Shen Qing and the others were immediately drawn by the sharp shout. Turning to look, they saw that the speaker was a man of about thirty, dressed in sky-blue robes, with a scholarly air.
Although ten years had passed and the faces of those she knew had changed considerably, Shen Qing still recognized him at once. It was the Grand Steward who had always been by Yu Jiuqing's side—Chen Li.
Chen Li had been with Yu Jiuqing even before she knew him. Yu Jiuqing had bought him from a baby broker in his youth, and Chen Li had always been unerringly loyal to him alone. Even the Shen Qing of the past was likely just an outsider in his eyes—one who was close to his master, but an outsider nonetheless.
Shen Qing's brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the panicked and frantic expression on his face.
Perhaps because he was always by Yu Jiuqing's side, Chen Li had emulated his master's aloof and cold demeanor to a T. An expression like the one he wore now was something that should have been impossible to see on his face.
'For him to show such an expression, there can only be one possibility—something has happened to Yu Jiuqing.'
'And it's not a small matter.'
Seeing the situation, Qiu Yun knew this was bad and quickly said in a low voice, "It looks like something's happened. Let's head back for now."
Zhu Yuan and Chen Ying grew flustered and followed Qiu Yun without a second thought. Mu Shuangshuang, however, looked reluctant to leave, glancing back repeatedly.
Shen Qing glanced back at Chen Li, who was completely oblivious to his surroundings. Her lips pursed slightly, and she too turned to leave.
As it turned out, no matter what happened to the masters, it had nothing to do with low-level servants like them, as long as it wasn't a major crisis that threatened the very survival of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
After lunch, Qiu Yun familiarized them with the daily affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Then, with a serious expression, she meticulously explained the mansion's rules. Finally, she tossed them a rulebook, told them they had to have it memorized by the next day, and let them go.
Even so, by the time they were free, the sky was already growing dark.
Chen Ying looked at the small, densely printed booklet in her hand with a long face. "Let's finish dinner quickly and come back to study," she said. "There's a test first thing in the morning. Sister Qiu Yun said if we don't pass, we'll have to pack our bags and leave. Although... once the Lord hears about what happened yesterday, we might have to leave anyway..."
At this, Zhu Yuan seemed to recall something. "Oh, right! I overheard something when I went to the latrine earlier. I meant to tell you," she said. "It seems the Lord is injured. He probably won't have the energy to deal with a few insignificant Maids like us for a while. Maybe by the time he recovers, he'll have forgotten all about that little incident from yesterday."
After all, constant worry was exhausting. The punishment she expected to arrive swiftly had yet to materialize, so the taut string of tension in Zhu Yuan's heart had long since gone slack. She was now even in the mood to joke around.
Chen Ying froze, recalling the steward-like man from the morning shouting for someone to fetch Divine Doctor Lu. "So it really was the Lord who got hurt?" she whispered. "Seeing how anxious Chief Chen was this morning, the Lord's injuries must be serious."
After their encounter with Chief Chen that morning, Qiu Yun had told them who he was.
By title, Chief Chen was supposed to manage all the affairs of the Prime Minister's Mansion. However, it was said that in recent years he had gradually delegated his administrative duties to the other stewards, allowing him to focus solely on serving the Lord.
Zhu Yuan instinctively lowered her voice as well. "I don't know the details. The Maid I overheard only mentioned it in passing. She probably just heard it from someone else."
In a great household like this, the masters' affairs were not to be discussed lightly, but it was inevitable that some rumors would leak out.
Chen Ying quickly pressed her palms together. "Then let's pray to the Bodhisattvas that the Lord forgets all about what we did yesterday once he's recovered..."
The two of them were so caught up in their conversation that they failed to notice Shen Qing hadn't said a word.
Shen Qing's eyelids were lowered. After a moment, she let out a soft, resigned sigh. "You two go eat first," she said. "I've misplaced a handkerchief and need to go back to find it."
Zhu Yuan and Chen Ying paused, then instinctively offered, "We'll go with you."
"There's no need," Shen Qing said with a smile. "Don't you two have to memorize that rulebook after dinner? I've pretty much memorized it already, so you shouldn't waste time on my account."
With that, as if oblivious to the shocked looks on Zhu Yuan and Chen Ying's faces, she gave them a wave and turned back the way they had come.
Only after Shen Qing's figure had disappeared from view did Chen Ying seem to snap back to her senses. "She's joking, right? This booklet is full of text. She just flipped through it a minute ago, and she's already memorized it?"
'If that's true, I'm so jealous!'
'She's beautiful *and* smart! I'm starting to think it's a total waste for someone like Shen Qing to be a Maid like us!'
After leaving Chen Ying and Zhu Yuan, Shen Qing headed straight for the innermost part of the Prime Minister's Mansion, finally stopping outside the Moon Cave Gate where she had seen Chen Li that morning.
A line of guards stood on either side of the Moon Cave Gate, their stern expressions and formidable auras enough to make any ordinary person shrink back in fear.
Shen Qing stood in an inconspicuous corner, impassively glancing at the guards.
'There are clearly more guards than there were this morning. What in the world happened to Yu Jiuqing?'
Just then, two slender, short figures appeared in the Moon Cave Gate. Shen Qing was startled for a second but recognized them almost instantly. It was Yu Zihan and Qian Zhaosheng.
They were walking quickly, and in no time, they were close enough for Shen Qing to clearly see their faces and overhear their conversation.
Yu Zihan was walking in the lead, his fair, handsome face filled with pent-up frustration and indignation as he strode forward, looking as though he had suffered some terrible injustice.
Qian Zhaosheng followed behind him with a helpless expression, having to jog just to keep pace.
"Young Master... my dear young master! My legs aren't as long as yours. Please, have a heart and slow down a little!"
"I... If I ever worry about him again, I'll renounce the name Yu! Look at that cold expression on his face! Does he look seriously injured to you? He still had enough energy to kick me out!"
"Young Master, you should be a little more honest with yourself. The moment you heard the Lord was badly hurt, you couldn't sit still and rushed over to see him. It would be a miracle if you didn't worry the next time something like this happened. Besides, you already share the Lord's surname. If you're really that angry with him, you might as well just change it..."
"Shut up! You really think I give a damn about that surname!"
'If I could just find a way to escape this mansion, I would've changed my surname to Shen long ago.'
'Shen Zihan sounds so much better than Yu Zihan, doesn't it?'
Shen Qing watched them, her eyes flickering. Just as she was about to step forward, a young woman emerged from the side. She was dressed in a water-green, high-waisted ruqun with a matching wide-sleeved outer robe embroidered with birds and flowers. Surrounded by a retinue of Maids, she slowly approached Yu Zihan. Her face, so beautiful and exquisite it was almost dazzling, wore a faint, perfunctory smile. Her sharp, shimmering peach-blossom eyes fixed on Yu Zihan, who had now stopped walking. "Young Master," she said, her voice soft, "have you just come from seeing the Lord?"