Episode 47: The Calculation

Yu Shensheng shook her head.

Hao Mengye said to Jin Baobao, "Take your young lady inside and have a doctor examine her."

Yu Shensheng lowered her head and walked in, with the doctor following closely behind. Hao Mengye walked inward while discussing official matters of the tower with his subordinates.

After a moment, the doctor came out and reported back.

"How is she?" Hao Mengye asked, distracted from his busy work without even raising his head.

"Reporting to the Grand Commander," the doctor sighed, "the young lady has a somewhat special constitution. Eating yellow fruit will cause red rashes all over her body, accompanied by stinging pain and a burning sensation, and her throat will also become congested. This last part is especially dangerous."

"If she were to consume any more, there would likely be a risk of suffocation. Extra care must be taken in the future."

Hearing this, Hao Mengye looked up: "All over her body?"

He had only seen red rashes on Yu Shensheng's face; to think it was all over her body?

"Indeed. Furthermore, the injuries on her fingers are rather severe. Her arms had sustained heavy injuries previously and were not properly tended to, leaving her somewhat..."

The doctor weighed his words carefully, and Hao Mengye asked directly, "Crippled?"

"Not quite, but she cannot lift heavy objects and must exert less force in daily life. She needs to pay extra attention to keeping warm during cold and rainy days..."

Hao Mengye knitted his brows: "How is this any different from being useless? Is it just for looks?"

The doctor: "..."

Seeing that he neither spoke nor left, Hao Mengye asked again, "Is there anything else?"

The doctor quickly added, "Her fingertips have been injured, so she must not touch water for now. In short, her hands need plenty of rest these next two days."

Fire flared in Hao Mengye's heart. He had kept Yu Shensheng precisely to restore that painting. Now, her hands needed plenty of rest—how was she supposed to restore it?

Time was already tight.

Without daring to catch his breath, the doctor hastily made his escape after speaking.

Medicine had been applied to Yu Shensheng's hands, making them feel much better. As soon as she walked to the desk, she wanted to pick up her brush.

Jin Baobao hurriedly stopped her, "Young lady, have you forgotten what the doctor just said? You must get some proper rest."

Yu Shensheng smiled faintly, "I'm not that fragile. When doctors talk about a condition, they usually exaggerate the severity. It'll be fine."

Just as Jin Baobao was about to speak again, Yu Shensheng said, "Well then, why don't you help me grind some ink?"

"Alright."

Hao Mengye stopped in his tracks at the doorway, peering inside through the crack of the door.

They say that looking at someone through a crack in the door makes them look thin and flat, and it was truly so. Hao Mengye discovered that she was shockingly thin, looking like a paper cutout.

She held her small tools, her injured fingers pointing upward, already bandaged and swollen as thick as a little radish.

He had expected her to seize the opportunity to rest, especially since the doctor had instructed her to, but she did not.

He recalled Jin Baobao mentioning that Yu Shensheng had many scars on her body—were those left behind when she was learning etiquette at the outer estate?

She even had to refer to herself as a lowly maid.

Even the empress's personal maid had dared to mock her.

Hao Mengye's gaze turned gloomy as he turned and left.

Yu Shensheng truly did not take today's injury to heart; things were already turning out much better than she had expected. Had Hao Mengye not been there to accompany her, she probably would have been stripped of a layer of skin.

Having narrowly escaped disaster this time, she naturally had to repay him in some small measure.

The only thing she could do was to hurry and restore the painting.

...

While Yu Shensheng was at ease within the Suppressing Spirit Tower, the atmosphere in the Su family residence was far from pleasant, nor was it filled with joy and celebration over Su Huaishan's return.

Su Huaishan and Su Yanshu were in the Old Madam's courtyard, where the Old Madam sat with a gloomy face and said nothing.

"If you ask me, why bother worrying about her? It would be best if she just died right there."

Su Huaishan spoke with immediate irritation. He had long wished for Yu Shensheng to die, and when the family had first decided to bring her back, Su Huaishan had been against it.

Su Yanshu lowered his eyelashes, masking the displeasure in his eyes: "Second Uncle, no matter what, Shensheng carries the Su family bloodline and is my own younger sister. How can we stand by and watch her die?"

"Besides, she only went to the Suppressing Spirit Tower to save Eldest Brother. If word of this gets out, wouldn't people accuse our Su family of being ungrateful?"

Su Huaishan sneered: "Gratitude? What gratitude? Look at that wretched state of hers—she has completely disgraced the Su family name! Now that she has some use and can exchange it for the Dingqin, it is only right for her to repay the Su family's kindness."

The Old Madam twirled her prayer beads and spoke slowly, "Enough, stop bickering. Second brother, you say you want her to die, but then who will go through with the marriage alliance with the Kong family? Your daughter?"

Su Huaishan flatly refused: "That won't do. She is my own flesh and blood."

"Isn't that the settled matter?" The Old Madam gave a soft hum, "You are simply too impulsive, flying into a rage the moment this is mentioned. Shensheng may not be of much use and has lost face, but if she can marry into the Southern Shun Prince's Estate this time, our family will have shared the Emperor's burdens and demonstrated our loyalty, allowing us to live in peace."

"The reason your eldest brother has not been allowed to return to the capital all these years is precisely because the Emperor harbors suspicions and guards against us. Seizing this opportunity to ease the crisis is our most important task right now."

Su Huaishan let out a heavy breath: "Then what should we do now that the Suppressing Spirit Tower refuses to release her?"

The Old Madam turned to look at Su Yanshu: "You tell me, has His Royal Highness the Crown Prince already sent people to welcome Marquis Kong's heir?"

"Indeed," Su Yanshu nodded.

The Old Madam pondered for a moment: "How about this? You make the trip yourself, offer your counsel to Marquis Kong's heir, and lend him a helping hand. Even if you can't be of much assistance, it will at least show him the Su family's attitude."

"Furthermore, once he enters the capital, it's inevitable he will hear about Shensheng's affairs. With you laying the groundwork beforehand and establishing a good relationship, things will go much smoother."

"Even if he hears about it and is unwilling to grant the position of the Heir's Primary Consort, a secondary consort or a concubine position should certainly be acceptable. In short, the status doesn't matter; the important thing is to deliver her to him."

Su Yanshu frowned slightly: "Grandmother, if it is not the position of the Primary Consort, then... Shensheng is, after all, my own younger sister. How can we dismiss her so carelessly?"

The Old Madam fell silent for a fleeting moment, forcing a strained smile onto her face: "Yanshu, one must distinguish between priorities and urgency. Plan for the best while preparing for the worst. Not to mention that we might not necessarily lose the position of the Heir's Primary Consort; even if we do, your future in the imperial court will be incomparably glorious, so how hard could her life possibly be?"

"Conversely, even if she were the Primary Consort, without a powerful maternal family to rely upon, her days still wouldn't be easy."

Su Huaishan nodded: "Mother is entirely right. Yanshu, what are you hesitating for? Go quickly to report to the Crown Prince and set off immediately. Second Uncle will lend you his personal guards!"

...

Yu Shensheng was completely unaware of these matters. Painting and repairing by lamplight until dark, she finally brought the restored artwork to a preliminary shape.

"Young lady, let's eat first."

As the evening meal was served, Jin Baobao carefully wiped her hands with a warm damp cloth.

"Let me feed you."

Yu Shensheng wanted to smile again, but her nose felt sour: "No need, I'm fine. You should eat too."

Looking at Yu Shensheng's hands, Jin Baobao found no joy in any food.

"Jin Baobao," Hao Mengye suddenly called out from outside the door.

Jin Baobao stood up and went outside: "What is it?"

Hao Mengye whispered a few words to her, and Jin Baobao's eyes lit up: "Alright, I'll go."

Sitting back down at the dining table, Jin Baobao suddenly regained her appetite and continuously placed food onto Yu Shensheng's plate.

Yu Shensheng thought that finding this maidservant in the first place truly felt like the greatest stroke of luck.

If Granny Wu were here right now as well, it would be even better.

Then she thought of Qi Mubai, wondering how he was doing now, and whether he would feel heartbroken upon seeing her letter.

A myriad of emotions coursed through Yu Shensheng's mind.

Jin Baobao rolled her eyes craftily: "Young lady, once you finish eating later, you should rest early. The Grand Commander said that since your hands are injured, taking a night off won't hurt at all."

"I'm going to go help them with some work."

A flicker of suspicion arose in Yu Shensheng's heart: "What work?"