Meng Yihuan brought Si Mengchu back to her own Hanyi Residence and invited Doctor Yue to examine her. Afterward, he prescribed several herbal remedies to help calm her nerves and prevent any onset of a cold.
Once Chuchu was settled and soothed, Meng Yihuan instructed her maids to wait on her while she took her medicine. She then stepped outside to thank the man who had saved her daughter’s life. In this lifetime, had this man not intervened, she feared she would have lost her daughter all over again.
"What is your name? Which courtyard of the Earl's Mansion do you serve in? You have performed a great service by saving the Eldest Miss, and I will not treat you unfairly."
Meng Yihuan sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, looking earnestly at the man, whose face was terrifying to behold.
The man remained unperturbed, replying in a calm voice, "This servant is called A'yan. I am merely a stable hand in the Earl’s Mansion. It was purely by chance that I happened upon the situation and offered my help. You need not be so formal, Madam."
A stable hand?
These were the lowest-ranking servants in the Earl’s Mansion and essentially never had the opportunity to see their masters; it was no wonder she had never encountered him in the estate before. However, since he had saved her daughter, she could promote him, perhaps moving him from the stables to work as a servant within one of the residences. But with that face, she worried he might frighten others. Meng Yihuan knit her brows in thought for a moment.
"A'yan," she said, "aside from tending to the horses, are you skilled at driving them? Or do you possess any other abilities?"
"I am indeed well-versed in horsemanship, and I also know a thing or two about martial arts," A'yan replied truthfully. He did not know why he possessed these skills; while his mind had lost many memories, his body had not forgotten its training.
"Oh? You know martial arts?" Meng Yihuan’s eyes brightened.
"Yes, a little," A'yan nodded.
"Very well. In that case, I will transfer you to the Young Master’s residence. From now on, you will be responsible for attending to the second branch's young master, Si Tianque, and ensuring his safety."
Meng Yihuan had made her decision. Her son had not been poisoned into foolishness this time, and because of his intelligence, he was well-liked by his tutors at the academy; there was no telling what dangers he might face in the future. Moreover, as A'yan was a man, it would be improper for him to serve closely in her or Chuchu’s quarters, so placing him by Si Tianque’s side was a perfect arrangement.
However… "A'yan, I will have a metal mask crafted for you. Would you be willing to wear it?" Considering his appearance, she felt it was necessary for him to cover his face to avoid startling others in the household.
A'yan had never expected to be promoted from a lowly stable hand to serve the young master. He looked at Meng Yihuan in surprise. "Madam, I am but a low-ranking slave from the stables. Are you truly letting me serve the young master?"
He had been in the Earl’s Mansion for over eight years. Since the day he was bought, the steward of the rear courtyard had constantly mocked him, saying that a man like him landing a job tending horses was a stroke of sheer luck. If his purchase price hadn't been cheaper than that of an average servant, he would never have made it into the mansion at all. He had never imagined that one day he would be personally assigned by the Mistress to serve the young master.
"Of course. I am not joking with you. Are you unwilling?" Meng Yihuan nodded sincerely.
"No, I am willing. Thank you, Madam!" A'yan quickly bowed in agreement. Though he held a lowly status, he had long loathed the filth and stench of the stables. Now that he had a chance to leave, how could he possibly refuse?
***
On the other side, after Si Mengli was taken away, she continued to wail and kick up a fuss. In her own courtyard, she refused to kneel until Qiuxin, Meng Yihuan’s head maid, arrived and forced people to hold her down.
"Qiuxin, you are being insolent! Release me at once! Mother must be momentarily muddled; you cannot treat me this way. Once she clears her head, she will certainly punish you lowly maids!" Si Mengli shrieked at her.
Qiuxin sneered inwardly. *A fake daughter who almost caused the Madam's real daughter to die—the fact that the Madam hasn't killed you is a testament to her restraint, yet you are still delusional?*
However, she knew this matter could not be made public yet; she could not ruin her mistress’s plans. With a cold expression, she instructed the servants in the courtyard to keep a close watch on Si Mengli during her punishment and then departed.
"That lowly maid! Lowly maid! How dare she treat me like this! Wuu..."
Watching Qiuxin’s retreating figure, Si Mengli wept in rage, harboring deep resentment toward Meng Yihuan. Although the Second Madam had told her that Meng Yihuan was not her biological mother, and she had believed it, she had still regarded her as a mother because she had raised her. Having an extra mother to love her was a good thing, but now, seeing Meng Yihuan punish her for the sake of that bastard Si Mengchu, she realized that blood truly was different. Meng Yihuan was biased toward her own daughter and was being completely unfair to her!
She could no longer rely on this "cheap" mother; she had to go find her real one. Wiping her tears, she said to her personal maid, "Wuu... hurry, go tell the Second Madam that Mother is punishing me for the sake of Si Mengchu. Tell her to come save me quickly, or else my legs will be broken, and I still have to copy the *Precepts for Women* three hundred times—I can never finish that..."
"Yes, Second Miss, please stop crying. This servant will go notify the Second Madam immediately."
The maid had long since been bought by Xue Wanrou, so she offered immediate comfort to Si Mengli before rushing off to find the Second Madam. Though they found it strange that the Second Madam was so concerned about the Second Miss, they dared not ask, and for the sake of the rewards Xue Wanrou offered, they buried their suspicions. As servants, as long as there was money to be made, it was better not to look too closely at the details.
***
In the second branch’s courtyard, Xue Wanrou had just returned, exhausted. She had taken the thousand taels given by Old Madame Si and spent the whole afternoon negotiating with someone to find a person she needed. In the end, after much effort, she managed to get them to agree to eight hundred taels, effectively pocketing two hundred taels from the Old Madame.
"Second Madam, you’re finally back." As soon as she entered the courtyard, Xue Wanrou heard the anxious voice of Si Mengli’s maid.
Xue Wanrou looked up and saw the maid from Si Mengli’s quarters. Thinking her daughter had come to visit, she felt a wave of joy. A smile touched her lips. "Has the Second Miss come to see me?"
The maid’s expression turned bitter. "No, the Second Miss is in trouble, and she told this servant to—"
Hearing that Si Mengli was in trouble, Xue Wanrou’s heart skipped a beat. Before the maid could finish her sentence, she hurried over, grabbed the maid by the collar in a fit of rage and anxiety, and demanded, "What happened to the Second Miss? Didn't I tell you to take good care of her? What have you useless things been doing?"
"It’s not that, Madam, you... please listen to me, the Second Miss has been punished by the First Madam! This servant had no choice!" The maid struggled in pain.
Xue Wanrou gasped in shock, "What did you say? Meng Yihuan actually punished Lier?"
Was she not the one who loved Lier the most?