Chapter 27: Zé Gōngzǐ Comes to Visit

  It wasn't until half of Xu Mingxuan's facial scars had fallen off that a month had passed.

  It was July, the hottest time of summer. Xu Mingjin and her two siblings stayed in their room every day, too lazy to move. There were four ice basins placed in the room, making it cool and comfortable. At first, Xu Mingjin strongly opposed such extravagance and waste. Moreover, using too many ice blocks was not good for women's bodies. So when Ze Gongzi sent someone to deliver the ice blocks for the first time, Xu Mingjin firmly refused. However, on the second day, the temperature rose more than tenfold, and Xu Mingjin suffered from heatstroke, scaring everyone else, especially Chun Xiang. She was like a snake with its tail stepped on, startling everyone and causing chaos.

  Xu Ming had been drinking bitter medicine for several days to cool down, and when more ice was sent over, not only did she not refuse it, but she even asked for two more basins. As a result, in her own room, she placed four basins of ice, while others were able to cool down with just two. She herself didn't feel the cold, but several maids were shivering, and they endured it without saying anything due to Xu Ming's good mood.

  That afternoon, Xu Mingjin was taking a nap when Ze Gongzi suddenly came to visit her.

  Xu Mingjin was woken up by Chun Xing, who was about to get upset. Chun Xing quickly said before she got angry: "Young Master Ze has arrived and is drinking tea in the side hall. He says he has something important to discuss with Miss." Xu Mingjin's sleepiness immediately disappeared when she heard this. She wondered: "What could be so important that he would come here instead of taking a nap?" Chun Xing shook her head, thinking to herself: How would I know what Young Master Ze wants? Am I supposed to be a mind-reader or something?

  Xu Mingjin took one look at Chun Xiang's expression and knew she wouldn't be able to guess anything, so she got up and let Chun Xiang help her get dressed and washed up. "Forget it, asking you is pointless too," she said. "I couldn't even guess what he wants, how could you possibly know? Let's not bother guessing anymore, we'll just ask him directly later." Chun Xiang responded with a simple "yes" and expressionlessly helped Xu Mingjin get dressed, then helped her wash up, and finally combed her hair. Just as she finished, Xu Mingjin suddenly asked again: "This is the first time Young Master Ze has come looking for me, right?"

  Chun Xiang heard this and knew that if she said she didn't know, Xu Ming Jin would definitely mock her for being stupid. So, she racked her brains to remember whether Zhe Gongzi had ever come to find Miss before. Finally, she found not a single impression in her mind, so Chun Xiang very confidently said: "Miss, this is indeed the first time Zhe Gongzi has come to find you!" Xu Ming Jin nodded and said: "Chun Xiang, it's good that your memory isn't bad, otherwise, with your poor memory, you would have lost Miss's favor again!"

  "Spring Apricot"

  Zi Gongzi sat in the side hall, sipping tea and waiting for Xu Mingjin. Suddenly, he saw two young maids carrying two basins of ice come in, and the temperature in the side hall dropped a few degrees immediately. He felt a cool breeze blow over him and couldn't help but wave his hand to signal them to stop. The two maids saw him, quickly put down the basins of ice, and bowed to him, saying: "Greetings to Zi Gongzi." They slightly bowed their heads, and Zi Gongzi waved his hand for them to rise, then asked in confusion: "What are you doing?"

  "In response to the young master's words," one of the round-faced maids replied, "I was ordered by Miss Xu to bring ice over to the side hall. She said it's too hot here and she'll get heatstroke."

  Zé Gōngzǐ became even more perplexed. Originally, the temperature was just right, not cold or hot, and adding ice would make it cold. What did Xú Míngjǐn want to do? He recalled the incident of Xú Míngjǐn suffering from heatstroke a few days ago and couldn't help but speculate in his heart: Could it be that the previous heatstroke had made her a nervous wreck, so she went from originally not using ice at all to now using twice as much ice as everyone else? This contrast was a bit too extreme, wasn't it? Zé Gōngzǐ thought to himself, it seemed that Xú Míngjǐn's personality was indeed like this - extremely biased. If she liked someone, she would think everything about them was good; on the other hand, if she disliked or hated someone, she would be disgusted by anything they did.

  The maid saw that Master Zhe was deep in thought, so she placed the ice basin a little further away from him, made a curtsy and quietly withdrew.

  At this moment, Xu Mingjin, who was dressed up and complaining, came in. She glared at Chun Xiang with hatred, it was all her fault for making her wear such thick clothes and heavy jewelry, she was almost suffocating! Not to mention being crushed to death! Chun Xiang looked at Xu Mingjin innocently, knowing that the young lady was lazy and usually didn't even comb her hair, just casually tying it up. This was because she was afraid of the heat, otherwise, she would have let her hair down and only worn the thinnest undergarments. Heaven have mercy, how could the young lady appear in front of outsiders in such a disheveled state? Although he was the young lady's benefactor and savior, it was still not allowed! To maintain the young lady's dignity and reputation, Chun Xiang would rather sacrifice herself, even if it meant being ridiculed and disliked by the young lady. Thinking this way, Chun Xiang immediately straightened her back and put on a fearless expression.

  Xu Mingjin looked at Chun Xiang, but became suspicious: "This girl won't have taken the wrong medicine, will she? Why is she making such expressions?" However, Xu Mingjin didn't have time to bother with her, as she had more important things on her mind. Just now, Chun Xiang's words "There's something important I need to discuss with Miss" had piqued her curiosity, and after much speculation, she still couldn't guess what it was. So, she came seeking answers. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Xu Mingjin was about to get straight to the point when she suddenly caught sight of two bowls of ice placed at a distance. Her attention was immediately drawn to them. Ever since she had suffered from heatstroke, ice had become her top priority, and everything else took a backseat.

  No wonder she's a bit hot! Xu Mingjin ordered Chun Xiang: "Go, move the ice basin over. What are those two little maids doing? Look at how hot Master Ze is! Master Ze is really sorry! Let you see the joke, these two little maids are too ignorant!"

  Zi Gongzi hastily said: "I'm not hot, it's just right like this. The ice was put there by me telling Xiao Yatou to do so."

  "Zé Gōngzǐ is so humble!" Xu Mingjin smiled as he watched Autumn Cloud put a basin of ice behind Zé Gōngzǐ, and Spring Apricot placed an ice block on the ancient wooden frame behind her. Suddenly, a refreshing coolness swept over them. She comfortably took a sip of tea water, only to discover it was scalding hot, and her face changed as she angrily asked: "Who brewed this tea?"

  A small maid outside the door walked in with a quiver, and knelt down with a thud towards Ze Gongzi: "It was this slave's tea water, this slave was wrong! Begging master to forgive!" Ze Gongzi's face showed no expression, only lightly saying: "The one you should beg for forgiveness is Miss Xu."

  The little maid heard him say this, her body shook, and she quickly turned around, facing Xu Mingjin and kowtowing: "Miss Xu, spare my life!"

  Xu Mingjin said with a frown: "Did I say I wanted to kill you? What are you talking about, begging for mercy? Do I look like a fierce and evil spirit?"

  The little girl kowtowed like a garlic press: "I didn't mean that, Miss Xu is as beautiful as a flower and has a stunning appearance. She is gentle and moving. I didn't mean that at all! It was my fault, please forgive me, Miss Xu!"

  Xu Mingjin still enjoyed the praise of the little maid, who doesn't love to hear flattering words? Xu Mingjin smiled faintly: "Get up, I didn't mean to blame you, go and change a pot of iced sour plum tea!"

  The little maid expressed her gratitude to Xu Mingjin again with a bow, then got up and went to fetch the iced sour plum soup that Xu Mingjin had asked for.

  Xu Mingjin couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion, as he had never been in the habit of punishing his subordinates. However, there were exceptions to this rule, such as Hong Luo and Yu Qin. Generally speaking, Xu Mingjin was still a very good master to serve under, unlike some people who were extremely strict with their servants and punished them severely for any mistakes. Why else would that little maid have been so scared and kept begging for mercy? Ah! Was he usually a ruthless master who didn't care about human life? But his disguise was too deep, if it wasn't for this incident, she would still be in the dark!

  Xu Mingjin was getting more and more frightened, but she didn't know that things weren't as she thought. The little maid wasn't afraid of anyone else, but rather, she was afraid of Xu Mingjin herself! Just now, because the tea water was scalding hot, Xu Mingjin had furiously questioned her, and her angry voice had echoed throughout the entire courtyard, causing all the servants to look at the little maid with sympathetic eyes. This made the little maid's heart, which was already trembling with fear, even more terrified. When she came in and knelt down in front of Ze Gongzi, she was actually hoping that he would be the one to decide her punishment. Firstly, Ze Gongzi was her legitimate master, and secondly, Ze Gongzi had always been a warm and harmless person, so he definitely wouldn't punish her too harshly. However, what she didn't expect was that Ze Gongzi would kick her away like a ball to Xu Miss, who was terrifying when she got angry. The little maid's heart was racing with fear, and on the other hand, she couldn't hide the slight sense of loss in her heart. After all, which young girl wouldn't have romantic feelings? Ze Gongzi was the most handsome and elegant person she had ever seen... It was no wonder that the little maid secretly admired him. But please forgive the little maid! Whenever she thought of Ze Gongzi's divine and indescribable demeanor, she couldn't help but feel dizzy with infatuation. She wished that Ze Gongzi could look at her just once more! Although she was just a lowly and insignificant little maid, didn't everyone have the right to yearn for beautiful things? However, Ze Gongzi had always been indifferent to her, not even giving her a glance, yet he treated this Xu Miss, who looked pretty but had a bad temper and was terrifying when angry, with special treatment.

  Yes, that's right, it's just different! Although Miss Xu is only twelve years old, she's still young and inexperienced. But the young master treats her differently, although there's something different about it, Xiao Yatou can't quite put her finger on it, but she just has a gut feeling that she doesn't like Xu Mingjin very much. If she were to punish her despite her pleas for mercy, she would definitely gain a reputation for being cruel and heartless. The young master would certainly not be pleased with her, and he would probably feel sorry for the pitiful Xiao Yatou! When Xiao Yatou heard Xu Mingjin's words "Get up, I didn't mean to blame you, go and change into a new set of clothes and bring me a pitcher of iced sour plum tea!", she knew that her hopes were dashed. She couldn't help but look at Zhe Gongzi with a sorrowful gaze, only to find him staring in Xu Mingjin's direction, his back turned towards her. Xiao Yatou reluctantly left to fetch the iced sour plum tea.

  I'll be back! The little servant girl made up her mind not to be afraid of losing. As the saying goes, a good servant girl is not one who doesn't want to get out of bed!