Chapter 44

This matter couldn't be kept secret; soon the master and mistress both knew.

That day, Meixue knelt in the hall; the eldest son had a grim face, as if he himself were the one Meixue had schemed to take his body. The mistress scolded her for being shameless, a wanton woman who seduced the master. The master frowned and had someone bring the fertility decoction…

But in the end, they were all stopped by the eldest miss.

The eldest miss said, the child in Meixue's womb, at least, is the eldest son's first child. Though born of a concubine, if it could be delivered, it would still be Li family blood. It could be raised at the manor; after all, it is a life.

Look, what a compassionate heart!

Everyone was moved by her kindness, yet no one asked Meixue what she herself wanted.

Meixue wanted to conceive, and she still wished to spread her wings and fly away from this residence. But Lancang Courtyard had been assigned guards to watch her, not allowing her to take any extreme action.

I, the servant, also thought that perhaps giving birth to a child would at least give Meixue some hope for the rest of her life.

But that day, I heard it clearly! It was the eldest miss, Li Qingzhu! She cried and said that Meixue had shoved her onto the rockery, causing a large bruise on her waist.

She also said she only wanted Meixue to walk more in the garden so she could bear a healthy child for her brother, but Meixue boasted before her, saying how she would later rely on her son to return, eventually completely occupying the eldest son's heart, and that her younger sister would then be pushed aside.

Heavens! Meixue could never have said such a thing! At that time she was clearly already disheartened, yet she clung to life, thinking that as long as she safely gave birth to a child, she might still have a chance to see her brother.

Even if she really spent her whole life at the manor, she would never harbor any thought for the eldest son—not because she didn't dare, but because she never had any.

Miss, I, the servant, have absolutely not lied or spoken nonsense; these are all things Meixue herself once told me.

But the eldest son believed those words to be true. In his fury, he locked Meixue in the woodshed and kicked her belly several times.

Meixue's anguished cries echoed throughout Lancang Courtyard.

The eldest miss's waist injury—let alone that it wasn't caused by Meixue—even so, he never spared a thought for Meixue and the life of her unborn child; he only wanted to vent his spite upon his beloved younger sister.

That night…… Meixue's blood flowed without cease.

Second miss! If a doctor could come to see her, Meixue might still have a chance to live. But that night, the doctor I, the servant, had finally managed to summon was intercepted midway by the eldest miss.

Just because she said that the speck of bruise on her waist, the size of a fingernail cap, hurt.

Meishuang lay on the ground, tears streaming nonstop.

The child in Meixue's womb first showed no movement. Then Meixue, eyes open, died in the servant's arms.

Afterward, the eldest son did come to take a glance, but he only muttered something useless and left.

Li Qingzhu put on a feigned show of sorrow, sniffling twice, saying she hadn't expected it to turn out this way; if she had known earlier, she wouldn't have sued to let the eldest son know… Look, how vicious and hateful she is!

Clearly it was her scheming plot; clearly we of Lancang Courtyard saw it, yet the eldest son alone failed to see.

Afterward, we of Lancang Courtyard were one by one sold off or sent away under various pretexts; in any case, we servants who had been on good terms with Meixue all came to no good end.

I, the servant, also wanted to survive, so I deliberately staged an incident during the Li family banquet—a false appearance of the eldest miss causing my disfigurement.

Afterward, for the eldest miss's reputation, I, the servant, took the opportunity to obtain my freedom. Yet these past two years I have lived like a rat in a gutter, never seeing the light of day.

This face of mine, even my own family despises it, let alone the world.

Living is worse than death for me, but if I can utter one word of injustice for Meixue before I die, it is worth it.

Meishuang was taken away.

Li Qingluo asked Que'er: "Grandmother's scar‑removing ointment that I use—is there any left?"

Que'er shook her head: "Miss, that ointment is hard to come by. Even the Old Lady struggled to obtain two jars, and giving them to you, I fear there may not be enough."

If you wanted to give that to Meishuang, the Old Lady's… according to what I, the servant, know, one jar would cost over a thousand taels of silver.

Li Qingluo gasped: "That expensive?"

She indeed felt awkward asking Grandmother for more.

Just thinking of how Grandmother so generously gave to her, Li Qingluo's heart naturally warmed and was moved.

Moreover, she knew that the Snow Skin Pill and Frost Skin Ointment were also very costly.

Yet Grandmother used them on her as if they were free, lavishly applying them without stint.

These past two months, Grandmother still gave her twenty taels of silver each month as pocket money.

The monthly allowances for Que'er and the others in the room were all given separately by Grandmother for her to distribute.

As for Qu Shi's side, these past two months Li Qingluo has not gone to pay her respects, nor has she come to see Li Qingluo even once.

Between mother and daughter, it was as if each regarded the other as dead; though they lived in the same mansion, they had not met face to face.

Such a temporary peace, Li Qingluo was satisfied with.

However, she ought to go out and move about.

"Deng Mama, please help me find someone. An Imperial Guard colonel surnamed Yang—if I recall correctly, he should be Meixue's only surviving older brother."

Deng Mama dared not ask further, merely assenting before withdrawing.

As for Meishuang, Li Qingluo had Que'er temporarily lodge her in concealment within Hongfenguan.

Ask her if she's willing to stay and work for me—I can sign a labor contract for her.

Que'er: "Miss, you want to keep her? But she used to be part of the Li household; I'm afraid that if anyone from the old household recognizes her…"

Li Qingluo smiled: "Who said I want to keep her in the mansion? Helping me with work isn't the only way out of this little world."

All right. Later I will personally write down Mei Xue's grievance and the statement of her tragic death. Take it to Mei Shuang and have her seal it.

Two days later, Deng Mama returned with a reply.

Miss, there's no one surnamed Yang among the Imperial Guard officers, but I've found a brigade commander surnamed Yang, and he is indeed searching for his long‑lost younger sister!

Li Qingluo heard it and immediately sat up excitedly: "Granny, I want to see him."