The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 60

Returning to the manor, the sky had already grown dark. Just as they stepped out of the carriage, a maid from the Waning Frost Courtyard was already waiting by the front gate. Seeing her master and son-in-law return, she curtsied and said, “My lady, young master.” As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Xiao Yu, looking as if she wanted to speak but hesitated.

Song Luoning frowned and said in a low voice, “What is it? Stop beating around the bush.”

The young maid’s heart jumped in surprise. In a panic, she knelt on the ground, not daring to hide anything. “It’s… it’s Miss Yuan who sent this servant to invite the young master over…” Her voice grew quieter with each word.

“What did she say?” Song Luoning asked.

“She…” The young maid stole another glance at Xiao Yu.

Song Luoning’s face darkened. “Did you forget who your master is?”

The young maid prostrated herself. “This servant wouldn’t dare. It’s just…”

“Speak!”

“Yes, Miss Yuan said that she was bestowed by the Emperor to…” The young maid looked at Xiao Yu, gritted her teeth, and said, “She said she was given to the young master by the Emperor, and she asked this servant to invite the young master over.”

The air instantly froze.

“My lady, please forgive this servant. Every word I said is true.”

Song Luoning clenched the jade fingers half-hidden in her sleeve. Without even looking at Xiao Yu, she said coldly, “Cuizhu, help me back.”

“Yes.” Cuizhu glared at Xiao Yu and helped her mistress step over the threshold.

What is going on? Just when the eldest miss finally stopped holding a grudge against me, that Miss Yuan has to stir up trouble again. She’s going to be the death of me.

Xiao Yu’s heart was filled with anxiety. She didn’t spare a glance for the kneeling maid on the ground and hurried to catch up with her wife. “My lady, don’t listen to her nonsense. I’ve already explained everything clearly at the Prime Minister’s residence. I truly have nothing to do with her. You know…”

Song Luoning suddenly stopped and turned to look at her.

“My lady…” Xiao Yu wanted to take her hand but hesitated. Her peach blossom eyes blinked as she looked at her with a wronged expression.

After a long pause, Song Luoning’s expression softened a little. After a moment of thought, she said, “My husband should go and see. What if something has really happened? No matter what, she did help you in the palace.”

“But…” Xiao Yu opened her mouth, but under Song Luoning’s cold gaze, she obediently shut it. She looked at her pitifully. “I understand. I’ll be back in a flash.”

Song Luoning said nothing, lowered her eyes, and turned to walk slowly away with Cuizhu’s support.

She’s just leaving?

Xiao Yu watched Song Luoning’s receding figure mournfully. When the person completely disappeared from her sight, she felt a little downhearted. She said sullenly, “Where is she now?”

The young maid replied, “To the young master, Miss Yuan is in the Waning Frost Courtyard.”

“Lead the way.”

“Yes.”

A moment later, following the young maid, she arrived at the Waning Frost Courtyard.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, Yuan Niang swayed her hips and came out to greet her. She was still wearing the same revealing exotic dance outfit from the palace. Her figure was graceful, and through the thin fabric, her body was tantalizingly visible. If a man saw her, his blood would surely rush to his head. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a man. Xiao Yu glanced at her indifferently. “Alright, what do you want from me?”

Yuan Niang smiled charmingly. “Look at what you’re saying, young master. I invited you here because, of course, I missed you. Have you had your dinner yet? I’ve asked the maids to prepare some for you.”

Xiao Yu was already filled with resentment. Her words only made her anger flare up. If it weren’t for her, she would be having dinner with her wife right now.

She said crossly, “I’m not hungry. What exactly do you want to do?”

Yuan Niang didn’t get angry. She took Xiao Yu’s arm, her eyes shifting alluringly, and chuckled. Her voice was extremely seductive. “Yuan Niang is yours now, so of course I want to be with you.” Her slender, boneless hand stroked Xiao Yu’s arm.

Xiao Yu pushed her hand away in disgust. “Speak properly. I have nothing to do with you.”

“How can you say that? We faced life and death together today.”

“…”

“What’s wrong, young master Xiao? Have you forgotten what happened in the palace?” Seeing that she didn’t speak, Yuan Niang pressed herself against her. The pungent scent of rouge instantly filled Xiao Yu’s nose. She pushed her away in disgust and took a step back. “Why are you getting so close? Haven’t you already caused enough trouble for my wife to misunderstand me?”

Yuan Niang stumbled, grabbing onto the edge of a table. Her voice held a hint of grievance. “Young master, how can you wrong Yuan Niang like that? Every word Yuan Niang said was the truth. It was your wife who didn’t believe me.”

Listening to her resentful tone, Xiao Yu couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. If she didn’t know her true intentions, she might have believed her.

This was not the time to show her cards. She cleared her throat and softened her tone. “What is it that you called me here for?”

Yuan Niang smiled. “Yuan Niang just wanted to talk to the young master.”

“…” Xiao Yu choked up, finally unable to bear it. “Can you please stop causing trouble?” She flung her hand away and left.

After Xiao Yu left, the beautiful face slowly pulled into a cold smile. Her red lips were extremely seductive in the candlelight. She murmured, “It seems he couldn’t appease her. This kind of spoiled young miss truly has an unbearable temper. How can she be as good as me?”

Her voice was full of a feigned regret.

Xiao Yu left the Waning Frost Courtyard and headed straight for her wife’s courtyard. Just as she was about to enter, a maid stopped her.

“Why are you stopping me? Get out of the way!” Xiao Yu frowned. These maids had no foresight. Couldn’t they see she was in a hurry? They stood there like wooden logs. When she had time, she would definitely have to teach them a good lesson.

The maid curtsied. “My lady has instructed that if the young master returns, the servant should take you to the study.”

The study?

Xiao Yu was surprised and asked, “It’s so late. What is your lady doing in the study?”

Why did they have to go to the study when they could just talk in the room?

The maid replied, “My lady is not in the study. She has instructed me to take you to the study.”

?!

Now Xiao Yu understood. After all this, her wife had kicked her out.

Why on earth would she go sleep in the study?

Xiao Yu pushed the blocking maids aside and pushed the door open. Just then, Cuizhu lifted the curtain from the inner chamber and came out. Seeing her barge in without a second thought, she made a shushing motion and whispered, “My lady has already gone to sleep. Young master, you should go to the study. Please don’t make my lady even more angry.”

What did she mean, she shouldn’t make Song Luoning angry? Xiao Yu felt wronged. She was the one who was most wronged in this whole situation.

Didn’t Song Luoning know that she was forced to do everything? And today, she almost didn’t make it back. Who could possibly be more wronged than her?

She said, “What else did my lady say?”

Cuizhu was already angry with her, but her mistress had instructed her not to make things difficult for the young master and to just let her sleep in the study.

Cuizhu glanced at the inner chamber. She had already made her mistress unhappy today, and she couldn’t afford to be incompetent again.

She paused. “Young master, we are only following orders. My lady is already asleep now. Could you please talk to her tomorrow?”

Xiao Yu fell speechless. Unwillingly, she followed the maid to the study. A soft daybed had been placed in the study. It hadn’t been there before, so it must have been something her wife had just ordered to be brought in.

After the maid led her there, she curtsied and left.

Only Xiao Yu was left in the study. She tossed and turned on the daybed, unable to fall asleep. She didn’t know how long it had been until she heard the sound of the night watchman’s drum outside.

It was already the second watch. In ancient times, there was no entertainment at night, and there was also a curfew in Baisheng, so most people were already asleep by this time.

Xiao Yu got up from the daybed and secretly returned to Song Luoning’s courtyard. She avoided the maid on night duty and climbed in through the window.

The candlelight was bright in the inner chamber. A calming incense with a scent similar to her wife’s wafted towards her.

Xiao Yu tiptoed and lifted the bed curtain. The beauty lay on her side on the bed. Her exquisite, palm-sized face was nestled in the pillow. The strands of hair on her forehead fell to the tip of her nose. Stripped of her usual gentle demeanor, she looked very well-behaved.

Xiao Yu stared at her in a daze. After a long moment, she sighed. What a heartless woman. I can’t sleep in the study because I’m thinking of her, but she’s sleeping so soundly without a care in the world.

Xiao Yu took a deep breath, climbed onto the bed, and lay down on the outer side.

“Mmm…” In her half-asleep state, Song Luoning felt herself falling into a warm embrace.

Huh?

Song Luoning’s eyes shot open. The candlelight cast a faint glow through the bed curtain. She only saw a fair, handsome profile. She instantly became sober and sat up on the bed. Her voice was hoarse. “Why did you come back?”

She had clearly told someone to send her away, and the maids on duty were outside the door. Without her permission, the maids would never have let her in, so there was only one possibility: she had climbed in through the window.

This scoundrel is truly bold and reckless.

Xiao Yu blinked her eyes, took her hand, and kissed it. “The daybed isn’t comfortable at all, so I came back.”

Song Luoning looked down at their intertwined fingers. Her heart trembled. She said in a low voice, “Go back when it’s light. I’ll have someone get you a new bed tomorrow.”

No!

Hearing her say that, Xiao Yu became anxious. Even if she was just putting on a show for Yuan Niang, she could sneak back at night when everyone was asleep and then leave again in the morning, right? Why did she have to make her stay in the study?

“I’m not sleeping in the study,” Xiao Yu said adamantly. After saying that, she pulled the blanket up to cover herself completely and acted stubborn and defiant.

This scoundrel.

Song Luoning’s breathing hitched. She was getting more and more disobedient, not only bold and lecherous, but now she wasn’t even listening to her. After a long moment of not seeing her come out, she worried that she would suffocate. Song Luoning curled her fingers. “Come out and talk first.”

“You have to agree first.” A muffled voice came from under the blanket, as if she were determined to outlast her.

Song Luoning sighed faintly. All of her eighteen years of composure were being ruined by this scoundrel. “If you don’t come out, then just stay in there.”

“…”

Xiao Yu lifted the corner of the blanket, revealing a pair of eyes. She said with a wronged expression, “Don’t you feel sorry for me anymore?”

How could she say something so shameless? Song Luoning took a deep breath. She was angry. This person had brought another woman home from outside without a single word of explanation, and now she was blaming her.

What kind of logic was this? She shouldn’t go easy on her.

Seeing her wronged expression, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to be heartless. All her grievances turned into a sigh.

“Since you know why I sent you to the study, you shouldn’t be so willful.”

“I know, but that’s why I don’t want to. You can tell everyone outside that you made me sleep on the ground. She won’t come to see anyway.”

“How do you know she won’t come to see?”

“I…”

The sound of maids moving outside the door was heard, followed by a hushed inquiry. “Is there anything you need, my lady?”

Xiao Yu blinked innocently.

Song Luoning pursed her lips.

The young maid listened by the door for a moment, and after confirming there was no sound inside the room, she shook her head with a confused look. Did I hear wrong?

She yawned and lay down again.

After another moment, Xiao Yu was sure the maids were asleep. She lowered her voice. “My lady…”

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