Chapter 8

Weakness Unable to Benefit

Seeing that she had agreed, Yùnyí thanked her happily. After Meixue left, her gaze gradually turned cold. After so much time in the manor, she finally had the chance to meet Li Yuan. She would surely take Li Yuan’s life!

She had previously thought that once she entered the governor’s manor, she would be able to meet Li Yuan. However, the newly arrived servants like them were only allowed to work in designated areas and were not permitted to go elsewhere. They had no chance to meet Li Yuan, and could only wait day after day. Fortunately, she had finally gotten the opportunity!

The next morning, Yang Māmā ordered all the girls to wake up early and practice again before nightfall, but Meixue still hadn’t shown up, no matter how much they waited.

Yang Māmā said impatiently, “Where is Meixue? Why hasn’t she come yet? Who is sharing a room with her?”

Jiāng Cǎipíng hurriedly stepped forward, “Meixue should still be in her room. When I got up earlier, she told me that she wasn’t feeling well and would come later.”

“Later?” Chūnxiù glanced over and sneered, “Is she planning to show up only when the sun has set? She only became the lead dancer yesterday, and today she’s already acting high and mighty, making us wait for her and Yang Māmā to serve her alone.”

Jiāng Cǎipíng, upset by her words, quickly defended, “Meixue isn’t like that. She must be feeling unwell, that’s why she’s late.”

Yang Māmā spoke, “Alright, go check on Meixue. If she’s fine, tell her to come quickly. We can’t afford to waste time.”

Jiāng Cǎipíng agreed and hurried off. Just as she reached the door, she was stopped by Yùnyí, who asked curiously, “Miss Jiāng, why haven’t I seen Meixue?”

“She’s unwell. I’m going to check on her.” Hearing this, Yùnyí’s heart sank, and she quickly followed Jiāng Cǎipíng to Meixue’s room. They pushed open the door and saw Meixue lying on her bed in her thin clothes, not even covering herself with a blanket.

Jiāng Cǎipíng hurried over, “Sister, how are you? Are you still feeling unwell? Also, why aren’t you covering yourself with a blanket? It’s getting colder each day.”

Before she could pull the blanket over, Meixue opened her eyes weakly and said, “I’m fine. Did Yang Māmā send you?”

Jiāng Cǎipíng nodded, “Yang Māmā hasn’t seen you yet and is a bit upset, so she asked me to check on you... you...” Before she could finish, Meixue whispered, “I’m fine. Help me sit up.”

With the help of Yùnyí and Jiāng Cǎipíng, Meixue managed to sit up, but she felt weak all over, as if she had no strength at all. Her exposed skin was burning hot, no wonder she didn’t want to cover herself with the blanket earlier.

Yùnyí asked in confusion, “Meixue, what happened? Weren’t you fine yesterday?”

“I don’t know. Since yesterday, I’ve felt hot all over, and my head has been aching non-stop,” Meixue said weakly. “Alright, help me over quickly. I don’t want to keep Yang Māmā waiting.”

Jiāng Cǎipíng, still worried, said, “But... Sister, you’re in no condition to go. Maybe we should ask a doctor to check on you?”

“No need, I can manage. Let’s go,” Meixue insisted. Seeing she was determined, the two of them supported her and walked to the dance hall. The others, upon seeing how pale and weak she looked, were all shocked. Only Chūnxiù smirked to herself. She had been waiting for this moment!

Yang Māmā frowned, “Meixue, did you catch a chill last night, which is why you’re in this state?”

“No, after practicing yesterday, I...” Meixue was speaking when she suddenly felt warmth under her nostrils. The girls gasped, “Blood!”

Meixue quickly wiped her face and saw her fingers covered in bright red blood. She was bleeding from her nose. Yang Māmā, seeing the situation was serious, immediately handed her a handkerchief to hold to her nose, then turned to Yùnyí and said, “Quick, go tell Manager Lín to send for a doctor!”

While they waited for the doctor, Meixue’s nosebleed continued, and it got worse with every attempt to wipe it away, causing Jiāng Cǎipíng to nearly cry out in fear.

After an unknown amount of time, an experienced doctor in his forties arrived. Seeing all the blood, Yang Māmā felt anxious. Although the dancers weren’t highly regarded in the manor, causing a death would still be troublesome.

When the doctor entered, Yang Māmā immediately said, “Doctor, please stop the bleeding for Meixue. She’s lost so much blood.”

The doctor agreed and used silver needles to stimulate several acupoints. After a while, Meixue’s bleeding finally slowed down, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Strangely, despite losing so much blood, her cheeks remained flushed as if she hadn’t been affected at all.

After Yùnyí used water to wipe the blood from Meixue’s face, the doctor sat down to feel her pulse. After withdrawing his hand, Yùnyí hurriedly asked, “Doctor, what is wrong with her?”

The doctor shook his head, “She isn’t sick.”

Jiāng Cǎipíng immediately protested, “That can’t be! Sister’s hands and feet are weak, she’s burning up, and for no reason, she’s lost so much blood. How can she not be sick?”

The doctor explained, “She isn’t sick. The reason for these symptoms is that her internal heat is too strong, and she has ‘虚不受补’ (a condition where the body cannot handle excessive nourishment).” He then asked, “May I ask, has this young lady recently consumed any highly nourishing substances such as ginseng or Polygonum multiflorum?”

“I have taken ginseng...” Meixue began to speak when Chūnxiù suddenly exclaimed, “So it was you! You secretly took my ginseng!”

Meixue, confused, replied, “What are you talking about? When did I secretly take your ginseng? You were the one who gave it to me.”

“I gave it to you?” Chūnxiù sneered, “Wǔ Méixuè, you really have thick skin, to lie with your eyes wide open. For no reason at all, why would I give you ginseng to take? Am I trying to please you? This is simply laughable!” After saying this, she turned to Yang Māmā with a face full of grievance, “Yang Māmā, Meixue stole my ginseng. You must stand up for me!”

Yang Māmā asked, “What exactly happened? You two should explain things clearly, and also, where did the ginseng come from?”

“When I returned home yesterday, my father was very pleased to hear that I would be dancing before the governor tonight. Seeing that I looked a little unwell, he took all the savings from the family and had me buy a ginseng root to boost my energy. After I came back, I stewed the ginseng and brought it to the dance hall. Later, Sister Jì Róng called me, and I went to speak with her, leaving the ginseng soup on the side. When I came back after a while, the soup was completely gone, and the ginseng inside was chewed up so badly that it could no longer be stewed. I was a bit angry, but since we’re all sisters, I didn’t ask right away for fear of causing tension, so I didn’t tell you, Yang Māmā. But now it’s clear—Meixue must have taken it!”