Seeing the dried blood on Yun Xi's feet, Yu Zhu's eyes welled up with tears. She couldn't even begin to imagine what her young mistress had been through.
She reached out carefully, trying to help Yun Xi take off her shoes, but was stopped by a raised hand.
"I'll do it myself," Yun Xi mumbled.
With that, she closed her eyes, held her breath, and suddenly yanked off the socks that had stuck to the soles of her feet, revealing the bright red wounds...
Yu Zhu let out a startled cry and was about to step forward when Yun Xi stopped her again.
She gritted her teeth and roughly wiped away the blood, then casually wrapped up the wounds, put on a new pair of socks.
Yun Xi threw her dirty clothes, along with the blood - stained shoes and socks, to Yu Zhu.
"Hide them well."
Then she undid her hair bun, simply combed out the knotted hair, hugged a box of pastries tightly, and weakly lay down in the quilt.
Looking at the frightened and restless Yu Zhu, Yun Xi said concisely:
"I set the fire. I know about what Lady Jiang did. Later, you go and guard the door. Just say I'm sick, like before. We're going to 'corner the enemy' today!"
The corner of her lips, smeared with pastry crumbs, lifted slightly towards Yu Zhu, and she blinked her big star - like eyes, looking extremely lively.
Yu Zhu looked at Yun Xi in disbelief. This Yun Xi was so calm and composed.
In the past, the young mistress only knew how to endure patiently. She never showed anger or said a word when bullied by Lady Jiang. When had she ever thought about fighting back?
It felt as if her young mistress had become a completely different person, yet it made her inexplicably at ease.
But since the young mistress was already back, was it still necessary to stop people from coming in?
Yu Zhu was confused but didn't ask further. When she reached the door, she paused for a moment and looked worried.
"What about that maid outside the tent..."
"Don't worry about her," Yun Xi said, closing her eyes and deep in thought.
Lady Jiang had set up the stage. It would be a pity if no one played the part.
Just as she finished speaking, there was a commotion outside the door. The two looked at each other, and Yu Zhu rushed out of the tent in a hurry.
Yun Sheng had been summoned by the emperor early in the morning for a talk. But when he was told that his youngest daughter was injured, he rushed over in a hurry.
Seeing that his youngest daughter was okay, Yun Sheng began to worry about his eldest daughter. After hearing from Lady Jiang that Yun Xi was sick, he rushed over impatiently. Unexpectedly, he saw a group of people outside his daughter's tent.
Seeing the maid with her hands and feet tied at the door, Yun Sheng frowned. Just as he was about to go in, he was blocked by Yu Zhu.
"What are you doing?"
Yun Sheng's eyes darkened. Yu Zhu lowered her head and quickly said:
"Reporting to the master, the young mistress has caught a cold and is resting..."
Hearing this, Yun Sheng was anxious and even more eager to see his daughter.
"I'll leave in a moment." But his steps were blocked by Yu Zhu again.
Yun Sheng's face turned cold. His imposing gaze showed obvious displeasure.
Lady Jiang secretly curled her lips. Certain of the outcome, she preempted Yun Sheng and scolded coldly:
"Yu Zhu, this morning you stopped people from seeing Yun Xi, not giving any face to me or the other noble ladies. But now the master is here. Do you still dare to stop him stubbornly?! Could it be... what that maid said is true?"
Lady Jiang's face suddenly changed. She staggered and was supported by a maid.
Yun Sheng sensed something and immediately asked in a deep voice:
"What on earth is going on?"
Lady Jiang looked on the verge of tears. Mama Liu beside her told the whole story in detail. After meeting Yun Sheng's murderous gaze, she fell silent.
"It's so pitiful for our Ni'er and Qi Ge. Such good children. They didn't do anything wrong, yet they have to be implicated by their elder sister for no reason."
Lady Jiang held back her tears and looked heart - broken.
"From now on, our Prime Minister's Mansion will become a laughingstock in the capital."
Lady Jiang didn't mention a single word of blame for Yun Xi, but every word was like a nail, nailing her to the pillar of shame in the Yun family!
"Shut up!" Yun Sheng roared angrily.
His handsome and elegant face was now filled with thunderous anger. His sharp eyes seemed to pierce through Lady Jiang.
Lady Jiang shivered and immediately shut her mouth.
She thought to herself that no matter whether her husband went into the tent or not, that little slut's life was already in her hands.
Yu Zhu shook her head desperately. Her heart was in her throat. Yun Sheng pushed her away and a group of people swaggered into the tent.
Just as Yun Sheng was considering how to disperse the crowd, a soft voice suddenly sounded:
"Daddy, is that you?"
Their eyes met. Yun Xi didn't miss the look of shock on Lady Jiang's face.
She wiped the corner of her mouth, coughed a few times feebly, and quickly propped herself up from the bed.
"You rarely get to rest. I clearly told Yu Zhu not to disturb you."
To cover the swelling on her cheeks, she deliberately put on a layer of powder. Her black hair half - covered her face, making her look extremely pale.
Her originally thin figure, with the thin arms that were barely supporting her body trembling slightly, combined with her peerless beauty, was like a begonia after the rain, extremely delicate and pitiful...