The crowd arrived at Yan Liqing’s room and saw Yan Liqing lying on the bed, her face somewhat pale.
"Cough!"
They reached the bedside of Yan Liqing, just in time to see her cough.
"Cousin, what’s wrong?" Fu Shinian hurriedly asked.
"Perhaps the journey was exhausting, and suddenly settling down, when the body relaxed, the illness that was suppressed earlier emerged," Yan Liqing said, "It’s just an ordinary cold."
Yu Lu sighed inwardly, as the girl had spent the entire night in the wind, causing herself to get sick.
Yan Liqing slightly turned her face, avoiding the side that Mrs. Yan had hit, preventing others from seeing.
Although Mrs. Yan had immediately asked someone to apply medicine last night.
But how could the medicine instantly remove the marks?
Ultimately, some traces remained, but as Mrs. Yan said, a bit of powder could cover them.
At this moment, the doctor was called in.
Seeing this, Yan Liqing said, "It’s just an ordinary cold, why bother calling a doctor in the residence?"
"Cousin, don’t be so polite, just consider it as being at home," Fu Shinian said, "When you’re sick at home, wouldn’t a doctor be called?"
"Moreover, colds have various symptoms, and medication must be prescribed accordingly, it’s not something to be taken lightly," Fu Shinian said.
The doctor checked Yan Liqing’s pulse and said, "The young lady caught a cold, and coupled with accumulated stress, she fell ill."
"The young lady should relax and take the medicine to recover more quickly," advised the doctor.
"Indeed, thank you, doctor," Yan Liqing said.
After the doctor was sent away, Fu Shinian said, "Cousin, rest well, and don’t overthink. When you recover, we’ll take you for an outing."
"Alright," Yan Liqing said, "Today’s unfortunate for disrupting your plans because of me."
"How could it be!" Fu Mingzhu held Yan Liqing’s hand, "It’s indifferent whether we go to the Marquis’s residence or not, the only thing that concerns us is cousin’s health. Don’t stress about those troubling things, we understand they’re unrelated to you."
Understanding Fu Mingzhu’s words, Yan Liqing’s eyes felt sour, "I... it’s not entirely unrelated."
"The doctor said to relax, if I make cousin more upset, that would be my fault," Fu Mingzhu patted Yan Liqing’s hand, "Anyway, cousin, don’t take everything upon yourself."
"Can cousin ride a horse?" Fu Mingzhu asked again.
Yan Liqing nodded, "I can."
"That’s perfect. Once cousin recovers, we’ll go to the horse farm for a few laps; cousin’s mood will definitely improve," Fu Mingzhu said with a smile.
Yan Liqing was extremely grateful for Fu Mingzhu and Fu Shinian’s generosity, and she expressed her gratitude, "Alright."
"Then we won’t disturb cousin any longer," Fu Mingzhu said, "But when cousin is recuperating in the room, if you feel bored, call us anytime, and we’ll come to chat with you."
"Okay," Yan Liqing nodded with a smile.
Fu Mingzhu and Fu Shinian left the courtyard; only then did Fu Shinian whisper, "Sister, did you notice cousin’s face?"
Fu Mingzhu nodded, speaking quietly, "Although cousin tried to cover it, how could she completely hide it?"
"It must be Aunt’s doing," Fu Shinian said angrily, "I don’t know what trouble Aunt is up to again."
"Last night when we saw cousin, she was fine; it must have been after returning, a quarrel between them," Fu Mingzhu shook her head, "Even if Aunt is furious, she shouldn’t resort to hitting."
"Cousin understands propriety; Aunt must have done something excessive, leading cousin to retort," Fu Mingzhu sighed, "But since cousin deliberately hides it, she doesn’t want us to know. If it’s revealed, she would be embarrassed. We should just act like we didn’t notice anything."
Fu Shinian nodded, "I think the same."
Yan Sikang didn’t leave with Fu Mingzhu and Fu Shinian.
He waited until both had left, and the room was left with only Yan Liqing and Yan Sikang, besides a few maids.
Yan Sikang then asked, "Liqing, what’s wrong with your face?"
Yan Liqing instinctively covered the side of her face that Mrs. Yan had hit.
"Still hiding from me?" Yan Sikang turned to ask Yu Lu, "Yu Lu, tell me, what really happened?"
"It was Madam who hit her," Yu Lu said.
"Why did mother hit you? When did this happen?" Yan Sikang hurriedly asked.
Yan Liqing sighed and said, "Brother, sit down, I’ll explain it to you slowly."
Yu Lu moved a stool to Yan Liqing’s bedside, allowing Yan Sikang to sit down.
Yan Liqing then recounted what happened after she returned last night.
"Last night, watching Marquis and my cousins speak, I always felt that the Marquis treated Shinian unusually. Not to mention that our family truly can’t reach the Marquis’s residence, even if we could, I wouldn’t want to be part of such an unpopular matter."
"Mother’s mouth, however, is always unguarded, and she always considers herself superior, dismissive of Aunt and my cousins. I didn’t want to share my suspicions with her," Yan Liqing said, "If I did, with Mother’s temperament, it would blow up, what would happen to Shinian’s reputation?"
"Moreover, this is just my suspicion, it wouldn’t be fair to harm Shinian’s reputation because of my suspicion," Yan Liqing sighed, "So I didn’t tell Mother my reason for refusing, just said the social status didn’t match, but Mother didn’t see anything mismatched, and when I resolutely refused, she struck me in anger."
"Just for this, she hit you?" Yan Sikang couldn’t believe it.
Yan Liqing sighed, "You know Mother’s temperament, always impulsive. Actually, she’s not clever, but she believes herself to be so, which complicates things further."
Yan Liqing then continued explaining how Mrs. Yan complained to Madam Fu last night, causing Chaohua and Fulou to be punished, and she also shared this with Yan Sikang.
"I live upfront, yet knew nothing of this affair," Yan Sikang frowned.
He and Fu Changqin, being men, resided farther from the women’s quarters.
The commotion here didn’t reach the distance to him and Fu Changqin.
"I think Mother is behaving inappropriately," Yan Liqing said, "If the injury on my face can be covered with powder today, Mother surely would expect me to go to Marquis Changping’s residence. Then, Mother’s behavior before the Marquis’s elderly lady and Marquis Changping..."
Yan Liqing shivered, "I dare not imagine."
"Having no option but to open the window all night and dress lightly, I let myself catch a chill, at least avoiding going to the Marquis’s residence and facing such embarrassment," Yan Liqing sighed.
Yan Sikang was equally troubled.
He had explained matters clearly to Mother, yet how she promptly forgot.
"In the future, avoid confronting Mother directly," Yan Sikang said, "She’s not one to listen to advice."
"I’ll send a letter home," Yan Sikang said, "asking Father to call Mother back."