She is mine
As Ci Ke’s expression remained vacant for a moment, Ye Youqing quickly changed the subject and said cheerfully while pointing at a bowl of egg custard, “Ah, I like this.”
Then she picked up a pair of chopsticks, put a piece into her mouth, the egg custard tasted savory and smooth, sliding down her throat.
“I never expected that the Eldest Miss would now enjoy such humble food,” Ci Ke said softly, but still reached out to remove the roasted lamb from the table.
“Yes,” Ye Youqing didn’t pay attention to her slightly pointed words and smiled.
Seeing Ye Youqing slowly finishing the egg custard with a very satisfied look on her face, Ciko’s face inexplicably flushed, and she remained silent.
With Ciko around, the days were no different from usual. Compared to Qin Xin, Ciko was like a perfect maid, always thoughtful to the point where Ye Youqing sometimes felt sorry for her.
Ye Youqing couldn’t help but treat her a little better than Qinxin, specially cleaning a bright and clean room for her, and buying her many clothes with silver coins, none of which she had brought herself from the past days, instead, she would wear two of Qinxin’s old clothes.
When she took her to see the house, Ciko hesitated at the door for a while before carefully stepping inside.
That day, Ye Youqing felt for the first time that the look Ciko gave her was devoid of hatred and replaced with gratitude, although it quickly returned to calmness.
Apart from that, Ye Youqing was also busy. The business at Jinlingzhai was booming, Ah Gou’s craftsmanship was indeed good, along with the bustling location and exquisite decoration, attracting a constant stream of customers.
So she hurriedly hired several long-term workers to help out in the shop.
With the money earned from Jinlingzhai and a portion of the rewards from the Empress Dowager, Ye Youqing could afford to purchase another shop. For several days in a row, she took Qin Xin around the streets, finally settling on a struggling ready-to-wear clothing store. This shop was not under anyone else’s control but was opened by the previous owner, and the location was decent.
The only drawback was that the clothes were too ugly.
However, the success of Jinlingzhai not only brought in a steady stream of income but also attracted jealousy from others. Ye Youqing had already seen other maids loitering outside the courtyard gate more than once.
Even Jinlingzhai itself had encountered trouble several times, with people often complaining that the food was not clean and demanding refunds from Ah Gou, threatening to cause a scene. Fortunately, there was a highly skilled martial artist Shi Li stationed at the shop who would grab them by the collar and throw them out, preventing them from causing any trouble.
However, this also made Ye Youqing more vigilant. Jinlingzhai was under her control from the start and couldn’t be concealed, but the other shops must not be exposed to others.
On this day, in the newly opened backyard of Jinlingzhai, Ye Youqing was standing in the scorching sun in a horse stance, continuously adjusting her posture under the urging of Shi Li. Soon, her back was soaked with sweat.
“Have you practiced the move I showed you yesterday?” Shi Li leaned against the wall, holding a jar of rice wine, taking a big sip.
“I have,” Ye Youqing nodded laboriously.
“That is a treasured family technique. If you can’t practice it well, I’ll have to take it back,” Shi Li lazily remarked, placing the wine jar aside.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, stinging her eyes, and Ye Youqing closed her eyes, feeling a soft object pressing against her temple to wipe away the sweat.
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When she opened her eyes, Ci Ke had already withdrawn the cloth and stood silently by the side.
As summer approached with cloudless days, the sun became scorching hot. Showing early signs of the sweltering summer, Ye Youqing endured for the time it took an incense stick to burn before finally, at Shi Li’s nod, she sat down on the ground.
At the right moment, a cup of cold tea was handed to her, and Ye Youqing took a sip and then passed the cup to Ci Ke.
Although Ci Ke’s attitude had improved significantly recently, it was somewhat lukewarm, which made Ye Youqing even more uncomfortable. It felt like she was wearing a mask when interacting with others.
She shook her head, about to say something to Ci Ke when she saw Qin Xin rushing in from outside the courtyard, looking somewhat urgent.
“Eldest Miss, Madam is in trouble!”
On their mad rush back to the residence, Ye Youqing clarified the situation; it turned out that Zhao Qingrou had suddenly started vomiting and having diarrhea. The doctor who arrived attributed it to a stomach ailment.
“But all of Madam’s meals in the past few days were prepared by me, there couldn’t possibly be any issues,” Qin Xin sounded regretful, hitting her palm with her fist.
“It could be something else,” Ye Youqing said calmly. She had replaced all of Zhao Qingrou’s original belongings with new ones, so theoretically, there shouldn’t be any issues, but…
Since the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, Ye Youqing’s cleverness had overshadowed Duke Liang, attracting more attention from him towards Ye Youqing and her mother. This made Concubine Xiao even more wary, and upon reflecting on today’s events, she knew exactly who was behind them.
Riding back to the residence swiftly as if having wings, Ye Youqing stepped over the threshold and saw Zhao Qingrou lying on the sickbed, her face pale and lifeless, resembling a candle in the wind. Standing in front of her was a showy woman, followed by a row of maids, making Zhao Qingrou appear even more lonely and helpless.
Feeling a surge of anger, Ye Youqing purposely slammed the door with a loud noise, causing Concubine Xiao to stumble.
“Oh my, the Eldest Miss has returned,” Concubine Xiao changed her startled expression, covering her red lips and smiling, “I heard that the main wife was ill, so I rushed from the side courtyard to check on her. How could the servants here take care of the main wife so poorly as to upset her stomach?”
Qin Xin clenched her fists on the side, her mouth pouting in anger.
Ye Youqing maintained a smile on her face, lightly tapping Qin Xin to indicate she should go and stand by Zhao Qingrou’s bed. Then, she strolled over to Concubine Xiao.
“I only found out about my mother’s illness recently, Concubine Xiao seems to have a keen sense of information.”
Upon hearing this, Concubine Xiao’s powdered face trembled slightly, then she smiled brightly again like a blooming flower, “Well, I am in charge of the affairs in the household, so I need to be informed about everything, big or small. That’s why I seem to have an insight. Unlike the main wife, blessed with such good fortune and spared from exhaustion.”
Hearing this, Zhao Qingrou, who was already pale, turned even paler and said, “You don’t have to deliberately anger me, leave.”
“Eldest Miss, don’t misunderstand. I may just have spoken out of turn. I brought many tonics as a gift, and after delivering them, I’ll leave,” Concubine Xiao was not angry even as she was being dismissed, smiling as she said, “Yuncai, present the tonics.”
Upon hearing this, the maid with the pearl flower in her hair, who had exchanged the gifts, came out and placed the tray she was carrying down.
“Since Concubine Xiao has presented her gift, you may go now,” Ye Youqing raised an eyebrow.
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“Just a moment, there is also this medicinal soup that I specially brewed. Don’t let it cool down,” Concubine Xiao picked up a bowl of brown soup from the tray and moved to feed it to Zhao Qingrou.
Ye Youqing frowned and was about to step forward to snatch the bowl away when a figure closer than her suddenly reached out and grabbed the bowl before she could.
“Ci Ke?” Ye Youqing whispered softly, then stopped in her tracks.
Ci Ke’s expression still held some conflict, as if she had struggled for a long time over whether to speak just now.
Ye Youqing was somewhat surprised, looking inquisitively at Ci Ke without speaking.
“You bold servant! How dare you steal things from our mistress!” the maid with the pearl flower screeched.
“Concubine Xiao?” Ci Ke suddenly spoke, her voice sounding pleasant but with a hint of unsettlement, causing a chilling sensation inexplicably. She then brought the bowl of medicine up to her nose to sniff.
“What kind of medicinal soup is this?” Ci Ke asked.
“Go away, the masters are talking, you have no right to speak!” the maid with the pearl flower hurriedly stepped forward to grab the medicinal soup, but Qin Xin grabbed the pearl flower on her head and forcefully pulled her back.
Ci Ke took two steps back, a hint of malice flashing in her eyes for no apparent reason. She placed the medicinal soup on the table and calmly spoke, “Wudou root, bitter ginseng, and also green eucalyptus fruit. The first two are medicines for treating vomiting and diarrhea, but why add the green eucalyptus fruit?”
“This… It’s simply for balancing the medicinal properties. Green eucalyptus fruit is non-toxic, what’s wrong with that?” Concubine Xiao furrowed her darkened brows, speaking disdainfully.
“Not only that, this supplement.” Ci Ke shifted her gaze to the side, picking up some crushed powder from the tray and sniffed it again, “This is also included.”
Ye Youqing didn’t miss the brief panic in Concubine Xiao’s eyes.
“What’s this? I present supplements, and even need a lowly maid to meddle?” Concubine Xiao waved her hand dismissively, scolding.
Ci Ke seemed somewhat resentful, her rosy lips forming a straight line, her eyes coldly shifting to the bottom corner of the room. She lifted her leg to step forward but was suddenly held back by a few maids.
For some reason, Concubine Xiao suddenly became angry, raising her hand to strike at Ci Ke, who instinctively turned her head to avoid it. Another figure appeared between them, reaching out to hold Ci Ke and firmly grasping Concubine Xiao’s arm.
“Ye Youqing, you…”
Ci Ke felt her heart skip a beat momentarily. Ye Youqing’s hand was politely placed behind her, enveloping her in a chilly fragrance. Without needing to look up, the image of a woman’s expression appeared in her mind.
Her eyes were cold, her expression calm, as if with her around, there was no need to worry about anything.
Ci Ke tightly held back her thoughts, pushing that idea out of her mind.
“Concubine Xiao, this is my courtyard. You hitting my people in my courtyard has gone too far,” Ye Youqing said each word deliberately, then raised her hand. Concubine Xiao almost fell, saved by a few maids who rushed to support her.
“The three words ‘my people’ were emphasized forcefully.
Ye Youqing indeed suppressed her anger. Seeing Concubine Xiao striking at Ci Ke had pushed her to the edge, causing her to lose control for a moment.
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Removing her hand from the woman’s warm back, Ye Youqing said, “Ci Ke, continue speaking.”
Ci Ke composed herself and slowly walked to the corner of the room, feeling around in the crevices of the ventilated bricks. Eventually, she retrieved some fine powder, a sly smile playing on her lips as she turned to look at Ye Youqing.
Her expression was like a fox, like the satisfaction after a successful scheme.
Seeing her in this rare relaxed state, Ye Youqing also smiled, her eyes shimmering with amusement. However, as soon as Ci Ke saw her smile, it was as if she realized something, and immediately wiped the smile from her face, lowering her head.
The door was closed again, and Ye Youqing sighed, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. She stepped forward and took the powder from Ci Ke.
Concubine Xiao’s body stiffened instantly, and Ye Youqing could sense it.
Ci Ke hesitated for a moment, then suddenly leaned forward, bringing with her the scent of powder and perfume on her body, and leaned in close to Ye Youqing’s ear, as if she wanted to say something without being heard by Concubine Xiao.
A tingling sensation of the fragrant breath sprayed out, causing a slight itch in the heart. The woman’s nose lightly touched Ye Youqing’s earlobe, smooth and warm.