Chapter 40

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

So Yueya told her about the Crown Prince’s visit to Li Baojia that morning.

Chunzhi twisted her brow tightly. “Did you hear what they said?”

Yueya shook her head. “I only saw that the Crown Prince had visited. Except for her personal maid, no one else can get close.”

Chunzhi said, “All right, I see it. You may go back now.”

After saying that, she hurriedly left.

Looking at her back, Yueya lowered her eyes, clenched her fists gradually, and slowly released them.

She was not valued by Li Baojia and could not get close to anyone in the Li family. And if this continued, she would become less and less important…

Thinking about the increasingly worsening situation, she took a deep breath.

It seemed she had to think of another way quickly…

She was originally the daughter of a hunter in a mountain village. Her brother was weak, and her father passed on his hunting craft to her despite the opposition of the village people.

Her father died four or five years ago due to illness. The doctor said the disease was passed from generation to generation. So if the father had the sickness, the child would not be spared either and would also get sick.

Her brother developed the same symptoms after a year or two. He started to cough up blood and could not straighten his back, lying in bed all day.

Perhaps god took pity on her. She did not catch the disease. After selling the family’s grass hut, she took her brother everywhere to seek medical treatment.

During the day, she also hunted in the mountains to support the family and often pinned some beads and flowers to sell to the stores in the city. Unfortunately, the doctor said that the disease could not be cured and that her brother could only hang on with expensive herbs to live longer.

Gradually, she spent all their money and borrowed from any relatives they had, who now desperately avoided her whenever they saw her.

When she thought there was no hope, the shopkeeper’s wife, who often bought her beads and flowers, said she would introduce her to a business. That’s why she was sent to the Imperial City and met Chunzhi, the maid of Su Ruhui.

They were willing to buy expensive herbs for her brother and take care of him, but they wanted her to go to the Li family to keep an eye on Miss Baojia and report her every move to them, especially if it had to do with the Crown Prince.

Now that her brother was in their hands, she could only do as she was told, even if she understood that it would probably cost her life.

Like her, there are many others whose relatives were raised in a small, isolated courtyard, and they could only communicate with their relatives by letter to avoid revealing their identities.

She did not know what Miss Su was up to but only vaguely understood that it was not something good.

But she had another delusion about Miss Su. It is said that Miss Su was the sweetheart of the Crown Prince. If she could beg the imperial doctor in the imperial court to cure Baobao…

She did not know if it was right to bet on Miss Su, but she had no choice now.

At the Li family.

Drinking rice porridge on the bed, Li Baojia was indisposed because she hadn’t eaten any food since the morning. “You lost her?”

The two little maids bowed their heads. “Please punish us, Miss. We clearly saw her enter that tailor’s shop, but in the blink of an eye, she disappeared…”

Li Baojia said, “It’s okay. You’re dismissed.”

She didn’t expect that Yueya was that capable.

That’s right.

If she were incapable, she wouldn’t have let her be her first maid in her previous life and trusted her so much.

But after carefully tracing back to her past life, she could not find anything wrong with Yueya when she was with her, nor did she seem to have done anything to set her up.

This was simply odd in every way.

It didn’t take long for Yueya to return.

Taotao stopped her at the courtyard door. “Miss Baojia wants to see you. Come with me.”

When Yueya went in, Li Baojia was still leaning lazily on the bed.

She asked directly, “What did you just do?”

Yueya smiled. “Miss, I heard that you like the ginger candy cakes from the Western Market, so I went to buy you some.”

She lifted her hand, and there was indeed a bag of ginger candy cakes.

Taotao said, “This is not cheap. You’ve only been here for a short time. Where did you get the silver to buy this?”

Yueya replied, “I pawned one of my hairpins…I thought that Miss had suffered from a cold, and it was most suitable to eat this now, so I went to line up and bought it.”

There was a silver hairpin in her head before. Although it was a very old style, it was not there now.

Li Baojia did not say anything.

Taotao rested her hands on her hips and said, “What’s the identity of Miss? She can get anything she wants to eat. Did she need you to buy her something? You do not wash the clothes properly but sneak out for so long.”

The corner of Yueya’s eyes was wet with tears, and she replied, “I…I just want to earn myself a future. Since I entered Miss’s courtyard, all I have needed to do is wash clothes every day. I also want Miss to value me, and the coming days will be better…”

She was smart.

This sounded a little ambitious but very honest. At least she did not say some words like she wanted to be loyal to…

Li Baojia rubbed her forehead. “You may leave now. It’s not to be repeated.”

Yueya went down with many thanks and respectfully placed the ginger candy cake on the small table as she left.

Taotao said angrily, “Miss, how can you let her go so easily? You should take this opportunity to drive her out.”

Li Baojia laid down again. “It’s not the right time yet.”

The main problem was that she wasn’t sure if Yueya had any malicious intent toward her.

In her previous life, she didn’t do anything to mess with her but instead did her best to serve her. Otherwise, she would have found out that something was wrong long ago.

At the Su family.

Su Ruhui was petrified on the spot after hearing Chunzhi’s words. “Are you saying that His Highness, His Highness, went to see Li Baojia?”

Chunzhi nodded and then comforted her. “But you don’t need to be anxious, Miss. I think it was Grand Preceptor Li who begged him to go there. After all, he is the teacher of His Highness. And His Highness had to do him this favor. The Li family are all thick-skinned.”

Su Ruhui felt better but still felt vaguely uneasy. There was a feeling that she could not understand either.

She said concernedly, “I always feel that something is still wrong. His Highness recently rejected the Ministry of Rites proposal and did not select the girls to enter the palace.”

She was not young, but she had been waiting for this moment and had wasted her youth until now.

Many of the noblewomen of her age had already given birth to children, but she had not even decided on a marriage yet. However, seeing that she was getting older and older, she was increasingly anxious.

She asked, “Have you put away the handkerchief?”

Su Ruhui was referring to the handkerchief for tomorrow’s Lantern Festival. She had learned from her correspondence with His Highness that he liked plum blossoms and had specially embroidered the plum blossoms.

Moli nodded. “Don’t worry, Miss. It has been carefully smoked in fragrance and put away in the box.”

“I wonder what kind of bead His Highness will prepare for you tomorrow. It must be the most expensive and exquisite one that matches you,” Chunzhi said with a smile.

Blushing with shyness at Chunzhi’s words, she was actually looking forward to it, but she still said, “No matter what kind of gift His Highness gives me, it will be great.”

Thinking of the performance in the flower cabin tomorrow, she was a little nervous. It was said that the Crown Prince would come to see the performance this year, and she had to perform well and be the most beautiful.

She said, “I’m still a little uneasy about the performance of the hundred girls tomorrow, so let’s rehearse the performance again tonight.”

Chunzhi nodded. “Miss, there’s no need to be nervous. Is there a noble girl in the Imperial City who can compete with you on a stringed instrument? Besides, you have prepared so carefully this time. You will definitely surprise His Highness.”