The next day, Yun Xiang followed her little sister to Mu’en Hall to find Shen Yu.
It was not as if they were actually going to do what Yun Wei had rambled about while drunk—the two sisters kneeling together and begging Shen Yu to like Yun Wei.
This time, Yun Xiang came with a specific purpose.
“Little sister, you must behave yourself once we arrive. You absolutely cannot act crazy like you did last night.”
Inside the carriage heading toward Mu’en Hall, Yun Xiang still felt uneasy as she watched Yun Wei stare out the window with a heavy heart.
She could not help but whisper a reminder.
“Big Sister!”
Yun Wei did not turn her head, but her pretty face was already flushed red.
After she had fully sobered up this morning and managed to recall the stupid things she had done last night, Yun Wei had slapped herself three times in the early hours of the dawn.
She was already so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear.
Now that her big sister was bringing up her sore spots, Yun Wei felt like dying.
“I only said those things because I was drunk and talking nonsense. The Marquis Mansion has been under so much pressure lately. I… I was probably just in a bad mood, so I had a slip of the tongue and vented a little.”
“Didn’t I prepare gifts today? I’m going to Mu’en Hall to apologize to Shen Yu in front of everyone.”
Yun Wei did not dare look her sister in the eye.
She was afraid her composure would break the moment their gazes met.
“Oh, an apology and gifts. Then may I ask, my dear little sister, are the ‘apology gifts’ you brought these bolts of cloth, brocade, silk, tea, cakes, wine, gold jewelry, banknotes, and… half a pig?”
“Y-Yes!”
Yun Wei subconsciously raised her voice.
Although Yun Wei never said it aloud, Yun Xiang had watched her grow up and knew exactly how her sister acted when she had a guilty conscience.
Yun Wei might as well have written the words ‘guilty conscience’ across her face.
“When Assistant Minister Liu’s youngest son went to Squire Zhao’s house to propose marriage at the end of last year, he brought these exact same things.”
“And when the sons and daughters of Wealthy Zhao and Wealthy Li from the east side of the city got married, the betrothal gifts were also these exact things.”
“Little sister, are you going there to apologize, or are you going there to propose?”
Yun Xiang’s words undoubtedly tore away the last shred of dignity Yun Wei was hiding behind.
“B-Big Sister! Why must you be so bluntly honest? Even… even if these things look like betrothal gifts, they are truly just gifts I prepared to apologize to Shen Yu.”
“Those families probably used these things as betrothal gifts because they were good items to begin with. It is just a case of great minds thinking alike!”
Yun Wei was still struggling for her life, but Yun Xiang had already seen through everything.
Her little sister was completely smitten.
‘Sigh, who does she take after with this personality? If she really likes Shen Yu… that will be quite difficult to handle. There is no such precedent in the Imperial Court.’
Yun Xiang stopped bothering her sister.
She turned to look out her own window and instinctively hid a gold bracelet engraved with a Phoenix Seeking Phoenix pattern.
‘That was close. Luckily, the gift I chose was a bit more discreet.’
In truth, Yun Xiang had also intended to prepare these items to give to Shen Yu under the guise of celebrating her taking over Mu’en Hall.
However, when she woke up this morning, she realized that before she could even give the order, her subordinates had already bought everything.
‘I thought the servants had finally wised up, but it turns out I just had the same idea as my silly little sister…’
“Is Mu’en Hall just up ahead?”
“Yes, it looks like it… though…”
Yun Xiang looked instinctively toward a very inconspicuous courtyard in a small alley.
Although Mu’en Hall was near the Imperial Palace, the area surrounding the palace was not entirely comprised of bustling streets.
For the security of the Imperial Palace, only the street directly in front of the north-facing main gate could be considered prosperous.
As for the other areas, they consisted of either the deep and long moat or the high, crimson palace walls.
Occasionally, there were a few courtyards built against the palace that were separate entities.
Those might be uninhabited cold palaces, or perhaps the locations of the Laundry Bureau, the Imperial Kitchen, warehouses, and other such institutions.
Because surveillance was strict, there was almost no foot traffic nearby.
Mu’en Hall was located in the most remote corner, with a small alley leading directly to the courtyard.
If the common people wanted to seek medical attention, they could follow the alley to find it.
But since Mu’en Hall was not famous and Huimin Hall was located on the main street in front of the Imperial Palace, few people ever visited this place.
The alley was even covered in dust and spiderwebs.
It looked as though no one had been here for a very long time.
“Is… is it really here?”
Yun Xiang looked around curiously.
They were clearly near the Imperial Palace, yet she felt an inexplicable sense of desolation, which was completely different from the prosperity of the main street in the other direction.
“Yes, this is the address Father gave us. I-Isn’t there anyone looking after this place?”
“Are you two Young Ladies here to see my sister for medical treatment?”
Just as Yun Wei and Yun Xiang were hesitating, Yin Qiu poked her head out from the courtyard at the end of the alley.
Seeing a familiar face, Yun Wei and Yun Xiang were finally certain they had found the right place.
After bringing the betrothal gifts—no, the congratulatory gifts—from the carriage into the small courtyard of Mu’en Hall, the sisters saw Shen Yu.
She was currently wearing a simple homemade mask and holding a broom, sweeping the ground.
“You’ve arrived? I haven’t finished cleaning up yet… Yin Qiu, go quickly and bring two clean stools for the Young Ladies of the Yun Estate.”
Shen Yu’s clothes were stained with dirt.
The courtyard was filled with piles upon piles of various clutter that had clearly just been cleared out.
“How did it end up like this? This is Mu’en Hall, after all. It is funded by the Private Imperial Treasury and is a clinic under His Majesty’s name. His Majesty issued an Imperial Decree for you to manage Mu’en Hall. Did he not find a few eunuchs or palace maids to help clean up?”
Yun Xiang looked at the dirty Shen Yu.
Seeing her slender hands gripping the rough handle of the broom, she felt a pang of heartache.
“It’s fine. Yin Qiu and I have almost finished tidying up.”
In truth, Shen Yu preferred that no one came to bother her.
To be honest, she hated the rigid behavioral patterns of the Imperial Palace.
She especially hated the rule of having to check in at 5:00 AM.
‘In a physician’s eyes, one should not be checking in at dawn. Instead, one should be rolling over and pulling Yin Qiu back for some extra sleep.’
If a physician could not even get enough sleep, how could they have the energy to treat patients?
“I should still find a few people to help you clean. Otherwise, with such a mess, who knows how long it will take?”
“Also, these medicine shelves are empty. We must quickly send a batch of herbs over. If His Majesty has a request, you cannot exactly use the dust on these shelves to treat him.”
Yun Xiang was very thorough in arranging these matters.
In no time at all, she had planned out the priorities for Shen Yu.
“Is Mu’en Hall open for business? I am looking for Medical Attendant Shen.”
Just as everyone was about to get busy, a dainty little figure with hands on her hips slowly walked into the courtyard of Mu’en Hall.