Chapter 35

Chapter 35: I Feel That My Lord Is Truly Impressive

However, Mei Zhaoxue couldn’t understand how something that seemed as fixed as a nail in a board could suddenly take an unexpected turn and lead to such a result.

The Prime Minister’s mansion was heavily guarded, so how did a small maid like Lüming manage to escape?

“Since that’s the case, go ahead and ask.” Shen Zaiye nodded, glancing at Lady Qin beside him. “Jieyu, you should stay behind to avoid any further conflict.”

Qin Jieyu was taken aback for a moment, bowing her head in compliance. “Yes.”

The two women, accompanied by their maidservants, left the courtyard. Once outside the Linwu Courtyard, Lady Qin couldn’t resist grabbing Mei Zhaoxue’s arm and asking, “Madam, what did his lordship’s words mean? Does he suspect me?”

Mei Zhaoxue sighed, gently massaging her temples. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Lady Meng has been wronged, and you are the only person in this courtyard who openly clashes with her. It’s only natural that his lordship would consider this.”

“How can that be allowed! This matter has absolutely nothing to do with me!” Qin Jieyu grew anxious: “My lord hasn’t been favoring me much lately anyway. If there’s another misunderstanding, wouldn’t he visit my place even less?”

“Calm down,” Mei Zhaoxue said with displeasure. “If you panic at every little thing, how can you ever accomplish anything significant? Your position in this courtyard is quite secure. Even if the lord is temporarily less fond of you now, the lingering favor from before is enough for you to continue living comfortably. Besides, there’s still a long way to go. It’s not as if you have no chance of winning back the lord’s affection.”

Madame Qin frowned. While that might be true, she was used to being spoiled and doted on. Living in a neglected courtyard for a long time was simply not acceptable.

Still, her lady’s words made sense. She couldn’t afford to be hasty. Right now, she needed to deal with Madame Meng’s situation first. It would be best if she could keep biting down on her, ensuring she could never turn the tables.

Once they had left, Peach Blossom slipped out from the inner chamber, her bright eyes darting playfully as they roamed over Shen Zaiye.

Glancing at her, Shen Zaiye remarked coolly, “What are you thinking now?”

Climbing onto his lap with a smile, Peach Blossom blinked and whispered, “I had thought before that Lady Meng was falsely accused by Lady Qin.”

“Before?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow. “And now?”

“Now… I think you are truly formidable, my lord.”

I was almost fooled as well! The one who wants to deal with Lady Meng is clearly him!

Originally, I thought Lady Qin was more suspicious, after all, getting rid of Lady Meng would benefit her more, while it doesn’t seem to help Shen Zaïye much.

However, after Shen Zaïye met a fat man yesterday, Lümíng actually fled.

Joking aside, what kind of place is the Prime Minister’s residence? Even a fly would have to undergo a full body check before flying out. How could a maid like Lüming, who has no martial arts skills, have just silently slipped away in the middle of the night? It must have been Shen Zaiju who deliberately let her go, likely with the intention of letting Lady Meng off the hook.

Why would he have been willing to suffer himself to frame Meng Zhanzhen earlier, yet now he wants to let her go?

Considering what happened last night, Peach Blossom felt there was only one truth: Shen Zaiju had used Lady Meng to strike some kind of deal with the Meng family. The deal must have been extremely difficult to achieve initially, forcing him to retreat in order to advance.

Now that his goal had been accomplished, Lady Meng was given a reprieve.

With that thought, it became clear how formidable Shen Zaoye truly was. This courtyard full of women had likely been thrust upon him by others hoping to forge connections through him, but instead, he had cleverly turned the tables, using these very women to grasp the very people who had sent them by the throat.

This kind of man is both dependable and dangerous.

Looking into her eyes, Shen Zaiye knew she had once again guessed his thoughts, and a flicker of displeasure stirred within him. “Are you sitting comfortably?”

“Ah?” Peach Blossom looked at him blankly. “It’s comfortable.”

“I’m not feeling well, you’re really heavy.” He said with a stern face, “Get off!”

Where did you develop the habit of immediately sitting in his lap as soon as you approach?

Puffing out her cheeks, Peach Blossom rose and climbed onto the adjacent soft couch, muttering quietly, “Most men adore holding a soft, fragrant beauty in their arms… Are you even a man?”

“What did you say?” Shen Zaijie narrowed his eyes.

“I said it’s a sunny day with clear skies, perfect for an outing!”

With a cold snort, Shen Zaijie said, “Have you forgotten that your stitches need to be removed today?”

Right, her face fell, and Peach Blossom sighed, reaching out to touch her own waist.

Removing the stitches is torture too…

“Master, the medical woman is here,” Moss announced as she entered.

Her small face scrunched up into a ball, Peach Blossom tentatively asked, “What if we just don’t remove them? Let the stitches grow into the flesh—would that be so bad?”

Qingtai looked at her seriously and said, “It could get infected and cause illness; the sutures cannot remain in place.”

“…Alright then.” She nodded gloomily and stood up, following Qingtai outside.

Slightly raising an eyebrow, Shen Zaijue found this rather interesting. Jiang Taohua was usually fearless, even daring to stitch without anesthesia, yet it turned out she was still quite afraid of pain.

If she was afraid, why did she insist on being stubborn? Was there something wrong with this woman’s brain?

The medical assistant was already waiting in the side room. Peach Blossom pursed her lips, lay down on the bed without a word, and exposed the wound on her waist to her.

“Please bear with it a bit,” the medical assistant said softly. “I will talk about other things to distract you and make you feel better.”

“Alright,” Peach Blossom replied, closing her eyes. “Tell me some little gossip about the mansion, if you will.”

Little gossip? The medical assistant took out a pair of scissors and, while tending to the wound, said, “After what happened with Green Tea recently, everything in the pharmacy has been in order, so there hasn’t been anything particularly interesting to talk about. However, last time, Lady Liu and Lady Gu came to see the physician, and after leaving, they started arguing for some reason.”

Feeling a sharp pain from her wound, Peach Blossom gritted her teeth and asked, “Aren’t the two of them longtime friends? How could they end up quarreling too?”

“Even the best of friends still have disagreements, and lately, the two of them have been interacting less, as if a rift has developed between them.”

Peach Blossom pressed her lips together. Yesterday, she had already searched for Madam Liu’s name in the registry. Liu Xiangjun, the illegitimate daughter of the current Minister of Guards. Since she came to the Prime Minister’s residence to be nothing more than a humble attendant, it was clear she wasn’t particularly favored at home either.

During their encounter the other day, Madam Liu had been quick-witted and her words quite pleasing, seemingly more clever than Gu Huairou. Peach Blossom couldn’t help but wonder—could it have been Madam Liu who first incited Gu Huairou to come and cause trouble here?

As she lost herself in thought, she had already undone quite a bit of the stitches. It wasn’t until she snapped back to reality that she truly felt the agonizing pain—a subtle, itchy, pulling sensation that made her wish Qingtai had just given her a clean cut instead.

“You might as well pull them all out at once!” Peach Blossom said in misery.

The medical woman’s lips twitched slightly. “This… cannot be done all at once, Madam. Please try to endure a little longer.”

Even Qingtai found it hard to watch. Just as she was about to comfort Peach Blossom, she saw a maid rush in frantically from outside, gasping out, “Medical Lady Li, hurry to Wenqing Pavilion!”

There’s still half the suture thread inside the flesh,” the medical assistant said without lifting her head, “Wait until we finish removing Jiang Lady’s stitches before I go.”

“What’s the reasoning behind coming to someone’s door and trying to take the medical assistant away?” Qing Tai stepped forward, blocking her displeased, “Your mistress is in a hurry, but isn’t my mistress just as anxious?”

The little maid seemed on the verge of tears, quickly kneeling down and pleading, “All the other medical assistants in the residence are away today, and my mistress appears… appears to be feeling unwell, so only the medical assistant can examine her. I was just too frantic for a moment, please understand, Jiang Lady!”

Only the medical assistant can examine her? That means it’s a woman’s ailment. Peach Blossom pursed her lips and said weakly, “It’s not that I don’t understand; it’s just that I’m suffering myself.”

Qingtai said angrily, “Just lie down, mistress. I’ll see her out.”

After saying that, she grabbed the little maid and tossed her into the yard, slamming the door shut with a loud bang and bolting it.

The little maid was stunned. She glanced in the direction of the main room but felt too timid to go there, so she could only brace herself and run back to Wenqing Pavilion.

After nearly half an hour of effort, the stitches on Taohua’s body were finally removed. A scar on her waist, fierce and ugly.

“What on earth can I do?” she fretted anxiously. “Is there any way to get rid of it?”

Dr. Li said gently, “If madam eats more things like pork skin and takes good care of herself for a few years, it should fade somewhat.”

A few years? Taohua sighed, which meant she would have to bear it with her all along.

Just as she was feeling distressed, there was a sudden commotion outside. Zhanlu seemed to be stopping someone, but that person ignored the obstruction and shouted toward the inside, “Master! Something’s happened! Come out and take a look quickly, Master!”

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Taohua raised her eyebrows, covering her waist as she asked Qingtai to open the door.

Shen Zaiye was resting and was disturbed by the sound, opening the door with a look of impatience: “What’s wrong?”

Zhan Lu stood respectfully to one side, while Mrs. Liu, with tears streaming down her face, knelt down at the sight of him: “Master, Sister Huairou’s pregnancy shows unusual signs! Why aren’t you even a little concerned?”

Unusual signs in the pregnancy? Shen Zaiye was taken aback, and the peach blossoms at the entrance of the side hall were equally stunned.

When did she become pregnant?

Lady Liu sobbed sorrowfully, clutching her handkerchief as she said, “Earlier, Sister Huanrou wanted to send for a medical woman, Lady Jiang, but she was refused. Now, it’s all come to this—when the physician arrived, he discovered that Sister Huanrou might have disturbed the fetus and moved her pregnancy qi.”

“Is it confirmed?” Shen Zaïye asked.

“…Not yet. The physician is still examining her. He says it’s still too early for a clear diagnosis, and it’s somewhat difficult to discern through pulse-taking. We might need to observe for a while longer.”

If it isn’t even confirmed yet, how does she know it’s a problem with the pregnancy and not just a stomachache?

Peach Blossom clicked her tongue and slowly walked over, saying to Shen Zaiye, “You’re well aware of my situation, sir. It’s not that I intentionally monopolized the medical maid, it’s just that the timing happened to coincide.”

“I know,” Shen Zaiye nodded, rubbing his temples. “Since it’s this serious, then let’s go to Wenqing Pavilion to take a look. Peach Blossom, you come along too.”

“Yes,” Jiang Taohua replied, glancing at Lady Liu kneeling on the ground.

Liu Xiangjun slowly rose to her feet, still wiping her tears. She looked as if she was extremely worried and had come to stand up for her sister.

But didn’t Doctor Li just say that she had a falling out with Lady Gu? What’s the meaning behind this empathy she’s showing now?

Shen Zaiju walked at an unhurried pace, causing Lady Liu, who was walking beside him, to grow anxious: “Master, aren’t you nervous? Once it’s confirmed, this will be your first child.”

“I’m not a physician—being nervous won’t help,” Shen Zaiju replied coolly. “Besides, as you said, it hasn’t been confirmed yet. If it turns out not to be the case, wouldn’t I end up blaming Lady Gu for no reason?”

Liu Xiangjun was taken aback and fell silent, stepping aside without another word.