The manor was in an uproar before dawn.
Liu Ya, dressed and ready, peeked from behind the screen and softly called out, "Miss."
"Hmm?" Li Man'er had also heard the commotion of hurried footsteps and was already awake.
"Miss..." Liu Ya hesitated, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Even if they discovered Feng Jue was missing, they wouldn't suspect her. She had meticulously covered her tracks last night. Even if Lord Bao himself investigated, he wouldn't find any evidence pointing to her.
Though Liu Ya didn't understand, she asked no further questions.
"It's not even dawn yet, get some more sleep," Li Man'er said, rolling over, seemingly preparing to doze off again.
Liu Ya, however, couldn't sleep and decided to tidy her bedding and prepare for washing.
As she opened her door, she saw Jiao Niang standing outside with a basin. "My, you're up early today?"
Jiao Niang was long accustomed to Liu Ya's sarcastic remarks and replied, "This servant is here to attend to the Marquis."
"The young lady isn't up yet. The sky isn't fully bright, why are you here so early?"
Jiao Niang's eyes darted. "This servant worries about the Marquis. If he sweats during the night, or if there's any discomfort, no one would know. Coming earlier in the morning would make the Marquis more comfortable."
"Heh." Liu Ya scoffed. "You are truly thoughtful."
"Then, Miss Liu Ya, could you let this servant pass? Delaying the Marquis's ablutions might incur the young lady's displeasure."
Li Man'er called out loudly, "Let her in."
Liu Ya stepped aside, allowing Jiao Niang into the room. The wind outside was strong, so Liu Ya closed the door, her gaze fixed on Jiao Niang's retreating back, wishing she could bore holes through her.
"You are truly thoughtful, coming to serve before dawn."
Jiao Niang, holding the basin, kept her head down and remained silent, but her eyes constantly darted around, as if wishing for X-ray vision to see what Li Man'er was doing behind the screen.
"This is this servant's duty."
Li Man'er then said, "The outside has been so chaotic since morning. Do you know what's happened?"
A flicker of panic crossed Jiao Niang's eyes. She said, "Matters of the government are of great importance. How could this servant know? But, Miss, rest assured, last time they had to disturb you to catch an assassin. It won't be like that this time."
Behind the screen, Li Man'er curved her lips into a smile. Only after a moment did she say, "What you just said, I find it quite reasonable."
What?
Not only did Jiao Niang not understand, but Liu Ya, standing by, was also baffled.
"Didn't you say your father wasn't attended to all night, and might be uncomfortable?"
Jiao Niang quickly replied, "Yes, this servant didn't intend to disturb the young lady by coming so early. I was just worried about the Marquis."
"Move back to Bi Sha Chu! Since you are so eager to serve your father, I cannot possibly deny you this opportunity. Move back to Bi Sha Chu, and you can be more alert at night and get up diligently to check on your father's condition."
Jiao Niang was stunned but could not refuse. She could only grit her teeth and agree, "This servant thanks the young lady for her consideration." Li Man'er was clearly plotting against her and humiliating her, yet she had to express her gratitude!
One day, when she married into the Iron Gallant Marquis's manor, she would surely make Li Man'er suffer.
"Alright, go and attend to your father. Don't disturb me, and keep the noise down."
"Yes." What else could Jiao Niang say? She could only carry the basin into the inner chamber and resignedly begin to wash Li Shu.
If it weren't for the prospect of her future happiness, would she stoop to such a lowly task?
Jiao Niang carried the basin into the inner chamber to change Li Shu's clothes. Li Man'er lay lazily for a while and then got up.
"Miss, this servant will come in to help you tidy the bedding."
"No need," Li Man'er replied. "I'll tidy it myself. Have someone prepare hot water and arrange breakfast."
"Yes!"
Liu Ya went out again to make arrangements. By the time Li Man'er finished washing, and the old women brought hot tea, Jiao Niang had also finished changing Li Shu's clothes.
Li Man'er watched her face turn green, almost retching, and felt quite pleased. Starting each day like this seemed quite good. It not only trained one's strong cardiopulmonary function but also allowed adaptation to extremely harsh and foul environments. It was quite inspiring! If Jiao Niang couldn't marry into the Marquis's manor in the future, she wouldn't allow it.
Jiao Niang handed the clothes to the women responsible for laundry, turned, and vomited. Just as she felt dizzy and disoriented, she found someone standing before her.
"Seventh, Seventh Miss."
"Tidy yourself up and come to the main courtyard."
"Yes."
Jiao Niang changed her clothes and tidied herself from head to toe before going to the main courtyard to see Xiao Qi Niang.
"Why so long?" Xiao Qi Niang's maid asked. "Do you know how busy Miss is? Do you think that because you've hitched yourself to the Iron Gallant Marquis's manor, you no longer have to obey Miss's commands?"
Jiao Niang quickly knelt. She knew that this was not just Xing'er indirectly scolding her, but Xiao Qi Niang herself making a point.
"This servant dares not. This servant received Miss's favor to escape hardship. How could I have any other thoughts? It's just that my body had an unpleasant odor, and I feared disrespecting Miss, which is why I was late."
She spent all day attending to a cripple, her nails were broken, and her hands, which were once used for playing the zither and writing, were now inevitably soiled. Even she couldn't stand the smell, so how could she dare to meet Miss Qi without being properly cleaned?
"Xing'er, don't make things difficult for her. Her life is also hard now."
Tears welled up in Jiao Niang's eyes. "Thank you, Seventh Miss."
"How is it? Is there anything amiss in Li Man'er's room?"
Jiao Niang shook her head. "Everything is normal there. This servant can't see anything unusual. However, she did ask me why it was so noisy outside. I just said I didn't know. Also, she told me to move back to Bi Sha Chu, saying it would be convenient for night-time care of the Marquis."
Xiao Qi Niang nodded. "That's good. You moving back will allow you to monitor her for me. If Li Man'er dares to do anything improper, report it to me immediately."
"Yes."
"Alright, you've also worked hard for half the day. You may go."
Jiao Niang curtsied and withdrew.
Xing'er quickly asked, "Miss, are you suspecting that Li Man'er is involved in Feng Jue's disappearance?"
"It's hard to say." Feng Jue was missing. In the middle of the night, a living person vanished into thin air. It was chilling to think about. And it wasn't just the person who was gone; his usual belongings had also disappeared. The medicine in his box, money, and many important items were all gone.
It was truly inexplicable. With so many people watching outside, how could he vanish into thin air? How capable must the thieves be to take both the person and the belongings without alerting the government guards?
This was beyond Xiao Qi Niang's comprehension.
"Xing'er, give the order. Find Feng Jue at all costs."
"Yes."