Don't Take Pills at Random - Chapter 4

By the time we reached the Ye residence, many guests had already arrived.

Dressed as a maid, I followed Xiao Ziqing with my head lowered.

He truly was a rising star of the imperial court. Everywhere we went, people came forward to exchange pleasantries. Plenty of noble young ladies sent him flirtatious glances as well.

Lord Xiao looked straight ahead and ignored every one of them.

What a waste of all that beauty. I hated that he was such a block of wood.

Xiao Ziqing went to meet Minister Ye and told me to wait in the garden.

I behaved myself and stayed put.

It wasn’t long before someone came looking for me.

Several richly dressed young women approached.

“This is the first time I’ve seen Lord Xiao bring a maid with him. What is your name?”

I lowered my eyes. “This servant is Xu Linglong.”

“My, even a little maid like you has a proper surname.”

The young woman in the pale-yellow ruqun laughed. From what the others called her, she was Yuan Qiao, daughter of the Minister of Revenue.

She looked me up and down, then scoffed. “Not an ounce of flesh on you. I suppose your eyes are passable.”

“Tell me, why did your lord attend today?” She paused. “Could it be that he and Ye Wan’er truly…”

I kept my voice meek. “How would this servant dare gossip about her masters?”

“Useless.”

Yuan Qiao swept away with the other women clustered around her.

I smiled at her back. “Trash.”

Clearly, she had also fallen for Xiao Ziqing.

No wonder he was the male lead. He was in high demand.

Xiao Ziqing returned as I was thinking. He carried a black wooden box, which he handed to a servant.

“We have the Purple Celestial Beauty. Let’s go.”

I looked at him, then hesitated.

“Speak.”

I put it tactfully. “The flower-viewing banquet hasn’t even begun. We’ve only just arrived, and you already want to leave. Wouldn’t that be… improper?”

“…”

His expression grew a little unnatural.

Oh-ho.

Lord Xiao wasn’t merely innocent. He had social anxiety!

Ye Wan’er and Yuan Qiao began quarreling while Xiao Ziqing was still wandering alone in the rear garden.

I grabbed his arm. “My lord, let’s go to the front courtyard. Something exciting seems to be happening!”

As we drew closer, their argument became clear.

“Ye Wan’er, have some self-awareness. If your father weren’t Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Xiao Ziqing wouldn’t spare you a second glance.”

Ye Wan’er was neither angry nor hurried. “Yuan Qiao, if your father weren’t the Minister of Revenue, you would not even be qualified to attend today’s banquet.”

Ye Wan’er was gentle and delicate in appearance, but every word had thorns.

I applauded her silently.

Yuan Qiao’s brows shot up. Within a few exchanges, Ye Wan’er had thoroughly provoked her. She reached out and shoved her.

They were standing inside a pavilion. The push sent Ye Wan’er stumbling backward and over the edge.

A maid shrieked, “Ah! The young miss has fallen into the water!”

My eyes widened.

What an opportunity!

Wasn’t this the perfect chance for a heroic rescue?

I urged Xiao Ziqing, “Go! Jump in and save her!”

His face darkened. “What nonsense are you talking about? She is an unmarried lady. If I rescue her, how will she face anyone afterward? The Ye household’s servants are not ornaments.”

I grew anxious. The Ye maids were already rushing to the rescue.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed through the crowd and dove—

“Miss Ye! Lord Xiao sent me to save you!”

Call me Lei Feng Xu. Thank you.

The third lunar month was still cold. The moment I hit the water, I began to shiver.

Ye Wan’er bobbed helplessly not far away.

I surfaced and swam toward her with all my strength, muttering the entire way, “Don’t be afraid, Miss Ye! Lord Xiao would never let anything happen to you!”

I soon passed every maid and reached her first. Wrapping an arm around her neck from behind, I dragged her toward shore.

As we drew closer, several maids waded out to take her from me.

My work was done, so naturally I let go.

Unexpectedly, the moment Ye Wan’er lost my support, she began thrashing wildly. In the chaos, her foot struck my chest and sent me back into deep water.

I swallowed several mouthfuls.

“I… glub… Help… glub… My leg is cramping!”

Through my daze, I saw a black figure leap from the bank and swim straight toward me.

Who was it?

I couldn’t see his face.

But if memory served, Xiao Ziqing was dressed in black today.