Chapter 673: 281 Unwilling
Early June weather was never too hot, but after six or seven days without rain and not a breath of wind, the air felt thick and suffocating, as though it was trapping people within its grip.
Yueyao’s fame had grown so significantly that it put great pressure on Lian Dongfang. The marriage discussions during Tingli’s time had passed, but the upcoming marriage of Yueying on the tenth seemed insurmountable. Lian Dongfang, in any case, would rather lose face than ask Yueyao to return.
Knowing Yueyao probably wouldn’t attend her wedding, Yueying herself wrote a letter, asking Lian Dongfang to have it delivered to Yueyao.
Cai Qing just couldn’t understand it. The Eldest Miss did nothing to help the Third Young Lady when she was in trouble, yet now she was writing to ask Yueyao to come back. Where on earth did she find the confidence that the Third Young Lady would return?
One evening, Cai Qing took the opportunity to sneak off to consult her maternal auntie. Her aunt sighed lightly, “The wedding is in just five days, and you are designated to accompany the bride. Unless something unexpected happens, you must go. If you want to avoid it, you will have to suffer a bit.” Pretending to be sick was out of the question; she needed a real illness, and not a minor one either.
Grinding her teeth, Cai Qing said, “Maternal Auntie, I don’t want to accompany the bride. With the Eldest Miss being who she is, I have no confidence.” She had supported herself so many times, yet the Third Young Lady still showed no gratitude. To the Eldest Miss, maids were worth even less. Cai Qing had previously hinted that she did not wish to become a concubine, but Yueying’s ambiguous attitude provided no clear answer. Cai Qing could imagine the grim future in the Tong Family, where she would likely be expected to serve the Second Young Master Tong. If that were the case, it would ruin her life. Being a concubine promised no bright future, and given the Madam’s cold nature, she would surely lead a life worse than death. Rather than endure that, she’d rather take a chance and gamble—a win might still hold some hope for the future.
That night, Cai Qing developed a fever. The maid by her side discovered it in time and immediately sought Yueying to call a doctor.
Yueying was furious. She was about to get married, yet Cai Qing had fallen ill, which seemed an ill omen. She immediately ordered that Cai Qing be moved out of her courtyard.
When Cai Qing heard this news, the last bit of guilt in her heart vanished. She had served the Eldest Miss since she was six, toiling diligently for ten years. Despite lacking achievements, her efforts were substantial, yet now the Madam was so disgusted by her mere presence that she couldn’t bear to have Cai Qing in her courtyard, indifferent to her survival. With such a master, there was no point in loyalty.
When Eldest Young Madam Peng heard the news, she immediately sent for a doctor. The doctor arrived just in time and prescribed treatment, “This is an acute illness; it came on violently. Fortunately, we’ve managed to treat it in time, otherwise her life would have been in jeopardy. After taking the medicine, she must rest well—she cannot leave her bed for the next three to five days.”
The doctor’s words perfectly aligned with Cai Qing’s intentions, ensuring she would not need to accompany the bride to the Tong Family.
Eldest Young Lady Lian never doubted Cai Qing’s intentions. Given the immediate danger to her life, no one expected Cai Qing to bring such misery upon herself, so Madam Peng simply replaced the maid to be given away with Yueying.
Yueying’s letter was delivered to the separate residence the next day. Yueyao, seeing it was from Yueying, handed the letter to Xi Yu without even looking at it, saying, “Burn it.”
Yueyao knew that the tenth was Yueying’s big day. She had no intentions of attending Yueying’s wedding, regardless of whether she was in the Capital City or not. From the day she left the Lian Mansion, she never considered stepping through its doors again.
Mingzhu was curious, “Whose letter is this, burning it without even looking at it?”
Xi Yu, different from Hua Lei, held her own resolute dissatisfaction about Yueying. She said, “It’s from the Lian Mansion’s Eldest Miss. My lady used to help her a lot. Yet last year, when my lady’s silver was taken by her maternal aunt for a business that was scammed, she didn’t ask Lian Family’s eldest grand master or the Eldest Madam for help but forced our lady to plead with Uncle Master to recover the scammed silver. My lady was unwilling, so she held a grudge against our lady. She didn’t consider that if it weren’t for our lady, she would have ended up a lonely widow long ago. The day my lady was poisoned, she not only didn’t help but kept testing her. Now that she’s getting married, she wants our lady to return to save her face—what wishful thinking!” Xi Yu could guess Yueying’s intentions without needing to look.
Hearing this, Mingzhu also expressed her disgust, “That’s nothing but an ungrateful wretch!”
With a smile, Yueyao said, “Don’t waste your emotions on her. Are we going fishing this afternoon?” Yueyao had recently taken an interest in cicadas, closely observing their habits.