When Chi Wan returned to her small courtyard, a girl who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen came forward to greet her.
The girl was dressed in practical, close-fitting attire, looking like a martial artist. Her stance was steady; her skills were likely quite good. Her name was Yue Luo, and she had been the original Chi Wan’s study attendant since childhood.
Initially, she had learned martial arts from the old soldiers of the Marquis’s residence. Later, when the original Chi Wan was forced to study, Yue Luo was also forbidden from practicing. Neither master nor servant was cut out for scholarly pursuits, and in the end, they learned nothing well.
Yue Luo was the daughter of the wet nurse of the Marquis of Huai’an’s wife, Liu Wan. As a Qian Yuan, her greatest prospect was to be sent to serve the Marquis’s daughter. Who would have thought that the Marquis’s daughter would be so worthless? Just as the wet nurse was about to find another future for her daughter, the original Chi Wan married into the Princess’s Residence. And so, Yue Luo had followed her.
Upon seeing Chi Wan, Yue Luo quickly bowed. “Fuma.”
“You’re back?” Chi Wan raised an eyebrow. Hadn’t Yue Luo been detained?
In the novel, the original Chi Wan was nothing more than cannon fodder, so even less ink was wasted on her attendant. All she knew about Yue Luo came from the original’s memories.
Yue Luo’s relationship with the original was average. Even if a master and servant grew up together, it didn’t guarantee a close bond. The original Chi Wan would beat and curse Yue Luo at the slightest provocation, sometimes not even treating her as a person.
This was the ancient era, after all. If a master beat a servant to death, the most that would happen, even if reported to the authorities, was a small fine to settle the matter.
Yue Luo nodded. “Yes. Her Highness only had me locked up. I was released an hour ago.”
Such an action was baffling.
Chi Wan didn’t press the matter, instead asking, “What time does Lao Wang’s botuo stall in the north of the city open? And the roasted lamb flatbread in the west—which stall is the best?”
Yue Luo was surprised that she would ask about this right after returning. Moreover, her master’s voice was usually high-pitched and boisterous, and she carried herself with a slovenly, devil-may-care attitude, never acting properly. Today, the way she spoke was completely different, sounding elegant and steady.
“Lao Wang’s botuo stall closes half a shichen before curfew and opens a quarter of an hour after the curfew ends. As for the roasted lamb flatbread in the west, Auntie Li’s is the best. Her stall opens at the same time as Lao Wang’s.”
The curfew lasted from the middle of xu hour in the evening to the middle of yin hour the next morning. If she left as soon as the curfew lifted, the round trip would take quite a long time.
“I understand.”
Chi Wan thought for a moment. With such a long journey, she would definitely have to buy the flatbread first, then travel from the west of the city to the north to buy the botuo before returning to the Princess’s Residence. The round trip would take two shichen, meaning she would probably get back around chen hour.
That wasn’t the problem. The problem was how to bring the food back intact. The flatbread would get cold, and the noodles would become a soggy lump. Although Yu Jiuzhou might not even eat it, and this could just be a way to make things difficult for her, since the request had been made, she had to find a way to fulfill it.
Chi Wan had Yue Luo find a food box and wrapped a thick fur pelt around the outside. She would carry this with her tomorrow.
There were no alarm clocks in ancient times, so one had to wake up around three or four in the morning. Chi Wan asked Yue Luo to wake her, and once she was out the door, she would give Yue Luo the day off to sleep as much as she wanted.
In the early morning, Chi Wan forced her eyes open. She put on a heavy outer coat and added a fleece-lined cloak, bundling herself up tightly.
It was already cold during the winter days, but the nights were even more unbearable. She added layer after layer until she finally felt a little less cold.
“Fuma, why don’t I go with you?” Yue Luo was so sleepy she could barely function, but she forced herself to stay awake.
“No need. You go to sleep. I’ll go by myself.”
Chi Wan wasn’t one to exploit others. She already felt bad for making Yue Luo stay up all night. Besides, she herself had barely slept from the moment she transmigrated until last night. She was afraid she might fall off her horse on the way, so she had to get at least some sleep.
She stopped Yue Luo from following and strode to the stables. There were many horses here, and the original’s horse was among them. It was easy to find; among all the tall, strong steeds, only hers looked somewhat skinny and a bit ugly.
Just as Chi Wan left with her basket and horse, news reached Yu Jiuzhou.
She was a light sleeper, and when she did sleep, she was plagued by nightmares. She had woken up countless times during the night. Seeing that it was almost time, she decided to get up for good.
Chun Gui had just begun to help her wash up when Xia Qu walked in. “Your Highness, the Fuma has left.”
Yu Jiuzhou leaned against the bed and gave a slight nod, completely indifferent to Chi Wan’s departure.
“Your Highness, Qiu Lai passed through Wucheng. There’s been a snow disaster there, and the roads are impassable. She sent back an urgent dispatch saying that too many people have died. If it’s not dealt with in time, a plague could easily break out when the weather warms after the new year.”
A plague? Yu Jiuzhou recalled that around this time in her past life, a plague had indeed broken out in Wucheng. Back then, she had just been crippled. Qiu Lai had exhausted all means, walking all the way back to the capital on her own two feet to treat her. But not long after, the plague had erupted in Wucheng.
As soon as Qiu Lai finished treating her, she had rushed over, but by then, many people had already died.
With the means available, the only way to deal with a snow disaster was to wait for the snow to melt and slowly begin rescue efforts. This would take at least three to five months. Once spring arrived and the days grew warmer, the unhandled corpses would breed a plague.
Yu Jiuzhou clenched her fists. In this life, she was not crippled. Although her body was unwell, Imperial Physician Liu had examined her and said she only needed time to recuperate; there was no serious harm.
“Send a message to Qiu Lai. Tell her to stay in Wucheng, and tell her to protect herself.”
In her previous life, Qiu Lai had been filled with regret. She had discovered a cure for the plague, but it was too late. Too many had died. The remaining infected had been gathered into several villages by officials and burned alive in a great fire.
The officials had deceived the plague victims, telling them the villages were treatment centers with free food, lodging, and care. In reality, it was just a plot to kill them. The one in charge of the snow disaster relief was Prince Ying, who had even received a reward for his efforts.
Later, she had joined forces with Prince Bao’an to spread the truth about how the plague was “controlled,” which finally brought Prince Ying down. In this life, she would let Qiu Lai stay in Wucheng. That way, Qiu Lai wouldn’t have to live with self-blame until the day she died, as she had in the last life.
Yu Jiuzhou lowered her eyes, her gaze dark and distant. Thinking of this, her hatred for Chi Wan deepened by another layer. If Chi Wan hadn’t poisoned her, Qiu Lai wouldn’t have rushed back, her legs constantly trekking through the snow until, by the time she reached the capital, they were ruined.
No matter what, that scum Chi Wan was inextricably linked to all of this.
Chun Gui nodded. It was a good thing Her Highness was fine after being poisoned, so Qiu Lai could stay in Wucheng. From this perspective, the Fuma’s medical skills were truly impressive. She could cure a poison that had stumped the imperial physicians, and without any lingering effects.
Thinking of Chi Wan, Chun Gui added, “Your Highness, the imperial edict will arrive this morning.”
Hearing this, Xia Qu asked in confusion, “Your Highness, why request an official position for Chi Wan? She’s caused us so much trouble.”
Chun Gui immediately laughed and chided her. “You silly girl. The Princess has her reasons for doing this. If you don’t understand, just watch more and talk less.”
“You’re the silly girl,” Xia Qu retorted.
Yu Jiuzhou glanced at her, a hint of a smile in her eyes. The four attendants by her side—Chun Gui, Xia Qu, Qiu Lai, and Dong Ying—had been meticulously trained for her by her maternal grandfather’s family. They had been with her for a lifetime, yet in the end, they had all died tragically. Wasn’t the reason she restrained herself from killing Chi Wan so that she, and those who followed her, could finally have a good outcome?
Otherwise, if she knew death was inevitable, she would rather they all perish together. She might as well kill everyone now and be done with it.
By now, Chi Wan was probably nearing the west side of the city, wasn’t she?
Yu Jiuzhou scoffed inwardly. Did she really think serving a princess was so easy? Hundreds of people attended to her daily needs alone. A useless piece of scum like her… was she even worthy?
Footnote:
The four attendants’ names (Chun Gui (Spring’s Return), Xia Qu (Summer’s Departure), Qiu Lai (Autumn’s Arrival), and Dong Ying (Winter’s Welcome)) are a collective reference to the four seasons (春夏秋冬, Chūn-Xià-Qiū-Dōng).
