Prinzessin Xiangsi

Kapitel 30

Enraged, the thugs roared and charged forward again, but You Tong refused to engage and turned to run. She had been fighting for a long time and was exhausted; her lightness skill was only at about 50-60% of its potential. She had barely taken a few steps when she was nearly slashed several times. Fortunately, the lake was right in front of her. Gritting her teeth, You Tong lunged forward, landing in the water.

"Oh no, this woman is trying to escape through water!" someone shouted.

One after another, people jumped into the water, while the others who couldn't swim could only watch angrily from the shore, their hearts filled with resentment.

You Tong was a good swimmer and swam more than ten feet away as soon as she entered the water. But the person chasing behind her was fast too, and just as she was about to catch up, You Tong suddenly turned around and silently stabbed the person in the chest with her soft sword.

Blood immediately seeped onto the lake's surface. The people on the shore stared wide-eyed, unsure whether it was You Tong's blood or that of their companion. The bandits who had caught up from underwater, however, saw it clearly. They were furious, but unable to speak, they could only fiercely draw their weapons and stab at You Tong.

The water resistance was too great, and the man couldn't swing his large knife at all; it was nowhere near as effective as Youtong's soft sword. With great effort, Youtong pulled the soft sword from the dead man's chest and turned to stab the pursuer. The man watched helplessly as the soft sword came hurtling towards him, but his own knife wouldn't obey him. He dared not meet it head-on, so he quickly threw away his knife and swam away.

Seeing him flee in defeat, You Tong stopped chasing him, quickly sheathed her sword, and swam swiftly towards the other side of the lake...

After struggling in the water for quite some time, she finally made it ashore. Youtong was completely unable to move; she was utterly exhausted, and her numerous wounds were bleeding, some even turning white from the water. Fortunately, there were no pursuers behind her; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to handle even a three-year-old child.

You Tong lay on the damp ground by the lake for fifteen minutes, knowing that if she lay there any longer, she would be crippled before the enemy caught up. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed a wooden stick and struggled to prop herself up, staggering forward. Only by reaching the main road, only by encountering people, would she have any hope of being rescued.

You Tong didn't know how many times she had fallen or how long she had walked. She even felt that her life was slipping away little by little, and her whole body felt like it was about to explode. She was about to collapse and never get up again if she couldn't hold on any longer.

The faint sound of carriage wheels approached, growing closer and closer. A glimmer of hope rose in Youtong's heart. Panting, she leaned on a wooden stick to stand up, straining her eyes to see the carriage in the distance. The carriage stopped about ten paces in front of her. Youtong looked on hopefully, and saw the curtain slowly lifted, revealing the smiling face of Young Master Wu...

"This God is truly blind"—this was the only thought in You Tong's mind before she fainted.

On the Xu family's side, the mansion was already in complete chaos.

Xu Wei returned home unusually early today, only to find out that You Tong had gone to her parents' home to visit Wen Yan. He then went to the Cui family to fetch You Tong back to the mansion. Upon arriving at the Cui residence, he discovered that You Tong hadn't come at all. Xu Wei then realized that something had happened to You Tong.

He immediately returned home and carefully questioned You Tong about what had happened before she left. He then dragged Xu Cong along, following the direction the carriage had taken, and they ended up outside the city. Soon after, they saw the Xu family's carriage. The coachman's body was still on the ground, the carriage was empty, only a faint scent of intoxication remained, bloodstains were on the ground, and there were signs of a struggle nearby, but they couldn't find You Tong anywhere.

Xu Wei's face was already ashen, his features hardened, and his eyes cold. Even Xu Cong didn't dare to speak to him.

There were signs of a struggle by the lake. Xu Wei squatted down and looked around for a while, then suddenly threw off his shoes and tried to jump into the water. Xu Cong thought he had gone crazy and rushed forward to hug him, saying anxiously, "Brother, what are you doing? There's still no news of sister-in-law. How can you be so reckless?"

Xu Wei glanced back at him indifferently, his eyes clear, and said firmly, "Your sister-in-law has gone into the water. She's a good swimmer and should be able to swim to the other side of the lake. I'll go to the other side to find her."

“If you want to go to the other side, you don’t need to swim. We can ride our horses around there.” Xu Cong was both angry and anxious. He grabbed the silent Xu Wei and dragged him towards the shore, cursing as he did so. Xu Wei remained silent, letting him do as he pleased. He silently mounted his horse and galloped along the lakeside.

Xu Cong quickly cracked his whip a few times, afraid of losing him, but his heart was filled with anxiety. Although he knew from Xu Wei that You Tong had practiced martial arts, he thought that a young girl, especially a rich young lady, would probably only know some fancy moves even if she practiced martial arts. She probably had no real skills. It was probably her limit to jump into the river. She was more likely to drown in the lake. How could she possibly swim ashore?

However, he dared not tell Xu Wei any of these thoughts. In his current state, if anyone told him that You Tong was probably already dead, he might fight to the death. Xu Cong's head throbbed at the mere thought of this, and he felt a surge of resentment, wondering which reckless person dared to provoke the Xu family. Truly, those who dared to defy death were bold.

The lake was quite large, and Xu Wei had no idea where You Tong had come ashore, so he dismounted and slowly searched along the lakeside. Although Xu Cong didn't think he could find You Tong this way, he didn't dare to say anything and obediently followed behind him, looking around as he did.

As darkness fell, the two remained fruitless. Xu Cong glanced at Xu Wei, who was still searching intently with wide eyes, and wanted to advise him to return tomorrow. He opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent. With a sigh, he found a tree stump to sit on and rest. Looking down, he suddenly noticed a small piece of light red cloth. Xu Cong vaguely felt it looked familiar. He picked it up and examined it carefully for a while. Finally, he remembered that his sister-in-law seemed to have been wearing the same fabric that morning. Overjoyed, he called out loudly, "Brother, come and see! Isn't this from sister-in-law's clothes?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Wei looked up abruptly, rushed over in the blink of an eye, snatched the piece of cloth from Xu Cong's hand, examined it carefully for a long time, his eyes immediately reddened, and he choked out, "This... there's blood on this..."

Xu Cong looked closely and indeed saw faint bloodstains along the edge of the cloth. It would be strange if You Tong hadn't been injured after dealing with so many bandits all by herself; her injuries were likely quite serious. Xu Cong knew this perfectly well, but dared not speak out and frighten Xu Wei. He only whispered, "Now that Sister-in-law is ashore, she's probably out of danger. Let's go ask around the neighborhood to see if anyone has seen her. Perhaps someone passed by and rescued her, and has already sent word back home."

Xu Wei knew he had a point, so he nodded in agreement, carefully put the piece of cloth into his pocket, looked around again, and then mounted his horse with red eyes.

Upon arriving at the manor, they were still disappointed; no one had come. However, the Cui family had also received the news, and Cui Weiyuan arrived with a large group of servants, asking if they needed any help. Xu Wei didn't stand on ceremony and told him about finding fragments of You Tong's clothes by the river, asking him to help gather information in the vicinity.

62. The Young Marquis

You Tong groggily opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light in front of her. She tried to raise her hand to shield her eyes, but the movement aggravated her wounds, causing her to wince in pain and let out a soft groan. Someone by the bed heard the noise and quickly came over to check on her, asking softly, "Madam, you're awake? You have many wounds, and we just applied medicine. Please don't move."

The speaker was a girl of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed as a maid. She was of average appearance, but her voice was soft, sweet, and pleasant, making people feel good about her at first listen.

You Tong obediently stopped moving, but stared intently at her, asking with difficulty, "Excuse me, miss, where is this place?"

The maid blinked, looking bewildered, as if she couldn't understand Youtong's words at all. After thinking for a moment, she replied earnestly, "This is Green Willow Manor, isn't it? Don't you know, Madam?"

You Tong smiled wryly. This answer was essentially meaningless to her. She asked the girl several questions in a row, and the girl either shook her head to indicate that she didn't know, or frowned and thought for a long time before finally giving a completely meaningless answer. You Tong didn't know if she was pretending or if she was really that naive. The only thing she was sure of was that she couldn't get any useful clues out of the girl's words, so You Tong gave up.

Her injuries were severe, and she lay in bed for several days before her condition improved slightly. She was slowly able to sit up, but she still felt weak all over. You Tong knew that she was probably being controlled by the young master of the Wu family. She was somewhat annoyed, but couldn't vent her anger. The young master of the Wu family didn't even show his face. When she asked the maid, the maid was full of doubt and even asked You Tong who the young master was.

You Tong knew perfectly well that if Young Master Wu truly wanted to save her, he would have already taken her back to the Xu residence. His elaborate scheme to confine her here must have some ulterior motive. She, a mere girl, was of little use, but Xu Wei certainly had his own agenda. Thinking of this, You Tong grew anxious, fearing that Xu Wei might be threatened or fall into someone else's trap.

She lay in Green Willow Manor for seven days, and the Xu and Cui families searched for her for seven days. It can't be said that they had no clues at all. The bandits who ambushed and attacked You Tong and her servants that day have been found. They were confirmed to be bandits from Jigong Village. They ambushed You Tong by the lake that day, killing five people, but You Tong still managed to escape. In the end, she only took away two maids, Huiying and Huiqiao.

Xu Wei wasn't in the mood to settle scores with Jigongzhai at the moment. He only instructed Xu Cong to write down the names of the offenders so they could deal with them together once You Tong was found. However, no matter how many people the Xu and Cui families sent to inquire about the situation, there was no news of You Tong. It was as if she had suddenly disappeared after going ashore that day.

For seven whole days, there was no news. Xu Wei went from being extremely anxious to remaining silent, which made the entire Li family feel a strange sense of oppression. Unless there was news about You Tong, no one dared to approach him to speak.

Aside from silence, Xu Wei showed no other abnormalities. He went to and from the government office, ate and slept as usual, but the more he did so, the more anxious Madam Xu became. No one knew her son better than her. He kept all his worries hidden in his heart, slowly accumulating them. Once they erupted, no one could bear it. However, Madam Xu couldn't find any words to comfort him.

On the evening of the seventh day, during dinner, a servant rushed in to report that a little beggar had brought in a letter, specifically addressed to General Xu. Xu Wei was startled and, without a word, rose and ran out the door. The Xu family members looked at each other, unsure what to say. After a long while, Madam Xu spoke first: "Tell me, is this news about You Tong?"

Master Xu picked up his cup, took a sip of wine, and said calmly, "It's pretty much a done deal. I think they've seen this good show of losing, and it's time for them to make their move."

Madam Xu's eyes widened in surprise. "Master, you knew where Youtong was all along?" Hearing this, Xu Cong, who was standing nearby, also stopped eating and looked at Master Xu with wide eyes.

Master Xu squinted and said, "Do you think Wei-ge doesn't know? We've been searching for so many days. If someone hadn't deliberately hidden our daughter-in-law, how could we have no news at all? They're hiding her to control the Xu family. Tell me, besides that person, who else could it be?"

"This—" Madam Xu's face showed indignation as she angrily said, "She is the Empress of the country, how could she do such a despicable thing?" Master Xu sneered, "There are plenty of sordid things happening in the palace, what's this? She's currently afraid of Yue-ge'er's military power, so she won't go all out. Don't worry, your daughter-in-law will be fine. However, I'm afraid Wei-ge'er's job is in jeopardy."

Madam Xu was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then gritted her teeth in anger and muttered a few curses under her breath, calling her an "old hag." After that, she shook her head and said, "Fine, I won't take that damn position of general. It'll save me from being roasted on the fire all day. I'd rather stay at home and grow flowers and plants and enjoy my carefree life."

Master Xu chuckled and stroked his beard, nodding as he said, "That's right. I told him a long time ago not to get involved in anything like this all the time. That's something only boorish people do. He should come with me to paint and write calligraphy, and cultivate his character."

Seeing his smug expression, Madam Xu became angry and was about to scold him to vent her anger when she heard Xu Wei running back quickly. Before she could turn around, Xu Cong had already gone up to him and asked with concern, "Brother, how is it? Is there any news about sister-in-law?"

Xu Wei, with a stern face, handed him the letter. Xu Cong quickly unfolded it, skimmed through it, glanced at his father, and whispered, "Father is right. It's a letter forcing my elder brother to resign. It says that my sister-in-law is in their hands, and if my elder brother doesn't resign within three days, they'll take her life."

"It was the Wu family who did it!" Madam Xu said excitedly. "It's fine if he resigns from his post, it's not a big deal, but we just can't swallow this insult. No, I have to go to the palace to talk to the Grand Princess right away. Even if my son resigns, we can't let those shameless people from the Wu family get away with it."

"Mother—" Xu Wei, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up to stop her, and said in a deep voice, "No rush, the Grand Princess knows what she's doing. Let's not worry about so much, lest we get involved even more. They're forcing me to resign, so I'll resign. I want to see who in the Wu family can hold their position even if this position of Left Guard General becomes vacant."

"Good!" Master Xu, who had remained silent since Xu Wei entered, suddenly clapped his hands and cheered, "That's right! Why bother with my son's demons and monsters? Let's live our own lives and see him reap what he sows."

However, now that he knew it was the Wu family who had placed You Tong under house arrest, Xu Wei couldn't just do nothing and wait for them to obediently bring You Tong back to the mansion. Since the Wu family could threaten Xu Wei into resigning with You Tong's life, they could also threaten him into doing other things. As long as You Tong didn't return, they wouldn't be at ease.

That evening, Xu Wei invited Cui Weiyuan over. After discussing the matter for a while, the two sent out most of the servants from their respective households to search for the Wu family's villas in the capital and the city. The next day at court, Xu Wei was not in a hurry to resign. He handled government affairs with a calm expression. Young Marquis Wu stared at him for a long time, a cold smile flashing across his face.

You Tong's injuries had healed considerably. Although she couldn't muster any energy due to the ambush, walking a few steps in the courtyard wasn't difficult. As soon as her injuries improved, she started thinking about how to escape. Back in Qiantang, she had studied medicine with the Grand Princess for a while. Although she wasn't very skilled, she could still identify some common medicinal herbs.

These past few days, she had been feigning weakness and exhaustion, but secretly checking her food and drink, she quickly discovered something amiss. There was no medicine in the food, but the jasmine tea she drank daily was laced with a sleeping potion. You Tong pretended not to know, remaining calm in front of the maid, and as soon as the maid was gone, she quickly poured the tea into the rose bushes outside the window.

After not taking her medicine for a day, You Tong felt much better, but she still looked gloomy and kept complaining of dizziness, blurred vision, and thirst. The maidservant, without suspecting anything, quickly brewed her a pot of fresh tea and said that she would go to ask the doctor to take a closer look at her the next day.

That night, You Tong secretly slipped out of the house to look around. She found that there weren't many people in the villa, but there were two large dogs kept in the outer courtyard. They were let out to guard the yard at night and howled incessantly at the slightest sound. You Tong thought she could easily evade the guards, but avoiding the two dogs would be quite difficult.

After thinking all night, You Tong couldn't come up with a good idea. She secretly hid two pieces of meat when the maid came in for lunch, soaked them in the tea laced with sleeping potion, and put them under the bed, planning to try it on the two dogs that night.

Before evening, a guest arrived at the house; it was none other than the young master of the Wu family.

To be honest, You Tong hadn't met this young marquis many times, but the way they first met was so unusual that it left a particularly deep impression on her. Fortunately, it was dark that day, so he probably didn't see her face; otherwise, how could he have endured it for so long?

Upon seeing him enter, You Tong immediately couldn't hold back any longer. She pinched herself and squeezed out two tears, angrily rebuking him: "Young Marquis, what do you mean by this? Even if you have any conflict with my general, you should settle it with real swords and spears. To imprison a weak woman like me here is simply too shameless."

Despite being reprimanded by You Tong, Young Master Wu remained unperturbed, a smile playing on his lips. He casually found a seat by the bed and said calmly, "Young Madam Xu, please don't be angry. You are seriously injured and need to rest and recuperate. In particular, you must be very careful with the wounds all over your body. If you are not careful, you will leave scars, and General Xu will be heartbroken."

You Tong's eyes reddened, and tears welled up again. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and glared fiercely at Young Master Wu, as if she wanted to slap him across the face. After a long while, she finally restrained herself and demanded sharply, "Did you orchestrate this whole thing? Those bandits must have been hired by you too, shameless!"

Young Master Wu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Young Madam Xu, please don't misunderstand. Those bandits have nothing to do with me. I just happened to meet you on my way back to the capital from the villa, and that's why I invited you to stay at the villa for a few days. I have absolutely no ill intentions."

You Tong sneered, "Young Master Wu's way of inviting guests is truly different from ordinary people. He invites guests but doesn't allow them to leave."

Young Master Wu laughed heartily, spreading his hands, and said, "Young Madam Xu, you are joking. How could I dare to stop you? If you wish to leave, then so be it. I will not hinder you. However..." He changed the subject, a cunning smile appearing on his face, "For the sake of serving in the same court as General Xu, I must give you a word of advice. My estate is located in a remote area, and the mountains are teeming with tigers, wolves, insects, and snakes. If you encounter any of these things, please be very careful, lest you be carried off by them and end up with your head separated from your body..."

He deliberately lowered his voice when he spoke, making it sound even more terrifying. You Tong couldn't help but scream in terror halfway through the conversation.

Seeing this, Young Master Wu became even more smug, watching with great interest as You Tong trembled with fear. After watching for a while, he suddenly remembered something, slowly stood up, and walked step by step to You Tong. You Tong didn't know what he was going to do, and nervously backed away. In a moment of carelessness, she kicked a stool and stumbled, falling right towards Young Master Wu.

Young Master Wu was slightly taken aback and subconsciously reached out to help. His fingers had just touched You Tong's clothes when suddenly his waist was empty. Before he could react, You Tong had already nimbly turned around, pulled out a long sword from his waist, and with a tremor of her hand, placed it against his neck.

63. Master Yu

Young Master Wu felt a chill run down his neck and froze, staring at You Tong in disbelief, his eyes wide open.

“Young Marquis, please be careful and don’t move around. You know I’m weak now, and my hands aren’t very strong. If I’m not careful and my hand shakes, you’ll suffer some pain.” You Tong looked at him gently and said with a smile. As she spoke, she quickly stood behind the young marquis, casually tore off a piece of the bed curtain and threw it to him, indicating, “Young Marquis, would you like to do it yourself, or should I do it?”

The young marquis stared at her without moving for a long time before finally asking dejectedly, "You know martial arts?"

"I originally thought you knew, Young Marquis, which is why I specifically asked if you knew those bandits. Luckily you didn't, otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to hide my martial arts skills." You Tong smiled brightly, but it sent a chill down the young marquis's spine. No wonder she had been pressing him about this matter, pretending to be righteous and indignant. The young marquis had been feeling smug, but now he realized he had fallen into her trap from the moment he entered the door.

"Young Marquis, why aren't you making a move? Do you want me to do it? Don't blame me for not telling you beforehand." You Tong deliberately mimicked the young marquis's tone from earlier, shaking her head and sighing, "I have a strong hand and I'm ruthless. If I really tie you up, I'm afraid both of your hands will be ruined."

The young marquis was incredibly frustrated, yet he couldn't help but laugh and cry. He gritted his teeth in anger and replied, "I don't know how to tie myself up. You're the one with the skills, so come on." However, he still harbored a sliver of hope, waiting for You Tong to make a move so he could seize the opportunity to strike. Even if the woman was truly skilled in martial arts after drinking the drug, she might not be able to defeat him.

But how could You Tong not see through his thoughts? She smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I'd better not do it. Otherwise, if I really tie up the young master badly, the Empress Dowager will come and hold me accountable." After saying that, she suddenly shouted loudly towards the door, "Miss Mingyu, the young master is calling you. Why don't you come in quickly?"

Mingyu, who had been secretly peeking into the room from outside, suddenly changed color. After thinking for a moment, she bit her lip and reluctantly entered the room. Youtong slowly turned around, making room for Mingyu behind the young marquis, and said with a smile, "Since your young marquis is inconvenient, why don't you do it yourself? Miss Mingyu, you must be careful when tying him up. If you don't do it well, I won't be happy. If I'm unhappy, your young marquis won't be happy either. Young marquis, don't you think so?" The long sword in Youtong's hand never left the young marquis, the sharp blade gleaming with a chilling light. With a slight tremor, it cut off several strands of hair near his neck, scaring Mingyu pale.

Mingyu was not very brave to begin with, and after being threatened by Youtong, she naturally obeyed and firmly tied the young marquis's hands behind his back. The young marquis was furious and cursed inwardly, but he couldn't say anything in front of Youtong. He could only glare at Mingyu several times with a flushed face.

After tying up the young marquis, Youtong winked at Mingyu, signaling her to bring the inkstone from the desk. Mingyu, confused, handed it to her blankly. Youtong had barely taken it with her left hand when she suddenly slammed it hard across Mingyu's forehead. Before Mingyu could react, everything went black, and she collapsed to the ground. The young marquis closed his eyes, turning his face away, unable to bear the sight, muttering under his breath, "Idiot."

With a long sword held to the young marquis's neck, no one outside the courtyard dared to stop him. They could only watch helplessly as You Tong called two carriages, threw the young marquis into one, and then cracked his whip, quickly leaving the manor.

The young marquis hadn't lied to her. After leaving the manor, there was a vast forest outside, with dense, towering trees almost completely obscuring the path. The path was extremely difficult to traverse, and the carriage bounced violently with every step, nearly shaking Youtong's lunch out of her. She was lucky; the young marquis, whom she had tossed into the carriage, was already swaying precariously, and the carriage's rapid pace nearly broke his bones.

Darkness falls early in the mountains, and after walking only a short distance, night gradually enveloped the area, with only a faint moonlight peeking through the branches and leaves, making it almost impossible to see the road. The young marquis was shouting in the carriage, telling Youtong to stop, saying that the road ahead was difficult to travel and that one wrong step could send him tumbling off a cliff.

You Tong wasn't sure whether to believe him. On one hand, she was afraid someone would come after them, and on the other hand, the terrain in the mountains was complex, and one careless move could lead to a fall. Traveling at night was indeed very dangerous. After thinking for a moment, You Tong came up with a plan. She pulled on the reins to stop the horse, got off the carriage, untied the horse's harness, and climbed onto it.

The young marquis inside the carriage had already heard the commotion outside. He struggled to the carriage door and poked his head out. Seeing her mount the horse, he immediately guessed her intention and shouted, "What are you doing? Hey, you can't leave me here alone! Hey, at least untie the ropes!"

As she spoke, You Tong had already whipped her whip and run a long way.

After running for most of the night, the horse beneath her was starting to give out, so Youtong had no choice but to stop. She found a relatively flat spot to sit down in the dim moonlight. Her injuries hadn't fully healed, and after taking sleeping pills for several days, she was already weak. She had only managed to run this far with her last breath, and now that she was suddenly relaxed, she leaned back on the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Youtong was awakened by the cold. The forest was already colder than outside, and it was already late October, so the chill was even more penetrating. Before Youtong even opened her eyes, she sneezed several times in a row. She tried to get up, but everything went black, and her head felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead. She was so groggy that she couldn't move at all. She reached out and touched her forehead; it was burning hot.

You Tong knew she had caught a cold again, and with her injuries on top of that, she became increasingly aggressive and uncontrollable. Knowing that someone was probably chasing her, and that if they caught her again, escape would be even more difficult, You Tong gritted her teeth, leaned against a nearby tree, and slowly stood up. She looked around, trying to find her horse. But after searching for a long time, she couldn't find any trace of it. Then she suddenly remembered that she had been so tired the night before that she seemed to have completely forgotten to tie the horse up.

This truly proves the saying, "When it rains, it pours." Helpless, You Tong had no choice but to use a stick to support herself and slowly and laboriously walk forward along the path.

She didn't know how long she had walked, or how many times she had fallen. When Youtong finally emerged from the woods, she was drenched in sweat. Her clothes were soaked through, and her hair was disheveled, with long, messy strands hanging over her shoulders and back, covered in dirt and leaves. She was so disheveled that even she herself probably wouldn't recognize herself for a moment.

As she fell, You Tong seemed to hear someone call her name, a name that was both familiar and strange...

When she woke up again, it was three days later. You Tong opened her eyes with difficulty, feeling as if her head was about to split open. She couldn't move a single finger, and it felt like something was stuck in her throat, making it hard to breathe. Every time she tried to breathe, her stomach would churn, and she would feel nauseous and want to vomit.

Her throat was parched, and You Tong squinted and looked around. Seeing a teapot on the bedside table, she struggled to reach for it to pour herself a drink. But the movement aggravated her wounds, and she hissed in pain.

"Miss, would you like some water?" Someone heard the voice and rushed in from outside the door, putting aside the medicine in their hand and quickly pouring a glass of water to You Tong's lips.

The cold liquid flowed down her throat and into her stomach, making Youtong feel a little better. She let out a soft breath and asked with difficulty, "Where am I?"

"Miss, don't you recognize me?" A maidservant serving nearby whispered, "This servant is Dujuan."

"Du Juan?" You Tong looked up at her in a daze, feeling that she looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her before.

The maid named Dujuan smiled and carefully helped Youtong lie back on the bed, whispering, "I am the daughter of Liu, the cook in the kitchen. Later, I did some cleaning and sweeping in the master's courtyard, so I didn't see you often, Miss. That's why you don't remember me."

You Tong finally remembered her. "Du Juan—" A faint smile appeared on her face as she whispered, "I remember now. You hadn't grown up yet when I left. You were short. Now you're beautiful."