Nanny Li's face was ferocious as she raised the bamboo stick again.
Caiyu closed her eyes tightly, thinking to herself why Song Yinghuai hadn't come yet.
If he didn't come soon, she would really be beaten to death.
However, the expected pain didn't come this time. Caiyu heard the long - awaited voice above her head, as elegant and noble as jade shattering on a mountain:
"Mother Concubine, show mercy."
He finally came!
Caiyu slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Her line of sight was right on Song Yinghuai's smooth jaw, with a perfectly flowing line as if carved from gold and jade.
Caiyu's heart skipped a beat unexpectedly.
Concubine Yao couldn't suppress her anger. She looked at Song Yinghuai in disbelief. "Yinghuai, this is the first time you've pleaded for a woman. You and she..."
Could what Suier from Lianyin Pavilion reported be true?
"We have nothing to do with each other," Song Yinghuai interrupted Concubine Yao's interrogation with a calm look in his eyes.
Concubine Yao's eyes scanned his face, trying to find a trace of something amiss.
Song Yinghuai slightly raised his eyebrows. His eyes were calm and detached, and his aura was completely free of desire. There was no sign of any emotion at all.
"If you really have nothing to do with each other, why did she leave the hot spring wearing your meditation robe?" Concubine Yao questioned uneasily. "You've never done this before."
She always knew that there were spies from the Eastern Depot in the mansion. If this maid really had the intention to seduce her son into bed, the information would soon reach the capital. She had to be on guard.
Song Yinghuai lowered his eyes and saw Caiyu's back tensing up. A sarcastic smile curled up on his lips.
Was it too late to be afraid that her confession wouldn't match his now?
Caiyu was indeed feeling extremely nervous.
She did fall into the hot spring, but whether she slipped in on her own or was accidentally dragged in by Song Yinghuai was a different matter.
She deliberately confused the two concepts in front of Concubine Yao. She just didn't know if Song Yinghuai would expose her.
Song Yinghuai pondered for a moment and said, "It's my fault. I was so happy to see the new soap beans sent from Ningxiang Pavilion that I soaked in the hot spring for too long. This maid had been kneeling beside me for a long time. When she stood up, she must have lost her balance and fell into the hot spring."
"Mother Concubine, I came here only because I didn't want you to wrongly blame her because of me." Song Yinghuai walked forward two steps with his hands behind his back. Looking up at the Avalokitesvara enshrined on the incense table in the main hall, he said, "Cause and effect have their own fates, and the cycle of cause and effect is endless. I was the cause of this incident, but she suffered the consequence because of me. If you punish her, Mother Concubine, it will only add to my sins."
Concubine Yao was stunned for a moment. She wasn't afraid of beating to death a low - ranking maid, but she was afraid that her son would bear sins.
Since Song Yinghuai had said so, how could she dare to beat Caiyu anymore? However, she was still dissatisfied:
"What a delicate maid. She can't even stand steadily after kneeling for a while. She has no manners at all. How did the nannies in the mansion train her?"
Nanny Li said, "This maid just entered the mansion recently. She must not have been disciplined enough, so she served the master so sloppily."
"In that case, the matter is clear. But Lianyin Pavilion is the main courtyard of the Yan Prince's Mansion. This maid served poorly and needs to be well - trained." Concubine Yao said, "Nanny Li, go to Lianyin Pavilion tomorrow and teach this maid how to serve the master well until she passes the assessment."
Nanny Li quickly agreed.
Concubine Yao felt relieved. She didn't want to argue with her son too much because of a little maid. She waved her hand tiredly, signaling Nanny Li to step back:
"Maybe I'm being over - cautious, but these are troubled times. You should still be careful in your actions."
Song Yinghuai nodded. "I know what to do. I'll take this maid back to Lianyin Pavilion first."
He slightly lowered his head and said to Caiyu, who was still kneeling on the ground, "Get up and follow me."
Caiyu answered and got up from the ground, staggering behind Song Yinghuai.
Concubine Yao watched the two of them with pursed lips. Suddenly, she said, "Wait."
Song Yinghuai stopped and turned around. Caiyu's whole attention was on her painful back. For a moment, she didn't notice and couldn't stop in time. She crashed into his solid chest.
"Ouch!"
Her nose ached unbearably immediately. It seemed as if her nasal bone was broken. Tears welled up in her eyes. Caiyu couldn't help but let out a soft cry of pain and then fell backward.
It's over!
Caiyu shouted in her heart. Her perky nose! Her round head!
She was in despair, feeling that the back of her head was about to kiss the ground soon.
Would it be as crisp as a cold melon falling to the ground in the northern frontier?
Just as she was wildly and randomly imagining, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her backward - falling body back.
Caiyu opened her eyes, and what came into view was Song Yinghuai's handsome face, as beautiful as a celestial being. His eyebrows were clear and his expression was cold.
Because he had to hold her, he leaned down, almost sticking to her.
She was stunned, feeling as if she had fallen into the most beautiful illusion in the world, and there were only her and him in this illusory space.
But Song Yinghuai quickly let go of the arm on her waist, as if nothing had happened. He turned to look at Concubine Yao. "Mother Concubine, do you have any other instructions?"
Caiyu rubbed her waist, feeling that the lingering warmth on her waist was as unforgettable as a branding iron.
Concubine Yao stared blankly at Song Yinghuai's action of saving the girl just now. It was like floating clouds breaking the moon, foggy flowers in the wind and snow. It seemed to show affection, but also seemed to be emotionless.
After a long while, she said, "I remembered that this maid has been punished, and Nanny Li will start teaching her the rules tomorrow. She may not be able to serve you for a while. How about I arrange a few more maids to enter Lianyin Pavilion for you?"
Song Yinghuai frowned slightly, as if he wanted to refuse.
However, Concubine Yao didn't give him a chance to speak. Pointing at Bailu, who had been standing beside her, she said, "You know this girl. She has served me since she was a child. She is the most considerate in her actions. I'm very confident in her character. Let her go."
Hearing this, Bailu lowered her pink face, but couldn't suppress the joy on her eyebrows.
Concubine Yao said, "Bailu, you can pick a few more little maids to go to Lianyin Pavilion with you. It's not reasonable for the senior maid to do all the work in the courtyard by herself. Caiyu really doesn't understand anything. After Nanny Li teaches her the rules, you can also teach her how to be a good senior maid."
Bailu happily agreed.
Caiyu lowered her eyes and stood obediently on one side, silent.
They were both senior maids, but Concubine Yao wanted Bailu to manage her in the future. It was obvious that she didn't trust her and was sending someone to monitor her.
Putting Caiyu by his side to find out the truth was already the limit. Now Concubine Yao was meddling again. Song Yinghuai looked at Bailu with disgust and opened his mouth. "Mother Concubine—"
"Stop. You don't need to refuse." Concubine Yao raised her hand to stop his words of refusal. "Since you've made an exception and taken Caiyu as a senior maid, if there's one, there can be two. The precedent has already been broken, so it doesn't matter if it's broken one more time."
"I've long disliked the lazy rough - serving maids in your courtyard. The servants who serve you are all men, and they act rashly. For the internal affairs, you can't do without a senior maid. Although you've embraced Buddhism and want to cut off all ties with the mortal world, didn't you also say that all Dharma has no fixed form, neither male nor female, and all women are the same? Although they appear as women, they are not truly women?"
Song Yinghuai's eyebrows twitched.
One after another, they all used this saying to stop him.
"In that case, I'll follow Mother Concubine's arrangement."
They were just a few servants who had been raised in the mansion since childhood. Anyway, they wouldn't be as suspicious as Caiyu.
Not wanting to argue further, Song Yinghuai agreed and then left. Caiyu turned around and staggered after him.
Song Yinghuai was tall and walked quickly. Caiyu was injured, so it didn't take long for a distance to open up between them. Soon, the man's figure disappeared around the corner.
Caiyu sighed silently.
It seemed that this man was heartless. He really came to save her because he was afraid of bearing sins, not out of pity for the fairer sex.
She slowly shuffled to the end of the veranda. In front of her were rockeries and flying stones.
As the scenery changed, she unexpectedly saw Song Yinghuai's tall figure standing in front of her, as if waiting for her.
Caiyu opened her mouth in surprise. "My Lord?"