Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After a relaxing bath, Jiang Pengji recovered from her exhaustion.
She wore her plain house clothes and was sitting in front of a bronze mirror as Xunmei and Taxue combed her hair. She noticed that Xunmei was occupied by her own thoughts. Jiang Pengj asked gently, “Xunmei, what is the matter?”
Xunmei was looking at her loose collar where the strips used to flatten her breasts were. Jiang Pengji’s inquiry brought blushes to her cheeks, and she bit her lips as she hesitated.
At last, she replied in a voice that was as weak as the buzzing of mosquitoes. “Second Langjun, Xu Ke is still kneeling in the corridor. Would you please...”
Before she could complete her sentence, Taxue glared at her, and Xunmei immediately stopped. Yet Xunmei’s worry and fear were still evident in her face.
“Why is he still there?” Jiang Pengji frowned. That meant Xu Ke had knelt outside for more than four hours.
Taxue was not so empathetic toward the servant. She swiftly combed Jiang Pengji’s long hair into a basic male hairstyle. It was loose and added a sense of freedom and indolence to the langjun.
“Xunmei is too kind. Xu Ke should kneel for the entire day as a punishment for his deed. Besides, no one asked him to stay. We should just leave him there as long as he likes.” The attendant spoke with discontent and anger as if she were an exploding bomb.
“Taxue, you have a warm heart for me, eh? I thought you were as cold as ice and snow. I know why you are mad at Xu Ke, but for me, he is not an ordinary servant.”
Jiang Pengji’s teasing turned the attendant’s face red. Taxue chided, “Now that Langjun has grown up, he can hold his tongue no more! If I were an ignorant girl, I would have let you steal my heart!” Since Jiang Pengji was not really a man, she had better mind her words with the ladies.
“Oh, do not worry about your heart! I will be careful of what I say next time.”
Jiang Pengji told Xunmei, “Tell Xu Ke to take a rest. I will take him to the farmhouse tomorrow to meet the new servants. The chilly and humid weather will harm his knees. Seek prescription from a physician to make him warmer.”
Xunmei’s face had been pale with nervousness until Jiang Pengji allowed Xu Ke to leave. She should have known that her Langjun’s kind heart had never changed!
Taxue, however, mumbled with disapproval. “She is losing her mind!”
Her voice was too soft for others to hear, but Jiang Pengji had exceptional hearing. She looked at the attendant and asked, “What has she done? I thought you were close friends.”
Taxue stopped for a moment and was silent with embarrassment.
She hesitated but decided to tell Jiang Pengji everything. She bit her lips as her hands rubbed her handkerchief. “Langjun, you are so kind, and you were raised as a boy. It is understandable why you could not guess what was on Xunmei’s mind... She is finding another person to follow.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Pengji was curious, and she lowered her voice. “Is she in love with Xu Ke?”
The servant was 17, which was considered an appropriate age to start a family in ancient times. The tattoo on his face had not spoiled his pleasant appearance; instead, it made him look more mature in Jiang Pengji’s eyes.
Taxue was stunned by Jiang Pengji’s response. She searched her face for any clues of her real feelings, but she quickly gave up.
“It is not love, my Langjun! She merely finds Xu Ke special because of the attention that you and the master give him. Xunmei and I have been the closest attendants to you, and our position has always been the highest among the servants. Later, when you become 20 years old, our responsibilities will be different.”
Her response began with anger but ended with shyness. She left some details out.
She and Xunmei were among the few servants who knew about Liu Lanting’s gender. They had been selected by Liu She and the stepmother, and they were treated like daughters from well-off families. As the girls grew up, they gradually understood their ultimate mission.
Liu Lanting would most likely continue her disguise after she became an adult. To help conceal the truth, the masters had decided that the attendants would become Liu Lanting’s concubines after she became 20 years old.
Such an arrangement was a golden opportunity for the servants because it would grant them higher statuses in the house. Additionally, Liu Lanting was considerate and would protect them even if the proper wife mistreated them.
If the Langjun were a man, the days of serving him as attendants would have helped them secure his care and love. However, they had been informed at an early age that Liu Lanting was a female. It was therefore not surprising that Xunmei longed for a happier marriage.
Jiang Pengji was unfamiliar with the customs of ancient times, but she could understand Xunmei’s attitude.
She chuckled and intimately touched Taxue’s hair, who looked puzzled and indignant. Jiang Pengji teased her. “Don’t you want Xunmei to leave? You will become my one and only then.”
“...”
The color on Taxue’s face changed from pink to white. As soon as she realized Jiang Pengji was joking, she became further incensed. “How could you tease me so? Do you think I’m a selfish person?”
The silhouette of the angry girl under candlelight was lively and enchanting.