Shen Zaiye asked Zhanlu with a complex expression, “Can you also control that maid with excellent martial arts skills who’s close to Jiang Shi?”
“I thought of that early on!” Zhanlu replied. “We’ve already told her that if she dares to send food to Jingye Hall, you’ll punish Miss Jiang even more severely. Given her loyalty, I’m sure she won’t dare to send anything!”
“You’ve thought it through,” Shen Zaiye looked at him, his expression between a smile and not. “You’re understanding my intentions more and more.”
“You flatter me, master!” Zhanlu said earnestly. “As long as it’s your order, I’ll do my utmost to carry it out!”
Exerting yourself when you shouldn’t, and not when you should!
Shen Zaiye gritted his teeth, waved his hand to close the door, and sat back behind his desk to continue reading. If no food was sent, so be it. It was only the last day anyway. Let her go hungry.
Just as dawn was breaking, there seemed to be some movement outside Jingye Hall’s courtyard.
Taohua got up, put on her clothes, and curiously went out. She saw something white flying over the courtyard wall and landing on the ground.
It was a steamed bun!
Her eyes lit up as Taohua quickly ran over to pick it up. Although it was a bit dusty, it was still warm. Who was so kind as to send her food?
“Qingtai?” she called out tentatively.
There was no answer from outside; the person had probably left already. Patting the dust off the bun, Taohua swallowed hard. Just as she was about to eat it, she paused.
Could she eat something of unknown origin? There were so many treacherous people in this household. Who knew if someone might try to poison her now that she was desperately hungry?
Becoming alert, Taohua ran back to her room with the bun and placed it on the table to examine it carefully.
Poisoned or not?
She pulled out a silver hairpin, wiped it clean, and carefully poked it into the bun. When she pulled out the hairpin, it hadn’t turned black.
It’s edible! Taohua’s eyes gleamed. She picked it up and was about to put it in her mouth when she dejectedly remembered her master saying that many poisons couldn’t be detected by silver needles.
She still couldn’t eat it!
The steaming hot bun slowly cooled on the table as Taohua lay beside it weakly, watching with tears streaming down her face. She was truly starving, just wanting to eat something. Why couldn’t someone be a good Samaritan and leave their name? At least tell her if she could eat it, so she wouldn’t end up worse off than having no bun at all!
At noon, the smell of food began wafting through the courtyard again. Taohua stared pitifully at the inedible bun on the table, silently counting how many hours were left before she could leave.
Then, there was another commotion outside the courtyard.
A bamboo basket was lowered down over the courtyard wall. Taohua caught it and saw two small dishes along with a bowl of rice. Just looking at it made her mouth water.
However, her first reaction was still to grab the rope and ask the person outside, “Who is it?”
The rope loosened, and the person ran away again.
Is it trendy these days to do good deeds anonymously? Angrily looking at the two plates of food, Taohua dug a hole in the flower bed, crying as she buried the food.
At that moment, she suddenly understood what those scholars meant by “anticipation is better than realization.” Seeing the food was more painful than not seeing it. Since she couldn’t eat it anyway, out of sight, out of mind.
By evening, Taohua’s mind began to wander. She sat on the well platform drinking water, staring blankly at the moon.
Another dark shadow flashed over her head and landed beside her. Taohua turned her head, looked at the person dressed very much like an assassin, and without fear, asked, “Are you Chang’e?”
Xu Yangui: “…”
This person was starved to the point of delirium. Who’s ever seen Chang’e dressed all in black? And a man at that – if anything, he should be Wu Gang.
He handed her a steamed bun and said softly, “I couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Here, eat this.”
Slightly startled, Taohua’s eyes lit up like two bright lamps, staring at him intensely. “You helped me draw water yesterday, so you’re not trying to poison me today, right?”
“Why would anyone want to poison you?” Startled by her gaze, Xu Yangui couldn’t help but chuckle. “No one would bear to let you die.”
She chose to trust this person! Swallowing hard, Taohua took the bun and took a big bite, tears of happiness flowing from her eyes. “I was really about to starve to death…”
He had never seen anyone more pitiful than her. With her lovely features and teary eyes, she was even more heart-rending. If it were under different circumstances, Xu Yangui would certainly have taken her into his arms to comfort her properly.
Unfortunately, Shen Zaiye had already issued a prohibition against touching her.
“Who are you?” With the bun in her mouth, chewing slowly, Taohua finally thought to ask the person in front of her.
Xu Yangui shrugged. “Just passing by. No need to get acquainted.”
“You’re not here to assassinate Shen Zaiye, are you?” Taohua blinked, holding the bun with both hands, nibbling like a little mouse while sizing him up. “You look like an assassin. Didn’t succeed yesterday?”
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Xu Yangui looked at her and asked, “Do you hope I succeed?”
“As a concubine of the Prime Minister’s household, how could I hope for you to kill the Prime Minister?” Taohua smiled.
Xu Yangui was taken aback. He was about to say that it was rare for her to still be so devoted to Shen Zaiye after being treated this way. But before he could speak, he heard her next words: “Just beat him half to death. I don’t mind being a grass widow.”
Xu Yangui: “…” He couldn’t help but laugh out loud, his voice particularly clear in the quiet night.
The guards patrolling outside happened to pass by and immediately shouted, “Who goes there!”
Quickly suppressing his laughter, Xu Yangui gave Taohua a deep look before disappearing into the night.
The guards opened the door to check and only saw Miss Jiang sitting alone on the well platform. She gave them a resentful look. “Am I not allowed to laugh now?”
“…Pardon us.”
Has Miss Jiang gone mad from being locked up? How could she laugh like a man?
Taohua rolled her eyes as she watched them close the door. She slowly finished the bun, drank a couple of mouthfuls of well water, and went back to sleep. Although one bun wasn’t enough to fill her stomach, it was enough to sustain her, finally allowing her to stop searching for food even in her dreams.
When dawn broke again, it was time for her to be released.
Shen Zaiye didn’t come himself but sent Zhanlu with Qingtai to escort Taohua back to Zhengchun Pavilion.
“Mistress,” As soon as she saw her, Qingtai’s tears wouldn’t stop. “You must be starving. I’ve prepared food for you.”
“Mm, good,” Taohua smiled, patting her back to comfort her. “What’s there to cry about? It’s just two days without food. I’m not even hungry. My waist might even get slimmer.”
Qingtai cried even harder. “You were already thin. You had just put on some weight, and now after starving like this, the flesh on your cheeks is almost gone!”
“It’s not that exaggerated,” Taohua chuckled lightly. “Don’t imagine your mistress to be so miserable. I’m fine. Let’s go back, bathe, and change clothes, then have a good meal.”
Qingtai pursed her lips, glaring fiercely at Zhanlu beside them. When they reached Zhengchun Pavilion, she slammed the door shut, leaving him outside, then busied herself helping Taohua bathe and eat.
Rubbing his nose, Zhanlu innocently went back to report.
“She should understand how strict the rules in this household are now, right?” Shen Zaiye said casually as he flipped through the book in his hand. “After she’s rested, have her come to pay her respects?”
“Yes,” Zhanlu turned to leave but remembered something and came back. “Someone in the household sent a steamed bun to Jingye Hall. When I went to check today, it was still on Miss Jiang’s table.”
Pausing slightly, Shen Zaiye asked without raising his head, “Since it was sent, why didn’t she eat it?”
“I don’t know either. She didn’t touch it at all.”
A dark light flashed in Shen Zaiye’s eyes as he chuckled softly, rubbing his brow.
How could he forget? That girl was so cautious, how could she casually eat something of unknown origin? Never mind, she’s out now. As long as she didn’t starve to death, it’s fine.
After bathing and drinking some thin porridge, Taohua dressed up nicely, as if nothing had happened, and went to Linwu Court to pay her respects to Shen Zaiye.
“What have you learned from these two days of reflection?” Shen Zaiye asked.
Taohua lowered her eyes, a smile on her face. “In this household, the master is the boss. Everything is decided by the master. No one may defy you.”
“What else?”
“I will be more careful in the future, not fall into others’ traps, and be more mindful of proper etiquette and hierarchy.”
“What else?”
Taking a deep breath, Taohua closed her eyes and said, “I am foolish. If there’s anything else, please instruct me, master.”
Looking her over, Shen Zaiye pursed his lips. This person was probably truly angry with him. Her whole body was tense, no longer showing that lively spirit from before.
However, she was the one who made the mistake first. Could he be blamed for being harsh with her?
“Come here.”
“Yes,” Taohua responded, walking over to sit in the chair beside him.
Shen Zaiye frowned. “Are you throwing a tantrum at me?”
“Why do you say that, master?” Taohua looked very confused, finally raising her head to look at him. “What have I done wrong again?”
Slightly taken aback, Shen Zaiye fell silent.
Before, when he called her over, she would happily throw herself into his arms, nuzzling against him like a kitten. Now the rules were what he had personally made her understand, yet he felt uncomfortable with the change.
“Since you understand the rules now, just follow them well,” he said, withdrawing his hand in displeasure. “You should also understand that now that you’re in my household, don’t think about working for others or building relationships outside. I won’t tolerate any sand in my eyes.”
Looking at him strangely, Taohua asked, “When did I work for anyone?”
“You don’t even remember what you’ve done?” Shen Zaiye frowned, his gaze sharp as he looked at her. “That night when I came back from outside, I only ran into you, and I repeatedly told you not to tell anyone. What happened after that?”
“What happened?” Taohua looked utterly bewildered. “I didn’t tell anyone. Not even Qingtai knows.”
Didn’t tell anyone? Shen Zaiye scoffed. “So the news that night grew legs and flew out on its own?”
Taohua frowned, looking at him for a while before saying, “Master, you’ve been so harsh with me lately. Could it be that you think I leaked the information, so you’re taking revenge on me?”
Glancing at her, Shen Zaiye felt something was amiss. Was she acting that good, or was there some misunderstanding? Why did she look like she truly knew nothing?
(End of Chapter)