Mi esposa se sube al muro

Capítulo 3

Chapter Four

The next morning, as usual, Xiao Que helped Xu Shirong with her hair and makeup. While gently combing through Xu Shirong's long hair with a jade comb with a floral and bird pattern, she asked, "Madam, what kind of hairstyle would you like today? A topknot or a fairy bun?"

Xu Shirong smiled and said, "No need for anything complicated, just use whichever style is most convenient."

Xiao Que responded with a "yes," and her hands deftly twisted her hair into a coil. After inserting a beaded hairpin, she hesitated for a moment before finally asking in a low voice, "Madam, last night I was on night duty next to you, and in the middle of the night I seemed to hear the young master's voice... I was going to get up and check, but then it became quiet again, and I was afraid of disturbing you, so I didn't go over. Is everything alright?"

Xu Shirong simply hummed in agreement and stood up, supporting herself on the dressing table. When she opened her eyes this morning, the veil that had been obscuring her vision for the past few days seemed to have thinned slightly, and she could vaguely perceive the light and shadows, some bright and some dim.

Seeing that her mistress seemed unwilling to say more, Xiao Que kept quiet, but she was still somewhat suspicious. Last night, she had been on duty until almost midnight before finally falling asleep, when she was suddenly awakened by a sound, followed by hurried footsteps that sounded like those of the young master. She wanted to go and see, but after listening intently for a while, she didn't hear her mistress calling her. Afraid of disturbing her, she had no choice but to suppress her suspicions and lie back down.

It was already afternoon, and half a day had just passed. Xu Shirong had finished her medicine and was about to ask Xiao Que to help her to sit down in the garden when she suddenly heard Xiao Die come in panting and say, "Madam, your in-laws and your sister-in-law have come to visit you. The First Madam is with them, and they're almost here."

Xu Shirong was taken aback for a moment before realizing that the in-laws Xiaodie mentioned must be her current mother. A few days earlier, when she had subtly inquired about some things from Xiaoque, she learned that her current maternal father was Xu Hanlin, the Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince. She hadn't asked any further questions, fearing that asking too much would arouse Xiaoque's suspicion. However, hearing that her maternal family had suddenly come to visit made her feel somewhat strange.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Que hurriedly tried to apply more powder to her face, but Xu Shirong stopped her. She had already heard a series of hurried footsteps outside. There were at least four or five people coming towards her. Composing herself, she turned around and stood still. Xiao Que rushed forward and, just as she was being helped, saw Madam Xu and two or three well-dressed women rushing into the room, followed by her own Madam Jiang, whose face looked rather grim, and several maids.

"My beloved, my beloved... It's only been a few days, how did you end up like this? Poor thing, you have a scar on your forehead, are your eyes any better...?"

When Madam Xu saw her daughter, she rushed over immediately, and several of her daughters-in-law also surrounded her, asking all sorts of questions.

Xu Shirong stood there, feeling someone touching her face. She thought it was Madam Xu. Hearing the anxiety and concern in her voice, she knew that Madam Xu loved her daughter dearly. Although she was still a little uncomfortable with it, she was also touched. She quickly took Madam Xu's hand and smiled, saying, "I feel much better this morning. I think I'll be fine in a few days. Please don't worry, Mother."

Hearing her daughter's words, Madam Xu was slightly relieved, but she still held her daughter's hand and asked her all sorts of questions. Standing behind her, Madam Jiang smiled and interjected, "My dear in-law, didn't I just tell you that Dr. Ding, the best doctor in the Imperial Physician's Office for treating injuries, said that Jiao Niang is only temporarily inconvenienced. She should get better after taking the medicine for a few more days."

She wouldn't have said anything if she hadn't, but her words only fueled Madam Xu's displeasure. She glanced at her and said with a cold smile, "Mother-in-law, although my daughter-in-law is now a member of your Yang family, I can let bygones be bygones with the usual petty squabbles. But with such a serious matter happening today, why didn't you send anyone to inform us? If it weren't for her third sister-in-law being there that day and telling me about it, and me not being able to help but check on her, wouldn't I still be unaware of what happened to my daughter-in-law's eyes?"

Jiang felt somewhat embarrassed by what she said, and knowing she was in the wrong, she was speechless for a moment.

It turned out that Xu Jiaoniang had encountered her third sister-in-law on her spring outing that day. The two groups then went on a leisurely stroll together, enjoying themselves immensely, when they inadvertently stumbled upon Yang Huan indulging in debauchery on a pleasure boat. Enraged, she gritted her teeth. Had her third sister-in-law not intervened, saying that it was perfectly natural for men to be philanderers, she probably would have stormed onto the boat on the spot. Seeing Yang Huan obediently disembark and get into Jiaoniang's carriage, the third sister-in-law assumed he was appeasing her sister-in-law and didn't think much of it. She got into her own carriage and followed him back. However, upon reaching a slope, she first saw Yang Huan angrily jump off the carriage and drive away. In the blink of an eye, she saw her own sister-in-law jump off as well, her head bleeding, being carried into the carriage by Yang Huan and hurriedly driven away. Upon returning to the Xu residence, she immediately informed her mother-in-law.

Madam Xu had three sons but only one daughter, whom she cherished dearly since childhood. Upon hearing this, she was anxious and immediately ordered a carriage to go to the Grand Commandant's residence, but her daughters-in-law stopped her, saying it would be better to wait until the Grand Commandant's residence sent someone to deliver the message. Madam Xu thought this made sense, so she had no choice but to wait patiently. However, after waiting for several days without any news, she could no longer bear it and today she brought her three daughters-in-law to the Grand Commandant's residence.

When Madam Jiang learned of this incident a few days ago, she had intended to send someone to inform the Xu family. However, she was dissuaded by Bi'er, her former head maid who had now been given to a steward in the household. Bi'er argued that if the Hanlin family found out, the young master's secret outings to drink and carouse would surely not be kept from the Grand Commandant. Since the physician had said his eyes would improve in a few days, it would be better to quietly press the pressure down and report it later when he was better.

Jiang was already heartbroken for her son, and also resented her daughter-in-law for not knowing how to behave. Remembering how her son had been beaten so badly by his father for skipping school that he couldn't get out of bed for half a month, she hesitated. Several days passed in this way, and little did she know that someone from the Xu family had also come to her door that day.

After hearing her mother's words, Xu Shirong's mother-in-law, Jiang, remained silent for half a day, seemingly stumped by the question. Remembering that she didn't know how long she would have to stay in this place, she said, "Mother, that day, Mother-in-law wanted to send someone to inform you immediately, but I stopped her, afraid that knowing would only cause you anxiety, which wouldn't help my eyes. This morning, my vision feels much clearer, and in a few more days, I should be fully recovered."

As she spoke, Madam Jiang was greatly surprised. She stared at her for a long time, somewhat puzzled as to why her daughter-in-law would cover for her like this today.

Madam Xu was also somewhat puzzled. In the past, every time she met this daughter, she would secretly complain about her mother-in-law in the Grand Commandant's mansion. It was rare to see her speaking well of her today. Comparing the two, she felt that she was in the wrong. After a moment of hesitation, she looked at Madam Jiang and forced a smile, saying, "I saw that my daughter had injured her eyes, so I spoke a bit harshly. Please forgive me, Madam."

Seeing that she had a way out, Madam Jiang didn't say anything more and naturally smiled and agreed. Madam Xu saw that her daughter looked peaceful and her eyesight had improved. Seeing that Madam Jiang was also very polite to her, Madam Xu felt more at ease. She pulled Xu Shirong aside and gave her a few more instructions before Madam Jiang saw her out.

Not long after Jiang left, she sent her maid, Bitao, with some tonics, telling Xu Shirong to rest in her room. Xu Shirong knew that this was a gesture made to cover up for her earlier actions, so she accepted the gifts and thanked her.

Yang Huan hadn't appeared since she chased him away in the middle of the night. Then, at dusk the next day, she heard Xiao Que talking to someone outside. Listening closely, she recognized the other person as Bi Tao, the one Jiang had sent to deliver the gifts the day before. Just as she was listening intently, Bi Tao rushed into the room, her voice tinged with panic, saying, "Master knows about the young master's affair and is currently throwing a tantrum, saying he'll beat him to death to settle the matter. He won't allow anyone to tell the old lady. The eldest madam can't stop him herself; madam, please go and see."

Xu Shirong frowned, reluctant to go. But Bitao was urging her on, and knowing that in the eyes of outsiders she and Yang Huan were still husband and wife, she had no choice but to get up and, supported by Xiao Que, head towards the east room. Before even entering, she could hear the sounds of something like a board slapping meat coming from inside, mixed with a man's angry curses and a woman's crying and pleading.

When Xu Shirong arrived, the doorway was surrounded by Luo Sanniang and several other concubines from the east room, all holding their breath and watching. Yang Huan was kneeling on the ground, and Grand Commandant Yang was pounding on him with a three-finger-wide bamboo stick while angrily shouting at the maids beside him, whose faces were already pale with fright: "Anyone who sneaks off to summon the old lady will suffer the same fate as this unfilial son!"

Jiang desperately tried to stop him, crying, "I only have this one son. If you're so capable, you might as well kill me too!"

Grand Commandant Yang's hand was gripped tightly by her, his anger intensifying. He cursed, "It's all because you've spoiled him all this time! Now he's even stopping me from disciplining him. Such a rebellious son is a menace if kept alive; it's better to beat him to death as soon as possible!" With that, he broke free from Jiang's grasp, turned around, and slapped down again, this time striking Yang Huan's face and neck, immediately drawing a red mark. Yang Huan, however, was resilient and endured it without uttering a sound.

Jiang was in great pain and nearly fainted. Suddenly, she saw Xu Shirong approaching, blocked at the door by Luo Sanniang and the others. She scrambled to her feet, shoved them aside, and cursed, "You bunch of whores and sluts, blocking my way, secretly hoping my daughter and I would be beaten to death!" As she spoke, she grabbed Xu Shirong's hand and hurriedly said, "Jiaoniang, you're here just in time! Quickly say something to Huan'er. If something really happens to your husband, people will talk about you too, won't they?"

Xu Shirong was being pulled inside by her. If it weren't for Xiao Que's quick hands, she would have tripped and fallen on the threshold. When she finally stood up, she heard the loud clatter of bamboo shoots and meat. Helpless, she could only say, "Please, Father, calm down and forgive him this time!" She couldn't bring herself to say the word "sir" even if it meant death.

When Grand Commandant Yang saw that it was his wife, although he was still angry, he finally stopped hitting her. He said angrily, "Your eye is injured, why aren't you resting in the house? What are you doing here? This unfilial son! I've told him time and time again to study properly, but he ignored me. While I was away, he went out to fool around with those good-for-nothing friends and even injured your eye. If I don't beat him to death today, I won't be able to explain it to your father!"

It turned out that Grand Commandant Yang was furious again today because Madam Xu had visited her daughter yesterday and told Hanlin Xu about what had happened. Hanlin Xu had run into Grand Commandant Yang at the court assembly today and casually mentioned it. Grand Commandant Yang had thought his son had behaved himself and was studying, but unexpectedly, he had once again indulged in his bad habits and sneaked out to fool around, even causing his wife to break her forehead and injure her eye. Feeling both ashamed in front of his in-laws and extremely disappointed in his son, he grabbed Yang Huan, who had finally returned from the Imperial Academy after a day of behaving himself, and began to lash out.

After hearing what Grand Commandant Yang said, Xu Shirong hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "This whole thing was my fault. He was studying at the Imperial Academy, but that day I was feeling bored and asked him to come with me to enjoy the spring scenery, so I didn't go. Then I happened to run into some of his friends, and seeing how sincere they were, I didn't want to refuse them, so I let him board the boat for a ride. As for my eye injury, I accidentally fell off the carriage, and it really has nothing to do with him."

After Xu Shirong finished speaking, she stood there quietly without moving. Since she was blind, she didn't need to care about the expressions on other people's faces.

Hearing that she actually spoke up for her son, Madam Jiang was overjoyed. She immediately snatched the bamboo stick from Grand Commandant Yang's hand and threw it far away. She then hugged Yang Huan, who was still kneeling there somewhat dazed, and cried out, "My son, my son, it's all because you were so useless before, that you've been wronged like this..."

Grand Commandant Yang stared at Xu Shirong for a while, then glanced at Yang Huan on the ground. Seeing that blood was seeping from the spot on his face where he had just slapped him, he sighed deeply and said hatefully, "You unfilial son, since your wife has spoken up for you today, I will spare you this time! But starting tomorrow, you are not allowed to leave the house, and you don't need to go to the Imperial Academy. You will have to stay in the study and study properly!"

Hearing that her son was going to be spared, Madam Jiang was overjoyed and hurriedly nudged Yang Huan, whispering, "Your father has spoken, you should quickly express your opinion and not make him angry again!"

Upon hearing that he was to be confined to his study, Yang Huan disregarded the burning pain on his face and body, and immediately began to groan inwardly. Although he used to go to the Imperial Academy every day, he could always sneak off to relax and have some fun on the way there or in between. Now, if he were locked up in the study like this, he would truly become a caged bird. These thoughts were reflected in his expression.

Seeing his father's worried expression, Grand Commandant Yang's anger flared up again. Yang Huan, with his sharp eyes, noticed his father's fierce glint and quickly nodded in agreement. Grand Commandant Yang then snorted and said, "You useless thing. Other people's sons pass the imperial examinations and bring glory to their families, but you're not young anymore and you're still causing trouble all day long. I've long given up on the idea of you passing the imperial examinations. This month, you'd better stay home and study diligently. Next month, after the Emperor examines the candidates for the imperial examinations at the Jiying Hall, there will be another examination for the sons of officials with hereditary privileges. I've already sent word to the palace to have your sister give you a few pointers before the Emperor. As long as you don't embarrass me too much, you can get a position in the capital. That's better than you wasting your life like this!"

Upon hearing that Grand Commandant Yang was actually planning a job for his son, Madam Jiang asked with delight, "Master, are you serious?"

Grand Commandant Yang said bitterly, "If I don't make plans for him, he can't expect to succeed even in the next life!" After saying that, he turned and left.

After his father left, Yang Huan covered his face and cried out in pain. Jiang Shi felt sorry for him and hurriedly told the maids and servants to fetch water and medicine, and the room became chaotic again.

Xu Shirong felt annoyed as she listened to Yang Huan's incessant shouting. Seeing that she had nothing to do while standing there, she greeted Jiang Shi, took Xiao Que's hand, and turned to leave.

Although Yang Huan had been crying out in pain, his eyes were fixed on Xu Shirong. Seeing that she disregarded his life and death, didn't even come to check on him, and turned to leave, he was furious. He wanted to call her back, but then he remembered that she was the one who had just stopped him from getting a beating. Feeling resentful, he could only watch helplessly as she walked away without looking back, utterly dejected.

Chapter Five

Seeing that Xu Shirong had left, Yang Huan sat on the chair, somewhat lost in thought, when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his face. It turned out that Jiang Shi was applying medicine to his wound, muttering under her breath about how cruel his father had been, causing the bruise to swell up again. Annoyed by his mother's incessant nagging, Yang Huan pushed her hand away and started to leave, but Jiang Shi grabbed him, saying, "You've just been severely scolded. Even if you can't concentrate on your studies, you should at least behave for a few days. This time, I can't let you go out again."

Yang Huan turned around and brushed her hand away, saying irritably, "I'm going back to my room." With that, he turned and walked out. Jiang Shi only gave up when she heard that he was going back to his own room.

When Yang Huan returned to his west room, it was already dusk. Reaching the door, he found it pitch black inside. He pushed it, only to find it bolted from the inside. A surge of anger rose within him, and he raised his foot to kick it in, but then heard a cough from inside, and he abruptly stopped himself. Just as he was about to pound on the door again, Xiao Que, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, stopped him, saying, "Young Master, Madam just returned saying she had a terrible headache. She just took her medicine and is resting. She told you to make yourself at home."

Yang Huan glared at him and said angrily, "You dare to stop me from entering my own room?"

Although Xiao Que was a little scared, the lady had bolted the door and wouldn't let him in, which wasn't unheard of before, so he braced himself and said, "Xiao Que wouldn't dare. But the lady just gave these instructions."

Hearing Xiao Que's words, Yang Huan recalled the "funny stories" that the beautiful woman had told him last night, and felt another wave of nausea. He carefully pressed his ear to the crack in the door, but there was no sound coming from inside. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he lowered his head and pondered for a while before finally turning around and heading towards the study with no other choice.

True to his word, Grand Commandant Yang locked Yang Huan in his study the next day before going to court. He even chained the window shut, leaving only a crack for passing food and water. He took the key himself and strictly forbade Lady Jiang from visiting him. Lady Jiang had no choice but to send a maid to his window with some medicine for his face, but Yang Huan angrily threw the bottle into the flowerbed outside. The maid, fearing Lady Jiang's scolding if she took it back, had no choice but to pick it up and take it to Xu Shirong.

Yang Huan chased the people away and sat down, only to yawn repeatedly after turning just two pages of his book. He finally made it past noon, and was feeling utterly bored when he suddenly heard a noise outside the window. He went to open it a crack and saw two little children peeking in from below, standing on tiptoe and looking around curiously. It turned out to be his second uncle's daughter, Xi Jie, and Qing Ge, from the south courtyard.

When Sister Xi saw Yang Huan, she traced lines on her face with her finger and said, "Brother, you're so shameful. You got beaten by Uncle again yesterday. I saw it all from behind the door..."

Yang Huan wasn't annoyed. He just stuck his head out and said with a grin, "Brother wasn't beaten. He just felt itchy and asked your uncle to scratch my itch."

Before he could finish speaking, Qing pointed at one side of his face and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, one side of your face has gotten chubby..."

"Like a pig's head."

Sister Xi replied with a smile.

Yang Huan glared at her, grabbed Xi Jie's hand, and feigned anger, saying, "The goldfish in that tank I'd kept for two years, you fed them all that stuff last month, didn't you? And those white-eyes and Qin Ji in that cage, you released them too. I was too busy before to settle scores with you, but now that I have some free time, I'll teach you a lesson!" With that, he lifted her up. Being small, she was easily pulled through the crack in the window. Qing Ge, hearing Xi Jie giggling inside, jumped up and down anxiously outside, shouting that he wanted to go in too, but Yang Huan pulled him in as well.

Xu Shirong felt sleepy after noon, worried that if she took a nap now, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep that night, so she asked Xiao Que to help her walk in the garden. Xiao Que glanced at the bottle of medicine that the maid from Jiang's room had brought that morning, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Madam asked me to bring this bottle of wound medicine. Would you like to have the young master apply it? The study is right next to the garden, so it's on the way. I saw yesterday that he had a lot of injuries on his face and neck. If it leaves scars, it won't look good."

Xu Shirong snorted and said, "It's good for someone like him to suffer a bit. Since it's on your way, just take it and throw it to him. If he throws a tantrum and throws it back, then let him be."

Hearing this, Xiao Que hurriedly took the bottle and went into the garden with Xu Shirong. As they walked through the garden, Xu Shirong suddenly heard a singing voice coming from ahead, seemingly from Yang Huan. Listening more closely, she heard him singing: "These fruits are fresh and crisp, all grown in my garden, sourced directly from the land..." His voice, with its intonation and rhythm, had a resemblance to the cries of peddlers carrying loads along the streets of Beiping that she had heard as a child.

Xu Shirong paused for a moment, then heard Yang Huan's singing voice again: "...There are sweet, fragrant, red, and juicy freshly peeled round-eyed lychees from Fujian Prefecture; there are sour, cool, and sweet yellow oranges and green tangerines from Pingjiang Road, whole with leaves; there are soft, white, honey-glazed, powdery, and flattened persimmon cakes from Songyang County; there are crisp, fresh, and shiny dragon-wrapped jujubes from Wuzhou Prefecture, mixed with sugar and shaped into finely sliced ginger from Xinjian; there are also large, finger-sized melon seeds from Weijun, some black and some red; and there are soft, perfectly cooked pear strips from Xuancheng, neither sour nor sweet..."

As Yang Huan sang, the little sparrow beside him swallowed hard. Xu Shirong heard this and realized that her own mouth was watering.

"Great! Brother, you sing so well, even better than the peddler's singing I heard on the street when I went out to play."

After Yang Huan finished singing, Xu Shirong heard a bright little girl's voice again. It was the little girl who had run past her to pick flowers last time. A slight smile appeared on her lips.

“My brother went to carry a load of fruit to sell; business is sure to be booming.”

Just as Sister Xi finished praising him, Brother Qing added in his childish voice.

Yang Huan was embarrassed. He had been egged on by Sister Xi and, on a whim, had imitated the singing style he had learned when he was working in the brothels to show off. He never expected that Brother Qing would ask him to become a peddler.

Sister Xi shook her head and said seriously to Brother Qing, "Being a peddler is no good. If you can't succeed in your studies, you should become a cockfighting fighter. The last two times I secretly followed you to watch cockfights, he won all the prizes in the end."

Hearing Sister Xi praise his glorious cockfighting history, and seeing Brother Qing's eyes light up, Yang Huan became smug and boasted, "This cockfighting skill is incredibly profound, even more difficult than the study of the classics. If I claim to be second, then no one in the capital would dare to claim to be first." He swallowed hard and continued to show off, "When raising fighting cocks, you first need to build a straw mound for the cock to stand on, this is to train its legs not to fall over; there are also rules when feeding them, the rice container must be placed high, so that the cock's head is always upright and its beak is sharp; as for the actual fighting, there are even more methods. There is a method of applying mustard to the cock's shoulder and armpit, this way when the two cocks circle and peck at each other, the mustard can blind the opponent's cock, waiting for an opportunity to win. There is also a method of secretly tying a thin blade, like the handle of a chisel, to the cock's foot, when the cocks fight fiercely, a single swing of the foot can injure the opponent's vital parts, or even sever its head!"

Sister Xi and Brother Qing, listening with a mixture of fear and fascination, held their breath, their eyes fixed on Yang Huan. As Yang Huan spoke animatedly, gesturing wildly, a cold voice suddenly rang out from outside the window: "Yang Huan, you're hopeless at studying, but you're quite adept at idleness. It's bad enough that you've fallen to such a lowly state, but how dare you flaunt your crooked tricks in front of young children?"

Yang Huan was startled, only then recognizing Jiao Niang's voice. He quickly stopped what he was doing, went to the window, and leaned out. Sure enough, he saw Jiao Niang standing there, her brows furrowed with what seemed like disgust. He then said awkwardly, "I was just saying it casually to coax these two little kids. It didn't come to the point you're making it out to be."

Chapter Six

As soon as Yang Huan finished speaking, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Ever since this beautiful woman woke up from the head injury, although she still treated him with the same unfriendly attitude as before, her demeanor and expression seemed different. The coldness and gloom that emanated from her made him unable to confront her as directly as before; he always unconsciously felt inferior. Feeling ashamed, he sighed after saying what he had just said.

Hearing the voices, Xi Jie and Qing Ge peeked out the window to see what was going on. When Qing Ge saw that it was her and that she had such a long face, he was a little scared and quickly ducked back down, only peeking out with his eyes. Xi Jie, however, was not afraid of her and said with a grin, "Brother is right, it's much more interesting than the things my mother tells me to coax me to sleep."

Upon hearing Xi Jie's voice, Xu Shirong smiled slightly and softened her voice, saying, "Your brother was punished by your uncle for doing something wrong and was locked in the study. If your uncle finds out when he comes back that he didn't study properly and instead used those unorthodox words to deceive you two, he'll probably beat you with a bamboo stick again."

She had a mature personality since childhood, and after becoming a forensic pathologist, she developed a somewhat aloof nature and was not used to interacting with children. Although she tried to be as gentle as possible, the voice she made sounded rather strange even to herself.

Seeing a slight smile on her face, Qing Ge mustered his courage and whispered, "My brother said he asked Uncle to scratch his itchy skin because he was itchy himself..."

Seeing that Qingge had spoken too quickly and repeated all of his boasts, and noticing that Jiaoniang, though silent, had a hint of mockery on her face, Yang Huan feared he would say more and hurriedly tried to close the window. However, Qingge was reluctant, pushing and shoving, leaving Yang Huan at a loss. Fortunately, the people from the south courtyard arrived and quickly slipped the two children out through the crack in the window, finally bringing a sigh of relief.

After everyone had left, Xiao Que saw that her mistress was not saying anything and seemed to be leaving, so she hurriedly stepped forward and handed her the bottle of ointment, saying, "Young Master, the First Madam sent this ointment. You should apply it. It would be terrible if it left a scar on your face."

Yang Huan was about to take it, but when he looked up and saw that Jiao Niang had already turned around and was about to leave, he became angry again and said angrily, "So what if I have a scarred face? I don't live off my face! Her husband is injured like this, and this woman is so heartless, not even saying a kind word!"

Xu Shirong felt a surge of annoyance upon hearing that he was complaining about her, but also found it amusing. She turned to Xiao Que and said, "It's fine if he doesn't want it. Take the bottle back to the First Madam." Then she said to Yang Huan, "Being scarred on the face later is a minor matter. I just want to remind you that the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and those green bottle flies are coming out. These things don't care whether a person is dead or alive; they'll latch onto the smell of rotting flesh. If they accidentally lay a few eggs in your pus-filled area..."

She stopped there, only giving a slight smile.

Yang Huan stared at Jiao Niang and saw that she finally smiled. But the smile, when seen by him, also revealed a sinister aura. Recalling the scene of maggots devouring flesh that she had told him before, a chill suddenly ran down his neck. He pointed at her and gritted his teeth, cursing, "You woman, how could you be so vicious, cursing me like that!"

Xu Shirong's words just now were somewhat exaggerated; she was merely trying to scare him when she saw his annoyance. Hearing him scold her, she ignored him, only snorted, and turned to walk away slowly. Although Xiao Que didn't quite understand the hidden meaning in their conversation, seeing that her mistress had already left, she hurriedly stuffed the medicine bottle into Yang Huan's hand and rushed after her.

Yang Huan glanced at the bottle in his hand, watching Jiao Niang's figure gradually disappear into the distance. He knew that calling out again would not bring her back, leaving him all alone locked up here. He felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow, let out a long sigh, and finally pulled his head back from the window. He went to find a mirror and began to apply ointment to his face and neck.

Half a month passed in a flash. Yang Huan knew that his father was determined this time, so he gradually gave up the idea of sneaking out. He found the miscellaneous books and erotic pictures that he used to hide in his study, which were about the secret meetings of talented men and beautiful women. He buried himself in studying them. After reading them, he resented that all the pretty and charming maids who used to be by his side had been driven away by his mother. Only a few ugly maids remained. Some were as thin as bean sprouts, while others were big and strong, even stronger than him. She herself was stiff and unromantic. Now, she hadn't come to see him for several days. Even when the Grand Commandant let him go back to his room at night, he was turned away at the door and had to return to this place to sleep for the night.

Grand Commandant Yang didn't trust his son either. Several times during the day, he would come to check on him, peeking through the crack in the window. He would see his son sitting there engrossed in his studies, occasionally shaking his head or clicking his tongue. He assumed the son was seriously studying and finding enjoyment in it, and thus felt somewhat relieved. Meanwhile, Madam Jiang constantly nagged him about being heartless. Thinking that the imperial examination at the Jiying Hall was only a few days away, he simply unlocked the study, but strictly ordered the gatekeepers of the four gates of the mansion not to let him out.

On this day, which happened to be the annual Peony Appreciation Festival where all the officials of the court gathered, Yang Huan was taken along by the scholars from the Tianzhang Pavilion of the Imperial Academy who were attending. He thought that the questions for the imperial examination in a few days might come from those people. After giving them some careful instructions, he also took Yang Huan with him.

After several days of treatment, Xu Shirong opened her eyes this morning and found that she could see somewhat, though still blurry, with only outlines of things. She figured the blood stasis was gradually dissipating, and she was quite pleased. As she struggled to examine her surroundings, she saw a figure enter. Recognizing the footsteps as Xiao Que's, she smiled and asked, "Are you wearing a green dress today?"

Little Sparrow was startled and exclaimed in surprise, "Madam, your eyes..."

Xu Shirong nodded and smiled, "When I woke up this morning, I could already vaguely see the colors and outlines."