Chapter 9

False Accusations

“No!” Méi Xuè shakily stood up and hoarsely said, “Yesterday, you brought the ginseng soup to me and insisted that I drink it. I had no choice but to drink a little, and as for the ginseng, I never chewed it.”

Chūnxiù sneered, “Such sweet words! That’s ginseng, very expensive, and what is your status that I would beg you to drink it?”

Méi Xuè’s face, already flushed due to internal heat, turned even redder with anger. She retorted, “That’s the truth, I’m not lying!”

Jiāng Cǎipíng nodded vigorously, saying, “That’s right, I saw it too. You served it to Wǔ jiějie yourself.”

“Since you entered the manor, you’ve always been following her around, naturally defending her in everything,” Chūnxiù continued, raising her voice, “Is there anyone else who saw me give Méi Xuè the ginseng soup?”

The room fell silent, and after a moment, someone hesitantly said, “I think I saw Chūnxiù bring the ginseng soup to Méi Xuè…”

Before they could finish, Jì Róng interjected, “That’s impossible. I clearly remember, I was talking to Chūnxiù about the dance steps we practiced all day yesterday. How could she have brought the ginseng soup to Méi Xuè? Besides, if it were you, would you give away the precious ginseng that was bought with so much silver?”

At this moment, Chūnxiù gave a glance to Zhāng Shì, who often accompanied her, and the latter stepped forward. “I remember now, I also saw what happened yesterday,” she said. Before Méi Xuè and Jiāng Cǎipíng could express any relief, Zhāng Shì added, “I saw Méi Xuè drinking from a stew bowl when no one was looking. But I didn’t realize she was secretly drinking Chūnxiù’s ginseng soup. Had I known, I would have stopped her.”

Méi Xuè trembled with anger and pointed at Zhāng Shì, “You... you’re slandering me!”

Zhāng Shì sneered, “How shameless of you to say that now! I’m even getting anxious for you. If you hadn’t been so greedy, how would you have ended up in this state from overindulging? I’d say this is just retribution!”

Jiāng Cǎipíng, furious, had tears welling up in her eyes, stamping her feet, “You’re going too far!”

Yang Māmā furrowed her brows and turned to the doctor who had finished preparing the prescription and was about to leave, asking, “Doctor, given Méi Xuè’s condition, do you think she can still dance?”

Upon hearing this, Méi Xuè’s heart tightened. She had worked so hard to practice for this moment. If she couldn’t lead the dance tonight, all her efforts would have been in vain.

The doctor shook his head, “You saw for yourself, she can barely walk with support. How can she dance? Even if I prescribe medicine, it will take several days of rest before she recovers.”

Wènyí’s face darkened as she glared at Chūnxiù. If Wǔ shì couldn’t perform the dance in front of Li Yuán, that would mean she couldn’t carry out her plan to kill him, and all of this was because of that woman. It seemed that the previous small punishments hadn’t made her more cautious; on the contrary, she had become even more reckless. She truly deserved to die!

After the doctor handed the prescription to Wènyí, he left. Méi Xuè could no longer dance, and with no evidence proving that Chūnxiù had harmed her, the position of lead dancer naturally fell to Chūnxiù. For the moment, she was the center of attention.

Pleased with the fawning and flattery around her, Chūnxiù was in high spirits. When she saw Méi Xuè preparing to leave, she walked over and pretended to be concerned, “Méi Xuè, I’m not saying this to be mean, but the worst thing you can do is be greedy. Don’t take what isn’t yours, or you’ll end up like you are now.”

Méi Xuè clenched her teeth and said, “You’ve already gotten what you wanted. What more do you want?”

“Look at you, I’m just kindly reminding you,” Chūnxiù said with a smile. “I know what you’re thinking, but I advise you to stop dreaming. If it’s not yours, no matter what you do, it will never be yours.” She leaned in close to Méi Xuè’s ear, speaking in a voice only they could hear, “You’re not worthy of competing with me.”

In the midst of Chūnxiù’s arrogant words, Méi Xuè staggered out. Wènyí, concerned for Méi Xuè, quietly followed her after Yang Māmā wasn’t paying attention. Méi Xuè hadn’t gone far when she collapsed on the ground. Wènyí hurried over to help her, whispering, “Be careful of your health, let me help you back to rest.”

“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about me,” Méi Xuè said, pushing Wènyí away. She stumbled forward again, tears streaming down her face. She had never wanted to compete with anyone—whether entering the manor or leading the dance—it was all to make her father’s life a little better. But Chūnxiù, in her greed for the position of lead dancer, had harmed her like this.

The more she thought about it, the more heartbroken she became. Leaning against a yellow-flowered pagoda tree, she cried in sorrow. Wènyí didn’t leave, but followed at a distance. Seeing her in such a state, she shook her head secretly. Méi Xuè’s nature was too weak. She would suffer in silence and cry alone when wronged. If it were her, she would never let those who hurt her go so easily.

Given Méi Xuè’s personality, if she doesn’t change, her life in this manor will undoubtedly be difficult.

At this moment, a soft and mournful sound of a xiao (a Chinese flute) suddenly reached Wènyí’s ears. The melody was sad and lingering, as if crying and complaining. After listening for just a moment, a feeling of sorrow rose in Wènyí’s heart. As she forcefully suppressed this emotion, Wǔ shì also heard the sound of the flute, looking around in confusion. She then followed the direction of the sound.

They were near the rear garden, and the flute sound was coming from there. Wènyí followed Méi Xuè all the way to the deep part of the rear garden. There, they saw a man dressed in a simple blue brocade robe, with his back to them. He was holding a xiao in his hands, the light-colored silk tassels hanging down, and the melody was emanating from him.

Neither of them approached. They quietly stood behind him, listening. Wènyí couldn’t tell what piece he was playing, but the music, apart from its sadness, also reminded her of her long-lost mother. Even after the music stopped, that bittersweet feeling still lingered in her chest, refusing to fade.

When the man turned around, Wènyí was slightly startled, for this person was none other than the Second Young Master, Li Shìmín, who had helped her get rid of Chūnxiù’s harassment some days ago.

Li Shìmín was a little surprised to see Méi Xuè and Wènyí standing behind him. After observing them briefly, he focused his gaze on Méi Xuè and asked, “Who are you? And why are you here?” His voice was a little deep but extremely pleasant to listen to.

Méi Xuè came to her senses and quickly curtsied, saying, “Méi Xuè pays her respects… pays her respects…” She didn’t know Li Shìmín’s identity and was unsure of how to address him. She stood there awkwardly, frozen. He smiled and said, “My surname is Li, my given name is Shìmín.”

“Li Shìmín…” Méi Xuè repeated the name softly several times, then exclaimed in surprise, “You’re the Second Young Master?” Though she was not a curious person, having been in the manor for some time, she had learned a little. She never expected to run into him here. After Li Shìmín nodded, she quickly performed another curtsy, saying, “Greetings, Second Young Master.”