Chapter 45: Responsibility_1

After speaking, Chun Yan hurriedly ran out of Qinghui Courtyard. Silver Frost, who was sitting in the room eating pine nut candy, saw Chun Yan leave and immediately stuffed the candy into her chest and followed her.

The gatekeeper old lady saw Chun Yan come out and greeted her obsequiously: “Miss Chun Yan!”

Chun Yan grabbed the gatekeeper’s arm and walked to a secluded place. After looking around to make sure no one was there, she asked: “Does His Highness have any instructions?”

“Uncle Tong said that His Highness came in person. The carriage is waiting outside the side gate, saying His Highness wants to see Miss Bai, please ask Miss Chun Yan to talk to Miss Bai and let her see His Highness…” the gatekeeper said.

Chun Yan’s heart was pounding heavily, and her face turned red with anxiety: “Isn’t His Highness seriously injured? How did he come in person?! What if he catches a cold again, what should we do?!”

“This shows His Highness’s true feelings for Miss Bai. Miss, go and report to Miss Bai quickly. Let Miss Bai go fast. In this freezing weather, if anything happens to His Highness at our mansion’s gate, we wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility!” the gatekeeper said.

“I understand!” Chun Yan’s heart was wholly concerned with King Liang, and she couldn’t help but resent Bai Qingyan. It was all because Miss Bai returned the jade pendant given by His Highness, causing him to rush over with injuries. If anything happened to His Highness, even if Miss Bai died a million times, it would be hard to atone.

Chun Yan was both angry and anxious, almost tearing the handkerchief in her hand. She turned and rushed hastily toward the main house.

As Chun Yan ran, Silver Frost jumped down from the wall, startling the gatekeeper old lady. The old lady clutched her chest and glared at Silver Frost. Just as she was about to leave, Silver Frost knocked her out with a punch.

Silver Frost looked at the fainted old lady at her feet, hoisted her onto her shoulder, and carried her into Qinghui Courtyard.

“Miss Bai! Miss Bai!” Chun Yan rushed into the main house, circled around the screen, saw Bai Qingyan practicing calligraphy with sandbags tied to her wrists, and kowtowed. “Miss Bai, this maid knows you don’t like hearing about His Highness, but you asked this maid to return His Highness’s jade pendant yesterday. His Highness came personally today. He is seriously injured, almost losing his life, but for you, he came to our Duke’s mansion! Miss… this maid begs you, His Highness truly cares for you! Please see him!”

Chun Yan’s head knocked repeatedly on the floor, tears flowing down her face, genuinely heartfelt. In her past and present lives combined, Bai Qingyan had never seen Chun Yan so loyal to her. Besides anger, she also felt deep sadness.

Outside the door, Chun Tao, who was about to lift the curtain and enter, was startled to see Silver Frost carrying an old lady in. She quickly realized that Chun Yan had gone to meet King Liang’s people and was caught by Silver Frost.

Silver Frost casually threw the unconscious old lady on the ground and, smiling, reached out to Chun Tao for candy: “Caught another one! Sister, candy…”

Chun Tao felt deeply ashamed, remembering how she had pleaded for Chun Yan in front of Miss Bai one day, and now she felt embarrassed.

Without showing it on her face, she tapped Silver Frost’s forehead: “You fool! Wait here!”

Chun Tao lifted the curtain and walked in. Seeing Chun Yan kowtowing on the ground, she quickly walked to Bai Qingyan’s side and whispered: “Miss, Silver Frost knocked out another gatekeeper and carried her into the courtyard.”

Chun Yan didn’t know what Chun Tao whispered to Miss Bai and just looked at Bai Qingyan with teary eyes, hoping she would see King Liang: “Miss…”

Bai Qingyan never glanced at the crying Chun Yan from beginning to end. She finished writing the last word and put down the brush: “Since she was caught, we’ll use today… to clean the Duke’s mansion. Chun Tao, send Chun Xing to inform Mother in her courtyard. Ask Nanny Qin to get Steward Hao, and instruct each steward and all off-duty servants and maids to gather in the front courtyard.”

Chun Tao curtsied and quickly left to instruct Chun Xing.

Soon, Chun Tao returned with a copper basin of water, helping Bai Qingyan wring a handkerchief while asking: “Miss, should I take Silver Frost and the old lady to meet the Princely Heir’s wife? Are you going?”

Bai Qingyan nodded: “Yes, naturally I have to go.”

Hearing this, Chun Yan kneeled forward a few steps, crying and begging: “Miss, this maid begs you! Cleaning the mansion can wait, but seeing His Highness is urgent!”

“Chun Yan! You…” Chun Tao was startled. She thought Chun Yan was repenting here, not expecting she was demanding Miss Bai to see King Liang.

Seeing Bai Qingyan indifferent, slowly untying the sandbags from her wrists after just finishing writing, Chun Yan became more anxious, raising her voice and straightening her spine to accuse Bai Qingyan: “Miss! It’s freezing outside. His Highness is at the Duke’s mansion’s back gate. If anything happens, can you afford it?!”

The words “can you afford it?” made Bai Qingyan extremely angry. Her sharp gaze directly at Chun Yan sent a chill down her spine, and she broke into a cold sweat.

“Afford?!” She threw the handkerchief handed by Chun Tao onto the desk, her anger surging.

“Chun Yan, are you possessed by a ghost?! Or have a mental breakdown?! Was it Miss who made His Highness wait in the snow at our Duke’s mansion’s back gate? What does Miss need to afford?! A Duke’s unmarried daughter, does she have to meet someone just because they stand at our mansion’s back gate?! What kind of reasoning is this? Did Nanny Tong’s teachings go into a dog’s belly?!”

“But how can it be the same? It’s King Liang!” Chun Yan stubbornly retorted, feeling heartbroken for King Liang’s serious injury.

Bai Qingyan was utterly disappointed with Chun Yan, suppressing her anger: “As a maid of the Duke’s mansion, worrying about King Liang’s house! Chun Yan… you’re wronged! Today the Duke’s mansion cleans its gates, you go to King Liang to seek a way out!”

“This maid didn’t mean that!” Chun Yan hastily kowtowed, “This maid… this maid is really worried about His Highness’s health! Please, Miss, show mercy! This maid has followed you since childhood and will follow you for life after life!”

Bai Qingyan sneered: “Follow me for life after life?! You dare to follow me, but I don’t dare to keep you… A maid who arranges her master’s marriage and blackmails her master to meet outsiders, I can’t afford to keep!”

“Miss! Miss! Chun Yan knows she was wrong!” Chun Yan cried out in fear, anxiously begging for mercy.

“Usually, Miss thinks you’re young and treats you leniently, spoiling you to the point you don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth, repeatedly involving Miss with outsiders! Now you dare to force Miss to see King Liang… You’re trying to kill Miss, Chun Yan!” Chun Tao cried in anger, hating that she couldn’t slap Chun Yan awake.@@novelbin@@