While Wei Changying was still wondering where this maidservant came from, Chen Ruping had walked in, and Wei Changying immediately followed. After they had walked to the corridor silently, Chen Ruping turned to the maidservant and asked, “The fifth young master has come back. He heard that the First Miss wasn’t sleeping well these days, so he comes to visit her…. Is Madam Song still inside?”
“Welcome back, fifth young master!” The maidservant made a curtsey towards Wei Changying, and replied, “Madam Song was tired, so the First Miss has ordered some servants to take her back.”
“Good,” said Chen Ruping. It seemed that Chen Ruping was not willing to see Madam Song, because she looked relieved after hearing what the maidservant had said.
Although Wei Changying was still confused about why this maidservant was in her court, she was more concerned about her brother. After Chen Ruping had finished asking, Wei Changying walked straight into the inner room.
After opening the door, they saw Wei Changfeng sitting by the window in a casual robe. Maybe he had just taken a bath because his long hair was put down. He was sitting straight behind the couch and was concentrating on the book in front of him.
No one was in the room except for him…. The court was silent, which was very different from it used to be, where laughter and joy used to last for all day long…. Maybe Lvyi and Lvchi were dead in the woods…. But where were Lvfang, Lvbin, the four little maids whose first names were Zhu, and her wet nurse Mrs. He….
Looking at the empty inner room where there was only her brother, Wei Changying was at a loss. Wei Changfeng was about to turn the page when he heard the door opened, and he took a quick glance subconsciously— all of a sudden, he was shocked and pushed down the table as he shouted, “Sister!”
“First Miss, fifth young master, you can talk later,” said Chen Ruping as she followed Wei Changying into the inner room. She interrupted their conversation and said hurriedly, “I have let Qin’ge prepare for your bath…. Now you two immediately change your robes because the wife of Duke Jingping’s royal heir will arrive in no time!”
Wei Changying was surprised and said, “Why is she coming?” Although she didn’t like Wei Changxian, she didn’t have any problem with her aunt little Mrs. Liu. But she had known from Wei Xinyong that the attack was related to little Mrs. Liu, who had got some words from her nephew…. Maybe little Mrs. Liu needn’t do this. The attack was also related to Empress Gu—Honored Consort Deng had told Deng Zongqi that Empress Gu had promised to let the daughter of the Liu Family become the Crown Princess. Therefore, Liu Xixun was worth being suspected.
Having heard that little Mrs. Liu was coming, Wei Changying was reluctant to call her “aunt.”
Wei Changfeng and Chen Ruping didn’t welcome little Mrs. Liu either. Chen Ruping sneered as she said, “Since Wei Changfeng has returned, the people in Duke Jingping’s mansion came to visit nearly every day! Those who come are usually ladies, such as the wife of Duke Jingping’s royal heir and their second Miss. Therefore, Old Madam Song ordered us to decoct the medicinal herbs in the court and told them that the First Miss was badly ill, and she needs to rest so that they won’t come close to the couch. But they didn’t’ give up, and they intended to introduce a doctor to us…. Fortunately, you are back now, so you can meet little Mrs. Liu today and let them give up!”
Of course, the people in Duke Jingping’s mansion were unwilling to get nothing, so it seemed that they were determined to sting Wei Huan and Old Madam Song by talking about Wei Changying. Since the case was urgent, Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng had no time to talk, and Wei Changying went behind the screen to take off her robe immediately.
Chen Ruping followed Wei Changying to the back of the screen to serve her. Her hands were trembling when she took off Wei Changying’s clothes, and Wei Changying gave her a doubtful look. Because it was still early autumn, Wei Changying didn’t wear a lot. She quickly took off the robe and handed it to Chen Ruping, which was a hint to let her bring it to Wei Changfeng… However, Chen Ruping didn’t leave. She held the robe and said in a low voice, “First Miss, your hair clasp is not in the right position. Maybe it was because of your bamboo hat. I suggest you take it off now, or else it may fall onto the ground!”
Wei Changying believed in Chen Ruping’s words and raised her hand to take the hair clasp. When she raised her arm, her sleeve slipped to her shoulder, and the Shou Gong Mark, which was used to prove a woman’s chastity, was still on her arm.
Having seen the mark, Chen Ruping sighed in relief secretly.
Wei Changying had pretended to be her brother and had gone with a crowd of men, but now she came back alive. No one knew what had happened. The outsiders would speculate maliciously, and her family members would be worried. Although Wei Changying looked calm in front of Old Madam Song, how could Old Madam Song rest assured without confirming that the mark was still there?
However, if Wei Changying were raped…, no matter how euphemistically they asked her, Wei Changying would be hurt. Even if she were fine, after undergoing so many things, she would feel being cold-shouldered by her family members if she were asked. Luckily, although she was not as quiet as other daughters of the eminent families, she had the Shou Gong Mark as every lady did.
By using some tricks, Chen Ruping completed the task assigned by Old Madam Song. Fortunately, the result was what Old Madam Song longed for, so Chen Ruping felt relieved as she walked happily out of the room.
She then dressed Wei Changfeng up as if he had just come back, and then said a few words to Wei Changfeng before asking him to return to Liuhua Yard. After that, she asked Qin’ge, the maidservant who Wei Changying was unfamiliar with, to serve Wei Changying when she was bathing. Then Chen Ruping went away quickly to tell Old Madam Song the good news.
Wei Changying didn’t care about Chen Ruping’s main purpose of accompanying her back to Xianshuang Court. She noticed that the maids in her bathroom were all unfamiliar, except for Qin’ge, who she had met when she entered the court. She had not asked Qin’ge what was going on yet because she was busy caring Wei Changfeng. Now, Wei Changying frowned and asked, “Who are you? Where are the other people who used to live here?”
Qin’ge came up and made a curtsey as she said, “It is because that you needed to rest, and there were too many people in the court, so Old Madam Song had sent some of them away. Now we can serve you. My name is Qin’ge, and they are Yan’ge, Jiaoge, and Han’ge.”
The other three maidservants made a curtsey together and said, “Nice to meet you, First Miss!”
Wei Changying thought for a while. She supposed that maybe Zhu Lan and the other maids were so outgoing that Old Madam Song was afraid that they couldn’t keep a secret, so they were sent away. However, Lvfang and Lvbin were prudent, why were they also sent away? Weren’t they reliable?
Also, where was Mrs. He?
Wei Changying then asked, “Did she also send away my wet nurse?”
Qin’ge smiled awkwardly and said, “Of course she still lives here. But these days she was so worried about you that she had a fever yesterday. Old Madam Song was worried that her illness would deteriorate, so she ordered some servants to take her to other yards.”
Wei Changying frowned and asked, “A fever?”
“Don’t worry, First Miss. Although Mrs. He was sent to other yards, Old Madam Song had called a doctor for her. The doctor said that she would be fine within two days,” said Qin’ge, “She will come back to serve you after she recovers.”
Hearing this, Wei Changying felt relieved. She was tired too, and she had to deal with little Mrs. Liu sometime later, so she stopped talking and stepped into the bathtub after she took off her clothes.
After the bath, Qin’ge and Yan’ge served Wei Changying to change clothes. Since they were newcomers, who were not familiar with Wei Changying’s preference as Lvfang and the other former maidservants did, they tried hard to make Wei Changying satisfied.
After she returned to the inner room, Wei Changying decided to lie on the couch and close her eyes for a while since little Mrs. Liu hadn’t arrived. She ordered Jiaoge and Han’ge to dry her hair with handkerchiefs.
She meant to take a nap, but she was too tired these days, so she fell deep asleep soon after she lay down.
After some time, Wei Changying was wakened by someone. She asked what happened, and then she heard Qin’ge whispering, “First Miss, little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su have arrived.”
“Huh?” Wei Changying’s mind was blanked. All of a sudden, she came to her sense and grabbed Qin’ge’s hand as she asked, “Where is she now?”
“Old Madam Song’s servant has just run here and told us that they have just finished visiting Old Madam Song, and they are now coming here,” said Qin’ge. Seeing that Wei Changying was about to sit up, Qin’ge stopped her and said, “You are feeling better since the fifth young master came to visit you…. But you have been sick for a long time, how could you get up now? Little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su are merciful people, so you won’t be blamed.”
Wei Changying didn’t remember until Qin’ge reminded her that she needn’t dress up and greet them outside the door. She then lay down again and said, “You are right. I’m not able to up anyway.”
Qin’ge smiled and said, “Yes, you are not.”
After they were ready, Wei Changying and her maidservants waited for about 15 minutes before they saw little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su arrived, accompanied by Chen Ruping. When they smelt the herbs, little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su began to sigh as they asked about Wei Changying’s condition. As Jiaoge was standing outside, her voice could be heard by Wei Changying through the half-opened window. She said softly. “The fifth young master has returned today. He has heard that the First Miss couldn’t get up, so he came here to visit her. When the First Miss saw the fifth young master, she felt better. Now she was more energetic.”
Little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su were shocked. Chen Ruping laughed and said, “Old Madam Song has just told little Mrs. Liu that Miss Wei’s illness was caused by her worries towards the fifth young master. Now that he has returned, and if Miss Wei can recover, we can call it a double blessing! I didn’t expect it to be true. If little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su didn’t come today, Old Madam Song was about to order someone to tell you the good news! Don’t you think it’s a good day today, little Mrs. Liu?”
It seemed that little Mrs. Liu had been absent-minded until now. She forced a smile and said, “You are right, Granny Chen.”
Without knowing whether she was not willing to believe or not ready to give up, she asked, “Since she was fine, can we go inside and have a look? If she is asleep, we can take off our jade pendant….”
Hearing these, Wei Changying gave Qin’ge a hint with a wink. Qin’ge understood immediately and walked out. She said, “The First Miss is awake. She let me invite you to come in since she heard that you have arrived.”
After a while, little Mrs. Liu, Mrs. Su, and Chen Ruping all entered the inner room with a smile. Wei Changying was resting on a pillow, only wearing an undershirt and a robe, with her hair being put down. Seeing this, little Mrs. Liu looked at Wei Changying tenderly as she said, “Can you get up now, Changying? How do you feel?”
Wei Changying didn’t sleep well, and her voice was a bit husky, which made her sound weak. She said in a thin voice, “I can rest assured since I have seen Changfeng, and I feel better now. But I’m still weak, so when I heard you talking in the yard, I couldn’t shout to let you come in. That’s why I asked Qin’ge to invite you in….”
“Good girl, we came to visit you, so we will come in sooner or later,” said little Mrs. Liu, “It would be our fault if we make you hasty.”
Chen Ruping smiled and said, “First Miss, you have been sleeping all day long recently, so you may not know how much little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su care about you. They have visited you nearly every day!” Although she said with sincerity, her words were quite ironic.
“I see!” Wei Changying was ready for this. She immediately looked at little Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Su gratefully and said, “It’s all my fault. I have been so worried about my brother that I became ill, which has caused your anxiety!”
Little Mrs. Liu was moved and said, “It’s nothing for us. It is your mother who really worries about you!” She pretended to say inadvertently, “I’ve heard that she has just left here. I wonder whether she has recovered from her cough these days.”
When Wei Changying was about to speak, Chen Ruping’s expression changed and said immediately, “You have got it wrong. Madam Song has a headache, not a cough.”
“….” Wei Changying’s heart trembled. She secretly cursed little Mrs. Liu for her insidiousness, and felt fortunate that Chen Ruping was at the scene. Little Mrs. Liu frowned because she had failed to probe. Seeing this, Mrs. Su smiled and said, “Mother, you have been caring about Changying so much these days that your memory became poor.”
“Old people always have poor memories. I have made a fool of myself,” said little Mrs. Liu. Her expression turned normal as she laughed at herself gently.
After they had talked for a while, Wei Changying didn’t feel like continuing the conversation because she was worrying about Madam Song since little Mrs. Liu had mentioned. Therefore, she made an excuse that she was tired, and Chen Ruping helped her to persuade the guests to leave.
After they had left, Wei Changying’s face turned sullen and asked, “Is my mother’s headache serious?”
Qin’ge dared not conceal the truth, so she said, “Madam Song was too worried about you, so she had a headache. She didn’t sleep well these days. She could only sleep for a short time after having Doctor Ji’s spirit-quieting decoction…. I believe she will recover soon after knowing that you are back.”
Wei Changying knew how much Madam Song loved her and her brother. Although Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng were in danger in the woods, Madam Song was also not at ease in Ruiyu Hall. After hearing Qin’ge’s words, Wei Changying sighed and said, “Find someone to visit my mother but don’t wake her up. When she wakes up, tell her immediately that I’m back.”
Although Qin’ge knew that Old Madam Song had already sent some servants to tell Granny Shi about Wei Changying’s return, she still promised Wei Changying and asked Yan’ge to visit Madam Song.