Song Yihuan tucked the kitten into her sleeve and returned to Tinglan Courtyard under the cover of night with it.
Once inside the courtyard, the kitten jumped out of her sleeve and began to patrol the yard, as if confirming its territory. Seeing that it seemed very at ease and showed no sign of fear, Song Yihuan just let it be.
She went into the room and sat in front of the dressing table. She raised her hand to take out the hairpin from her bun, and her long black hair cascaded down.
She looked up and stared at her reflection in the bronze mirror, momentarily lost in thought.
She found that she and Ji Lingchuan had had many more opportunities to meet these days. Their interactions were no longer confined to those late - night passionate moments in Yixiang Pavilion. Moreover, since that incident in Lanfang Garden, he seemed to have stopped summoning the girls from Shulan Courtyard to his bedchamber.
Why was that?
She certainly didn't mind not having to substitute for her elder sister to serve the prince. However, since she was not allowed to conceive, she had to stay in this small courtyard, constantly under her elder sister's control. She wondered when her elder sister would finally let her go.
Song Yihuan was extremely conflicted at this moment.
"Meow~" As she was deep in thought, she heard a meow. She felt something rubbing against her leg. She came back to her senses and looked down to see the kitten had quietly entered her room and was now squatting at her feet, looking up at her with big, bright eyes.
Song Yihuan instantly forgot all her worries. She bent down, picked up the kitten, placed it on her lap, and gently stroked its soft fur.
"What should I name you?" she murmured. Noticing that the kitten had a patch of white fur on each of its four paws, her eyes lit up. She tapped the kitten's head.
"I'll call you Treading on Snow."
"Meow~" The kitten meowed, as if agreeing to its new name.
The sound of the night watchman came from outside. Only then did Song Yihuan realize that it was already midnight. The eighth day of the seventh lunar month had passed quietly.
It was her birthday. Although there was no longevity noodles and no sumptuous feast, she had received three very precious gifts. She was already content.
Song Yihuan found a cushion to make a small nest for Treading on Snow. Then she went to the bed and lay down. Before she could close her eyes, she felt something jump onto the bed and lie down beside her.
Opening her eyes, Song Yihuan saw Treading on Snow snuggling up to her. It seemed to have no interest in the nest she had just made.
She was overjoyed and let the kitten be. She snuggled up with the kitten and fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up the next day, Song Yihuan found that her menstruation had ended.
This time, Song Yihuan calmly accepted the fact that she would have to substitute for her elder sister to serve the prince again. After a quick wash, she called Fu Ling and told her about it, asking her to go to Shulan Courtyard to inform her elder sister.
However, Song Yihuan didn't know that Yixiang Pavilion was far from peaceful at this moment.
Early in the morning, Song Nanxin woke up from a dream. As soon as she sat up, she felt something was wrong with her body.
She looked down and let out a scream, "Nanny, Baishao, come quickly! Come quickly!"
Two figures rushed into the room simultaneously. Nanny Zhao and Cui Ying'er bumped into each other at the door.
Nanny Zhao had known last night that "Baishao" had become "one of them", but seeing Cui Ying'er's disguised face still made her feel a bit uncomfortable. However, she didn't say much. She entered the room with Cui Ying'er and quickly walked towards the big bed behind the screen.
Song Nanxin was standing beside the bed, looking extremely panicked. On the tidy bedsheet, there were several more bloodstains, which were extremely eye - catching.
Song Nanxin was bleeding again.
Nanny Zhao was greatly shocked. She quickly picked up an outer robe and covered Song Nanxin with it. Then she looked at Cui Ying'er and whispered, "Hurry up and dispose of this bedsheet. Make sure no one sees it."
Cui Ying'er glanced at Song Nanxin and then quickly gathered up the bedsheet and took it to the back of the courtyard to deal with it.
Song Nanxin leaned into Nanny Zhao's arms, shivering. With a sob in her voice, she said, "Why is this happening? Why am I bleeding again for no reason? Nanny, am I going to die?"
Nanny Zhao quickly said, "Miss, don't talk nonsense. This little bit of blood is not enough to take a life. You're still alive and well. If necessary, we'll just find another doctor and get another prescription."
Song Nanxin nodded. She looked extremely tired and no longer had the high - spirited look she had when watching the show with the Princess of Ning the day before.
Thinking of Cui Ying'er, who had just helped to deal with the bedsheet in the room, Nanny Zhao gritted her teeth while the latter was away and said,
"Miss shouldn't have invited that person to the mansion. I've said before that since your body has just recovered, you should rest more and take good care of yourself. That's the most important thing. Don't think about other things."
"This is the Mansion of Ning after all. You two... sigh, if someone finds out, Miss, you won't be able to survive!"
Song Nanxin knew she had done something wrong, but she was not willing to admit it.
"What can I do? Nanny, you didn't see how the heir treated me that day. I humbled myself and invited him to enjoy himself with me, but he left without even looking back. Do you know how heart - broken I was? I'm a woman too. I need to be loved. What's wrong with me?"
She sobbed loudly, looking extremely heart - broken.
Nanny Zhao sighed. The words of consolation were on the tip of her tongue but were finally swallowed back.
Just then, there were two knocks on the door. "Has the eldest miss gotten up? This is your maid, Fu Ling. I have something to report to you, miss."
Hearing Fu Ling's voice, Song Nanxin and Nanny Zhao glanced at each other. They wiped away their tears, put away their pitiful expressions, and allowed Fu Ling to enter.
"I pay my respects to the eldest miss." Fu Ling knelt in front of Song Nanxin, lowering her head and whispering, "The fourth miss's menstruation has ended. She asked me to inform you that she is ready to serve the prince."
After Fu Ling finished speaking, there was an eerie silence in the room. Song Nanxin sat in front of her, looking down at her without saying a word. This made Fu Ling feel a bit uneasy.
Just as Fu Ling was trying to guess Song Nanxin's thoughts, Song Nanxin finally said, "I see. You may go."
What Fu Ling didn't know was that as soon as she left, Song Nanxin's expression turned venomous. She angrily swept the things on the table to the ground. Pointing in the direction where Fu Ling had left, she said to Nanny Zhao,
"Nanny, did you see that? That little bitch was showing off to me. Is she laughing at me? Laughing at me for not being able to win the prince's favor and having to rely on her to secure my position in the Mansion of Ning?!"
Even though Nanny Zhao was on Song Nanxin's side, she still felt sorry for Song Yihuan when she heard this.
After all, what did this have to do with the fourth miss? Wasn't it just because the eldest miss couldn't resist her desires and insisted on...
Well, never mind.
Nanny Zhao hugged Song Nanxin and comforted her for a long time before Song Nanxin gradually calmed down.
In a bad mood and looking pale, she asked Nanny Zhao to go to Songhe Courtyard to inform them that she was ill and would skip today's morning greeting.
After Nanny Zhao left, Cui Ying'er also returned to Yixiang Pavilion.
Seeing Song Nanxin looking unhappy, Cui Ying'er stepped forward, took her into her arms, and coaxed, "It's my fault. I was too rough yesterday. I promise I'll be gentler from now on, okay?"
Song Nanxin was quite pleased. She pinched the other person and said coquettishly, "You'd better keep your promise!"
Just as they were being affectionate, there suddenly came the sound of hasty footsteps outside. Cui Ying'er let go of Song Nanxin and stood up properly. The next moment, Nanny Zhao rushed into the room and quickly walked towards Song Nanxin with a solemn expression on her face.
"Miss, something's wrong. The princess has invited Doctor Zhong to the mansion to check everyone's pulse. Hearing that you're not feeling well, the princess has sent the heir with Doctor Zhong to Shulan Courtyard!"