The farce in He Huaibi's courtyard seemed to have grown wings and spread throughout the Marquis's Mansion within a single day.
The two new maidservants were named Shuangyue and Xing'er.
Among the old madam's people, there were rarely any easy targets, and Xing'er was even more remarkable.
No one knew where the old madam had found her. Xing'er had an especially graceful figure, and there was even a faint resemblance to Tianyao in her eyebrows and eyes. As soon as she arrived, she caught He Huaibi's fancy.
Bixi thought that her gentle and amiable persona was finally about to crumble.
"Have you heard? Concubine Bixi smashed Xing'er's room in the middle of the night last night."
"That's not all! Early this morning, there was an argument in the courtyard over who should serve ginseng soup to the young master. Shuangyue even got scalded and was howling like a banshee."
Tianyao crouched under the corridor, pricking up her ears to eavesdrop on the whispers of the passing maids.
[Oh, no matter how good a person is, they can't resist the allure of love. It's really a dogfight.]
[I hope they fight even more fiercely! Beat each other to a pulp!]
As Tianyao watched them fight like dogs, while feeling happy in her heart, she also thought that Bixi wasn't entirely her enemy.
She still had a huge problem to deal with.
He Ciyuan's leg was gradually improving during the treatment. Although it was unknown whether his condition could be completely changed, at least he wouldn't have to be so tense in the future.
[Alas, they've brought this upon themselves...]
Just as she was secretly rejoicing, a voice with no discernible emotion came from behind her.
"What are you smiling at?"
Tianyao's smile instantly froze on her face, and it felt as if all the blood in her body had congealed at that moment.
It was He Ciyuan!
She whipped her head around and saw He Ciyuan sitting in a wheelchair, with Mo Chen standing behind him. Both of them were looking at her expressionlessly, as if they were looking at a prisoner about to be executed.
"Nothing... nothing..." Tianyao hurriedly lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly. "This servant was just... just happy to see the beautiful flowers."
However, there were hardly any flowers nearby.
Not even she believed such nonsense.
He Ciyuan didn't say a word. He just maneuvered his wheelchair slowly closer. The wooden wheels of the wheelchair rolled over the bluestones, as if treading on the tip of her heart.
"Really?" He stopped in front of her, leaned forward slightly, his gaze level with hers. "This isn't a garden. If you have something to be happy about, why not share it with me?"
His voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
Tianyao's scalp went numb. She forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "Young master is joking. This servant stays in the courtyard all day. How could there be anything interesting?"
Every day, just treating his illness had already wasted a lot of her time and energy.
The most crucial thing was that there was no sign of improvement, which made her feel extremely uneasy.
However, deep down, Tianyao also wondered if he knew that she was laughing at the affairs in the back courtyard.
If He Ciyuan thought that she was getting too close to He Huaibi, then she was doomed.
[That's not right. He doesn't understand what jealousy is. He just has a strong sense of possessiveness and a cleanliness fetish.]
Tianyao forced herself to stop smiling and didn't dare to continue talking about this matter.
"No, definitely not. Young master, please don't misunderstand!" Tianyao lowered her head and tried to brush it off seriously.
"Lift your head up." He Ciyuan ordered.
Tianyao didn't dare to disobey. She lifted her face tremblingly.
His gaze was like an icy knife, scraping across her face inch by inch, and finally stopping at the corner of her mouth where the smile hadn't completely faded.
"Who are you happy for? He Huaibi?" He reached out his hand, and his cold fingertips pinched her chin. The force wasn't strong, but it carried a full warning. "Do you think his act of saving the beauty was out of pure motives?"
Tianyao shivered in fear. Tears were almost streaming down her face. She quickly shook her head: "No! This servant doesn't have such feelings! This servant is happy because... because Concubine Bixi is in trouble!"
In a moment of desperation, she could only tell the truth. Instead of letting him misunderstand that she had feelings for He Huaibi, it was better for him to know that she simply hated Bixi.
People like He Ciyuan didn't have so - called brotherly affection. Everyone was working hard for their own interests, and no one would give in to the other.
He Ciyuan seemed to have expected it, but still feigned surprise.
"Oh? How is she in trouble?" He asked knowingly, but there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.
Tianyao didn't dare to hide anything anymore. She picked and chose and repeated what she had heard.
"She humiliated and beat me several times before. When I heard that she was competing for the young master's favor with someone else and they even fought, I just felt happy in my heart."
As she spoke, she secretly observed He Ciyuan's expression. He listened very calmly, as if he was listening to a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him.
"Okay." He Ciyuan replied indifferently. "Don't cause any trouble in the future."
It meant that she could be happy, but she shouldn't cause problems for herself, otherwise, things could get out of hand.
However, Tianyao always felt that beneath his calm exterior was a bottomless whirlpool.
Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside the courtyard. A maid rushed in, stumbling and crawling, her face full of panic.
"Eldest young master! It's bad! Concubine Bixi... Concubine Bixi is near our courtyard gate. She's fighting with Miss Xing'er!"
He Ciyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he wasn't surprised at all.
Tianyao's heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling.
The maid gasped for breath and continued shouting: "Concubine Bixi has gone crazy! She took a hairpin and scratched Miss Xing'er's face. And... and in front of everyone, she shouted..."
At this point, the maid's voice trembled so much that it was barely recognizable. She looked at Tianyao fearfully before stuttering on.
"She said that the second young master likes Miss Tianyao..."
The entire courtyard fell into instant silence.
On the surface, Tianyao looked like she was about to cry, but inside, she was cursing the heavens.
Which beautiful woman isn't coveted?
She had been going through fire and water for He Ciyuan every day. However, would she end up being killed as a spy in the end?
It was over.
That crazy Bixi, how could she become so brainless?
Wasn't she supposed to be the protagonist of this book?
If the protagonist was losing her wits, it would be better to just kill her, lest she drag her down one day.
"Tianyao, did you hear that? My second brother likes you very much." It was a stifled laugh, but there was no accusation. However, the force on his hand gradually increased a little.
It was over.
"Young master, they're just talking nonsense. Please don't believe them!"
"Heaven and earth can bear witness. Since this servant has served the young master, she has had no second thoughts and would never do such a thing!"
If He Ciyuan had any sense, he could see that she had almost given her life for him. Was it really necessary for her to do such a thing?
Even if she were a spy, he should at least have something she wanted. If he had nothing, then in essence, he was just misunderstanding her.
[What on earth is going on! Are they trying to make her into a white - moonlight or a sweetheart?]
Wasn't this just to anger He Ciyuan and achieve their own goals?