Chapter 243 -

Chapter 243: Chapter

By morning, Yueqing was propped up comfortably against a pile of plush silk pillows, staring at the massive spread laid out over her bed tray. Warm porridge, steaming dim sum, sweet lotus pastries, crisp roasted duck slices, and pots of aromatic teas completely covered the table like a royal banquet.

Nine, maintaining his human servant disguise, stood right beside the bed, gesturing animatedly with his hands while speaking in a rapid, nonstop chatter.

"Young Madame, you simply must eat more of the roasted duck, I watched the chef prepare it myself, and he used three different secret glazes! And these lotus pastries? Absolutely top tier. I insisted they bring extra sweet jam just for you because you need all the energy you can get after yesterday’s ordeal!"

Near the door, Lu Yue stood with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, glaring absolute daggers at Nine. If looks could kill, the talkative new servant would have been incinerated on the spot. She couldn’t understand where this overly energetic guy had come from or why he wouldn’t shut his mouth for even two seconds.

Before Lu Yue could step in to drag Nine out by his ear, a young maid opened the door and bowed low.

"Young Madame, your elder brothers, Master Su Feng and Master Su Yu, have arrived to see you."

Yueqing’s face instantly lit up, her eyes sparkling with genuine delight. "My brothers? Escort them in immediately!"

A second later, the tall, broad-shouldered figure of Su Feng stepped into the chamber, followed closely by Su Yu. The moment Su Yu caught sight of his little sister sitting in bed with white bandages wrapped around her shoulder, his face turned pale with distress.

"Mei Mei!" Su Yu gasped, practically pushing past his older brother and rushing straight to her bedside.

He dropped to his knees right beside the mattress, carefully hovering his hands over her without daring to touch her wound, looking like he was on the verge of tears. "Look at you! You’re so pale! What did that brute Wenzhe do to let assassins hurt our precious little sister? I knew we shouldn’t have let you stay in this estate!"

Su Feng walked over with heavy, calm strides, though the deep crease between his brows revealed his fierce concern. He placed a gentle hand on Su Yu’s trembling shoulder, his dark eyes locking onto Yueqing with profound warmth and relief.

"Are you in much pain, Yueqing?" Su Feng asked softly, his deep voice thick with quiet emotion. "Father wanted to come himself, but he had to attend the morning court assembly to deal with the Empress’s faction."

Yueqing looked at her two loving brothers, a warm, bright smile spreading across her pale face as her heart swelled. "Big Brother, Second Brother... I’m fine, really. It looks worse than it actually is. Sit down.. look, there’s more than enough food for all of us!"

Su Yu threw his hands up in frustration, pacing back and forth beside the bed. "It is totally his fault! He brags about leading thousands of soldiers, but he cannot even stop a few sneaky killers from entering his own yard! Unbelievable!"

Su Feng nodded gravely, his protective aura filling the room. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled the blanket over Yueqing’s shoulders. "You’re right, Yueqing. You are coming back home to the Su manor with us today. Our private guards will protect you properly since your husband cannot do his job right."

Yueqing couldn’t help the big, amused grin spreading across her pale face as she munched on a sweet lotus pastry. Hehe... going back home to be spoiled by my brothers actually sounds like paradise right now.

Just then, Wenzhe into the room in his dark robes. His sharp eyes immediately locked onto Yueqing, catching the delighted smirk on her lips.

"Brother Su Feng, Brother Su Yu," Wenzhe said politely, giving a calm bow. "I am glad to see you visiting my wife."

The moment the words left his mouth, Su Feng and Su Yu turned toward him in perfect unison. Their faces went pitch black, and their legs tensed up like they were preparing a double martial arts flying kick straight to his chest.

"Wife?" Su Yu sneered, taking a huge, angry step forward. "You still have the nerve to call her your wife after letting her take an iron arrow?"

"My sister has been very, very fragile and young since she was a baby," Su Feng said, his deep voice turning cold and serious as he stepped in front of Su Yu. "She is the only sister we have, and we have always given her every single thing she could ever desire. We honestly don’t know what got into her mind that made her fall for you and insist on marrying you... I sincerely don’t see anything good about you at all!"

Su Yu quickly agreed, pointing an accusatory finger right at Wenzhe’s nose. "Exactly! And we have heard so many terrible rumors about you having a mistress and treating my sister badly! You should be very thankful that back then we were away in the South. If we were here, we would have broken the gates of your Xi estate and challenged you to a fight!"

Wenzhe stayed completely calm, taking a slow step forward toward the bed. "The rumors about a mistress were entirely false, Brother Su Yu. I have only ever had eyes for Yueqing, and I will take full responsibility for the security lapse that allowed those assassins inside."

"Taking responsibility won’t remove the bandage from her shoulder!" Su Yu snapped back. "You talk smoothly, General, but your actions say otherwise!"

"If you truly want to challenge me to a fight to test my loyalty to your sister, I will gladly step outside into the courtyard with you both," Wenzhe replied smoothly, his tone firm yet surprisingly respectful. "But right now, Yueqing needs peace and rest, not loud arguments."

While the three men were busy exchanging sharp, tense banters in the middle of the room, Nine slowly crept closer to the bed, completely ignoring the fiery mood. He tapped Yueqing’s arm softly and whispered, "Pass me some of those fried sweet chips."

Yueqing giggled and handed him a small plate of chips.

Lu Yue, who was standing nearby still glaring at Nine, couldn’t resist the smell of the breakfast spread either. She leaned in closer to the bed and whispered, "Young Madame, please give me some of those sweet plum cakes too."

Yueqing happily handed Lu Yue a slice of cake. The three of them formed a quiet little snacking circle right on top of the bed, happily munching away while watching the dramatic face-off between Wenzhe and her brothers like it was a live play.

Nom, nom, nom.

Nine leaned over to Yueqing and whispered loudly, "Do you think your brothers can actually beat the General in a fist fight?"

"Not a chance," Yueqing whispered back under her breath, popping a steaming pork dumpling into her mouth. "Wenzhe is strong, yes, but my brothers are completely crazy. And they definitely don’t fight fair! From what I know about them, they’ll probably use a cheat trick or two."

Nine blinked, taking a bite of his duck leg. "Cheat tricks? Like pocket sand?"

"Worse," Yueqing giggled softly, remembering the details from her knowledge of this world. In the original story, her brothers weren’t just hot-headed generals, they were notorious trouble-makers and heartbreakers across the capital. They were known for using dirt, sudden smoke bombs, and cheap tricks whenever a fight wasn’t going their way!

Lu Yue chewed on her sweet plum cake, nodding in agreement. "Young Madame is right! Master Su Yu once threw a bag of flour into a noble’s face during a tavern brawl!" ℯ

Meanwhile, right in the middle of the bedchamber, the tension reached a boiling point.

"Step into the courtyard?" Su Yu scoffed, rolling up his wide silk sleeves. "Don’t think because you’re a high-ranking General we’ll go easy on you! Brother, let’s teach this cold-faced brute how the Su family handles men who let our little sister get hurt!"

Su Feng didn’t roll up his sleeves, but his hand moved to rest squarely on the hilt of his sword. "We accept. Let us see if your military skills match your smooth words, General Xi."

Wenzhe’s dark eyes flickered as he gave a single, slow nod, turning his heel toward the door. "After you."

Seeing the three idiot men actually turning around to march outside for a full-blown brawl, Yueqing realized this was getting out of hand way too fast. She quickly set her plate of duck down on the bed tray and let out a sudden, loud gasp, clutching her wounded shoulder with both hands.

"Ah! Ow! My shoulder... it hurts so much!" Yueqing whimpered, throwing her head back onto the plush pillows with a dramatic, painful wince.

The effect was instantaneous. None of them even made it past the inner screen.

Wenzhe froze mid-step, spinning around in total panic. Su Feng pulled his hand off his sword so fast his sleeve caught on his belt, and Su Yu practically scrambled over his own feet as all three men rushed straight back to her bedside.

"Yueqing!" all three yelled in unison.

"Mei Mei! What happened? Did you twist it?" Su Yu cried frantically, hovering his hands over her without daring to touch her.

"Don’t move, Yueqing!" Su Feng demanded, his dark face flushed with anxiety. "Did the stitches tear?"

Wenzhe reached her first, dropping to his knees beside the mattress. His broad, warm hands instantly cupped her face and held her steady, his dark eyes filled with sheer terror and deep worry. "Yueqing, where does it hurt? Should I call the physician right now?"

Yueqing slowly opened one eye, looking at the three terrifying warriors who were now looking like thoroughly panicked puppies around her bed. She let out a small, soft huff, the dramatic pain vanishing from her face in a second.

"I’m fine," Yueqing said calmly, adjusting herself back against the pillows. "My shoulder only hurts because I have to watch my foolish brothers and my stubborn husband act like three-year-olds in my bedroom!"

Su Yu blinked, his jaw dropping. "Mei Mei... you faked it?!"

"Of course I faked it!" Yueqing huffed, pointing a finger at them. "If I didn’t, you three would be out in the yard tearing down the estate over a misunderstanding!"