Her voice was very soft, but the words she said sent shivers down one's spine.
Steward Wang's face immediately turned a bit ugly, for he knew He Ciyuan's capabilities.
Tian Yao was now his trusted aide. If something really went wrong, it would be bad.
"It's only a quarter of an hour until noon. If you delay the young master, you can figure out the consequences yourself."
In the end, Steward Wang didn't dare to be stubborn anymore, for he knew he didn't have the ability.
Facing those contemptuous looks, Tian Yao didn't care at all. Instead, she focused on getting the medicine.
Anyway, these people were all bullies who feared the strong and bullied the weak. She shouldn't give them any face. Otherwise, they would only go too far.
When she returned to He Ciyuan's courtyard, the man was sitting by the window, playing with a jade pendant in his hand.
"Back?" He didn't even lift his head.
"Back." Tian Yao placed the medicine package on the table. "All the medicinal herbs are here."
Only then did He Ciyuan turn his wheelchair. His gaze swept over the medicine package and finally landed on her face. "It took an hour. It's slower than I expected."
[Is this still slow? There's no one more dedicated than me.]
It was really not easy to survive in this lousy place, but who could understand the bitterness in her heart?
Tian Yao was a bit unhappy and slowly went back to prepare the medicine.
Just after midnight, all was quiet.
Tian Yao had no sleepiness at all. She rummaged out a delicate sachet she had made before, poured out the dried flowers inside, and replaced them with several calming herbs.
However, just as she reached the door, she unexpectedly heard Mo Chen's suppressed voice: "Young master, the medicine is here."
Immediately afterwards, there was a very soft sound of utensils colliding, accompanied by a... suppressed groan.
The pain in that voice made Tian Yao's heart clench suddenly, and her feet were instantly nailed to the spot.
Something was wrong.
Subconsciously, she dodged and hid in the shadow behind the corridor pillar, even holding her breath.
Through the gap in the window paper, she saw a scene that almost made her blood freeze.
He Ciyuan was not sitting in his wheelchair but leaning against the edge of the couch. His leg was bare, and a black cloth was applied to his knee. To be precise, it was completely soaked in the dark medicinal juice.
He himself was holding his knee, eyes closed, the veins on his forehead bulging, and his whole body exuding a kind of hidden severe pain.
Mo Chen was kneeling on one knee, holding a bowl of pitch - black medicinal soup, with an unprecedentedly solemn expression.
[His leg... is being treated? I thought it was completely crippled!]
An astonishing thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
This might be He Ciyuan's biggest secret!
Tian Yao only felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. She could hardly hold the sachet in her hand.
It was over. At first, she also thought that He Ciyuan was so laid - back in the mansion but no one dared to provoke him. He must be extraordinary.
It turned out that he was secretly undergoing treatment, just waiting to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent.
[It's over. What should I do now? Should I rush in and show my loyalty? That would be too deliberate. He might even kill me... ]
She had to disappear from here immediately!
Tian Yao didn't dare to stay. Like someone who had done something terribly wrong, she quickly fled the scene without daring to stop for a moment.
In the study, He Ciyuan's closed eyes had his eyelashes tremble imperceptibly.
Tian Yao didn't dare to go back to her room. Instead, she ran to the corridor not far away, just wanting the night wind to blow away the uneasiness in her heart.
Although He Ciyuan was a big ship she could rely on for the time being, this ship might capsize at any time.
It would be better to save up a sum of money quickly, redeem her deed of sale, and then secretly leave. Who would want to stay in this lousy place?
The discovery tonight made her more aware of her situation.
"I'm just a newbie in this place for now, but there are so many crises waiting for me. Relying on He Ciyuan alone won't do!"
She murmured to herself, and some modern words slipped out unconsciously.
"You're so unfair to me. If I make a single mistake, I'll just game over! I never dreamed that I would have the chance to be involved in the infighting in a mansion in my life. Usually at this time, I would be slaying enemies in the game..."
At worst, she would be crying for the CP she supported. How could she be so on tenterhooks all day long like now, and accidentally stumble upon someone's secret?
"What are you talking about?"
A cold voice suddenly sounded behind her, with a trace of inquisitive doubt.
"Ah!"
Tian Yao was so scared that her soul almost left her body. She bounced up from the railing of the corridor and almost fell head - first.
A hand quickly supported her arm, with a steady strength.
Tian Yao turned back in a state of shock and met a pair of familiar, calm eyes.
It was Mo Chen.
"Brother Mo... Mo Chen..." Tian Yao's heart was pounding so hard that it seemed to jump out of her throat. Her eyes instantly turned red. "Why... Why do you walk so silently..."
Seeing her look like a frightened rabbit, Mo Chen unconsciously loosened the strength of his hand supporting her, and his eyes softened for a moment.
"I just came out from the young master's place and happened to meet you."
Mo Chen always felt that the words Tian Yao said were completely unheard of, and they didn't seem to be the language of a foreign country. He had never heard such words before.
"What did you say just now? It doesn't seem to be a foreign language. You..."
Tian Yao's background must be fine, but the problem was where exactly, which was really curious.
Tian Yao's mind was working at full speed, and she immediately fabricated a lie: "It... It's the local dialect of my hometown. It means that I set the goal too high for myself and I'm afraid I can't achieve it and will be punished by the master's family."
This explanation was reasonable.
Mo Chen didn't comment, but his gaze stayed on her face for a while. In the candlelight, her small face was so pale with fright that her eyes looked even more tearful and pitiful.
Tian Yao was a girl born and raised in the capital. Such words must not be from this country.
"Never mind. You should go back and rest early."
In the end, Mo Chen didn't say anything more.
His loyalty was only to He Ciyuan, but some thoughts were better left hidden.
Moreover, reminding Tian Yao too much would only make her lose the ability to deal with problems in comfort.
Whether there was a problem with her or not, time would tell.
The old lady was going to hold a birthday banquet soon, and the mansion was decorated with lanterns and festoons, seemingly a scene of peace and harmony.
However, Tian Yao keenly sensed that there must be some unknown secrets hidden beneath this festivity.
[The wind rises before the storm... There must be problems where there are many people.]
She thought that she would just hide on that day and not run around. Then the fire wouldn't burn on her.
One afternoon, while she was nervously trimming the flower branches in the yard, He Ciyuan sent someone to summon her.
As soon as she entered the study, Tian Yao was stunned.
A brand - new dress was quietly placed on the table. The dress was resplendent, and there was also a proper headdress beside it.
"Put it on and have a look." He Ciyuan was sitting in his wheelchair, not even lifting his head. His voice showed no emotion.