When she returned to He Ciyuan's courtyard, her temper remained high.
The kick she received was quite hard, and her scapula still ached faintly. What she feared most was actually that sense of powerlessness.
She was always on the receiving end of the beating passively, which made her seem completely incompetent.
Tian Yao couldn't fall asleep that night. She tossed and turned in bed, trying to come up with a solution.
"Hey!"
Tian Yao suddenly sat up in bed. A bold idea flashed through her mind.
"Yes, I'll do it like this!"
Just after midnight, a stifled cry accompanied by soft sobs came from her direction.
"Don't... don't beat me..."
In the inner chamber, He Ciyuan suddenly opened his eyes, and the air around him instantly turned cold.
He had always been a light sleeper, and this little noise was enough to wake him up.
"Please... this servant girl won't dare again..."
Tian Yao seemed to be in extreme fear. She curled up into a ball on the small couch, shivering.
He Ciyuan frowned deeply.
Irritated.
The sobbing sound annoyed him greatly.
Early the next morning, Tian Yao, with two big dark circles under her eyes, carried a basin of water in to serve He Ciyuan.
He Ciyuan let her wipe his face. Suddenly, he said, "What tricks were you playing last night?"
Tian Yao's hand trembled, and she almost dropped the cloth on him.
She quickly knelt down and lowered her head, saying, "Replying to the young master, this servant girl just had a nightmare. I dreamed that I was bullied and got scared..."
"Scared?" He Ciyuan twitched the corner of his mouth. "Who would bully you in a dream?"
"No!" Tian Yao quickly looked up, her eyes filled with tears, looking extremely pitiful.
"This servant girl was afraid of offending the young master! I thought that maybe I had come into contact with something unclean... Please be kind, young master, and bestow an item that you have worn close to your body. Borrowing your noble aura, it can scare away those dirty things!"
After saying that, she lay on the ground, her shoulders twitching as she cried, looking both aggrieved and pitiful.
He Ciyuan was most annoyed by women crying. However, Tian Yao was different from others. Her voice was soft and not annoying. Moreover, He Ciyuan had feelings for her.
He was silent for a while, then casually picked up a jade pendant from the pillow and threw it over.
"Take it. Don't make any more noise."
A fine jade pendant landed in front of Tian Yao. It felt cold to the touch.
"Young master, this is too precious!" Tian Yao declined verbally, but she was overjoyed inside.
"I told you to take it. If you say any more, get out." He Ciyuan said impatiently.
"Thank you, young master!" Tian Yao immediately grabbed the jade pendant tightly in her palm. Her goal was achieved!
But He Ciyuan was not so easy to deceive.
An hour later, Mo Chen came back.
"Tian Yao only went to pay respects to the old madam once. She said she was going to get something and then became like this. It's probably related to the second young master..."
He Ciyuan's fingertips tapped gently on the armrest of his wheelchair.
"Okay, keep an eye on it."
...
Soon, it was the day when the servants in each courtyard received their monthly allowance.
Tian Yao stood at the end of the line, with her head down, trying not to attract attention.
But sometimes, trouble was not something you could avoid if you wanted to.
"Yo, aren't you serving the eldest young master? You even came for this little bit of silver?"
A sharp and sarcastic voice sounded. It was Bi Xi.
She was wearing a new water - green dress today, with delicate pearl flowers in her hair. Surrounded by several young servant girls, she looked like half a mistress.
Tian Yao cursed silently in her heart, but on the surface, she bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings to Concubine Bi Xi."
"Have you forgotten all the rules I taught you the other day?" Bi Xi sneered.
The surrounding servants quickly stepped aside, afraid of being involved.
Everyone knew that Bi Xi was a favorite and should not be offended.
The difference in their situations and stances was obvious.
"This servant girl dare not forget." Tian Yao lowered her head.
"Dare not forget?" Bi Xi sneered. "You're quite bold. You're always showing off in front of the young masters. Do you think others are fools?"
Qing Qing beside her immediately understood and stepped forward. She pushed Tian Yao hard on the shoulder and said, "The concubine is talking to you. Are you deaf?"
Tian Yao had been on guard. With a cry of "Ouch", she staggered and fell to the side following the force.
This fall was quite exaggerated. The black jade unicorn pendant she had been hiding in her clothes flew out from her collar. It flashed a dark light in the air and then "smacked" loudly on the bluestone slab.
Everyone froze.
The air suddenly became quiet.
In the crowd, an old nurse with some knowledge gasped in surprise, "Good heavens! That... that's the eldest young master's unicorn pendant!"
This jade pendant was specially obtained for He Ciyuan by the old marquis back then. There was only one such pendant in the entire marquis's mansion, representing He Ciyuan's identity!
He had actually given such a private and precious item to this girl?
Tian Yao seemed to be scared silly. She crawled over quickly, carefully picked up the jade pendant in her palm, and wiped it over and over again with her sleeve while muttering.
"Good heavens, I mustn't break it... This was bestowed by the young master. He said it could calm the nerves and told this servant girl to wear it close to the body and never take it off..."
Her voice was not loud, but in the silent crowd, it clearly reached everyone's ears.
Wear it close to the body and never take it off.
These words were like a resounding slap in the face for Bi Xi.
Bi Xi's face instantly turned from smug to livid. Moreover, the words of the people around her made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
"It seems that the eldest young master values her so much..."
"This is not the treatment of an ordinary servant girl. It's almost like that of a concubine..."
"Concubine Bi Xi has probably kicked a hard rock this time."
Bi Xi dug her nails deeply into her palm. Her beautiful face was distorted for the first time because of jealousy and hatred.
Bi Xi was in a very bad mood. Since she couldn't punish Tian Yao, she finally left dejectedly.
She sat in the pavilion in the garden. Even though there were all kinds of delicious pastries in front of her, she had no appetite.
"Concubine, don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry for such a person." Qing Qing gently massaged her back and said, "She's just a servant girl. We don't need to take her seriously. She can't turn the world upside down, can she?"
Bi Xi snorted coldly and crushed a osmanthus cake in her hand. "Don't underestimate this woman."
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a slender figure walking quickly along the garden path with her head down.
It was Tian Yao!
"Stop!" Bi Xi's shrill voice rang out.
Tian Yao suddenly stopped in her tracks. She cursed silently in her heart for being so unlucky. She had already taken a detour, but unexpectedly, she still ran into this woman.
Tian Yao turned around, lowered her head, and tried to look humble and obedient. "Greetings to Concubine Bi Xi."
Bi Xi walked out of the pavilion gracefully, stood in front of her, and looked down at her. "Weren't you quite proud today? Why are you running faster than a rabbit now?"