Chapter 416: I’ll serve you for a lifetime (1/2)
Chapter 416: I’ll serve you for a lifetime
The skies were dim and dusky upon the advent of dawn, making everything seem hazy. Han Yunxi had no more desire to sleep, so she pushed herself on the swing while puzzling over Baili Mingxiang’s poison. Zhao mama busied herself with preparing tea and snacks. Esteemed wangfei didn’t use to have the habit of drinking tea in the mornings, but she’d developed the same routines as His Highness Duke of Qin after returning from the disaster regions. Everyday she woke up, she had to have a cup of tea. The only difference was that she liked snacks with her drinks as well, while the Duke of Qin never ate anything.
Han Yunxi hadn’t given Su Xiaoyu permission to rise, nor did Zhao mama have time to lecture her personally, so the girl was left kneeling inside the rooms. It was only after daylight broke and Han Yunxi went back to change that she recalled the little girl. When she saw her pitiful form, a helpless look flashed through her eyes before she sent Zhao mama a look and went upstairs.
Before leaving the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of Zhao mama and Su Xiaoyu working together to clean up the tea table. If this was the past, Su Xiaoyu would definitely run over and ask to come along, but she played docile this time. Her head was bowed in silence as she focused on cleaning things up. Han Yunxi didn’t say much and simply walked out the door.
Su Xiaoyu watched her retreating form, then looked back at the teacup in her hands. Her eyes took on a cold glint as a sinister plan hatched in her mind.
“She’s gone but you’re still looking?” Zhao mama pinched her. Though her movements looked rough, the action didn’t hurt at all. Su Xiaoyu looked pathetically at Zhao mama before bowing her head.
“Yu’er knows her wrongs.”
“Heheh, little rascal, you’re not bad!” Zhao mama laughed coldly. “I haven’t even disciplined you yet and you’re already admitting your wrongs. Do you think I’d spare you just like that?”
Su Xiaoyu twisted the linen cloth in her hands and whispered, “Then what do you plan to do?”
Zhao mama immediately grabbed her by the ear and made her look up. “Bad girl, you’re still talking back! It looks like esteemed wangfei was right, it’s about time to teach you a lesson!”
Su Xiaoyu pouted and stopped talking. Most of the times, she was acting as her true self. She didn’t know how to speak pretty words and often defied her elders, but she knew how to maintain the balance between outright arrogance and doting child. Even an old, experienced court lady like Zhao mama hadn’t seen any contradictions in her acting. After all, Su Xiaoyu had already passed Chu Xifeng’s background check and was only a young child. Zhao mama hadn’t taken any guards against her at all.
“You won’t admit defeat, will you?” Zhao mama asked.
“I’ll just never stand guard there again in the future,” Su Xiaoyu said in an aggrieved tone.
“Heheh, you don’t need to say a thing. Tonight, you’re sleeping with me,” Zhao mama had her ways. Su Xiaoyu looked at her before her head hung as she withered away. Satisfied, Zhao mama next urged, “Now hurry up and clean this place up!”
Su Xiaoyu picked up a heavy kettle of hot water as her lips curved craftily. In the next instant, she had smashed the kettle against the ground.
“Ah!” She jumped to the side in alarm, startling Zhao mama into doing the same. Fortunately, there wasn’t much water in the kettle and most of it had cooled off; otherwise, it’d be a bad thing if anyone was scalded by its contents.
“Your mind’s still wandering elsewhere?!” Zhao mama was angry.
Su Xiaoyu patted her chest with lingering traces of fear. “Thank goodness nothing happened.”
“Thank goodness esteemed wangfei wasn’t here! If she got scalded, you wouldn’t be able to pay the price even if you had ten lives!” Zhao mama said unhappily.
“Zhao mama, that thing is too dangerous. But esteemed wangfei drinks tea everyday. Suppose she…” Su Xiaoyu trailed off.
“Pah! Shut that crow’s beak1 of yours!” Zhao mama glared at her. But she considered the question carefully as her eyes trailed back to the water on the ground.
Both esteemed wangfei and His Highness drank gongfu tea, so they used very small cups. Water had to be replenished constantly, so it was important to maintain its temperature at consistent high levels. His Highness’s tea table had a miniature stove on top and a special attendant who boiled his water. There was no need to boil such a big kettle of liquid ahead of time. Esteemed wangfei didn’t have such convenient means.
When Su Xiaoyu saw Zhao mama keep quiet, she murmured, “Zhao mama, I saw a little stove at His Highness’s courtyard before. Isn’t that convenient? Why don’t we have esteemed wangfei ask for one from him?”
Zhao mama laughed at the words. “Do we need to ask His Highness for something like that? It’s simple enough just telling Steward Luo to find us one!”
Su Xiaoyu was thrilled. “Then that’s much easier! In the future, I’ll be in charge of boiling the water!”
The seeds of a plot had already been planted, but Han Yunxi was none the wiser. In her mind, she could set aside a hundred cares while in the Duke of Qin’s estate, especially after Long Feiye added guards around the property. There was so much security now that even Gu Qishao couldn’t sneak in.
By now, she had already arrived at General Baili’s estate. There was little more than a month left before the Beauty’s Blood came to completion, so Baili Mingxiang’s body was getting worse by the day. Three days ago, she’d become completely bedridden.
“How much poison is there left?” Han Yunxi asked.
“Exactly fifteen more portions. If I take one every two to three days, I’ll be able to finish completely.” Baili Mingxiang’s lips were white and her face devoid of color, but there was no sign of death lingering around her frame. Her eyes were glimmering with quiet tranquility. They weren’t eyes who were resigned to death, but those who had seen a spark of hope beyond the pain. The woman sitting in front of her now was the source of that hope.
Han Yunxi nodded as she felt her pulse while sweeping her body with the detox system at the same time. Baili Mingxiang was very quiet. She had put the thought of her body completely out of her mind, blanking out at the sight of Han Yunxi’s slender fingers. Scenes from Fishery Island flashed nonstop past her eyes.