After flirting with the aloof prince, the concubine ran away pregnant.

After dinner, Afu returned to her own side room.

Bai Zhi was already waiting inside the house. As soon as she saw her come in, she hurriedly went to greet her:

"Sister, I heard that the young master... how could he let you go to Luoqi Garden? That Granny Wen and Taoyao clearly had ill intentions."

"If you go and serve her, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause you!"

Afu closed the door. The room was stuffy. She walked to the table, poured herself a glass of cold tea, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Why can't he do that?" Afu's voice was flat. "I'm just a concubine, Taoyao is the young master's savior, and Granny Wen is his wet nurse who watched him grow up. Isn't it obvious who's more important?"

Looking at Afu's calm and composed profile, Bai Zhi felt a mix of bitterness and anger: "But...but the young master clearly treats you differently! He taught you to write and even used such good medicine on your wounds..."

"That's different. Compared to the deep bond between mother and daughter and the life-saving grace, it's nothing." Afu interrupted her, slamming her teacup down on the table with a soft thud. "It's just a little pastime when I have nothing else to do."

Bai Zhi was speechless, and her eyes reddened.

Yunxi, who had been standing at the door without daring to make a sound, was holding a small bag of newly made mugwort sachets, her fingers almost tearing the fabric.

As she listened to their conversation, she lowered her head even further, wishing she could shrink into the shadows.

Afu's gaze fell on her.

"Is this freshly made?" Afu walked towards her.

Yunxi was startled and quickly handed over the sachet, saying, "This is newly made mugwort incense according to your method, sister. I thought that with the hot weather and many mosquitoes, burning it indoors would calm the nerves and repel mosquitoes. Sister, smell it and see... see if it's still usable?"

Afu took it and smelled it. The bitterness of the mugwort was mixed with a very faint hint of mint, and it did smell refreshing.

Looking at Yunxi's nervous face, she suddenly said, "The master leads you through the door, but the cultivation depends on yourself. You've done very well."

Yunxi looked up abruptly, a hint of surprise and delight flashing in her eyes.

Afu returned the sachet to her and instructed in a calm tone, "From now on, the task of incense and cleaning the young master's study will be entrusted to you. You are young and quick-witted, so it's time for you to learn to take charge on your own."

Yunxi was stunned, holding the small sachet, and for a moment she forgot to reply.

Entrusting her with such an important task signifies trust in her and means that she is no longer just a lowly maidservant following Bai Zhi around doing odd jobs.

Bai Zhi, standing nearby, became anxious: "Sister! How could you let her serve the young master? She... she's still so young!"

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: she didn't trust Yunxi.

"It's alright." Afu glanced at Yunxi, then turned to Baizhi and smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Serving the young master isn't an easy job."

Yunxi's heart skipped a beat, as if she understood Afu's unspoken meaning.

She gripped the sachet tightly in her hand and nodded emphatically: "Don't worry, sister, I... I will do my best."

.

For the next two days, Afu indeed went to Luo Qiyuan every night.

She arrived right on time, and once there she didn't say much, but simply moved a small stool to sit by Tao Yao's bedside, rolled up her sleeves and massaged her wrists.

Tao Yao's wrists were indeed a little red, but it was nowhere near as serious as Granny Wen had described.

She leaned back on the soft pillows, enjoying Afu's services while glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, her words always carrying a subtle barb.

"Sister Afu's cooking skills are really good. No wonder she can serve the young master so comfortably."

"I heard that my younger sister is still learning to read? Well, it's always good to learn more, so that she won't be unable to find a way to make a living after she leaves the manor."

Afu ignored them all, her eyes lowered, her hands applying just the right amount of pressure to each acupoint.

Half an hour later, he got up to say goodbye, not bothering to utter another word.

Granny Wen would always wait at the door, smiling as she handed over a heavy purse, saying it was a reward.

Afu had no reason to refuse, so she curtsied in thanks and turned to leave.

That obedience and silence left Tao Yao and Granny Wen somewhat puzzled, as if they had punched cotton, which only made them feel uncomfortable.

That afternoon, the weather became increasingly hot and dry.

Instead of serving in the main room, Afu went into the small kitchen.

She had been thinking about a new dessert for the past few days. Xie Xun was tired of plum sorbet, so she wanted to try something different and make an amber crystal jelly as a way of repaying him for the bottle of imperial wound-healing ointment.

But now, she's not in the mood.

Instead of wasting time trying to please someone who can easily discard her, it's better to treat yourself.

She put the diced peaches, apricots, and pears into a small pot, added rock sugar and a little honey, and simmered it over low heat.

Once the sweet aroma of the melons and fruits fills the air, slowly pour in the clear gravy made with kudzu root powder, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon as you pour.

The broth in the pot gradually thickened and turned a beautiful amber color, with the diced fruit peeking out from within, making it quite appealing.

She poured the cooked sweet soup into a white porcelain bowl and placed it in cold water to chill it, waiting for it to slowly solidify into a jelly.

After finishing all this, she wiped her hands, picked up the bowl of still-warm crystal jelly, and prepared to go back to her room to share it with Bai Zhi. Bai Zhi had suffered a lot of mistreatment with her these past few days, so she deserved something sweet.

As soon as she stepped out of the small kitchen and around the moon gate, Afu stopped in her tracks.

On the bluestone floor under the eaves, Yunxi was kneeling there, crying and trembling all over, looking extremely pitiful.

Afu paused for a moment, then understood somewhat.

She walked over and asked, "Why are you crying?"

Upon hearing her voice, Yunxi grasped at a lifeline and abruptly raised her head, her small face flushed red from crying and streaked with tears.

"Sister!" She crawled two steps, grabbed Afu's leg, and cried out in terror, "Sister, save me! I didn't mean to!"

Afu, holding the bowl, looked down at her and said, "What happened? Tell me slowly."

"It's...it's incense..." Yunxi cried, gasping for breath. "When the young master came back this afternoon, he said that the mugwort incense I changed had a very astringent smell that made him dizzy, but I used the same incense the day before yesterday."

Afu wiped away Yunxi's tears with a handkerchief. "And then?"

"Then the young master had Brother Changsong take away all the incense, saying he was going to check it," Yunxi's voice trembled even more.

"Brother Changsong also said... he also said that if they find anything unclean or anything that's plotting to harm the master, I'll be beaten to death! Sister, I really didn't do anything! How could I dare to harm the young master! Sister, please save me!"

She clung tightly to Afu's skirt, like a drowning person grasping at the last piece of driftwood.