Tian Yao was seething with anger, but she silently walked to the corner, tidying up and cleaning, wiping the window ledge. Her hands were shaking so violently that she almost knocked over the water basin several times.
"Come here." The man's ice - cold voice rang out.
Tian Yao's body trembled. She dawdled over to the desk and lowered her eyes submissively. "Young Master."
He Ciyuan didn't even look at her. He just tossed the jade ring onto the table with a crisp clatter. "Starting tomorrow, without my order, don't step out of the yard even a single step."
Was this... house arrest?
Well, going out was also fraught with perils. Besides not being able to get timely news from the outside, staying here might not be such a bad thing.
Tian Yao's heart sank to the bottom, but she could only respond humbly, "Yes, this servant obeys."
"Get out."
"Yes."
As if granted amnesty, Tian Yao fled the study with the water basin in her hands.
Tian Yao lay on the bed, covering her head with the quilt. Tears silently slid down her face.
"What a lousy place! It's so unfriendly to a novel - loving girl like me. I didn't even want to time - travel. It's so strange."
"In those time - travel novels, the protagonists can usually do all sorts of amazing things or have some fighting skills. I've got nothing. They don't even give me a special ability. How can I fight with empty hands?"
She didn't want to be an appendage. She just wanted to be a proper person. But in this world, women rarely had the right to choose.
"Humph, my tears are wetting my rice bowl. I swear I'll rise above others!" Tian Yao wiped away her tears and made a childish but determined promise.
On the other side, He Huaibi didn't go to Bixi's room as usual. Instead, he went straight back to his study.
Bixi had carefully prepared a table of midnight snacks. She waited and waited, but he didn't come. A sense of unease gradually crept over her.
Since she was promoted to a concubine, although He Huaibi didn't pay much attention to her, he often stayed in her room. There had never been an exception before.
She put on her cloak and personally carried the food box to the study.
"Sir, it's late at night. Are you still busy?" Bixi pushed the door open and said in a gentle voice.
He Huaibi was standing by the window, looking out at the dark night, lost in thought.
Hearing her voice, he turned around. A gentle smile appeared on his handsome face. "It's you. Sit down."
The smile was still gentle, but Bixi felt a sense of distance.
She took out the lotus - seed soup from the food box and placed it on the table one by one. "I've stewed your favorite lotus - seed soup. Would you like to have a taste?"
"You're so thoughtful." He Huaibi sat down but didn't pick up the spoon. Instead, he casually asked, "By the way, you and Tian Yao both served beside grandmother. What kind of person do you think she is?"
Bixi's hand holding the bowl twitched imperceptibly. Her heart tightened suddenly.
So, was he interested in Tian Yao?
"Sister Tian Yao..." Bixi lowered her eyelids to hide the cold look in her eyes. Her tone sounded quite ordinary. "She's a bit introverted. She doesn't talk much on weekdays. She's also a bit... dull. She's not very good at reading people's expressions. Maybe it's because she just entered the mansion recently and doesn't know the rules well yet."
She subtly bad - mouthed Tian Yao, portraying her as a dull and uninteresting person.
He Huaibi just smiled non - committally. "Really? I think with her kind of personality, she might be able to stay by elder brother's side for a long time."
Although he seemed to be talking about Tian Yao, every word was like a needle pricking Bixi's heart.
Did he really think that girl was good?
Bixi dug her fingernails deeply into her palm, but still maintained a proper smile on her face. "Sir is right. Elder Young Master has a cold personality. He really needs a quiet and obedient person to serve him."
He Huaibi inquired about Bixi's past experiences serving the old lady and subtly asked a lot of questions about Tian Yao.
He asked in great detail, even about who was in her family and what she liked to do on weekdays.
When Bixi walked out of the study, the night wind blew against her face, icy cold. Her face was uglier than the night sky.
When she got back to her room, she dismissed the servants and only kept her trusted maid Huamei.
"Concubine, what's wrong? Sir..." Huamei asked worriedly.
"Tian Yao! After just a few meetings, she's almost stolen Sir's heart!" Bixi's voice was full of venomous hatred. There was no trace of gentleness left.
Huamei was shocked. "How could this be? She's just a maid beside Elder Young Master!"
"A maid?" Bixi sneered. "She looks like a seductive fox. The young masters can't take their eyes off her. Even Sir... even Sir has asked about her."
She was so afraid that He Huaibi had taken her as a concubine just for Tian Yao.
That was what she feared most.
He Huaibi was so cold and self - controlled. Why was he suddenly interested in Tian Yao? It was so strange.
"Then... what should we do?" Huamei panicked.
Bixi paced back and forth in the room. A look of cruelty flashed across her eyes.
She couldn't confront Tian Yao head - on. He Ciyuan would protect her, and He Huaibi was clearly interested in her.
But Tian Yao had a fatal weakness.
"Although she's Elder Young Master's personal maid, she's not his concubine. Nominally, she's still under the unified management of the mansion." Bixi said coldly. "Her monthly allowance, food, clothing, and daily necessities all have to be obtained from the steward's room."
Huamei immediately understood. "Concubine means..."
"Go, take twenty taels of silver and offer it to Nanny Zhang who is in charge of the monthly allowance. " Bixi's lips curled into a cold smile. "Tell her that Tian Yao is an ignorant girl. Let her discipline her. Find an excuse to withhold her winter allowance and winter clothes. Let her wait."
Tian Yao was beautiful, so she was bound to arouse the jealousy of other girls. If she tried to seek the attention of men, she would lose her virtue and might even incur He Ciyuan's annoyance.
As long as they cut off her supplies and made her life difficult, she wouldn't have the mind to seduce men!
"Yes, this servant will go and do it right away!"
Autumn came suddenly. The weather got colder and colder every day.
In a blink of an eye, it was the end of the month, the day to distribute the monthly allowance.
The maids and servants in the mansion were all happily going to the steward's room to collect their silver and fabric for new clothes.
However, when Tian Yao came to the steward's room, Nanny Zhang, who was in charge of the distribution, didn't even lift her eyelids. She waved her hand impatiently. "From Elder Young Master's yard? The accounts haven't been checked yet. Come back in a few days."
Although Tian Yao found it strange, she didn't think much about it and had to go back first.
But after several times, Tian Yao also noticed something was wrong. She came to the steward's room today, but was blocked.
"Sister Tian Yao? Unfortunately, Nanny is out. As for your monthly allowance and fabric, Nanny said you should wait. You'll be notified when it's available."
After the little maid finished speaking, she slammed the door shut.
At that moment, Tian Yao understood everything.
This wasn't an accident or a coincidence. Someone was deliberately targeting her.