However, Mei Zhaoxue couldn’t understand. It seemed to be a settled matter, so how did it suddenly take such an unexpected turn?
The Minister’s mansion was heavily guarded. How could a mere maid like Lü Ming escape?
“Since that’s the case, go and inquire,” Shen Zaiye nodded, then glanced at Qin Jieyu beside him. “Jieyu, you don’t need to go. It’s better to avoid another conflict.”
Qin Jieyu was stunned but lowered her head and responded, “Yes.”
The two women left with their maids. As soon as they left Linwu Courtyard, Qin grabbed Mei Zhaoxue’s arm and said, “Madam, what did the lord mean by that? Does he suspect me?”
Mei Zhaoxue sighed and gently rubbed her temples. “This can’t be helped. Miss Meng was wrongly accused, and you’re the only one in this courtyard who openly opposes her. It’s understandable for the lord to have some suspicions.”
“But that’s unacceptable! I have nothing to do with this!” Qin Jieyu became anxious. “The lord already doesn’t favor me much lately. If there’s another misunderstanding, won’t he stop coming to my place altogether?”
“Calm down,” Mei Zhaoxue said with displeasure. “How can you accomplish anything if you panic at the slightest issue? Your position in this courtyard is very stable. Even if the lord doesn’t favor you right now, the past favors are enough for you to continue living comfortably. Besides, there’s still a long way to go. You may yet have a chance to regain the lord’s heart.”
Qin frowned. That may be true, but she was used to being pampered. Living in a cold courtyard for a long time was unacceptable.
However, the madam had a point. She couldn’t rush things. For now, it was best to settle Miss Meng’s matter first, preferably by continuing to pin the blame on her so she couldn’t recover.
As soon as they left, Taohua slipped out from the inner room, her bright eyes darting around Shen Zaiye.
Glancing at her, Shen Zaiye said coolly, “What do you want to say now?”
Smiling, Taohua climbed onto his lap and blinked her eyes, saying softly, “This humble one previously thought Miss Meng was framed by Lady Qin.”
“Previously?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow. “And now?”
“Now… this humble one thinks my lord is truly impressive.”
She had almost been fooled! The one framing Miss Meng was Shen Zaiye himself!
She had initially thought Lady Qin was more suspicious, as eliminating Miss Meng would benefit her more, and didn’t seem to help Shen Zaiye much.
However, after Shen Zaiye met with a fat man yesterday, Lü Ming suddenly escaped.
Ridiculous! The Minister’s mansion was no ordinary place. Even a fly would need a full-body inspection to leave. How could Lü Ming, a maid with no martial arts skills, silently escape in the middle of the night? It must have been Shen Zaiye who let her go, likely to exonerate Miss Meng.
Why did he previously frame Meng Zhen’er even at the cost of his health, but now wants to let her off?
Connecting the events of last night, Taohua felt there was only one truth: Shen Zaiye had used Miss Meng to make some deal with the Meng family. This deal must have been difficult to achieve initially, forcing him to take a step back to move forward.
Now that his goal was achieved, Miss Meng was given a reprieve.
Thinking this way, Shen Zaiye was indeed very impressive. The women in this courtyard were probably sent by others to curry favor with him, yet he turned it around and used these women to hold others by the throat.
Such a man was both reliable and dangerous.
Looking into her eyes, Shen Zaiye knew she had likely guessed his thoughts again, which displeased him. “Are you sitting comfortably?” he asked.
“Huh?” Taohua looked at him blankly. “Yes, it’s comfortable.”
“I’m not comfortable. You’re heavy,” he said sternly. “Get off!”
Where did she develop this habit of sitting on his lap as soon as she came over?
Pouting, Taohua got up and climbed onto the nearby couch, muttering softly, “Others enjoy having a soft, fragrant beauty in their arms. Are you even a man…”
“What did you say?” Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes.
“This humble one said the weather is clear and sunny today, perfect for an outing!” Taohua quickly replied.
Sneering, Shen Zaiye said, “Have you forgotten you’re getting your stitches removed today?”
Oh, right. Her face fell as Taohua sighed, reaching to touch her waist.
Removing stitches was also torture…
“Master, the female doctor has arrived,” Qing Tai entered and announced.
Her face scrunched up, Taohua tentatively asked, “If we don’t remove them and let the stitches grow into the flesh, what’s so bad about that?”
Qing Tai looked at her seriously and said, “It will get infected and cause illness. The stitches can’t be left in.”
“…Alright.” Nodding dejectedly, Taohua got up and followed Qing Tai out.
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Shen Zaiye found it somewhat interesting. Jiang Taohua, who feared nothing, even daring to get stitches without anesthesia, turned out to be quite afraid of pain.
If she was afraid, why did she insist on being stubborn? Was something wrong with this woman’s mind?
The female doctor was already waiting in the side hall. Taohua pressed her lips together and lay on the bed without a word, exposing the wound on her waist.
“Please bear with it,” the doctor said softly. “This servant will talk about other things to distract you and make it easier for you.”
“Alright,” Taohua closed her eyes and said, “You can tell me some gossip from the mansion.”
Gossip? The doctor took out scissors and began working while saying, “Recently, there was the incident with Lü Ming. The pharmacy has been orderly, so there haven’t been many interesting things to discuss. Only last time, when Lady Liu and Lady Gu came to see the doctor, they started arguing after leaving for some reason.”
Feeling a painful tug at her wound, Taohua gritted her teeth and asked, “Aren’t they good friends for many years? How could they argue?”
“Even the best of friends argue sometimes. Besides, these two ladies haven’t been interacting much lately. It seems there’s some discord between them.”
Taohua pursed her lips. She had looked up Liu’s name in the household register yesterday. Liu Xiangju, the concubine-born daughter of the current Minister of Defense. Since she came to the Minister’s mansion as a mere lady-in-waiting, she probably wasn’t very favored at home.
From their brief encounter, Liu seemed quick-witted and pleasant to talk to, appearing smarter than Gu Huairou. Taohua couldn’t help but wonder if it was Liu who had initially instigated Gu to come and argue with her.
Lost in thought, half the stitches were removed before she realized how uncomfortable it was. The fine, itchy pulling sensation was even worse than when Qing Tai had stabbed her.
“Why don’t you just pull them all out at once!” Taohua said uncomfortably.
The doctor’s mouth twitched slightly. “That… it can’t be pulled out all at once. Please bear with it a little longer, my lady.”
Qing Tai watched with some sympathy and was about to offer more comfort when a maid rushed in frantically, exclaiming, “Doctor Li, please go to Wenqing Pavilion quickly!”
With half the stitches still in the flesh, the doctor didn’t even look up. “Wait until I finish removing Lady Jiang’s stitches.”
“What kind of reason is it to come and snatch away our doctor?” Qing Tai stepped forward, displeased, blocking her. “Is your mistress’s urgency more important than my mistress’s?”
The little maid was so anxious she looked like she might cry. She knelt and said, “All the other female doctors in the mansion are out today. My mistress seems to be… seems to be unwell, and only the doctor can examine her. This servant was just panicked for a moment. Please understand, Lady Jiang!”
Only the doctor can examine her. Then it must be a women’s ailment. Taohua pressed her lips together and said weakly, “It’s not that I don’t understand, but I’m suffering too.”
Qing Tai said irritably, “Master, you just lie there. I’ll send her out.”
With that, she picked up the little maid and threw her into the courtyard, slamming the door shut and bolting it.
The little maid was stunned. She looked towards the main house but was too afraid to go there. She could only run back to Wenqing Pavilion with a heavy heart.
After about half an hour of trouble, the stitches on Taohua’s body were finally removed. There was an ugly, fierce scar on her waist.
“What can I do about this?” she worried. “Is there any way to get rid of it?”
Doctor Li smiled gently and said, “My lady should eat more foods like pork skin and take good care of it for a few years. It will fade somewhat.”
A few years? Taohua sighed. That meant she would have to live with it.
Just as she was feeling dejected, a commotion broke out outside. It sounded like Zhan Lu was blocking someone, but the person kept shouting regardless: “My lord! Something’s happened! Please come out and see, my lord!”
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Taohua raised an eyebrow and, holding her waist, asked Qing Tai to open the door.
Shen Zaiye had been resting and was disturbed by the noise. He opened the door with an impatient look. “What’s the matter?”
Zhan Lu stood bowing to one side. Liu, with tears on her face, knelt as soon as she saw him. “My lord, Sister Huairou’s pregnancy seems abnormal! How can you not be worried at all?”
Abnormal pregnancy? Shen Zaiye was stunned, as was Taohua at the side hall door.
When did she become pregnant?
Liu cried bitterly, clutching her handkerchief. “Earlier, when sister wanted a female doctor, even Lady Jiang wouldn’t give one up. Now it’s too late; the doctor went over and found that Sister Huairou might have disturbed the fetus.”
“Has it been confirmed?” Shen Zaiye asked.
“…Not yet. The doctor is still examining. They say it’s too soon to tell, and they might need to observe for a while longer.”
If it hasn’t been confirmed, how does she know it’s an abnormal pregnancy and not just a stomachache?
Taohua clicked her tongue and slowly walked over to Shen Zaiye. “My lord is aware of my situation. It wasn’t that I intentionally monopolized the doctor; it just happened to coincide.”
“I know,” Shen Zaiye nodded, rubbing his brow. “Since it’s so serious, let’s go to Wenqing Pavilion and take a look. Taohua, you come along too.”
“Yes,” Jiang Taohua responded, glancing at Liu kneeling on the ground.
Liu Xiangju slowly stood up, still wiping her tears. She looked extremely worried as if she had come to speak up for her sister.
However, hadn’t Doctor Li just said that she and Gu had a falling out? What was the meaning of this show of empathy?
Shen Zaiye walked at a moderate pace. Liu followed beside him, growing somewhat anxious. “My lord, aren’t you nervous? If it’s confirmed, it would be your first child.”
“I’m not a doctor. Being nervous won’t help,” Shen Zaiye said coolly. “Besides, you said it hasn’t been confirmed. If it turns out not to be true, wouldn’t I have to blame Lady Gu?”
Liu Xiangju was stunned and fell silent, retreating to the side.
(End of Chapter)