Chapter 134 -

Chapter 134: Chapter

The night air grew icy cold as Yimei walked silently down the covered wooden porch toward the central kitchen, carrying her small bag of medical herbs. The entire compound was quiet since its was late already.

As she turned the corner near the kitchen courtyard, two low, raspy voices broke the stillness.

Yimei stopped dead in her tracks. She ducked smoothly into the dark shadow behind a thick wooden pillar, holding her breath and blending completely into the night.

A few paces away, Second Uncle Bai Chengbang and Third Uncle Bai Chenghao were sitting on two low wooden stools outside the kitchen door, huddled together over a small lantern.

Second Uncle spat onto the clean stone path, his face twisted in deep bitterness. "That wretched girl, Yimei! Did you see the way she looked at us in the kitchen earlier? Treating us like dirt under her feet!"

"She’s out of control," Third Uncle grumbled, rubbing his tired knees. "Ever since we left the capital, she acts like she owns the whole Bai family! And now old man Shen says we have to feed ourselves starting tomorrow. Where are we supposed to get money for food?! My branch is completely broke!"

Second Uncle leaned closer, his eyes narrowing greedily under the faint lantern light. "If that girl remains this arrogant, we won’t be able to wring a single copper coin out of the main household. As long as she stands in our way, getting money in this estate will be impossible. We need to teach her a lesson and put her in her place."

"Teach her a lesson?" Third Uncle frowned, shaking his head. "How? Zhengyu might be crippled, but he still has that guard Liu Feng protecting them. Besides, Yimei is Zhengyu’s wife—if we touch her directly, Old Madame Bai will have our heads!"

Second Uncle let out a cold, sinister chuckle. "Who said anything about touching Yimei directly?"

Third Uncle looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Yimei is sharp and cautious, but she has one big weakness," Second Uncle whispered, a dark, wicked smirk spreading across his face. "That little maid of hers—Qinqin."

Yimei’s eyes narrowed into slits behind the pillar, her body going completely still as her gaze locked onto the back of Second Uncle’s head.

"She adores that maid," Second Uncle continued, tapping his fingers against his knee. "If we hit Yimei directly, she’ll just fight back. But if we ruin her precious maid, we hurt Yimei right where it hurts, teach her a harsh lesson, and make some good silver at the same time!"

Third Uncle’s interest was instantly sparked. "Get us money? How?"

Second Uncle leaned in even further, lowering his voice to a dangerous whisper. "There are plenty of wealthy old merchants in the nearby town who pay high prices for young, clean servant girls. Tomorrow night, while everyone is asleep, we take Qinqin, drag her out through the back gates, and sell her off to a slave trader. When Yimei wakes up, her maid will be gone, her spirit will be completely broken, and we’ll have a pouch full of silver to buy all the food and wine we want!"

Third Uncle stared at his brother for a moment before a sly, greedy smile slowly spread across his face. "That... that is brilliant! A maid is just a servant, who would dare accuse us without proof? We get rich, and that arrogant girl loses her right hand!"

Outside in the pitch-black shadows of the pillar, Yimei stood perfectly still. Her face was completely expressionless, but a terrifying, deadly coldness flashed deep within her dark eyes.

She didn’t make a single sound. Without uttering a word, she slowly stepped back, melting effortlessly into the darkness and heading into the kitchen to prepare Zhengyu’s fever medicine, already mapping out a brutal end for her two uncles.

Second Uncle and Third Uncle chuckled softly to themselves, blowing out their small lantern before shuffling away into the dark corridor toward their respective courtyards.

Once the sound of their heavy footsteps completely faded, Yimei stepped out from the deep shadows. She crossed her arms, clicking her tongue with a cold, disgusted sigh.

Originally, she had intended to leave these useless fools alone and focus entirely on turning around the shop Madame Bai had handed over to her. But since her enemies insisted on plotting against her and targeting Qinqin of all people she would make sure every single one of them paid a heavy, bloody price.

She pushed open the heavy wooden door of the central kitchen and stepped inside.

The room was dark and quiet, saved for the faint glow of dying embers inside the main brick stove. Yimei moved with quiet efficiency. She blew gently on the embers to reignite a small flame, tossed in a few dry sticks of wood, and set a small clay pot over the fire.

She unknotted her bag of herbs, selecting dried ginger, sweet root, and bitter fever-reducing leaves. After rinsing them with clean well water, she placed them into the boiling pot.

As the dark liquid began to bubble and release a sharp, herbal scent into the chilly kitchen air, Yimei stood over the stove, her face lit up by the flickering orange fire. Her eyes were cold, sharp, and completely focused. They wanted to drag Qinqin out through the back gates at night, sell her to a slave trader, and break her spirit... If ther was anyone in the whole world she would willingly sacrifice anything for it would be qinqin.. how dare they think of hurting her?!

Sell Qinqin to a slave trader? Yimei thought, a chilling, razor-sharp smile touching the corner of her lips in the darkness. It’s a shame qinqin isn’t the only beauty in these household.

She poured the dark, steaming decoction into a porcelain bowl, placed it onto a wooden tray along with a fresh cup of warm water, and blew out the stove flame.

Carrying the tray, she walked back along the quiet wooden porch toward the East Courtyard, ready to tend to her feverish husband while setting her trap in motion.