At night, after Liu Yushu visited her younger brother, her grandmother summoned her to the room.
The old lady took her hand and admonished her, "The Empress Dowager has suffered a recurrence of her old illness these days. I'm going to the palace tomorrow. You should be careful at home. If there's anything, just turn to Nanny Lu."
"Granddaughter understands. Don't worry," Liu Yushu replied with a smile on her lips, but there was a sense of unease in her heart.
It was overly quiet tonight. It was quite unexpected that Concubine He didn't cause any trouble.
Early the next morning, Liu Yushu went to see the old lady off.
Right after the old lady's sedan chair was carried away, her father, Liu Daqiang, walked out with a cold face.
She bowed respectfully and greeted, "Father."
Liu Daqiang didn't even glance at her. Holding his head up arrogantly, he said to her in a cold and commanding tone, "I'll be staying in the palace these days. You should be obedient at home. Don't upset your stepmother. Your elder brother is ill. Go and serve him when you're free. He's your own brother."
"Yes," Liu Yushu replied meekly on the surface, but her eyes were cold.
She found her father's words quite ridiculous. She never regarded Liu Yanhao as her elder brother. In this family, the only people she cared about were her younger brother and grandmother.
What's more, Liu Yanhao had contracted a venereal disease. Instead of scolding him, Liu Daqiang even invited several doctors to treat him, using only the finest medicinal herbs. He even declared that he would spare no expense to cure his eldest son.
His attitude towards Liu Yanhao was worlds apart from that towards her younger brother, Liu Yanyi. After all, it was Liu Yanyi who was the legitimate son.
"Miss, something's wrong. Young Master Yi is in trouble," Zui Tao gasped as she ran towards Liu Yushu.
Liu Yushu's heart skipped a beat. She quickened her pace towards her younger brother's room, with Nanny Lu following closely behind.
Entering the room, Liu Yushu saw her younger brother lying unconscious on the couch. She rushed over anxiously, cupping his thin and pale cheeks with both hands and calling out, "Yi'er, what's wrong with you? Open your eyes and look at your elder sister."
He had been in good spirits yesterday. How could he suddenly lose consciousness?
"Zui Tao, go and fetch Doctor Yan quickly," Liu Yushu said. As she tried to pull the summer quilt off her brother with her slender arms, Nanny Lu suddenly pulled her up from the couch.
Nanny Lu pointed at a large purple mark on Liu Yanyi's calf, looking terrified. "Miss, be careful."
Liu Yushu was stunned. Although her younger brother couldn't walk, he was a very clean person. His calves had been smooth and flawless when she visited him yesterday. How could...
Thinking of this, Liu Yushu shivered, her scalp tingling.
"Miss, this kind of mark only appears on people who have contracted venereal diseases. Young Master Yi might be in trouble. We need to get the doctor here quickly," Nanny Lu voiced her suspicion.
Liu Yushu was certain that it was Concubine He who had done this. Her son was the only one in the mansion who had contracted the venereal disease. Concubine He was so vicious. She wanted to kill her younger brother.
Liu Yushu's vision suddenly went black. She swayed on her feet and almost fainted, but Nanny Lu caught her in time.
Nanny Lu comforted her, "Miss Shu, you can't fall ill. Young Master Yi is counting on you."
She took a deep breath, steadied herself, and tried to stand firm. Concubine He had deliberately waited until the old lady and her father were away to make things difficult for her. She had to protect her younger brother at all costs and hold on until the old lady returned.
Zui Tao ran back and reported anxiously, "Miss, the people in Danfeng Pavilion won't let Doctor Yan go. They said they need him to treat Young Master Hao. They also won't let the other doctors come."
Liu Yushu's eyes welled up with tears. Looking at her dying younger brother, she choked, "What shall we do?"
"Miss, don't worry. I'll go and find someone. You stay here and watch over Young Master Yi," Nanny Lu told Zui Tao to support Liu Yushu and then rushed out.
Not long after, Doctor Yan arrived.
"Please wait outside, Miss Shu. It's not appropriate for a woman to be present for this kind of illness," Doctor Yan said. Liu Yushu had no choice but to retreat outside and anxiously wait at the door.
She stared coldly at Qinghua, the maid who had been taking care of her younger brother, and demanded, "What on earth happened?"
Qinghua shook her head guiltily. "I don't know. It has nothing to do with me." Then she turned and ran away.
"This girl must be up to something. We can't let her get away," Zui Tao said angrily. Just as she was about to chase after her, Liu Yushu ordered, "Follow her and see if she goes to Danfeng Pavilion. Don't alert anyone."
"Yes," Zui Tao replied and quickly chased after Qinghua.
Doctor Yan came out of the room. Seeing Liu Yushu's red and anxious eyes, he comforted her, "Miss Shu, please rest assured. Second Young Master's venereal disease is not serious. He got this illness because someone deliberately wanted to harm him." Doctor Yan lowered his voice and said to Liu Yushu, "Someone put the pants of a person with venereal disease on Second Young Master. Fortunately, it was only the outer pants. I've already changed them for Second Young Master. In the next few days, Miss Shu just needs to give Second Young Master the medicine I left on time. He'll recover within three days."
Doctor Yan had been treating the old lady for a long time and was very reliable. He also sympathized with Liu Yanyi's situation, so the medicine he left for Liu Yushu was naturally different from the one for Concubine He.
Liu Yushu let out a sigh of relief and bowed to Doctor Yan. "Thank you, Doctor Yan." Tears welled up in her eyes.
She sent all the servants in her younger brother's room outside to serve.
When Zui Tao returned, she reported that Qinghua had run into Danfeng Pavilion. Qinghua had been bribed by Concubine He.
Liu Yushu ordered Zui Tao to boil the medicine herself.
She was busy taking care of her younger brother and hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. As the sky gradually darkened and her younger brother's forehead was no longer hot, she finally had a chance to rest. She was so tired that she slumped into a chair in the front hall, propping her head up with her hand. Just as she was about to take a nap, she suddenly opened her eyes and asked Zui Tao, "Where's Nanny Lu?"
Zui Tao looked blank and shook her head. "I haven't seen her all afternoon."
Liu Yushu's face showed unease. She felt that something was wrong.
Seeing her pale face, Zui Tao comforted her, "Miss, don't worry. Nanny Lu is the old lady's servant. Who in the mansion would dare to touch her?"
Liu Yushu nodded, thinking that Zui Tao was right.
Outside the door, a thunderclap sounded.
"Miss, it's not raining yet. I'll go to the kitchen and get you some food. You should eat something before you rest," Zui Tao said and then pushed the door open and went out.
Liu Yushu walked to the couch and lay down on her younger brother's pillow to rest with her eyes closed.
The sound of the door opening and closing came from the front hall.
Liu Yushu slowly got up. She thought it was Zui Tao who had returned. But when she saw the long, narrow shadow on the ground, her heart skipped a beat. Her pupils constricted. In the blink of an eye, the shadow enveloped her. The owner of the shadow quickly grabbed her wrist and easily twisted it behind her back. Her mouth was covered by a pair of cold and moist hands. At the same time, thick and ragged breaths fell from above her head.
Who was the man behind her? A thief?