Who exactly was this woman?

Bai Yu’s heart tightened. She instinctively rose to her feet and stepped in front of Ling Jingshu, glaring furiously at the stranger. “Who are you? What are your intentions, disguising yourself to approach us like this?”

The woman gave a light laugh. “Miss Bai Yu, there is no need to be alarmed. I mean no harm.”

At those words, Bai Yu’s wariness only deepened. “How do you know my name?” She had come fully prepared, knowing their identities as mistress and servant inside and out — that much was certain.

Compared to Bai Yu’s alarm, Ling Jingshu was far calmer. “Bai Yu, don’t panic first. Come sit beside me. I’ll ask the questions myself.”

Bai Yu steadied her nerves and took a step back, sitting down. Even so, her eyes remained full of caution.

“Who are you?” Ling Jingshu asked coldly. “What is your purpose in coming to see me with all these mysterious theatrics?”

The woman answered with composure. “My name is Qiao Yun. I have been sent by His Highness the Crown Grandson to attend upon you, Miss. In order to avoid drawing attention, this was the only approach available to me. If I have frightened you, I hope you will not hold it against me.”

This Qiao Yun — was actually someone sent by the Crown Grandson?!

Ling Jingshu felt a jolt of astonishment inside, yet not a trace of it showed on her face. She only gave a mild sound of acknowledgment.

Over the past month and more, the Crown Grandson had given no response whatsoever. She had naturally felt disappointed, assuming that her offer of allegiance had been rejected. Looking back now, she realized the Crown Grandson must have had someone watching her every move in secret all this time.

She had saved Princess An Ya and become an honored guest of Wei Jieyu. She had then received the Empress Xu’s special “favor,” and would henceforth have frequent opportunities to enter and leave the inner palace — only then had she barely acquired the “capital” to make her offer of allegiance worth accepting.

And so, the Crown Grandson had finally sent this Qiao Yun. It served both to signal his acceptance of her allegiance, and to plant a spy openly at her side.

Ling Jingshu quickly pieced together the truth of the matter, and made no move to speak hastily. Her gaze settled on Qiao Yun’s face.

Qiao Yun had clearly been chosen and assigned to Ling Jingshu’s side for good reason — she was no ordinary woman. Under Ling Jingshu’s unwavering, scrutinizing stare, she remained completely composed and unruffled.

At that moment, the voice of a guard came from outside the carriage. “Miss, the medical hall is just ahead.”

A flicker passed through Ling Jingshu’s eyes. She gave an unhurried instruction. “Stop the carriage. Have someone carry this young woman into the medical hall.”

Qiao Yun was indeed quick-witted. The moment the words left Ling Jingshu’s lips, she cooperated by closing her eyes and going limp. In an instant, she had resumed the appearance of someone on the verge of death.

Bai Yu watched the scene in a daze, her mind in complete disarray.

Ling Jingshu gave Bai Yu a reassuring smile and said quietly, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll handle everything.”

Bai Yu nodded blankly, a string of questions welling up inside her.

Was this Qiao Yun truly a person of the Crown Grandson? Why would the Crown Grandson send her to Miss’s side? And — why did Miss show not even the slightest surprise?

……

What followed was a scene so deftly performed it left Bai Yu’s eyes unable to keep up.

After the “unconscious” Qiao Yun was brought into the medical hall, a physician quickly applied needles and revived her. Upon waking, Qiao Yun was overflowing with tearful gratitude toward the one who had saved her life, insisting on coming to give thanks in person.

Ling Jingshu asked warmly about Qiao Yun’s background. Qiao Yun choked back sobs and answered through her tears. “I lost both my parents when I was young and grew up living with my second uncle. I never had enough to eat or enough to wear, and still had to cook, wash, and do all the work. I had long since reached the age for marriage, but my second uncle, wanting to collect a large bride price, kept dragging his feet about finding me a proper family. Later, for reasons I don’t quite understand, he was persuaded by someone and decided to sell me off to a filthy house of ill repute. When I found out, I was terrified, and I fled that very night.”

“I am a girl with no money and no one to rely on. I collapsed on the road today because I had not eaten a single bite for two full days. Miss, since you have already saved me, please give me a chance to live. I beg you to take me in. I am willing to serve you as a beast of burden for the rest of my life.”

As she spoke, she kowtowed forcefully, her eyes blurred with tears. The picture of misery.

The physicians and attendants at the medical hall, along with the guards from the Ling household, all wore expressions of sympathy.

Ling Jingshu sighed. “All right, stop kowtowing. It sounds as though your life has truly been difficult. Since it was I who encountered you, perhaps there is some fate between us. I am currently staying as a guest at my great-uncle’s estate. Come back to the Ling household with me for now. As for whether you may stay — I will need to inform my great-uncle and great-aunt and obtain their consent.”

Qiao Yun’s face filled with emotion. “Qiao Yun thanks you, Miss.” She kowtowed several more times with great force before finally rising to her feet.

Having gone two days without food, her body was weak from exhaustion. As she stood, Qiao Yun swayed slightly.

Bai Yu instinctively reached out to steady her.

Qiao Yun thanked her gratefully. “Thank you, Miss. To have met the two of you must be the blessing I accumulated in a past life.”

……The acting was so flawless it was almost breathtaking.

Thinking that such a sharp and capable woman would now be staying at Miss’s side every single day, watching her every move, Bai Yu felt a discomfort that came straight from the bottom of her heart.

Bai Yu drew a deep breath and forced out a smile. “Miss Qiao Yun, there’s no need to be so formal. Since you’ll be staying at Miss’s side from now on, we’ll be together morning and night. You can just call me Bai Yu.”

So it was all just putting on a show for others to see, was it? Hmph! She wouldn’t lose to this Qiao Yun!

……

After that, Qiao Yun took her place in the carriage as a matter of course, and they all returned to the Ling household together.

Sun Shi and the others were rather surprised to see Ling Jingshu return with an unfamiliar young woman, and naturally asked about the circumstances. Ling Jingshu let out a soft sigh and recounted Qiao Yun’s sorrowful background. “……She has escaped from her family and now has nowhere to go. If I were to send her back, it would be no different from pushing her into a pit of fire. She begged me pitifully to take her in. After much deliberation, I brought her back with me.”

Qiao Yun dropped to her knees with a thud, her tear-filled eyes pleading. “I beg Madam to let me stay. I can do any work at all. I only ask Madam to give me a place to shelter.”

With that, she kowtowed again and again.

Sun Shi was not made of stone. Seeing this, her heart softened. The Ling household had so many servants — keeping one more would be no great hardship.

“Very well. You may stay in the Ling household for now. You were brought back by A’Shu, so there must be some bond of mistress and servant between you. From now on, you will remain at A’Shu’s side and attend upon her.”

“Thank you, Madam!” Qiao Yun wept as she kowtowed her thanks.

Jiang Shi thought it over and said, “A’Shu, if Qiao Yun’s family comes looking for her, it would be difficult to justify having taken her in without any proper arrangement. How about this — have someone take Qiao Yun back to draw up a bond of indenture and give her family the silver. That way, there will be no trouble in the future.”

It would also be a chance to quietly look into this Qiao Yun’s background. To prevent A’Shu, who was young and inexperienced, from being deceived by someone.

Ling Jingshu smiled. “Sister-in-law thinks of everything so carefully. Let us do exactly as sister-in-law says.”

The Crown Grandson, having gone to the trouble of arranging for someone to be placed at her side, would certainly not have been careless. This Qiao Yun’s “background and origins” should be able to withstand scrutiny.