Novel Full Chapter 1618 - 1611: Just a Maid
Chapter 1618: Chapter 1611: Just a Maid
Su Yingxue’s expression was stiff, the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably, "Do I... have that many admirers?"
"Of course, Miss, you are the wife every man in the Great Cheng Dynasty dreams of," Zhilan said with a rising sense of pride that now showed itself again.
It seemed to her that being Su Yingxue’s maid was the greatest honor of her life.
Chu Chengye, in his moon-white brocade robe, had a refined and scholarly appearance with facial features that somewhat resembled Chu Yihan’s. His gaze, however, was much warmer, embodying a modest gentleman, ethereal as jade.
Before Su Yingxue stood such a celestial-like man, being so gentle towards her, she found it hard to believe it was real.
She politely declined, "There’s no need to trouble yourself; Zhilan and I will return on our own."
Thinking she had been polite enough, without saying anything to hurt his feelings, Chu Chengye nevertheless looked hurt, "Yingxue, have you... grown so weary of me already?"
Su Yingxue’s head began to ache again.
Her memories related to this man were a blank.
Currently, the people and events she could recall were really few, her mother and Chu Yihan being the only ones; this man...
Forget it, too lazy to think.
Su Yingxue, pulling Zhilan along, ran back to the Marquis of Martial South’s Manor like the wind.
After running for a while, she was a bit out of breath, but Zhilan spoke in a calm voice as she poured tea for her, "Miss, drink some tea to moisten your throat. Your injury hasn’t healed yet; don’t run so fast, lest you harm your health again."
Before Su Yingxue could take the tea from her hand, her mother, followed by others, pushed the door open and came in, "It’s late; don’t drink tea, or you might have trouble sleeping. Take a few sips of this bayberry juice instead, it’s refreshing, quenches thirst, and helps you sleep better."
Long Shuli, graceful and distinguished, handed Su Yingxue the bayberry juice, prompting Su Yingxue to feel an urge to kneel in worship.
Her mother’s demeanor was even better than that of the empress.
But she was her mother!
Su Yingxue joyfully set down the tea, took the bayberry juice from Long Shuli’s hands, and had a few sips; it tasted delicious, but Long Shuli did not let her finish, instead placing the juice on the maid’s tray.
She caressed Su Yingxue’s long hair tenderly, "Mother made it. Don’t drink too much at this hour of night. If you want more, mother will wake up early and make it for you tomorrow."
"Mother is so good to me." Su Yingxue’s eyes warmed, her emotions indescribable, her heart beating wildly, even she herself could not discern why.
It was as if she desperately longed for something in the past but never received it.
"Silly child, what are you saying? Hasn’t mother always been this good to you? All my life, I will cherish you, love you, and never let you suffer the slightest grievance," Long Shuli helped Su Yingxue into bed to rest, covering her with a comforter herself as if she were tending to a three-year-old child.
Long Shuli waited until she had closed her eyes before she left with the others.
But Su Yingxue hadn’t fallen asleep; lying in bed, she rubbed her eyes and called Zhilan over in a low voice.
"Zhilan, give me your hand," commanded Su Yingxue.
Zhilan obediently extended her hand without asking why.
Su Yingxue checked her pulse; it was fine and steady, her body was healthy without any anomalies.
Su Yingxue should have been reassured, yet she couldn’t help asking, "Zhilan, are you wearing too little? Do you feel cold?"
Zhilan chuckled, "How could I be cold by Miss’s side? Early spring has passed, and the climate is not that cold anymore! Could it be that the miss is feeling cold and needs another quilt?"
As she spoke, she was going to the wardrobe to fetch another brocade quilt for Su Yingxue.
Su Yingxue shook her head, "No need, I’m not cold, you go and rest."
Zhilan curtseyed, closed the door behind her, and left after seeing to Su Yingxue.
Su Yingxue lay in bed, sorting through the chaotic thoughts in her mind. This bout of amnesia made her forget everything to the point that she couldn’t even remember her own mother, which made her feel quite guilty.
But she also found it strange.
Her mother and Zhilan both seemed to be in good health, so why did she feel that their bodies were cold when she touched their hands?
Only Chu Yihan...
He was warm!
The next day, Su Yingxue woke up out of instinctive bodily reaction, and Zhilan had already prepared for her to wash up.
Zhilan brought four young girls to serve her; they dressed her, washed her face, and applied her makeup all very proficiently. The only one not used to this was Su Yingxue.
She really wanted to do it herself, as if she had never been served like this before.
When a maid named Xiang Dong was about to insert a hairpin for her, Su Yingxue took over and said, "I’ll do it myself."
The bright-eyed young girl was instantly scared and held the hairpin with trembling fingers, "Miss, is there something wrong with my service? The maid...the maid will immediately get a new hairpin for Miss!"
As she spoke, she turned to rummage through the jewelry cabinet.
Su Yingxue had too many pieces of jewelry. Inside a large golden nanmu cabinet, three rosewood jewelry boxes were filled to the brim. Considering the Eldest Young Miss was going to the clinic today, Xiang Dong thought to pick a simple and elegant hairpin, not knowing it would displease the Eldest Young Miss.
She quickly selected a golden hairpin with rubies. The red gemstones matched Su Yingxue’s dress for the day, and the long tassels were a texture that Su Yingxue liked.
When she brought it to Su Yingxue and was about to pin it in, Su Yingxue stopped her, "There’s no need to be so glamorous for seeing patients today, a silver hairpin will do."
"Yes... Yes, Miss!"
Xiang Dong was somewhat distraught and turned back to the jewelry cabinet, accidentally dropping the hairpin on the floor, causing the rubies to fall off.
Seeing this, Zhilan quickly scolded her, "You useless thing, carelessly dropping the Miss’s belongings!"
She shooed Xiang Dong away and personally came to pick out a hairpin for Su Yingxue.
At this time, Long Shuli arrived, dressed in magnificent long clothes and a white jade golden crown adorning her head, her beauty so radiant that it was hard to look directly at her.
Her gaze fell upon Xiang Dong, "So early in the morning you’ve already dropped Yingxue’s jewelry, causing her to be unhappy?"
Xiang Dong, intimidated by Long Shuli’s stare, knelt on the ground to beg for mercy, "Madam, spare my life! It’s the maid’s fault for making Miss unhappy! Please punish the maid!"
Before Su Yingxue even spoke of punishment, the girl was already on the ground, kowtowing fiercely.
Su Yingxue frowned slightly, "I’m not unhappy, what’s the rush for?"
Upon hearing her words, Xiang Dong’s eyes filled with even more fear, and she trembled involuntarily, like a frightened kitten.
"Drag her out."
Long Shuli waved her hand indifferently.
Her tone was detached, and it was clear that the punishment for Xiang Dong would not be light.
Xiang Dong dared not shout or cry, and she was obediently pulled away by others, as if she had already resigned herself to her fate.
Witnessing her despairing gaze, Su Yingxue felt particularly uncomfortable. She walked over to Long Shuli and held her hand, "Mother, there’s no need to punish her. It’s just a hairpin, and I don’t really feel like dressing up today. In the past...have I always punished people like this?"
She looked at Xiang Dong, who seemed to have been punished like this before.
Long Shuli laughed softly, "She’s just a maid. Naturally, she must be punished if she has made you uncomfortable. You’ve always been resolute. If someone displeased you, you would simply have them dragged away to be dealt with by the shrine keepers, and the old women would take action."