Volume One, Chapter 4: My Lord, Your Servant Does Not Feel Like Appeasing You Right Now

The flickering candlelight cast a dim, yellowish glow across the bed, revealing the pale face of Liu Wuyi, her features etched with lingering fear even in sleep. Dantai Jianan sat at the edge of the bed, holding down Liu Wuyi’s struggling arm, his gaze fixed on the white-bearded elder seated on a round stool.

“Yuan Zheng Zhou, how is she?” Dantai Jianan inquired.

Yuan Zheng Zhou released his grip on Liu Wuyi’s wrist and stroked his beard thoughtfully. “The lady’s fever has subsided; she should regain consciousness tonight.”

Gently, Dantai Jianan returned Liu Wuyi’s arm beneath the covers and rose to follow Yuan Zheng Zhou to the study outside the room.

“However,” the elder continued, “she shows signs of a threatened miscarriage due to the recent fright. She will need careful recuperation. I’ll write a prescription for a remedy to stabilize the pregnancy—boil three measures of water down to one bowl, take it continuously for half a month, and she should be fine.”

Dantai Jianan asked, “Can you estimate the exact time of conception?”

He suspected that the lady’s husband doubted the child’s paternity.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zheng Zhou quickly calculated the dates by the pulse and said, “It should have been conceived on the eighth day of the tenth month, give or take two days.”

A few days prior, Dantai Jianan had already taken Liu Wuyi to several reputable medical establishments in the capital. Their findings aligned closely with Yuan Zheng Zhou’s, and thorough inquiries at the Music Bureau confirmed she had not been touched by any other man.

That night, when Dantai Jianan was drugged with a potent medicine, despite numerous attempts, the antidote could not be found. The culprit said under interrogation that the only remedy was union with a woman.

He then brought a girl, but his mind was clouded, unable to recall the events clearly. Two months later, the sudden arrival of a child was a shock, prompting repeated questioning.

Now that Yuan Zheng Zhou’s timing matched, the child truly was his.

Dantai Jianan’s thoughts swirled, but he maintained a composed expression.

Seeing no change in Dantai Jianan’s demeanor and guessing the child’s origin was beyond doubt, Yuan Zheng Zhou dipped his brush in ink and quickly wrote a prescription, handing it to Dantai Jianan with a few admonitions.

“Since the lady is pregnant, the overseer should remind her husband—there’s no excuse for harming a pregnant woman.”

“She nearly lost her life to a high fever these past two days. Even if he’s not concerned for her, the child is his own and deserves some care. Look at the large bruises on her neck and shoulder; now we can’t use medicine, and she must endure it silently. It’s pitiful, though the secret palace ointment ‘Snow Skin Balm’ might help, but it’s rare and I do not possess any.”

He sighed, then looked up at Dantai Jianan, who startled at the dark, bruised hue on his face and fell silent.

“Yuan Zheng Zhou speaks truly.”

“Ah, I was merely speaking offhandedly. Overseer, please do not take it to heart. I’ll be going now.”

Rarely courteous, Dantai Jianan escorted Yuan Zheng Zhou to the gate. Under his surprised gaze, Dantai Jianan summoned his trusted imperial guards to personally see the elder safely home.

Seated in his carriage, Yuan Zheng Zhou pondered whether he had said anything to displease Dantai Jianan. Only when he arrived home and Dantai Jianan’s man presented him with a plate of gold ingots did he relax, smiling broadly as he accepted them.

Gazing at the gleaming gold, the resentment from being dragged out of bed at the third quarter of the hour vanished.

---

The night deepened, yet Dantai Jianan remained sleepless, sitting by Liu Wuyi’s bed, staring at her face lost in thought.

Suddenly, like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon, Liu Wuyi’s eyelashes fluttered. Dantai Jianan slid a string of beads onto her wrist.

Liu Wuyi opened her eyes to a blur, instinctively turning her head toward the light.

In the dim candlelight, Dantai Jianan’s face was stern and somber. She thought herself choked in the imperial prison and screamed before fainting again.

A vein twitched at Dantai Jianan’s temple. The maids and servants outside dared not utter a sound until he emerged and commanded in a low voice, “Go inside and watch over your mistress.”

Only then did they stir, while Dantai Jianan strode out of the courtyard, meeting Dantai San who had just returned from escorting Yuan Zheng Zhou.

“Return to the Eastern Depot.”

Though puzzled about the late hour, Dantai San bowed his head and replied respectfully, “Yes, godfather.”

“Tomorrow, have He Yong receive ten lashes.”

Connecting the dots, Dantai San realized Dantai Jianan’s magnanimity was due to the lady in the courtyard.

---

The next morning, Shaoguang Courtyard buzzed with activity. The somber atmosphere that had hung over the Dantai Mansion for days lifted.

“The mistress has awakened! Quickly inform Manager Liu in the outer courtyard!”

Liu Wuyi awoke amidst the bustle, her raspy voice croaked, “Water.”

Soon, she was helped upright and given a cup of warm water, finally feeling a glimmer of life return.

Pain in her neck and right shoulder flared anew, and recalling the ordeal in the snow, fear still shadowed her face. She raised her hand to her neck, finding only a layer of gauze.

“Mistress, do you need anything?”

Turning to the maid by her bedside, Liu Wuyi’s gaze soon drifted as she searched the room, wincing at the pain twisting her neck.

Warm sunlight filtered softly through the thin paper windows, illuminating the exquisite furnishings—a testament to her escape from danger and Dantai Jianan’s protective wing.

“Where is the master?”

She asked, unaware of the complicated glance exchanged between the maids.

Chun Yue, who had just asked if she required anything, answered, “Master has gone to the Eastern Depot, he’s not at the residence.”

Relieved, Liu Wuyi let the maids tend to her clothes and followed them to the main hall to eat.

---

Staring at the plain porridge and various broths on the table, Liu Wuyi frowned. Chun Hua stepped forward with an explanation.

Only then did Liu Wuyi learn she had been unconscious for two days due to fever and that her body was not ready for heavy food.

After the meal, Manager Liu from the outer courtyard came to see her.

Meeting him briefly, Liu Wuyi learned that Dantai Jianan was busy with affairs in the palace and could not return home, lifting her spirits.

Shaoguang Courtyard was the largest aside from the main mansion, now entrusted to Liu Wuyi, who was cared for by four maids: Chun Hua, Chun Yue, Chun Tao, and Chun Lan.

Chun Hua and Chun Yue had been trained by palace caretakers for years and were impeccable in etiquette and service—ideal for managing household affairs.

Chun Tao and Chun Lan were closer in age to Liu Wuyi, providing companionship and laughter, making the days of convalescence surprisingly carefree.

Having survived was no small feat. Liu Wuyi obediently followed medical advice, resting and taking medicine diligently.

Her compliance surprised the four maids, and after half a month of cautious interaction, Chun Tao’s lively nature emerged.

One sunny day, Liu Wuyi reclined on a cushioned lounge in the courtyard, embroidering a new pattern of twin lotus blossoms she had learned from Chun Yue.

Remembering that it seemed half a month since she last saw Dantai Jianan, she casually asked, “Why hasn’t the master returned to the mansion?”

Chun Tao blurted, “The overseer fears upsetting you,” then quickly shut her mouth upon realizing her slip.

Liu Wuyi paused, her hand clutching the embroidery needle, looking up in surprise. “What do you mean?”

After hesitating, Chun Tao spoke, “Don’t you remember? That night half a month ago when you woke and fainted from being scared by the overseer, he hasn’t returned since.”

Liu Wuyi listened, the memory hazy but stirring. She lowered her gaze to her embroidery and suddenly said, “I don’t want to embroider this anymore. Chun Yue, teach me something else.”

She understood the need to curry favor with Dantai Jianan, to avoid earning his disdain, so she and her child might live peacefully and the Liu family’s case might be revisited.

Half a month had passed, yet the bruises on her neck remained. The suffocating terror she once felt occasionally haunted her dreams. The faint pain in her neck and right shoulder served as constant reminders of Dantai Jianan’s ruthless nature.

Liu Wuyi grew fearful of drawing near him. She curled her head like a small turtle over the emerging embroidery pattern, deciding to wait until it was finished before seeking him out.