Chapter - 5

When Yu Xiang woke up again, it was already noon the next day. The room was quiet, and there was no one guarding it. Outside the door, she could hear the chatter of the head maidservant and a few older women. When they talked about something interesting, they even giggled. It sounded very cheerful.

Yu Xiang frowned and shouted, "Servants, pour me some water."

The chatter and laughter outside the door stopped for a moment, as if they didn't hear anything and continued.

Yu Xiang's face was gloomy, but she suppressed her anger and shouted again, "Servants, pour me some water!"

"They're coming, they're coming, they're coming!" A maidservant entered the room impatiently.

The teapot had been left out for an entire night, so it was already cold. Yu Xiang repeatedly reminded herself that this was the Marquis Yongle, not her and her brother's small home. Only then did she suppress the anger in her heart and swallow the bitter tea mouthful by mouthful.

"Wipe my face." She put down the teacup and coldly ordered.

The head maidservant secretly rolled her eyes, but she didn't do anything after leaving the room. Instead, she ordered the two new maidservants to serve her. Because Yu Xiang wasn't liked by Madam and Matriarch, and her only brother didn't care about her, even though she didn't have to worry about food and clothing, she didn't receive the respect she deserved. Even Yu Siyu had a more comfortable life than her. After all, the maidservants by her side were all left behind by her concubine mother, so they were easy to order around.

Yu Xiang's two head maidservants had more style than her, not to mention her late wet nurse, who had always treated her like a bastard child.

The two maidservants were very respectful and nimble. They wiped Yu Xiang's exposed skin clean and refreshed, then went out to get a pot of hot tea and brought it to their master's hand.

Yu Xiang exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and her gloomy face slightly brightened. If her brother was still here, who would dare to neglect her like this? She couldn't think about it anymore. Once she thought about it, her tears would come out again.

In her previous life, she had been doted on by her brother and had never encountered any setbacks. She had long developed a delicate temperament. Her tears were shallow, and her temperament was unpredictable. But here, she lived a life of suffocation. She had to think thrice before doing anything, and she had to be patient. She was almost cultivating into a ninja turtle!

Yu Xiang felt a lump in her throat. She quickly raised her chin to stop her tears from falling. If no one felt sorry for her, who was she crying for? It was better to save it and use it where it should be used.

She sat there in a daze for a moment before the head maidservant came in with two younger maidservants. One of them was carrying medicine and the other was carrying porridge. Both were steaming hot. After instructing the two servants to put the bowl on the table, the head servant said indifferently, "Miss, drink the medicine first before eating the porridge."

"I don't drink it. You stay here and let the two girls go out. "Yu Xiang leaned against the soft pillow and closed his eyes.

The head servant waved her hand to let the two leave. She took a few steps forward and continued, "Miss, drink the medicine first. It won't be effective when it cools down."

Yu Xiang finally opened her eyes. Her deep eyes exuded a cold aura. She said word by word, "I said I don't drink it, so I don't drink it. Why are you so annoying!" As soon as she finished speaking, her fingertips flipped the tray, spilling the bowl of medicine soup and the bowl of hot porridge.

Freshly boiled water could burn off a layer of skin when it was poured on the skin. The maidservant immediately dodged and screamed repeatedly. The maidservants outside the room all ran in to check.

Yu Xiang's gloomy face finally relaxed. She used a handkerchief to wipe her hands unhurriedly. "Go to the front yard and find my brother. Tell him that I don't want to drink the medicine. Ask him to think of a way."

The head servant, who had just recovered from her fright, began to shout, "Master Hou must be in his study right now. If we rashly go and disturb him, we will be punished with a plank. Miss, please don't make things difficult for us servants!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. However, a new maidservant volunteered and raised her hand, "Miss, please wait a moment. This servant will go and find Master Hou!" As soon as she finished speaking, she was already far away.

"That's my good maidservant." Yu Xiang shifted the soft pillow and stared at the head servant with a resentful expression. She began to hum a song, "Su San left Hongtong County and came to the main street. I haven't spoken yet. My heart is miserable. Gentlemen of the past, listen to me … "

Although Yu Xiang was a cripple in her previous life, she was prouder than anyone else under her brother's protection. She laughed and scolded, doing whatever she wanted. When had she ever cared about anyone's attitude? No matter how the plot of the original novel developed, since she had replaced 'Yu Xiang', she had the final say on how to live her life.

That head servant saw that she was suddenly angry and suddenly laughing. It was obvious that she was deliberately tormenting others. She secretly cursed in her heart, 'You broke your leg, so your temperament is even more disagreeable. Just keep on acting so that Master Hou will get tired of you sooner!'

Because 'Yu Xiang's wet nurse already knew that' Yu Xiang 'wasn't of the blood of the Marquis Household, she only treated her with respect on the surface. In reality, she was very disrespectful. The two maidservants under her followed her example. Their attitude couldn't be said to be respectful or humble. Moreover, 'Yu Xiang' was young and slow-witted. She couldn't control this group of servants. She was clearly the master, but she was even more sullen than the maidservants.

Right at this time, the other head servant, Cui Xi, who had gone out to play, came back. Seeing the room full of broken porcelain and medicinal congee, she wanted to find someone to clean it up. However, she was stopped by her good sister. She whispered, "We've angered Miss. Let's kneel down and beg for forgiveness." After saying that, she left the room and knelt outside the door.

Cui Xi had a tacit understanding with her. She immediately knelt down and made a cowering appearance.

Yu Xiang didn't pay attention to the two of them. She was leisurely humming a tune. These two were sent by the matriarch. Normally, their faces were even bigger than their master's. If the news that 'Yu Xiang' wasn't of the blood of the Marquis Household spread, the people who broke the bowl today would be them.

As expected, Yu Pinyan had some ability. At such a young age, she was able to control the Marquis Household like an iron bucket. That rumor should have been suppressed. She didn't know how Yu Siyu made this matter known in the book. How did the main character come back and establish herself in the circle of nobles? How did she become the Empress? She must have gone through many difficult and inspirational processes.

Thinking of this, Yu Xiang chuckled and shook her head. If she could live comfortably, why would she want to make things difficult for herself? She didn't want to be inspirational, nor did she want to counterattack. She only wanted to increase Yu Pinyan's favorability and save enough money. When she found the main character, she would exchange it back. Then, she would buy a manor. Accompanied by the smoke of the kitchen chimneys and watching the shadows of the flowers under the moon, she would live a leisurely and carefree life. As for marrying, she didn't even have the luxury of having her brother protect her in her previous life. It was even more impossible in this life. In ancient times, which man would be willing to marry a cripple? Even if it was because of Marquis Yongle's prestige. When 'Yu Xiang's' background was exposed, she would only end up in an even more miserable state. Forget about it.

After careful consideration, Yu Xiang glanced at the two pitiful maidservants who were about to cry at the door. The corners of her lips curled up in disdain. Not only did they not clean the room, but they also knelt outside and pretended to be pitiful. This was a disguised form of making Yu Pinyan look bad. Master Hou, look, the Miss is being willful again. She's randomly smashing things and punishing servants!

However, they forgot that 'Yu Xiang' had sacrificed her two legs for Yu Pinyan. The rest of her life was ruined. Now, she had the right to be willful. From 'Yu Xiang's' memories, she knew that although Yu Pinyan's methods were ruthless and his actions were vicious, he also clearly distinguished between kindness and hatred. As long as she didn't go against the main character, he would protect her for the rest of her life. Even if they didn't talk about glory and wealth, they could at least live a stable life. The female lead's family would at least be able to prosper for another hundred years, right?

As for her two legs, based on the outdated medical conditions of ancient times, she didn't have much hope. In any case, she was already used to it in her previous life.

Yu Xiang touched her heavily bandaged knees with an indifferent expression.

The two maidservants knelt at the door and listened to their Miss's babbling and humming. She didn't say a single word of comfort. They looked extremely at ease. The resentment in their hearts increased by ten points. They secretly held their breaths until their eyes turned red, waiting for Master Hou to come over.

As Yu Xiang hummed, the feeling of being pulled together came back again. She straightened her slightly raised lips and hid her carefree expression. Her eyebrows furrowed and she blinked her eyes. A wet mist covered her pitch-black eyes, making her look as if she had been greatly wronged.

The two maidservants were stunned by her ability to change her expression. They stared blankly for a while before coming back to their senses. When they turned around, they saw Little Master Hou striding over at an extremely fast speed.

The two maidservants hurriedly knelt and kowtowed. Just as they were about to complain, they saw that Little Master Hou had already entered the room without looking sideways. The two maidservants knelt in place with awkward expressions.

The ten-year-old girl wasn't very old, but she wasn't very young either. Her body was very thin and weak, and her hair was dry and yellow. It was clear that she didn't receive any special treatment because of her status as the daughter of the first wife. Her facial features were very light, but her eyes were very large and round. Her pupils were as black as ink, and they were soaked in shallow tears, making them appear even more limpid.

Her appearance couldn't be considered beautiful, but it made people want to cherish her.

Yu Pinyan quickened his pace and asked with a frown, "What's wrong with Xiang 'er?" When he got closer, he discovered that the ground was covered in porridge and broken porcelain.

"Older Brother, my legs hurt!" Yu Xiang reached out to the youth, and the tears that had been swirling in her eyes all this time fell down in large droplets. This person clearly wasn't her older brother, but what was with that extremely familiar telepathy? Although he was confused, he was also relieved.

Yu Pinyan didn't care about the mess on the ground. He quickly walked over and hugged the pitiful girl into his arms. Yu Xiang's legs were crippled because of him. Not to mention smashing a few bowls, even if she tore down the house, he would let her do it. After suffering such a calamity, who could still laugh and be indifferent? It was natural for her to be willful and throw tantrums. He would indulge her, accompany her, and coax her through this most difficult time together.

Thinking of this, Yu Pinyan's arms tightened around Yu Xiang's.

"It won't hurt anymore in a few days. Xiang 'er, bear with it." Yu Pinyan had never been so close to his biological sister. His words were very clumsy, and he could only help her wipe her tears while patting her back.

The youth's embrace was warmer than the last time, and there was also a faint but elegant fragrance of incense. It smelled very good. Yu Xiang's anxious feelings were soothed bit by bit, but her tears fell even more fiercely. Her hands tightly wrapped around the other person's neck, and she sobbed incoherently. Why is it that you're not my older brother, but our hearts are connected? Could it be that I really can't go back?

Yu Pinyan lowered his head to carefully decipher his sister's choked words, but he could only hear her constantly calling out to him.

'Older brother.' That strong attachment made his heart ache. In this large Marquis Household, the only person she could rely on was herself.

The two maidservants were still kneeling at the door. Their expressions changed from resentment to embarrassment, and then to fear.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and find a doctor! "Yu Pinyan coaxed his sister to stop crying, and then he turned to look at the two maidservants.

The two maidservants quickly got up to leave, but they heard Little Master Hou say indifferently, "The house is so dirty and messy, but you don't care about it. What's the use of you servants? You might as well sell them all. "

The two maidservants were horrified. They immediately knelt down and begged for mercy. They didn't dare to do it again. Because they didn't have time to give Yu Xiang a bad look, they didn't provoke Yu Pinyan's anger. He only gave them a beating and let them go.