The old lady told Liu Yushu to recuperate well and not to worry about other matters in the mansion.
Liu Yushu nodded obediently and lay down to rest at ease.
Zui Tao, her personal maid, came in with a bowl of porridge. She helped Liu Yushu sit up. After eating some porridge, a bit of color returned to Liu Yushu's pale and thin face. Zui Tao stirred the medicine in the bowl with a spoon. "The medicine is not hot anymore, miss. Drink it while it's still warm."
Liu Yushu was in poor health and had been sick often since childhood. She couldn't do without the bitter medicine all year round. Having drunk so much of it, her tongue had become numb and she no longer felt the bitterness.
"Miss, have a sip of sugar water first." Zui Tao was worried. Miss Shu was only seventeen, so frail and always sick. What would happen to her in the future?
Zui Tao had served Liu Yushu since childhood and was on her side.
Liu Yushu didn't touch the bowl of sugar water. She picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then she took a sip of the sugar water. The sweetness dispelled the bitterness on the tip of her tongue.
She secretly prayed in her heart that the days to come would be bitter at first and then sweet.
Zui Tao gently wiped the corners of her lips with a soft handkerchief. She sized Liu Yushu up carefully, thinking that such a kind and beautiful person had such a hard life. On the surface, she was the legitimate daughter of the grand tutor, but in private, she was not valued by the grand tutor. Liu Daqiang, the grand tutor, doted most on the son and daughter of Concubine He, and then on the daughter of Concubine Sun. Liu Yushu was just a legitimate daughter in name.
Liu Yushu lay on the couch, closing her eyes slightly to take a nap. The old lady was afraid that it would be too hot in the room for her to fall asleep, so she specially asked Nanny Lu to put two big basins of ice in.
She squinted for a while, but faintly heard Concubine He's sobbing outside, which made her lose her drowsiness.
"How is that woman outside?" She loathed Concubine He extremely and didn't even want to call her by name.
Seeing that Liu Yushu couldn't rest and was glaring at the door angrily, Zui Tao said indignantly, "It's the same old trick, crying and making a scene. She's crying so hard that her clothes are all wet. I reckon the master is not in the mansion. Who is she putting on this act for?"
The dark circles under Liu Yushu's eyes had faded. She regained some energy, propped herself up on her arms and sat up, saying coldly, "She does this naturally for others to see."
Concubine He came from a brothel. She was mean - spirited and greedy for money. Although she had a lowly background, she knew exactly what was on Liu Daqiang's mind and always knew how to please him. Otherwise, even if she had the courage of a leopard, she wouldn't dare to throw a tantrum in the grand tutor's mansion.
This time, Concubine He had suffered a setback and lost face. She wouldn't let it go so easily. Concubine He was calculating. How could she waste her tears for nothing? This time, she would surely cause trouble in front of her father again. The family would be in an uproar again.
Zui Tao bent down to put on Liu Yushu's shoes and helped her stand up. Seeing her slightly frowning and looking solemn, she knew that she must be worried about the affairs in the mansion again. So she changed the topic and said, "I saw a jar of fresh honey in the kitchen. I was thinking of making honey lotus root starch balls, which Young Master Yi likes most."
Liu Yushu came back to her senses and smiled faintly. "Take me to have a look."
After going out, she walked slowly in the corridor without looking sideways. But she still couldn't avoid seeing Concubine He out of the corner of her eye. Concubine He was out of breath and sweating all over. Her clothes were soaked with sweat. She looked wilted in the sun. But as soon as she saw Liu Yushu coming out, her eyes immediately widened. She looked like a wild beast ready to skin and dismember her, and there was a muffled growl in her throat. But her mouth was gagged and she couldn't utter a single word.
Nanny Lu came over. Seeing Concubine He glaring at Liu Yushu's back maliciously, she slapped her without hesitation and scolded, "If you don't behave yourself, there will be more painful punishments for you than being exposed to the scorching sun." After saying that, she asked the servant to untie Concubine He. Concubine He had been in the sun for an afternoon and fainted on the ground. She was carried back to the Red Maple Studio by the servants in her courtyard.
In the Red Maple Studio.
He Yuyu, the daughter of Concubine Sun, was waiting behind the round door. The maid Mucan beside her was holding a wooden box.
A maid came out of the room and nodded to the maid guarding the door, indicating that He Yuyu and her maid could go in.
When they got to Concubine He's room, He Yuyu took small steps and came to the couch. She bowed respectfully and lowered her head timidly, saying in a soft voice, "My concubine mother said that with our lowly status, we couldn't accept this. So she asked me to bring it to you." As she spoke, Mucan opened the wooden box, inside which were two top - grade ginseng roots.
Although He Yuyu looked extremely humble on the surface, she was overjoyed to see Concubine He in such a sorry state.
Concubine He hooked the corner of her mouth proudly. She sized He Yuyu up with a sidelong glance and said arrogantly, "Your concubine mother is quite sensible. She's like the lapdog I used to raise, knowing how to wag its tail when it sees its master."
Hearing such offensive words, He Yuyu remained calm. She still looked timid and whispered, "Yes. I'm just afraid that some people rely on others' support and deliberately bite people." Obviously, there was a hidden meaning in her words.
After saying that, she bowed and left with her maid. She had made her point clear and was going back to wait for Concubine He to cause trouble for Liu Yushu.
Concubine He gritted her teeth. "Relying on the old lady's partiality, she dares to step on me. Liu Yushu, just you wait!" Her eyes were sinister. She whispered instructions in Freya's ear.
After hearing this, Freya hooked her lips into a malicious smile. "Don't worry, my lady. I guarantee to handle it properly for you. That girl won't be able to escape your control."