Chapter 52
Yuli woke up from her afternoon nap. Xiyun had not yet returned. She got up, washed her face, and put on her dress. Maids were standing in the courtyard, but they would not come in without her orders.
Yuli walked to the rockery and woke Xuemi. Xuemi glanced at her, stretched its paws, and remained indifferent.
“Xuemi, Mimi,” Yuli called again.
Xuemi meowed and reluctantly came down. However, it only stayed by her feet for a moment before wanting to leave. Yuli squatted down and caught it. “Have I not been spending enough time with you? Are you angry?”
Xuemi meowed twice, its head held high, not moving.
Yuli held her, rubbed her head, and took a deep breath. “Now let me dote on you properly!”
Xuemi let out a loud cry but did not struggle much, letting Yuli hold her, rub her, and kiss her.
The swing in front of the flower trellis in the courtyard had also been set up. She had not come to swing in the winter, and she had been too busy recently. Now that she was finally free, Yuli held Xuemi and sat on the swing, swinging gently.
Xuemi was both scared and clingy, nestled in Yuli’s lap, not moving at all. After getting used to it, it even dared to stand up and climb onto Yuli, wanting to climb higher.
When Jingyu returned, Yuli was struggling with the dangerously moving Xuemi, her hair a little messy.
Jingyu came over as usual, stood to the side, and smiled faintly.
Yuli finally pulled Xuemi off and placed it on the ground. “It’s getting late. I’m going to the kitchen to make some custard buns.”
She had rarely cooked recently. Custard buns were Xie Yao’s favorite, and she was going to make them for him.
Yuli had just taken a step when Jingyu suddenly took a half step to the side and blocked her. “Mistress.”
Yuli stopped. “What’s wrong?”
“Huayan Fang is on the right track. In the future, we will be dyeing more of our own silk threads. I think we can make the dyeing workshop independent, find a larger shop, and also take some outside orders,” Jingyu said.
Yuli nodded and smiled. “That makes sense. I’ll discuss it with Mr. Ye in a few days.”
Jingyu paused, not moving out of the way, and said again, “Mr. Ye is young after all and probably can’t handle the complicated management of the dyeing workshop. It’s better to hire another shopkeeper.”
Yuli felt that it was not right for Jingyu to say this at this time. Besides, she was not the type to say that Ye Weiqing was not capable.
Yuli was a little puzzled.
Jingyu clenched her hands and lowered her head. “This servant was thinking that if Huayan Fang were all women, it could be a gimmick to make a name for itself in the capital. And Mr. Ye is a man and is actually not a good match for Huayan Fang. It would be better to dismiss him as soon as possible.”
Yuli was surprised at Jingyu’s words. Looking at her attitude at this moment, her face lowered, calling herself “this servant,” it was as if she were once again pulling a distance of status between them.
Whenever this happened, it was related to Xie Yao’s orders.
Could it be that he had seen Ye Weiqing today, gotten jealous, and had Jingyu come to hint at driving him away?
A wave of anger rose in Yuli’s heart.
Today, she had not even said a word to Ye Weiqing. In the past three months, she had tried her best to avoid suspicion, not even brushing past him, always speaking from a distance. She was afraid that people would think she was rude to the point of deliberately distancing herself from him.
It had already come to this. Why was he still jealous?
She had just talked to him about hiring him as a shopkeeper and had promised him a year-end dividend. If she were to dismiss him now, wouldn’t she be inconsistent and untrustworthy?
And now, it was her Huayan Fang that needed him to stay and contribute. Wouldn’t it be foolish to dismiss him?
The more Yuli thought, the angrier she became. She asked directly, “Did the Young Master have you send a message?”
Sensing Yuli’s emotions, which were a mixture of anger and resistance, Jingyu was at a loss for words for a moment.
“No need to say anymore. When he comes back, I’ll ask him in person.”
Yuli would rather not go out herself and not see Ye Weiqing than to dismiss him. She would first appease Xie Yao, and it would be fine after a while.
If Yuli were to question the master in person, it would probably be even more difficult to clean up. Jingyu suspected for a moment that she had made a mess of things. She was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead and slid down her cheeks.
“The Young Master didn’t have me send a message,” Jingyu said, looking up at Yuli.
Yuli saw her pale face, filled with fear, and was stunned for a moment.
“Mr. Ye is going to disappear. Perhaps today,” Jingyu said. After saying these words, she felt that she might be about to die, but it was better than going back to the Duke’s Residence.
To do something for Yuli at the end was also worthwhile.
Yuli’s mind went blank for a moment before she reacted. Jingyu’s expression and words combined, she guessed that Xie Yao was not asking her to dismiss the person, but wanted to kill him secretly behind her back.
And for Jingyu to tell her this now was to defy his orders, or to put it more seriously, to betray him.
Yuli suddenly thought of Mei Qing. Was he still alive?
Recently, she had completely forgotten that Xie Yao was a psycho. He had given her a lot of support, which had made her think that she had changed the plot and that he had returned to normal.
So he hadn’t?
Yuli suddenly felt a little flustered. It was as if she had returned to the situation when she had first met him. A single misstep could cost the lives of the people around her.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. “Jingyu, just pretend that you didn’t say what you just said. Just act as usual and don’t show any trace.”
But Jingyu’s eyes turned red. “Mistress, Jingyu is going to be transferred elsewhere…”
“What, he wants to touch you too?” Yuli was astonished.
Jingyu quickly said, “No, it’s that I should go. Someone else will come to replace me in the future. The Mistress doesn’t have to worry.”
But Jingyu’s eyes were red, and she was holding back her tears, and the smile on her lips was trembling.
Yuli knew that she didn’t want to go, that she was being forced. Seeing her pale and desperate expression, perhaps Xie Yao was also going to kill Jingyu, but didn’t want her to know, which was why he had forced Jingyu to say this.
Yuli suddenly felt weak all over, her limbs stiff, and her internal organs were all in pain.
Yuli stiffened for a moment, then suddenly held her abdomen and bent down. “Go and ask the Young Master to come back. Just say that my stomach hurts.”
Jingyu was flustered. “What’s wrong with the Mistress? I’ll have someone call a doctor first!”
Yuli held her. “No need to call a doctor. Just call the Young Master back, as soon as possible.”
Jingyu seemed to understand. There were still maids in the courtyard. She first helped Yuli back to the bedchamber and then hurried to send a message.
*
Xie Yao didn’t even have time to change his clothes. He was wearing the usual clothes he wore in the palace and immediately returned to Mingyue Residence.
Yuli saw his flustered expression, his brow tightly furrowed. He was wearing a deep purple scholar’s robe, with a brocade pattern of a black coiled dragon on his shoulders. Her heart trembled.
But she had no time to consider this at the moment. She quickly got up from the bed. Before she could speak, three middle-aged men entered the door one after another, one in a purple robe, and two in red robes. Besides the color, the other accessories were almost the same.
The three of them were panting and covered in sweat. Before they even entered the door, they had lowered their heads, their eyes fixed on their toes, not looking around at all.
He even brought the imperial physicians from the palace?
In that moment, Xie Yao had already walked to the bed, sat down beside her, and held her hand.
“Think about what you ate today, what you touched with your hands. Besides the stomach ache, where else does it hurt?” Xie Yao’s tone was gentle, full of concern, but Yuli sensed that the hand holding her wrist was trembling slightly.
A strong sense of guilt arose in Yuli’s heart, and the words she had prepared were stuck.
“I’m better now, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Yuli said with a smile, her smile a little stiff.
Xie Yao thought she was comforting herself and said gently, “I have already sent people to Wangxian Tower. If there is really anything unclean, it will be found out soon. Don’t be afraid.”
Yuli’s smile became even more bitter. She should have found another excuse.
Right now, she couldn’t implicate Jingyu, and she had to stop him from killing Ye Weiqing, and she couldn’t show her concern for Ye Weiqing. She had originally planned to use Jingyu’s hint to dismiss Ye Weiqing, at least to save his life, and then to show that she couldn’t do without Jingyu, to also save Jingyu.
But seeing Xie Yao so nervous about her, afraid that she would be hurt, and having had the experience of successfully persuading him with good communication before, perhaps talking to him with sincerity would be effective.
Her Huayan Fang had come to this day as a result of the concerted efforts of many people, not just relying on Ye Weiqing’s dyeing skills, but also Lizhen’s overall management and Zhile’s superb skills.
Each of them was someone she had spent a lot of effort to find. Without any of them, she couldn’t go on. To give up Ye Weiqing now was not much different from the time she had wanted to give up the management rights of Huayan Fang. And now that everyone was full of hope, to suddenly make such a decision would surely break the hearts of Zhile and Lizhen as well.
He had been with her through the most difficult times. Yuli felt that he should be able to understand her.
It would be best if she could keep Ye Weiqing, and then she could just not go out in exchange.
Yuli held Xie Yao’s hand, clasped his fingers, and looked at him. “I’m fine. I have something to say to you. Let them all go out first, okay?”
Xie Yao’s face darkened slightly. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be no difference, but the anxiety in his eyes disappeared, and he was relieved. “It’s good that you’re fine.”
After saying that, a deep gloom covered his eyes. “Don’t joke with your own body in the future, you know?”
Yuli was not joking, but she went along with him and hummed in agreement.
Xie Yao ordered the imperial physicians to go out. He wanted to stand up, but Yuli held him and wouldn’t let go.
“Just now, Jingyu said she was going to be transferred elsewhere and was saying goodbye to me. I found it a little strange,” Yuli said, watching his expression and carefully choosing her words. “Jingyu has always been meticulous and considerate in her work. She is the most capable person by my side. She can think of many things that I haven’t thought of. If she leaves, I will definitely not be used to it. I like her very much and am very satisfied with her. Did she make some mistake elsewhere?”
Xie Yao slowly stood up and sat down beside her, lowering his eyes to look at her. “You don’t have to worry about this matter. If she leaves, I will find you a better one.”
Yuli’s heart sank, but she still maintained a calm and gentle demeanor. “But I already treat her as family. I have feelings for her. Even if she did something wrong, I can just talk to her properly. She is not like those jewelry and items that can be replaced just like that. Besides, she hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“She made a big mistake elsewhere and cannot be kept.”
Yuli’s brow twitched. “She is a person, and everyone makes mistakes. Just like you and me, should we be abandoned if we do something wrong? I have also annoyed Husband before. And Husband, have you never done anything wrong?”
Xie Yao’s expression was deep and bottomless. Yuli felt a chill gradually enveloping her. She quickly added, “I mean, if a close person does something wrong, we should help them correct it, not drive them away. What do you say?”
Xie Yao looked away, hummed in agreement, and then turned back, his expression returning to normal. “Let’s keep her for now.”
Yuli was half-relieved. She held Xie Yao and said with joy, “I knew Husband dotes on me the most.”
Xie Yao chuckled and held her back.
“Actually, Jingyu is not only important to me. My Huayan Fang also can’t do without her,” Yuli said with a smile. “Besides Zhile, whom you have met, there are several other talented people in my shop. With them, and with Jingyu helping me with the management, now that we are on the right track, I can just lie down and collect the money without even going to the shop.”
Xie Yao did not react. Yuli guessed that such a nonchalant statement could not persuade him to keep Ye Weiqing.
She came out of his arms and looked at him. “Lizhen in my shop is a mother with a child. She is always smiling and can quickly digest any grievances she suffers, and she treats the customers who come to the shop very well.”
“Although Zhile is young, she is very sensible. Her skills in making flowers are better than those of the old craftsmen who are in their fifties. She is the soul of my shop.”
“And Mr. Ye, who dyes the silk threads. Although his paintings are average, thanks to the guidance of the two old dyers that Husband recommended, and his ability to make pigments, he has dyed a beautiful red this time, which is just right for Zhile to make beautiful flowers.”
“And Xiyun is also very attentive. She knows that I don’t trust the painter Ye and has taken the initiative to learn to dye silk threads. There are too many tricks to this trade. When she has learned the core technology, if that painter Ye can’t figure it out in the future and wants to go and paint, I won’t have to worry.”
After Yuli had said all this, she had said everything she could, just short of directly pointing out, “I don’t like Ye Weiqing, and I won’t see him in the future. He won’t be staying for long. Let him go!”
Seeing Xie Yao’s expression go from deep to even deeper, he didn’t speak for a long time.
Yuli’s heart was blocked. She desperately wanted to shake his head and shout, “Say something!”
Xie Yao seemed to have noticed the fluctuation in her emotions and said slowly, “In the future, I will give you things that are a thousand times better than this. At that time, you will only feel that Huayan Fang is not worth mentioning.”
“No!” Yuli said. She was a little angry, but Xie Yao’s expression was very familiar, seemingly gentle, but in fact, gloomy and majestic, with a hint of coercion.
But Yuli was not afraid of him. She no longer argued with him about whether Huayan Fang was good or not. She stared at him and said, “Everyone in my shop is very important. If they are well, everything will go smoothly for me. If anything happens to anyone, I will definitely investigate to the end.”
Xie Yao’s gloominess stiffened, and his expression was complicated for a moment. He turned away and did not look at Yuli.
Yuli took a deep breath and held him from behind. “Now that Huayan Fang is on the right track, I have also had enough fun. From tomorrow on, I will not go out. I will rest at home and make you delicious food every day, okay? Husband.”
Xie Yao’s body was stiff, his breathing was very light, but his chest heaved a lot.
He was struggling. Perhaps he was just one breath away. Yuli climbed onto his shoulder, pulled his stiff arm away, and sat in his lap.
Xie Yao looked over, his face cold, but the majesty in his eyes was about to fade.
Yuli forced a smile and kissed the corner of his lips. “I’ll go and make you some custard buns later, okay?”
He lowered his eyes. Yuli leaned closer and looked at his eyes from below. “Smile, Mingyan.”
Xie Yao did not smile, but pressed down with a sullen face, pressed against her lips, held the back of her head with one hand, and held her shoulders tightly with the other.
Her shoulders were so slender they could be crushed with a little force. She was clearly such a weak body, yet she could make him helpless.
Xie Yao sucked and kissed her lips fiercely, almost wanting to swallow her whole, to put her in his body, so that they would be one, and others would be as afraid of him as they were, and would not dare to look at her.
But he couldn’t. Then she would not exist.
In another month, when the world was settled, he could welcome her into the Imperial Palace. At that time, her status would have changed, and she would no longer be able to get close to the common people. It would be natural for all the people around her to be replaced.
Xie Yao gently bit her lips until her breathing grew heavy and she reached out to push him.
Xie Yao let go of Yuli. Her lips were red, swollen, and moist, and her eyes were smiling.
Yuli calmed down for a moment, her breathing slightly panting. “Then you’ve agreed?”
Xie Yao’s face was cold and hard. “Agreed to what?”
“I’ll go and make you some custard buns, and I won’t go out for the next few months. I’ll be with you every day. But you have to help me take care of the people at Huayan Fang,” Yuli said with a gentle smile, but her tone was firm.
“You were not willing to let me help you before. Why are you willing now?”
“I’m tired and want to rely on Husband to eat soft rice.”
Seeing her face slightly red and her tone playful, it was clearly a joke.
Xie Yao was on the verge of smiling. “The Mistress doesn’t have to be so polite. It is I who eat you.”
Saying this, his palm moved down and explored under her skirt. Yuli quickly held him. “Let’s do it at night. I’ll go and make some custard buns first.”
Xie Yao stopped his hand.
Yuli was worried that if she delayed for a moment, Ye Weiqing would be gone. She got off him, kissed him several times in a row, and then turned to walk towards the door. When she went out, she looked back at him. His expression was a little dark, but he no longer had the coldness he had just now.
Yuli walked out of the room. The sky was already dark, and the maids were lighting the lanterns. Jingyu was at the hanging flower gate. Yuli walked to her. “Jingyu, you won’t be transferred. Come with me to the kitchen.”
Jingyu was taken aback and looked at the main room. She couldn’t see anything clearly through the rockery and the camellia.
Yuli held her hand. “Let’s go. Stay close to me for the next few days. If anyone asks you to go, just say I won’t let you.”
The two of them left hand in hand. Only then did Xie Yao come out of the room.
He walked out of Mingyue Residence and, after a distance, stood still. A shadow guard appeared.
Xie Yao: “Send a message. Don’t touch that person for now.”
The shadow guard took his order and left silently.
Yuli seemed to know that he was going to touch that painter. Xie Yao stood for a while longer and had someone summon Jingyu.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the guard returned. “Jingyu is helping the Mistress in the kitchen. The Mistress said she is making it for the Young Master, and time is tight, so she won’t let Jingyu go.”
Xie Yao: “What did Jingyu say?”
The guard: “She was standing behind the Mistress and didn’t speak.”
After the guard finished speaking, he heard a low, cold laugh and couldn’t help but shiver, waiting for the order to bring the person by force.
But Xie Yao said, “Let her stay for a few days.”
This was not said to himself. The guard lowered his head and did not respond.
Xie Yao stood for a while longer and was about to go back to Mingyue Residence. A shadow guard came back to report something.
It was the one he had sent to Ye Weiqing’s home to search for the notes on dyeing silk threads.
A thick volume of notes, with deletions and revisions, and detailed records at the end. He had roughly glanced at it and had ordered it to be transcribed.
But the shadow guard did not withdraw. He took out a piece of plain white paper that was much better than the paper in the manual.
Xie Yao took it. It was a folded, palm-sized piece of fine plain snow paper.
The shadow guard: “There are many more such paintings.”
Xie Yao unfolded the paper. His chest suddenly heaved deeply, but his breathing seemed to have stopped.
His eyes were fixed on the painting, scanning it inch by inch, and finally settling on the most eye-catching color.
He said slowly, “Send a message to the Mistress that I have something to attend to and will be back late.”
The shadow guard took his order and left. He looked at the shadow guard who had brought the painting. “Lead the way.”
His tone was very light, but it contained an invisible chill, like the ice of winter melting under the scorching sun, extremely cold, yet without a trace.