Chapter 464
"Bullying too much! Simply bullying too much!" Angry curses were accompanied by the crisp sound of porcelain shattering. After a series of crashes, no intact object remained in the room.
Qiao Yun stood in the corner, lost in thought. Normally, when Yao Zhenyi threw a tantrum, Qiao Yun, as the head maid, would either try to dissuade her or join in her anger towards the other party. She was adept at adapting to situations, otherwise, she wouldn't have been promoted to head maid.
But at this moment, Qiao Yun's mind was still preoccupied with Zhan Feiyu, and she hadn't recovered. She had intended to sacrifice herself and marry an old man to escape the predicament of returning to the Yao family.
Having been a servant for so many years, Qiao Yun knew too well the fate that awaited Yao Zhenyi after her divorce and return to the capital. While the Yao family might show leniency towards Yao Zhenyi out of kinship, they, the dowry servants, would be in dire straits. They would surely be scapegoats, and being matched with a young servant of similar age would be a luxury.
Qiao Yun never expected that the ordinary-looking man was actually from the Imperial Dragon Guard, a Deputy Thousand Household of the fifth rank. If she married him, wouldn't she become an official's wife? And it was the Imperial Dragon Guard! Perhaps even the old master of the Yao family would curry favor with her.
Because her right leg had not yet healed, Yao Zhenyi, sitting on the bed, looked displeased at the wooden-like Qiao Yun. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at her, "Are you out of your mind? Hurry up and clean up the room!"
The pillow fell in front of her, and Qiao Yun finally snapped back to reality. Looking up, she met Yao Zhenyi's furious gaze and immediately said cautiously, "Miss, this servant was also angered by Zhan Feiyu just now. She's simply ungrateful. Miss was willing to marry her, yet she dared to be so demanding!"
The anger that had just subsided flared up again. Yao Zhenyi, furious, clutched the bedding, "A tiger fallen into the plains is bullied by dogs. Zhan Feiyu, that wretched girl, if she ever falls into my hands, I will make her regret it!"
If she could have children, why would Yao Zhenyi be willing to marry a brute from the Imperial Dragon Guard? But she didn't want to be a stepmother. Moreover, in the Minhe Mansion, she considered herself royalty and didn't even show respect to Madam Yuan, an elder. But Yao Zhenyi knew clearly that once she returned to the capital, her true colors would be revealed.
Back then, when she was of marriageable age, she couldn't even find a satisfactory match. Much less now, after a divorce, and unable to have children. Just thinking about how those wretched women would mock her, Yao Zhenyi clenched her fist fiercely. This marriage had to happen. With the title of the Imperial Dragon Guard, who in the capital would dare to laugh at her!
After tidying up the messy room in a hurry, Qiao Yun found a set of white porcelain tea ware from the luggage and served Yao Zhenyi a cup of tea. Then, she said in a low voice, "Miss, when I went to fetch hot water just now, I heard the stable hands say that Zhan Feiyu will be leaving early tomorrow morning."
"Leaving so soon?" Yao Zhenyi had been accustomed to a life of luxury for many years. The journey from the Minhe Mansion to here had been exhausting. Even though the inn's environment was poor, Yao Zhenyi wanted to linger and not leave.
"Yes, I heard she plans to head southwest and not to the capital," Qiao Yun reminded her. If she were returning to the capital, there might have been opportunities for them to travel together.
But once they left Yanzhou Prefecture, it would be a parting of ways, and no matter how many schemes Yao Zhenyi had, they would all fall through.
Her eyes hardened, and Yao Zhenyi felt annoyed by Zhan Feiyu's ungratefulness. After a moment, she looked out the window and said, "Go and take a look outside."
"Yes." Qiao Yun first went to the window and peeked out, then closed the window. She opened the door and looked outside a couple of times, then spoke to the old woman guarding nearby, "Miss needs to rest due to the arduous journey. Granny Liu, guard the door and don't let anyone disturb Miss."
"Don't worry, Young Lady, this old woman understands." Granny Liu immediately walked towards the intersection ahead. Although it was an inn, fortunately, there were few people staying there. It was enough to remind them not to make noise.
Closing the door behind her, Qiao Yun returned to the bedside and took the teacup, placing it back on the table. "Miss, don't worry, someone is guarding outside."
"Find my jewelry box," Yao Zhenyi said again, her eyes turning fierce as she thought about the situations she would face upon returning to the capital.
Since marrying into the Yuan Mansion, Yao Zhenyi's jewelry box hadn't accumulated many new items. She disdained the old-fashioned styles of jewelry in the Minhe Mansion and bought little. Most of her jewelry consisted of jade ornaments. Longyou Road was rich in jade, and the quality was comparable to that in the capital.
When Yao Zhenyi opened the hidden compartment of her jewelry box, Qiao Yun, standing beside her, was stunned. She had served Miss since she was young. Apart from Granny Cao, who died in a runaway horse carriage, she was Miss's confidante. She never knew that Miss's jewelry box had a hidden secret.
Not noticing Qiao Yun's strange expression, Yao Zhenyi looked at the three small porcelain bottles placed side by side. She finally picked up the bottle on the left and pushed the hidden compartment back.
"Find a way to put this medicine into the food or tea," Yao Zhenyi handed the porcelain bottle to Qiao Yun. Her mother had told her on the day of her wedding that she should not use these three bottles of medicine unless absolutely necessary. Now, Yao Zhenyi had no other choice.
Startled, Qiao Yun quickly took the bottle and carefully put it away. "Yes, this servant understands."
Whether in the Yao family in the capital or in the Yuan Mansion, it was not easy to put medicine into food. The madam of the house, as long as she managed the household strictly, would use her confidantes in the kitchen. To put medicine without anyone noticing, one would have to bribe the kitchen staff, but there was always a risk of being reported.
After leaving the room, Qiao Yun walked towards the kitchen. Money could make the devil push the mill. These stable hands only earned two to three taels of silver a month. This one hundred tael silver note was equivalent to ten years of their wages.
Zhan Feiyu and Yin Wuyan did not take Yao Zhenyi and her servant seriously. Under the lamplight, Zhan Feiyu was still racking her brain to find a rhyme for the last line of the poem.
Yin Wuyan closed the door behind him. "What is it?"
"Seventh Master, just now..." He Sheng lowered his head and reported, his expression indescribable. Who would have thought that Yao Zhenyi would dare to order her maid to put medicine in the kitchen? The last person who dared to drug Seventh Master was already buried under a pile of grass.
Yin Wuyan did not get angry. His deep voice remained clear and indifferent. "Select two unmarried women from the Yao family's servants."
Since they were so eager to get married, he would fulfill their wish. Yin Wuyan glanced at the room, which was illuminated by candlelight. Not everyone was as precocious and clever as the young girl. He remembered how, in the mountains of Jinlin Village, the first time the young girl saw him, she was as alert to danger as a small animal. Although a little timid, she was also adorably timid.
"Seventh Master, A Nuan said this medicine is rather special." He Sheng handed over the porcelain bottle. If it were just ordinary aphrodisiacs, He Sheng would have reported it afterward.
Although A Nuan's medical skills could not be compared to those of renowned physicians, she was much better than ordinary doctors. A Nuan had seen many medicines during her training in the Imperial Dragon Guard. If she called it special, then this medicine must be extraordinary.
The medicine, the size of a soybean, emitted an indescribable sweet and cloying scent when sealed in the bottle. However, as the bottle was opened, the scent gradually faded, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to have no scent at all.
Yin Wuyan was not skilled in medicine. He re-sealed the bottle. "Is it a secret medicine?"
"A Nuan cannot determine, but she suspects it is the lost 'Entanglement'," He Sheng said. As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the coldness emanating from Yin Wuyan. Looking up, he saw Yin Wuyan's icy phoenix eyes filled with a brewing storm.
Entanglement? Yin Wuyan's hand, clutching the porcelain bottle, tightened abruptly. If it weren't for his residual reason controlling him, the medicine bottle in his palm would have already been crushed.
When it came to medicine, A Nuan was only half-hearted. The most skilled person in the entire Imperial Dragon Guard was Ji Chaocai. It was Ji Chaocai who saved Zhan Feiyu when she had an allergic reaction to almond candy and broke out in a rash.
A quarter of an hour later.
Having finally finished writing today's test-style poem, Zhan Feiyu hadn't had time to have Yin Wuyan review it when her soft and plump face suddenly lost its radiance. "So soon?"
Although Zhan Feiyu had stubbornly said that they would part ways in Yanzhou Prefecture, and she would continue her studies in Qianzhong Road, and her elder brother would return to the capital or stay in Longyou Road, Zhan Feiyu hadn't expected it to be so sudden.
Sensing the young girl's reluctance and disappointment, Yin Wuyan gently stroked Zhan Feiyu's head with his large hand. His clear voice softened unconsciously, "After I finish this matter, I will come to Qianzhong Road to see you."
Hiding the reluctance in his eyes, Zhan Feiyu nodded. "I'll see you out."
After a while, five horses disappeared into the vast night. Urged by A Nuan, Zhan Feiyu dejectedly walked back to the inn, completely unaware that Yao Zhenyi and her servant had also left the inn.