The scene seemed to replay itself before her eyes, refusing to fade, and Cai Qing shivered involuntarily from fear, shrinking back.
Her entire arms and back were covered in goosebumps, her fine hairs standing on end. Cai Qing nervously rubbed her arms, and only then did she feel a little better.
"Sister Cai Qing, what's wrong with you? I saw you trembling just now. Are you too cold? Why don't you go back to your room and put on a coat? I'll guard this place."
"I... I'm fine..." Cai Qing stammered, waving her hand dismissively as she picked up a hot cup of tea to warm her hands.
The more Chu Qing looked at Cai Qing, the stranger she found her. Now, upon closer inspection, she realized that Sister Cai Qing's expression wasn't due to cold at all. It looked more like an emotion caused by fear and terror.
Hesitating for a moment, Chu Qing still sat down beside Cai Qing and took her icy hand. "Sister Cai Qing, did you just think of something bad? You looked scared just now... You can tell me, and I can help you..."
"I... I actually..." Cai Qing's gaze fell on Chu Qing, but the words that were on the tip of her tongue couldn't be spoken.
After a pause, she changed her approach and asked, "Chu Qing, how do you handle maids who make mistakes in your place? Have you ever seen it with your own eyes?"
Chu Qing's brows furrowed slightly, and she seemed to ponder for a long time. After a moment, she slowly replied, "There are many ways to punish maids who make mistakes. Some masters execute them directly, some are framed by others and die, some fall into the river and drown, some are poisoned, and some hang themselves. All of these are common..."
"Basically, every lake has a soul that died unjustly. When you see these things too often, you get used to them, and naturally, you won't be surprised anymore... By the way, why did you suddenly ask about this? What exactly happened?"
Chu Qing felt more and more that something was about to happen to Cai Qing, otherwise, she would never have asked her these questions. She became even more eager to know what was wrong with Cai Qing.
"Hearing you say that, I feel like my own troubles are truly not worth mentioning..."
Having known Chu Qing for so long, this was the first time she had heard her talk about past events. She had asked Chu Qing about her time in Xiliang before, but Chu Qing had always been vague and evasive, never telling her these things.
To confide in her heart like this today was truly a first, making it seem quite unusual.
"A maid who was very close to me, just because she spoke ill of her master without authorization, and Steward Wu found out, she was directly beaten with thirty large boards, covered in blood, and thrown out of the mansion, half dead. I just suddenly remembered this incident, and that's why I was overcome with dread and fear."
"Sister Cai Qing, we servants are born with humble lives and are worthless. Being scolded or beaten by our masters is a normal occurrence. If you have a good master, life can be a little easier; otherwise, you won't even know how you died."
She had seen too many such things. Her fellow palace maids, who grew up with her, were sometimes killed by their masters for saying the wrong thing.
Therefore, she lived in fear every day, only daring to do her own work silently, not even daring to say an extra word. She would never forget the saying, "Beware of what you say."
"You are right. The lives of us servants are indeed worthless..."
Cai Qing sighed softly and said silently. She had been a servant since birth. Although it was arduous, she had grown up safely. She considered herself lucky to have such a good mistress as the young madam.
The young madam did not treat her as a mere servant but as a person. The young madam was truly the best... the best mistress she had ever seen. To meet such a good mistress in this life was the greatest fortune of her life.
"Speaking of which, we are also fortunate to have met such a good mistress as the young madam. Compared to others, we are already extremely lucky."
"Indeed, the young madam is truly good to us," Chu Qing said solemnly. When she was first brought to the young madam, she was also afraid, thinking that the young madam only wanted her to torment and spy on her, wanting to know other things from her.
Through their gradual interactions, she finally realized that the young madam was truly good and sincere towards her, treating her as an equal.
At that time, she also silently vowed that she would protect the young madam for the rest of her life, even if it meant going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, risking her own life.
While they were talking, they didn't notice that Da Bao and Er Bao were already drowsy. By the time they realized it, Da Bao and Er Bao were already lying on the bed, sleeping obediently.
Fearing that they would disturb the children again, after tucking them in, Chu Qing and Cai Qing quietly went out, even closing the door with extreme care, afraid of waking the two children.
Now that these two little rascals were asleep, they could also rest for a while. They wondered if Steward Wu, who was guarding outside the door, had left.
As they were contemplating this, a knock came from outside the door again.
'Bang... bang... bang...'
Hearing the sound, Chu Qing and Cai Qing instantly tensed up again. Cai Qing was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward and asked, "Who... who is outside?"
As soon as the words fell, a familiar voice came from outside: "It's me. Why are you locking the door in broad daylight? Are you really planning not to receive guests anymore?"
The extremely familiar voice immediately made them know who was outside. Their taut nerves relaxed slightly, and they breathed a sigh of relief.
"You go and see. I'm too scared to move." Cai Qing felt cold sweat all over her body, and even her legs were trembling uncontrollably. She was already squatting on the ground, panting for a moment.
Chu Qing walked to the door and peeked through the crack, confirming that the person outside was Ling Mu Zhu.
"Second Young Master, why are you here at this time?"
"I heard that Eldest Sister-in-law is back, so I came to see. Why are you locking the door in broad daylight? Are you guarding against thieves? Quickly open the door and come in."
Ling Mu Zhu's voice was full of dissatisfaction. The doorway was like a place where cold winds blew. He had only stood there for a moment and felt his hands were about to freeze. He urged Chu Qing to open the door quickly.
"Second Young Master, please take a look around to see if there is anyone else nearby. If there isn't anyone, I'll open the door for you."