The young girl, when facing Liu Liu's birthmark, showed no unusual reaction, merely bowing respectfully and asking, "Little one, do you wish to change your clothes?"
Liu Liu's complexion suddenly darkened. Her black eyes instantly sharpened like knives, radiating a cold, piercing light. The young girl was startled and dared not move. At this moment, another maidservant dressed in green entered from outside and curiously asked the young girl standing by the bedside.
"Yuehuan, why aren't you helping Miss get up? Be careful the master punishes you by making you wash clothes?"
The maidservant named Yuehuan was startled and came back to her senses. She shivered inwardly. Who was this woman with the birthmark on her face? Her eyes were so cold, like scissors crafted from frost in February, sharp and deadly.
"Oh, Luyi, you're here," Yuehuan replied, turning to greet the maidservant who had just entered, unsure how to speak.
Luyi walked to the bedside, lifted the gauze curtain on the other side, and respectfully addressed Liu Liu on the bed, "Miss, allow us to help you up."
Liu Liu sat motionless, as if petrified. Her expression was cold and enchanting, her eyes flashing with a dark light, neither angry nor pleased. Her gaze was firm yet regal. A faint smile touched her lips, a smile that was somewhat sparse. Her voice was clear and cold.
"Where is this place? How did I get here?"
She never expected to be so slow-witted, to be brought here without realizing it. Her alertness had always been excellent, so why did she have no feeling at all? Annoyance flickered across her brow as she seriously pondered the events of the previous night.
Aside from playing the zither for her brother, afterward she had many strange dreams. In her dreams, someone was holding her, and she was ill. It seemed it was because she had seen the imperial physician twice yesterday, which caused her to even dream of seeing the imperial physician.
"My master brought Miss here," Luyi said cautiously. Seeing that the "little coffee" before her was no easy person to deal with, she was as formidable as their own master. She had to be careful. No wonder Yuehuan was stunned earlier; she must have been intimidated by her cold, unyielding posture! "I want to see your master," Liu Liu commanded sternly, her tone leaving no room for refusal.
Luyi and Yuehuan were stunned and quickly nodded. Their master had personally attended to this young lady all night until she was completely well before going to sleep. It was best not to disturb him now.
The clever Luyi quickly said with a sweet laugh, "Miss, do you intend to see my master just like this?"
Upon hearing Luyi's words, Liu Liu immediately guessed that her master must be a man, otherwise Luyi wouldn't have spoken like this. Doubts arose in her mind. Who would abduct her? She hadn't made any enemies.
If there was an enemy, it would only be that person in the palace who hated her immensely. She hadn't offended anyone else.
Liu Liu stopped speaking, silently rising and allowing Luyi and Yuehuan to attend to her. The two young maids quickly helped her dress, but not in her usual attire. Instead, she was dressed in a soft, superior white long gown.
The hem of the skirt was embroidered with several auspicious clouds in silver thread, and her shoulders were draped with pink misty gauze. The pink and plain white complemented each other, making her small face look rosy and smooth.
Liu Liu, once her clothes were on, spoke with a cold, stern face, "Now call out your master. I want to see who this divine being is who dared to sneak into the Prime Minister's mansion to abduct someone in the middle of the night. It's truly detestable."
Luyi and Yuehuan exchanged glances, unsure how to answer. If their master wanted to see her, she could see him; it wasn't up to them, two maidservants, to decide.
Seeing the two maids' expressions, Liu Liu's anger surged. Her eyes flashed with a dark glint, and she condensed her inner strength, preparing to teach these two little maids a lesson. Just then, a detached voice was heard.
"It is I."
Sunlight slanted onto the doorway. Liu Liu squinted her eyes before clearly seeing the speaker. He was dressed in a pure white robe, casually leaning against the grey wall with a cupped fist. His black hair, like the finest silk, shimmered in the bright light.
A silver hairpin secured the top of his hair, its silvery brilliance dazzling. His features were as exquisite as a painting, his skin as clear as snow, radiating a cold, ethereal glow. He leaned there casually, as if extremely tired. Could this man be Nangong Yue?
He abducted her? Liu Liu found it difficult to absorb this fact. This man had not only taken her first kiss but also abducted her. What did he want?
"Speak, why did you abduct me from the Prime Minister's mansion in the middle of the night? What exactly do you want?" Liu Liu's eyes churned with turbulent emotions. She had only listened to his music for a few nights; was this price too high? She laughed self-mockingly, but the laugh was extremely cold.
Nangong Yue remained silent, leaning by the doorway. His finely curled eyelashes cast shadows on his face, making him appear so lonely and despondent.
In this very moment, Liu Liu surprisingly wasn't as angry. This man seemed too lonely, with no relatives by his side. Although Feng Xie treated him very well, he was still an emperor, not someone she could confide in.
Seeing Liu Liu angrily question their master, Yuehuan quickly tried to defend him. "Miss, actually..."
"Yuehuan, escort Miss out," Nangong Yue's cold voice rang out at this precise moment. With that, he walked away without another word. Yuehuan and Luyi exchanged bewildered glances. Why didn't their master tell this young lady that she was ill and their master had kindly saved her?
However, since their master didn't allow them to speak, how could they, as maids, dare to disobey? They respectfully stepped forward and curtsied to Liu Liu.
"Miss, let's go."
Luyi's expression was somewhat unhappy. She followed Yuehuan out with a sullen expression. A carriage was already prepared outside the mansion gate. The two young maids helped Liu Liu into the carriage. Luyi and Yuehuan had always been obedient maids.
But thinking that their master had stayed up all night and received such treatment, they felt extremely displeased. Luyi boldly looked at Liu Liu.
"Miss, you've gone too far. My master stayed up all night to cure Miss's illness. How could you treat my master like this?"
"Ah," Liu Liu exclaimed in surprise. So her dreams and mutterings were true? No wonder she didn't know what had happened.
Thinking of Nangong Yue's loneliness, she realized she had been too harsh. She had wanted to get off the carriage to thank him, but she immediately remembered that the Prime Minister's mansion must be in chaos at this moment. She would thank Nangong Yue another day. She then raised her head and looked gently at Luyi.
"I'm sorry, I blamed you incorrectly. I will thank your master another day. I must be going now."
After speaking, Liu Liu withdrew into the carriage and instructed the driver to immediately head to the Prime Minister's mansion. The carriage sped away. Luyi and Yuehuan, the two maidservants, stood there, glaring at each other in anger.
They had initially thought that if they revealed the truth, this young lady would be very moved and go in to thank their master. Who knew she would just leave like that? The two young maids resentfully walked back into the mansion.
Prime Minister's Mansion. Sunlight streamed into the main hall.
Everyone in the hall had grim expressions, and the atmosphere was stern. The servants had all retreated outside the hall, leaving only the young maid Cui'er kneeling in the center, crying intermittently. Her tears flowed like pear blossoms, evoking pity. Unfortunately, at this moment, no one was in the mood to comfort her.
"Ting'er, your body is not yet recovered. Don't be too anxious," Madam Liu said as she saw her son's brows furrowed and his expression grave. He was leaning against the antique shelf in the hall.
Liu Ting shook his head upon hearing his mother's words. Thinking that Liu'er had been abducted from the Prime Minister's mansion, he was extremely anxious. Most importantly, Liu'er possessed unparalleled martial arts. Although she kept it from him, he knew. Who could abduct Liu'er from the Prime Minister's mansion?
The martial arts of this person must be unfathomable. If it were an enemy of the Liu family, Liu'er would be in grave danger. Liu Ting's complexion grew more and more grim. Coupled with the pain from his wounds, his entire being was so violent that he looked like he could kill.
His eyes were bloodshot, making Cui'er, who was kneeling in the hall, tremble with fear. She carefully wiped away her tears.