"My roast chicken, my sesame seed cake, my spiced pig's trotters!"
Looking at Yun Xi, who had been pouting by the window with a disgruntled look ever since she was locked in the ancestral hall, Yu Zhu felt like crying.
"Miss, at a time like this, how can you still be thinking about food?"
The situation was extremely urgent, but why did the miss seem so unconcerned?
It was late autumn, and the ancestral hall was freezing cold at night. The miss was already in poor health. Even if she could endure for three days, she would surely fall seriously ill!
While Yu Zhu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, she saw Yun Xi spreading out a soft cushion, unpacking her bag, and eating leisurely.
"Yu Zhu, do you want some osmanthus cake?"
Yun Xi reached out and stuffed a piece of pastry into Yu Zhu's hand.
"Although it's not as delicious as the spiced pig's trotters, we'll just have to make do for now."
"Miss!"
This time, Yu Zhu really burst into tears, but Yun Xi patted her on the shoulder soothingly.
"It's okay. I'll be with you tonight. Don't be afraid."
"..." Yu Zhu's tears stopped instantly. Was this what she was worried about?!
Yun Xi brushed off the crumbs on her hands, rummaged through her bag again, and pulled out some spicy beef jerky. She tore off a piece with her teeth and chewed it contentedly.
"I've figured it out. Grandma always says I'm stupid and only know how to cause trouble. Well, I might as well just go all the way and shock her completely!"
Because her mother was a merchant's daughter, Grandma, who was born into a scholarly family and always thought highly of herself, always looked down on her mother and daughter. As a result, even she, her granddaughter, was regarded as a disgrace by Grandma.
Having lost her mother at a young age, she had once longed for Grandma's love. However, every time she tried her best, all she got was Grandma's cold attitude and disdainful looks.
As time went by, she no longer cared.
Even when she saw Yun Ni and Yun Qi being treated like treasures by Grandma and carefully cared for, she didn't feel a single pang of heartache.
"Even if you're angry, you don't have to torture yourself like this!"
Yu Zhu recalled how the miss used to deliberately hide in the old lady's courtyard in order to gain Grandma's favor when she was a child. In the end, she caught a cold.
However, she was only sent out by the maids in the courtyard, and the old lady never showed up.
After that, the old lady even ordered Mama Qian to scold her severely and told the miss never to go to the old lady's courtyard again...
It was said that there was always a special bond between grandparents and grandchildren, but this clearly didn't apply to the old lady of the Yun family. She was as cold - hearted as they come!
Hearing this, Yun Xi waved the beef jerky in her hand, her eyes shining brightly:
"I'm not angry. I'm going to take a gamble! Have you forgotten that we still owe the queen ten thousand taels of gold?"
If you don't invest something, how can you take advantage of the old lady?
Yu Zhu stared at her in shock and only then did she suddenly remember. She looked at Yun Xi with a look of amazement in her eyes.
Why did she feel like she was becoming more and more unable to understand the miss?
Night fell quickly. Yun Xi lit up all the candles in the ancestral hall. The room was filled with a warm yellow light. The two of them wrapped themselves tightly in the quilt and huddled together. It didn't seem as cold as they had imagined.
"Miss, why does the emperor always ask the prime minister, our master, to go on night - watch patrols in the palace? Aren't there the Imperial Guards?"
Yun Xi yawned and rested her head on Yu Zhu's warm shoulder.
"What else? It's because it's rumored that my father was the reincarnation of the Star of Literature and has a strong astrological sign!"
When talking about this, Yun Xi felt both amused and ironic.
The current emperor was ruthless enough to kill his father and seize the throne, yet he was afraid of mere ghosts?
He even made the first - rank prime minister lead the Imperial Guards to keep watch in the palace for him to ward off ghosts. It was truly a huge joke!
Just as Yu Zhu was about to ask another question, Yun Xi interrupted her:
"Alright, go to sleep! I can hardly keep my eyes open..."
With that, Yun Xi closed her eyes. Before long, her even breathing could be heard.
It was already dawn the next day when Yun Sheng rushed back to the mansion after receiving the news from Xiao Anzi.
The loud sound of the door opening woke Yu Zhu up instantly. When she saw the person in front of her, she was so startled that she stammered:
"M - M - Master..."
Yun Sheng ignored her and walked towards Yun Xi anxiously.
"Xi'er, Xi'er!"
Thinking that Yun Xi was unconscious, Yun Sheng was heart - broken. He roared out of the door:
"Someone! Go and invite the imperial physician immediately!!"
With that, he picked up Yun Xi, who was sleeping soundly, and rushed out of the door.
"Dad?"
Woken up by the roar, Yun Xi rubbed her eyes. To her surprise, she saw that her father's eyes were red. She asked blankly:
"Didn't you sleep well?"
Seeing that his daughter was suffering but still cared about him, Yun Sheng felt even more heart - broken.
"Xi'er, don't talk. Dad has already called the imperial physician. He'll come and examine you soon."
"Examine me?" Yun Xi was confused.
She wasn't sick. She just felt a bit bloated from last night's dinner and was still a bit sleepy.
Before she could explain, Yun Sheng had already carried her back to the courtyard. He even sent someone to invite the old lady. There was undisguised anger on his face.
Yun Xi had just taken the hawthorn pills prescribed by the imperial physician and was resting in the quilt when she heard her father scold in a suppressed voice:
"You wretch! Kneel down for me!"
"You knew exactly what happened that day, yet you deliberately deceived your grandma and made your sister kneel in the ancestral hall all night! Do you know that you almost killed your sister!"
Killed her? It couldn't be that serious, could it, Dad?
Yun Xi was speechless. Did her father think she was made of glass?
Just as she was thinking this, Yun Ni spoke up:
"Dad, you're always partial to elder sister. It's just kneeling in the ancestral hall. How could it lead to death?"
Yun Ni was dissatisfied. She tugged at the old lady's sleeve and complained:
"Grandma, look at Dad. My mother just woke up, but Dad didn't even go to visit her. All he does is scold us. It's all that trouble - maker's fault!"
After hearing what Yun Ni said, the old lady's face darkened instantly:
"Even if Yun Ni lied, Jiang Xu was injured because of Yun Xi. Is there something wrong with me punishing her?"
"Mother, you..."
Yun Sheng frowned. Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Yun Xi, looking sickly, being supported by Yu Zhu as she walked out.
"Grandma's punishment is justified. I was really wrong."
"Why aren't you having a good rest?" Yun Sheng helped his daughter sit down lovingly.
Yun Xi looked aggrieved, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Dad, Grandma, I was really wrong. That day, the maid sent by the concubine was caught stealing. The queen knew I was short of servants and said she wanted to bestow a maid on me. I couldn't refuse, so I thought I couldn't let the Prime Minister's Mansion owe the queen a favor. I immediately promised to donate ten thousand taels to help the queen build a temple. Now that I think about it, I really regret it. We have younger siblings to raise at home. I shouldn't have spent so much money..."
"What? Ten thousand taels!"
The old lady slumped back in her chair, covering her chest. Her eyes were wide open in shock.
Yun Xi squeezed out two tears and nodded regretfully.
"Yes, and it's gold."
Everyone gasped.
Now, not only the old lady but also Yun Sheng and everyone else present were looking at Yun Xi in shock.