Chapter 10

Chapter 10

In just two months, the winds in the capital had begun to shift.

Young Master’s poem was being widely recited, both among the noble families and in the bustling streets and markets.

But what truly made me feel Young Master’s newfound fame wasn’t the praise from outsiders. It was… the Marquis came.

That’s right. The Marquis, who had never set foot in Young Master’s courtyard, suddenly remembered he had an eldest son.

I hurried to the kitchen to make tea. I took out the finest pre-Qingming Longjing from the cupboard, hesitated again and again, then put it back and brewed some stale old tea instead.

As I always said, I was Young Master’s servant. Only if he did well could I do well.

I carried the tea to the main room. The Marquis casually lifted the cup and took a sip, then frowned and barked at me, “What kind of tea is this?”

I hurriedly knelt, cold sweat breaking out in my heart.

Then I heard Young Master say, “Old tea from previous years. I can’t remember which. Father has always only drunk the imperial Snow Mountain Silver Needle. I imagine you aren’t used to the tea I have here.”

Hearing Young Master’s answer, I let out a breath of relief.

Young Master gave me a look, signaling me to withdraw.

Before I left, I heard the Marquis sigh. “In the past, I was negligent as your father. From now on, I will make it up to you properly.”

At the doorway, Yun Jiu saw me come out and asked in a low voice, “Did the Marquis scold you just now?”

Beside him, Yun Qi picked up his sword and smacked him with it, signaling him to talk less.

I gave Yun Jiu a helpless smile and left.

Yun Jiu was talkative and restless, easy to get along with. By comparison, Yun Qi was more like a proper guard-cold in speech and sparing with words.

Thinking of what the Marquis had just said, I felt it was ironic.

Make it up to him? How laughable.

The Marquis was somewhat similar to my dead father in one regard: both were scum.

The difference was that my father was shameless out in the open, while the Marquis was more hypocritical and knew how to justify himself.

My father was a useless wretch. The Marquis was not.

With nothing to do, I wandered around at random, only to unexpectedly see someone familiar.

Ming Yue was hiding off to the side, craning her neck as she peered toward the inner courtyard, as if searching for something.

At the moment, she was filthy and disheveled all over, with a few new scars on her hands. From the look of it, she had not been doing well. Whoever was behind her likely had not cared whether she lived or died either. Yet that delicate little face of hers was still clean, and not a single strand of hair was out of place.

I rather admired that about her. Truly admired it. No matter when, she could keep herself presentable.

No matter how miserable a lowly maid became, she still carried herself with dignity.

I was different. I was someone who could sacrifice dignity in order to survive.

She saw me and immediately straightened, lifting her chin as she said to me, “What are you looking at? I didn’t enter the inner courtyard. I didn’t break the rules!”

I nodded with a half-smile. “Good. Then keep crouching in the corner and watching.”

“Hey!” Ming Yue called after me. “What did the Marquis come here for?”

I was speechless. “The Marquis and Young Master are father and son. Can’t he miss his son and come take a look?”

“Who are you trying to fool?”

“Believe it or don’t.”

She had no way to deal with me, so she could only keep complaining. “You act like a little white rabbit in front of the masters every day. You might be able to fool others, but you can’t fool me.”

I was too lazy to bother with her and walked away. Arguing with her was just a waste of time.

After the Marquis left, Young Master summoned me.

The moment I entered, I knelt and apologized.

Young Master beckoned to me and said softly, “Come here.”

I shuffled over to Young Master on my knees.

“Why did you do that today?” Young Master was referring to the matter of serving the tea.

I brought out the excuse I had prepared long ago. “Young Master, before this, all our courtyard was allocated was old tea to begin with. It was only after the head of the Lu Family came that your days became a little better. This servant… this servant only wanted the Marquis to feel a bit more sorry for you.”

I squeezed out two tears. “This servant knows she was wrong. I will never dare do it again.”

Young Master looked at me and was silent for a long while. Then he reached out and gently wiped away my tears. “Why are you crying? I didn’t scold you.”

I stopped my tears. If I cried any more, it would only annoy him.

Young Master took my hand and pulled me up from the floor, saying, “Xiacao, there are some things that, if he did not give them to me when I needed them most, I will no longer need them in the future.”

Those words were deeply disrespectful toward the Marquis, so naturally, I could not respond.

I asked quietly, “Young Master won’t punish me?”

He smiled at once. “What you did today was for my sake. Why would I punish you?”

I hurriedly said with gratitude, “Thank you, Young Master.”

“Xiacao, remember this. You must always stand on my side. Besides… what you did today was very well done. I don’t need his pity, but I do need his guilt. I want him to remember what he owes me.”

Young Master really had changed, but I felt… he was not wrong.