Chapter 40: Tao Yiran's Inner Disdain

Chapter 40: Tao Yiran's Inner Disdain

Lai Lai moved quickly, and in a short while, they arrived at the guards' quarters. Twenty strokes of the cane had already been administered. Several guards lay on the large communal bed, whimpering; though they felt resentment in their hearts, they dared not speak it aloud. For those serving as slaves, a master's decision to strike was merely a matter of a single word.

"The Heir won't come looking for trouble with us later, will he?"

That was the real trouble. The men sighed in unison. It wasn't easy to become a guard in the Marquis's manor; several had even been brought in through recommendations, and if something went wrong, the recommenders would be implicated as well.

When Lai Lai entered, he was very earnest. "Everyone, are you all alright?"

Seeing it was Lai Lai, the men tried to get up, but Lai Lai hurried them to stay resting. "Regarding today's matter, the Second Young Master feels very guilty. He has been thinking of you all constantly. That is why he specifically asked me to bring some medicinal ointment to everyone."

"Knowing that you were all fined, the Second Young Master has compensated you. He asked me to convey his message: he is truly sorry that you were implicated by him today."

The men were overwhelmed by the favor. "It was our duty. The Second Young Master was only thinking of the safety of the Marquis's manor. We were the ones who failed to see clearly; it has nothing to do with him."

It was all the Heir's fault for being so sneaky and suspicious.

"The Second Young Master is too kind. How could we, your brothers, have the nerve to accept this money?"

Lai Lai set down a bundle of silver. "I'll leave it here for you. The medicine is here as well, though it might not be quite enough. You may have to trouble yourselves to buy some more; you cannot leave any lingering issues."

"There are too many eyes and ears around, so I shall head back first. Please rest well."

With that, he cupped his hands and left. Once he was gone, the men's gazes fell upon the bundle of silver. Someone said with expectation, "It looks like quite a lot."

Someone stepped forward to open it. The amount far exceeded three months of their monthly wages; even after each person took five months' worth, there would still be silver left over to buy medicine. "Since the Second Young Master is so thoughtful, let's accept it. In the future, just keep an extra eye on the Second Young Master's affairs. Quick, take it, and don't let anyone else know."

With the silver in hand, the resentment in their hearts diminished by more than half. The men tucked the money away and continued to lie there, discussing how the Second Young Master was actually quite decent and that today's incident couldn't be blamed on him. They developed a great deal of goodwill toward him.

In Chunhua Courtyard, the physician carefully examined Tang Rong, stating that these were all superficial wounds and had not damaged the bones or muscles. However, because the surface wounds were so severe, he would likely need to recuperate for half a month. As for when the bruises on his face would fade, "They should fade in about half a month."

Tang Rong felt this was a quack. At this moment, his whole body ached terribly; he clearly felt as though his bones were broken, but since the physician insisted nothing was wrong, he could not force a re-examination. After having medicine applied all over his body, he lay down. This trip had resulted in trouble again; his chest and back had been struck, and since his arms were injured, he couldn't even turn on his side to sleep. The physician was helpless regarding this and could only offer words of restraint.

"Who on earth dealt such heavy blows? To be injured like this must be very painful."

Once Tang Rong had managed to lie down, the attendants withdrew. Tao Yiran, sitting on the edge of the bed with tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain, said, "What should we do? Perhaps we should ask Father to go to the palace to request a royal physician to take a look. I won't be able to rest easy without seeing one."

The injuries on his face had been treated with ointment, but the blue and purple bruising was truly unsightly. His eyelids were swollen and shiny; he could only manage to pry them open a tiny crack. "We'll see tomorrow."

He closed his eyes, hoping that upon waking, this would all be a dream, or that his injuries would already be healed. Seeing his wretched face, Tao Yiran wiped her tears and stood up. "Rest well. I will have someone guard the door. If you need anything, just call out."

She left to sleep in the adjacent room. Tang Rong struggled to open that tiny crack of an eye again, tilting his head to watch her retreating figure. He had thought she would stay to keep watch over him.

He had expected to be unable to sleep, but as it turned out, he slept straight through until dawn. At the moment he woke, he didn't feel much, but as his consciousness cleared slightly, the sensation of pain returned. He wanted to get up to relieve himself, and Ying Yue, who had been guarding him since before dawn, rushed inside. "Young Master, you have suffered so much."

"You've been guarding outside this whole time?"

Ying Yue answered vaguely, "The Young Master was injured; this servant was too worried to sleep. I only felt at ease once I was guarding you."

"Young Master, does it still hurt very much?"

She was, after all, a maid who had followed him for a long time and served him with devotion. He had been satisfied with her usually, but had ignored her recently because of Tao Yiran. At this moment, Tang Rong's heart recalled Ying Yue's goodness, and he leaned half his weight against her. "It hurts."

Ying Yue shed tears. She assisted Tang Rong to relieve himself and then carefully escorted him back to bed. Seeing the injuries on Tang Rong's face, she wept again, but quickly wiped them away. "The Young Master must be hungry. I have brewed some pig blood porridge, which is very nourishing. I will go and bring it to you."

Tang Rong caught her hand. "Don't bother. You must be tired after guarding me for so long."

"To be able to serve the Young Master, I am not tired."

Ying Yue smiled through her tears. "Wait a moment, Young Master, this servant will go fetch it."

Because Tao Yiran was unwilling to stay by the bedside all night, Ying Yue took advantage of the opportunity. It was only after Ying Yue had brought the pig blood porridge and fed Tang Rong half of it that Tao Yiran appeared. Upon entering the room, she saw the sweet and warm scene between the two, and her eyes immediately reddened. Ying Yue hurriedly rose and performed a formal bow. "Young Madam, please do not misunderstand the Young Master. It was because this servant was worried about him that I came; it was not at the Young Master's summons."

As she spoke, she hurriedly handed the half-bowl of porridge to Tao Yiran. "Since Young Madam is here, this servant shall withdraw."

She acted with great awe and fear toward Tao Yiran. Tao Yiran's brow furrowed slightly; she felt an urge to throw the bowl of porridge in her hand. It looked disgusting. Tang Rong felt uncomfortable in his heart; he was still brooding over the fact that Tao Yiran had not stayed to watch over him or given him more care.

"Ying Yue has served by my side for a long time; she is sensible and knows her place. You needn't mind her."

Tao Yiran shed tears and sat on the edge of the bed with the porridge. "Eat some porridge."

Meanwhile, in the adjacent room, Tang Mo and Xin An were already having breakfast with the Old Lady in Chunrong Courtyard. The two had woken up exceptionally early today, wanting to go and see the wretched state of "Pig-Head Rong" up close. Being in high spirits, they were exceptionally attentive while serving the Old Lady's breakfast, their skills in flattery becoming increasingly proficient. "If Grandmother hadn't saved me last night, I'm afraid Father would have beaten me to death."

"Father is far too biased. I was also worried when Eldest Brother was beaten like that. How could he say it was my doing? It's truly heartbreaking."

The Old Lady looked on with pity. "Your father was merely acting out of concern. Who told you to be so unruly all the time?"

"I've changed! Grandmother, don't you think I've changed lately?"

The Old Lady smiled. "It is good that you have changed. Your father may not dote on you, but Grandmother does."

Xin An sat to the side with a smile, thinking that one could never underestimate Tang Mo's shamelessness. In just a few days, he had mastered the essence of winning the Old Lady's favor. She also felt that a grown man acting spoiled was somewhat overwhelming—especially a man who was quite handsome. If he ever acted like that toward her, could she withstand it?

Her mindset was just a bit old, but her heart was not as calm as still water. Besides, the older one gets, the more one tends to like the young.

It was quite something.

Seeing that the timing was right, Tang Mo spoke thoughtfully, "Grandmother, would you like to go see Eldest Brother? I heard the physician say his bones aren't broken, but the surface wounds are quite heavy. Just thinking about it makes me feel the pain."

The Old Lady nodded, feeling that Tang Mo had indeed become more sensible. She reached out for Tang Mo to support her, and then heard him say that they could go to the manor the day after tomorrow. "I have already spoken to Father; we will wait until after we return from the manor to deal with the Northern Command."

The Old Lady began to look forward to it. She instructed Gan Lu to bring some nourishing medicinal herbs, and the group slowly made their way toward Chunhua Courtyard.

(End of Chapter)