Ye Qingcheng choked, her eyes darting around. She stood up with an air of grace. "Um... what about it, let's go see Bixi!"
With that, she left without looking back.
Bixi's wound had become infected due to the lack of timely treatment. Ye Qingcheng had no choice but to handle it herself, painstakingly tearing away Bixi's clothes that had already fused with the flesh. The scene was so harrowing for the attending maids that some covered their mouths and rushed out to vomit.
Ye Qingcheng tossed the torn clothes into a basin and washed her hands with wine to maintain cleanliness.
As the last piece of clothing was removed, a sigh of relief was heard from behind.
Ye Qingcheng found it amusing, wondering who was truly in charge of this entire operation!
With the clothes cleaned, it was time to deal with the decaying flesh.
Looking at the rotting flesh, Ye Qingcheng's eyes deepened. To endure twenty heavy strikes without being allowed to call a doctor, Yu Jian was clearly trying to kill Bixi! Punishing her by locking her in the woodshed was too lenient. Such a person deserved to be beaten to death to avert future trouble. However, Bixi was protected by Xiao Wangye, and any minor mistreatment from Yu Jian would likely be overlooked by him. But if Yu Jian were to be killed, Xiao Wangye would probably kill her too!
Ye Qingcheng began to meticulously remove the necrotic flesh with a knife.
After the treatment, she applied the medicine and bandaged the wound piece by piece with gauze. She touched Bixi's forehead; the fever was still high. "Quickly go and see if the medicine is ready!"
Jing Xiu bowed. "Yes."
A moment later, a bowl of bitter medicine was brought.
Ye Qingcheng could treat people, but she wasn't good at feeding them medicine. She ceded the task to Jing Xiu.
Ye Qingcheng had intended to watch, but she remembered Yu Jian, whom she had locked in the woodshed. After some thought, she decided to go and check on her.
As she approached, she heard Yu Jian shouting from inside. "Help! Fire! Someone come and save me!"
The young servant guarding the door was already fed up with Yu Jian's management. Now that she had an opportunity, he decided to mock her. "Aunt Yu Jian, you should conserve your energy!"
Seeing that even a servant dared to step on her, Yu Jian was furious. She spat, "Bah! You wretched creature, seeing my predicament, you come to kick me while I'm down? Let me tell you, even though I'm locked in this woodshed, I'm still the governess of this estate. When I get out, I'll be the first to auction you off as a male escort."
However, there was no response from outside. Suddenly, the woodshed door was opened, and Ye Qingcheng walked in with a smile. "Aunt Yu Jian's mindset is truly admirable! Even as a prisoner, you're still dreaming of freedom! Dreams are sweet, but it depends on whether they can be realized."
Yu Jian was terrified of her now. Seeing Ye Qingcheng walk in with her arrogant demeanor, her eyes narrowed, a dreadful feeling washing over her. This scene was eerily familiar; it was just as Ye Qingcheng had appeared before, but now it was Yu Jian who was humbled and kneeling.
"Wang... Wangfei? What brings you here?"
Ye Qingcheng chuckled. A chair was brought over, and Ye Qingcheng sat down. Looking at Yu Jian, who was bound tightly, she found it amusing. "I came to see you. Tsk, you've become quite haggard."
Yu Jian instinctively averted her gaze, not daring to meet Ye Qingcheng's eyes.
"You tell me, Bixi is still lying in bed, unable to move. How should this debt be settled with you?"
Yu Jian looked incredulous. "Wangfei, are you going to punish me for the sake of a maid?"
Ye Qingcheng burst into laughter, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Aren't you also a slave?"
Yu Jian was speechless.
Ye Qingcheng's smile vanished, her gaze sharpening. "You should be thankful you can still stand here. It's only because the Prince didn't allow me to kill you. But he didn't say I couldn't mark you. What do you say? Would you like to leave a mark on your body?"
Her eyes were like those of a demon from hell, and Yu Jian was terrified.
Ye Qingcheng stood up and approached her, stroking Yu Jian's face. "Should I have a tattoo etched onto your face? Or perhaps..." Her finger moved as if by chance to her chest, "...a searing mark on your chest?"
Ye Qingcheng's words were subtle, but Yu Jian understood what she was implying.
Yu Jian was completely petrified and began to beg for mercy. "I beg you, Wangfei, this servant knows her mistake. Please spare this servant!" Tears and snot streamed down her face.
Ye Qingcheng was amused and exasperated by the annoying sound of her voice. She cupped Yu Jian's jaw. "You only think of begging now? I heard that when you were beating Bixi, you wanted her mouth gagged, right? The reason was not to disturb the Prince's rest. Then let's gag your mouth too! Because you're disturbing me, and it's very annoying."
To Yu Jian's horror, the servant immediately stepped forward and gagged her.
Ye Qingcheng turned to leave. "Feed her some porridge and water daily. Do not let her out. As for... her needs, leave them be!"
Yu Jian's eyes widened in terror, and she struggled to resist. But with her mouth gagged, she couldn't plead for mercy.
Even if she could plead, the Wangfei would not spare her.
Ye Qingcheng returned to check on Bixi. She took her pulse, finding it steady. Only then did Ye Qingcheng breathe a sigh of relief.
After drinking the medicine, her fever had subsided. The little girl was likely having sweet dreams, so Ye Qingcheng decided not to disturb her and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Back in her chambers, she saw Xiao Wangye sitting in his wheelchair. Thinking about the outburst she had directed at him that morning, she still felt a pang of discomfort at having to occupy separate rooms.
Was he here to reprimand her?
Indeed, Xiao Wangye spoke first. "When will Yu Jian be released?"
Ye Qingcheng felt even more displeased. "Is the Prince here to reprimand me?"
Xiao Wangye looked at her and, uncharacteristically, explained, "It's because she is currently managing the estate. If she is imprisoned, the servants in the estate won't know what to do."
Ye Qingcheng chuckled upon hearing this. "I hope the Prince understands how you promoted her to this management position."
The Regent's Consort was not allowed to examine the account books in the rear courtyard, a fact that would surely be met with ridicule. The reason was simple: the Regent himself did not wish for the original owner to manage affairs, as she was not the 'Yun' he held in his heart...
Tragically, the original owner had unconditionally trusted him and handed over her dowry to the Regent.
Yet, Xiao Wangye showed no sign of remorse, believing it all to be perfectly natural.
Now, who knew how much of the original owner's dowry had been squandered by Yu Jian!
One could only ask Xiao Wangye, do you even have a heart!