Song Yinghuai noticed Caiyu's lower abdomen suddenly contract violently. He raised his eyes to look at her, his eyes full of confusion.
All he saw was that her expression was indescribable. It was neither the look of pain nor the look of relief.
Song Yinghuai slightly raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
Caiyu felt the blood trickling down between her legs, like an unstoppable stream, quickly soaking through her undergarments.
Caiyu secretly groaned in dismay. She felt the wetness between her legs and closed her eyes dejectedly.
Seeing that she looked strange but refused to speak, Song Yinghuai couldn't help asking again. "What on earth is going on?"
He thought to himself that perhaps the internal energy he had used was not enough and she was still in pain.
With this thought in mind, he channeled more internal energy into Caiyu's lower abdomen through his palm.
Caiyu's expression suddenly froze. She quickly reached out and pressed her hand on the back of his hand. "Your Highness, this servant is much better. Please leave."
She was eager to get Song Yinghuai to leave first so that she could quickly change her clothes. However, her urgent tone made Song Yinghuai misunderstand.
Song Yinghuai withdrew his hand and looked at her coldly. "As soon as you're better, you're trying to get rid of me? Kicking away the ladder once across the river!"
Caiyu was stunned for a moment and then realized that her tone had been too urgent. She tried to explain. "This servant didn't mean that... Ouch!"
Suddenly, her chin hurt as Song Yinghuai reached out and pinched it, forcing her to look up at him.
Song Yinghuai's eyes were menacing. "Ungrateful wretch!"
Caiyu was in so much pain from the pinch that she forgot about her shyness. She turned her head and moved her body. "This servant has soiled the bed! This servant wants to change clothes!"
As she moved aside, a conspicuous patch of bright red on the bed immediately caught Song Yinghuai's eye.
It was bold and vivid, like red plum blossoms spread out on the silver-striped and vase-patterned silk bedspread.
Song Yinghuai's eyebrows twitched violently. Although this was a side hall and no one lived there, all the items used were of the highest quality!
This silver-striped and vase-patterned silk bedspread alone was a top-grade item imported from foreign lands, worth three thousand taels of silver!
Caiyu's heart was pounding like a drum.
She also recognized the value of this bedspread and knew that things were bad. At present, even if she were to be killed a hundred times, she couldn't afford to compensate for it.
Song Yinghuai took a deep breath and was about to get angry when Caiyu quickly jumped out of bed, grabbed the bedspread like a whirlwind, and ran outside.
"Your Highness, please calm down. This servant will go and wash it right away!"
"This servant guarantees that it will be washed spotless and look brand new!"
Song Yinghuai: ...
Caiyu carried the expensive bedspread through the garden.
By the laundry pool, Taoyao was pounding her change of clothes.
In fact, the work in Lianyin Pavilion was not particularly arduous. There was only Song Yinghuai, the master, in the entire pavilion.
No matter how clean he was, the number of clothes he changed every day was not much, which was completely different from that in Wanxiang Hall.
Working in Wanxiang Hall, they not only had to serve Concubine Yao but also a group of old maids like Nanny Li and Nanny Zhang, as well as several senior maids such as Jingzhe, Lixia, Bailu, and Shuangjiang. All of them relied on their high status and casually ordered them, the junior maids, to do work.
It's just that...
Taoyao secretly thought that it would be great if she could take a step further.
There was only Caiyu, a senior maid, in Lianyin Pavilion, and she was a thorn in the side of the old princess. If Caiyu could be removed by some means, among the four second-class maids left in Lianyin Pavilion, she was the most intelligent. Moreover, she was from Wanxiang Hall, so the possibility of her being promoted was the greatest...
There was a "splash" sound.
A sound of water came from beside Taoyao. A dazzling silver object was thrown into the water, which startled her!
Taoyao jumped up from the shore in fright. Only then did she recognize that what had been thrown into the water just now was a bedspread. Caiyu squatted down on a big rock not far from her and started scrubbing.
Taoyao stroked her chest and got angry. "What's wrong with you? Don't you know there's someone here?"
Caiyu didn't even lift her head and replied lazily. "This is the laundry pool, not your room. You can come here, and so can I. You can just wash here. I'm not in your way."
Seeing that she was sharp-tongued, Taoyao remembered the still-painful palm of her hand and gritted her teeth in hatred.
She took a few steps forward, walked onto the big rock where Caiyu was squatting, threw the clothes in her hand down, and scolded with a stern face.
"You can't just come here without making a sound. I got here first!"
The wet clothes that had just been fished out of the water were thrown on the rock, and the splashing water droplets landed on Caiyu's face.
Caiyu finally raised her eyes. She pulled the bedspread to the shore, slowly got up, and stood up straight.
She came from a military family and was tall and slender, half a head taller than Taoyao.
As soon as she stood up, she gave Taoyao a sense of oppression from above.
Taoyao was startled and quickly took a step back. "What are you doing? Don't you dare hit me. I'm the old princess's person!"
Caiyu found her blustering appearance funny. Her expression turned cold, and she stared at Taoyao to warn her.
"I think you need to recognize a few things in Lianyin Pavilion. First, I'm a senior maid, and you're a second-class maid. If we meet in the future, I don't need to greet you, but when you see me, you'd better salute me. Otherwise, I'll hit you if I want to!"
At the mention of the class difference, a flash of hatred crossed Taoyao's eyes.
Caiyu continued. "Second, although we haven't known each other for long, you probably know what kind of person I am. Bailu and Nanny Li have both been driven out by me. Who do you think you are! I don't drive you out because you're too useless. I'm just too lazy to waste my energy. But if you deliberately pick on me, I'll..."
Caiyu took a step forward and got closer to Taoyao.
Her smooth face looked beautiful but contained a sharp chill. Taoyao trembled again and involuntarily stepped back to the edge of the rock. "You'll, you'll..."
A sharp arc appeared on Caiyu's beautiful lips. "If you deliberately pick on me, I'll make you end up like Bailu!"
She glanced at the wet clothes on the big rock and scolded. "Pick up your clothes and get out of here! This place is mine now!"
Taoyao was intimidated by her fierce aura and nervously squatted down to pick up the clothes.
Caiyu didn't bother to pay attention to her. Fortunately, Song Yinghuai had just used his internal energy to massage her. Although a lot of blood had suddenly gushed out, it must have been the stasis in her body. At the moment, she actually felt much more relaxed.
She squatted down again and was about to wash the bedspread.
Taoyao tightly clutched the wet clothes. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Caiyu squatting with her back to her. Suddenly, evil thoughts arose in her heart. She lifted her foot and kicked at Caiyu from behind!
Although Caiyu had ignored Taoyao, she was always alert. She had also gone hunting with her elder brother in Yanmen Mountain from time to time. The prey always kept a sharp lookout when drinking water by the water. She had seen and learned from that.
So as soon as she heard a strange sound behind her, she instinctively moved to the side!
Taoyao kicked into the air and couldn't stop herself. She fell into the pool with a scream.
There was a loud "plop" sound, and a huge splash was created on the water surface!
Taoyao stretched out her hands in the water to call for help. "Help... help..."
Caiyu stood on the shore, with her arms crossed, and coldly watched Taoyao flounder. "I've said that if you provoke me, I'll make you end up like Bailu!"
"Please save me first!" Taoyao panicked and shouted. "Sister Caiyu! Sister! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"
"Sister, wuwuwu..." Seeing that Caiyu still had a cold face, Taoyao's tears and snot were all over her face.
A look of disgust flashed across Caiyu's eyes. She wasn't feeling well today and still had to wash the bedspread. She really didn't have the leisure to continue fighting with Taoyao.
She said coldly. "The water in this pool only reaches below your thighs. Just stand up by yourself."
Taoyao: ???
She immediately calmed down and stood up in the pool at once. Her face turned green and white.
She had actually forgotten that this was just a laundry pool!
Taoyao climbed out of the pool resentfully. As she got on the shore, a patch of red stain on the bedspread by the rock caught her eye.
Taoyao was startled.
This was...