, seemingly penetrating one's internal organs through the mouth and nose, causing a shiver to run through the body and even making one's spirit tremble.

(End of this chapter)