Chapter 15: 015 The Concubine's Daughter

 Chapter 15: 015 The Concubine's Daughter

Chu Qianchen was writing when she finally finished the last stroke. She set down her wolf-hair brush and casually picked up the jade bangle, playing with it for a moment.

The bangle was a deep green, its jade fine and translucent, gleaming with a lustrous sheen. It was clear that it was quite valuable.

After a while, Chu Qianchen set the bangle aside and dismissed Hu Po.

As Hu Po left, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the words Chu Qianchen had just written. The characters on the silk paper were neat and graceful, unmistakably the work of the young miss, but they were different from her previous delicate, soft handwriting. Now, her writing had formed its own distinctive style.

People often said that the eldest lady had beautiful handwriting, but in Hu Po's eyes, the second lady’s handwriting was clearly superior!

Apart from medicine, what other talents did the second lady possess? Hu Po wondered in astonishment. She must have started to trust me now, which is why she is showing me this, right?

Thinking this, Hu Po's heart raced a little. Quietly, she withdrew from the room.

That night, Chu Qianchen retired early.

The next morning, when she woke, the medicinal liquid in the bandages had already been filtered, leaving behind black-brown dregs.

Chu Qianchen carefully stored the medicinal liquid in a small porcelain bottle she had bought yesterday, also collecting the remaining dregs.

The herbs she had were still insufficient. The biggest problem now was that she had no money.

Her monthly allowance was only ten taels, and over the years, she had saved little. Although the silver needles and herbs hadn’t cost her anything, there were still many things she needed to buy, and the amount of money she had would definitely not be enough.

As she was lost in thought, the hot breakfast had already been prepared. Two young maids swiftly arranged the dishes, then quietly retreated.

Not bad! Chu Qianchen admired Hu Po, who had managed to win over the few maids who had been loyal to Liu Li in just one night. Hu Po clearly had some ability.

“It’s thanks to your trust, my lady,” Hu Po smiled as she picked up her chopsticks and served Chu Qianchen a piece of coconut layered cake. “When you distanced yourself from me before, I didn’t approach you. I just focused on doing my job. Now that you trust me, I naturally cannot let you down.”

After breakfast, Chu Qianchen went to greet the Old Madam. She always arrived at the first quarter of the Chen hour, greeted the Old Madam, and then quietly sat down, so still that it was as if her presence could barely be felt.

Today, the second madam, Liu Shi, and her daughter, Chu Qianling, were absent.

The young masters had all gone to their lessons to practice martial arts after greeting the Old Madam and had already left.

The young ladies gathered around the Old Madam, chatting. Before long, Shen Shi, arrived with Chu Qianhuang.

The Old Madam asked eagerly, “Ah Zhi, how is Mu’er?”

“Mu’er is full of spirit. He even insisted on having steamed eggs this morning,” Shen Shi smiled, her phoenix eyes radiating joy. “I had the kitchen make him a bowl, and he finished it all.”

“That's good, that's good,” the Old Madam murmured a prayer and smiled. “As long as he can eat, that’s fine.”

The physician had said that Chu Yunmu’s injury wasn’t serious, but since he had been struck on the head, they needed to keep observing him.

The physician had cautioned that if he showed signs of vomiting or fainting, it could be dangerous. For this reason, Shen Shi had been so worried that she hadn’t slept the entire night, guarding Chu Yunmu all through the night. She had even arrived late for today’s morning prayers.

“I’ll go see him later,” the Old Madam added with a smile.

Shen Shi nodded with a smile in return.

“Mother,” at this moment, Chu Qianchen, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “I also want to visit Fourth Brother.”

Upon hearing this, the Old Madam, Shen Shi, and Chu Qianhuang all looked at Chu Qianchen in surprise.

Chu Qianhuang’s eyes held a hint of scrutiny as she stared at Chu Qianchen.

To be honest, Shen Shi was somewhat surprised.

Chu Qianchen had always preferred to avoid her mother and was usually quiet, never taking the initiative to speak unless absolutely necessary.

Thinking back to the scenes in the little garden yesterday...

A gentle smile appeared in Shen Shi's eyes as she nodded and said, "Chen'er, your Fourth Brother knows that you were the one who saved him yesterday. He’s been asking to see you. You should come with me to visit him later."

Chu Qianchen responded with a crisp voice, her smile as bright as the sun.

Chu Qianhuang asked with concern, "Second sister, you caught a cold a few days ago. Are you feeling better now?"

"I’m fine now," Chu Qianchen replied softly, her demeanor gentle and harmless.

Chu Qianhuang wanted to say something else, but at that moment, Shen Shi reminded her, "Ah Huang, the time is almost up."

The Third Princess was currently selecting companions for study, and the Empress had summoned several young ladies from noble families who were about the same age as the princess. Chu Qianhuang was one of them.

The Old Madam also added, "Yes, Ah Huang, this is an important matter, so you shouldn’t delay."

Chu Qianhuang hesitated for a moment before glancing at Chu Qianchen, and then finally stood up to leave.

"Grandmother, Mother, I’ll be going now."

Chu Qianhuang needed to go back to change into another set of clothes before heading to the palace.

After she left, the others sat for a while before being dismissed by the Old Madam.

The other madams and young ladies returned to their respective courtyards, but Chu Qianchen followed Shen Shi to the main courtyard.

Chu Yunmu, who was only five years old, lived in the main courtyard with Shen Shi.

Just as they entered the courtyard, a maid dressed in blue hurriedly ran out. Upon seeing Shen Shi, her face turned pale as she reported, "Madam, Fourth Young Master has vomited!"

Shen Shi’s face immediately turned white with fear.

She recalled the physician’s warning yesterday that if Chu Yunmu vomited, it would be serious.

Shen Shi quickly walked toward the eastern wing. 

Chu Qianchen hurriedly followed, her brows slightly furrowing.

Yesterday, she had checked Chu Yunmu’s pulse, and it had shown no signs of life-threatening danger. She trusted her diagnosis.

Inside the room, Chu Yunmu had finished vomiting and was now weakly leaning against the pillow, barely able to speak. In a faint voice, he called out, "Mother."

The five-year-old boy appeared slightly more energetic than when he had first woken up yesterday. His right leg was wrapped in white bandages and fixed with a splint. He couldn’t get out of bed and looked pitiful.

Shen Shi’s heart ached for him. She quickly rushed to his bedside, anxiously asking, "Mu’er, does your head still hurt? Are you feeling dizzy? Is there anywhere else you feel unwell?"

As she spoke, she raised her hand to check his forehead for any signs of fever.

"I’m not dizzy," Chu Yunmu shook his head. His gaze shifted past Shen Shi and landed on Chu Qianchen, who had entered with her. His eyes brightened, and he called out, "Chu Qianchen!"

Although his voice was still weak, hearing her familiar name and seeing his familiar face, along with those lively phoenix eyes, Chu Qianchen couldn’t help but smile, correcting him, "Call me sister."

Her eyes held a soft, tender smile. Mu'er had made it through—thank goodness!

"Chu Qianchen, you didn’t come to see me yesterday," Chu Yunmu pouted, his face full of grievance. "I was so pitiful, and you didn’t come to play with me!"

He was so upset now!

He didn’t want to be friends with her anymore! 

His little mouth was pouting so much that it seemed as though it could hold an oil bottle.

(End of chapter)