They had already wasted a day on the road, so the mistress and her two servants had to ride their horses at full speed. Even so, it was already late at night when they reached the mansion.
Seeing the carriage of the legitimate young lady, the guard at the gate perked up. "The legitimate young lady is back. I'll go and report right away!"
"No need to bother. I'll pay my respects to Father tomorrow." She wanted to see what the mansion had been reduced to by the family of that collateral uncle.
The three of them quietly made their way to Bamboo Lily Courtyard. Her elder brother had been stationed in the military camp all year round, so most of the time only her sister - in - law lived here. When they stepped into the courtyard, there was already a layer of fallen leaves on the ground.
The area in front of the house was desolate and empty. There wasn't even a single cleaning maid. Only the sound of coughing came from inside.
"Madam, please drink some water first. I'll go and ask in the kitchen again." This was the voice of the maid Fang Qiao.
"Cough, cough! Forget it. Don't make things difficult for them. They're just following orders." Sister - in - law Li's voice was hoarse and extremely weak.
"Those lackeys who bully others by relying on their power will surely get their just deserts one day. When the general comes back, he'll surely teach them a good lesson!" Fang Qiao said hatefully.
Li was lying on the bed, her face pale and full of despair. She had only just married into this family and already suffered such treatment. She really didn't know how to endure the days to come.
"I'll take good care of my health. Otherwise, the people in this governor's mansion will look down on me even more!" Li said angrily as she wiped away her tears.
"Who would dare to look down on my good sister - in - law?" Lifting the curtain, Song Jinyu had been mentally prepared, but was still shocked by Li's haggard appearance.
After all, Li was a noble lady from a prominent family in Lingzhou, and her beauty was truly breathtaking. But now her cheeks were sunken, and her hair was messily scattered on her shoulders. She looked so haggard.
"The eldest young lady is back!" Fang Qiao was overjoyed. The eldest young lady had a very good relationship with the elder brother, and would surely stand up for them.
Taking a careful sniff, there was a faint musty smell in the room.
Song Jinyu's nose twitched. "Sister - in - law, you've suffered these days."
She stepped forward to tuck the quilt in for Li, and then placed a hand on Li's wrist. Her eyebrows furrowed deeper and deeper. As she had expected, Li was suffering from deficiency of both qi and blood, and had also caught a cold.
"I'll help you recuperate. Sister - in - law, just rest in peace. I'll never let those villains off!"
A mere collateral son dared to bully the legitimate branch!
Very well, they were asking for trouble!
Narrowing her eyes, Song Jinyu gave an order. "Niaoniao, you and Fang Qiao go to the kitchen and make some medicinal cuisine for sister - in - law. Don't alarm the others in the mansion."
"Yes, young lady!" Fang Qiao was delighted. Their hard days were finally coming to an end!
"Chen Song, you go and keep an eye on the Second Master's courtyard. Report any movements to me immediately!" Chen Song took the order and disappeared into the darkness.
Only the two sisters - in - law were left in the room. Li mustered a bit more energy, moved to the inner side of the bed, and motioned for Song Jinyu to sit down. "Yuer, why did you come back so early this year? In previous years, you always came back near the Mid - Autumn Festival."
Li was very fond of this younger sister - in - law. Although they hadn't spent much time together, she knew that Song Jinyu was a very kind person.
"Hehe, I'm afraid if I didn't come back any earlier, this governor's mansion would have changed hands!"
During the days when she was away from home, the Second Madam had ordered all the servants in the mansion to address her cousin Song Wangqiu as the young lady.
As time passed, now many people outside thought that Song Wangqiu was the legitimate daughter of the Song Mansion.
The two chatted for a long time. Song Jinyu roughly understood the current situation of the Song Mansion. Niaoniao and Fang Qiao came back carrying food boxes.
As soon as they stepped into the room, the fragrance of the food mixed with a faint smell of medicine filled the room.
"Sister - in - law, finish your meal and rest early. It's getting late. I should go back too."
Just as she was about to get up, Li grabbed her hand. "Good sister, if you don't mind, stay here with me tonight."
Seeing Li's hesitant look, Song Jinyu was puzzled.
Fang Qiao knelt down with a thud. "Young lady, your courtyard is now occupied by the cousin young lady..."
They even occupied her living quarters?
"I see..." Song Jinyu was furious. It seemed that she had to settle this score with them properly.
She had been exhausted from the journey in the past two days. It would be better to have a good rest. Song Jinyu clearly felt that there would be a tough battle to fight from tomorrow on!
"It seems I have to trouble sister - in - law tonight." Song Jinyu looked around. It was really not easy to find a place to sleep in this room.
Li looked a bit embarrassed and quickly told Fang Qiao to clean up the side hall.
Early the next morning, when the sky was just starting to brighten, they were awakened by the shrill scream of a maid.
"I said what time is it and you're still sleeping? If the madam and the young lady wake up later and see the messy courtyard, and it ruins their mood, can you bear the responsibility?"
The one shouting loudly was Maid Li. She used to work in the Second Madam's room and was later transferred to Bamboo Lily Courtyard to be the head maid.
She had fallen asleep like a dead pig last night before the young mistress had even rested, and now she had gotten up early to torment others.
Seeing that no one paid attention to her, she pretended to kick the door. Fang Qiao opened the door first. "What are you doing, Maid Li? The young mistress is not feeling well and should not be disturbed."
This girl used to be meek and obedient. What had gotten into her today that she dared to talk back to her!
Raising her hand, Maid Li slapped Fang Qiao and angrily scolded while putting her hands on her hips. "Bah, still calling yourself young mistress. Lying here eating for free every day. Hurry up and tell her to come out and work for me!"