Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 139
Chapter 139 - Accidentally Consuming Wild Mushrooms
The floral hall on the estate was truly a floral hall in name and in fact.
It was surrounded entirely by blossoms of every hue—red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—offering the ultimate sensory and mental delight.
Some unknown incense was burned within the hall, presumably to repel mosquitoes, as not a single mosquito could be seen anywhere.
"Madam Xie," Chu Yi made a polite gesture of invitation. "I still have some matters to attend to, so I can only trouble Madam Xie to accompany the two children for their meal first."
Manager Cheng lowered his gaze in silence.
Before coming to the estate, the Prince had already set aside all his affairs and had nothing to handle at all.
For the sake of Madam Xie's reputation, the Prince had actually conjured up such an excuse.
Their Prince was not someone of particularly delicate sentiments, yet right now, he was even mindful of such minor details of etiquette—truly no small feat.
He couldn't help feeling that it wasn't just the young heir and the little county princess who treated Madam Xie with special affection; deep within the Prince's heart, he also seemed to view Madam Xie quite differently from others.
Chu Yi turned and walked out of the floral hall.
The moment he left, Yun Chu let out a sigh of relief.
A man and a woman should not share the same mat after the age of seven; this didn't strictly mean the exact age of seven, but rather that once children understood propriety, women should try their best to avoid dining at the same table with unrelated men.
Her upbringing from a young age taught her to maintain a proper distance from men. Because of these two children, she had indeed grown far too close to the Pingxi Prince, though their interactions usually still fell within the bounds of ritual and law.
Even though she had agreed to Yu Ge'er's request to stay on the estate for a meal, she had originally planned to simply stand off to the side and chat with Yu Ge'er and Changsheng...
Now that the Pingxi Prince had left, she no longer needed to worry about those constraints of etiquette.
She sat down at the dining table.
Both children had meals prepared by dedicated master chefs, with a senior nanny and a maidservant standing behind each of them respectively, meaning she didn't really need to do anything.
"Madam Xie, this entire table of dishes is made from common ingredients found right on the estate," Manager Cheng said respectfully. "These are wild vegetables; the name doesn't sound very refined, but the taste is sweet and refreshing. This is wild chicken from the estate, and its meat is exceptionally tender. This fish was also caught from the estate's lake; the physician said that because these fish are affected by the hot spring water, eating them is beneficial to one's health..."
It was Yun Chu's first time eating such game dishes, and true to the manager's words, the flavors were sweet and appetizing, making her thoroughly enjoy the meal.
As she ate, she suddenly felt an itch spreading across her arm. Setting down her chopsticks, she rolled up her sleeve, only to discover dense patches of tiny red dots covering her skin.
Before she even had time to process what was happening, her consciousness vanished in an instant, and she slumped straight down from her chair.
Fortunately, Tingshuang and Tingfeng were standing right behind her and hurriedly rushed forward to catch her.
"Aunt Yun!"
Terrified, Chu Hongyu let out a sharp cry and scrambled over frantically.
"Madam!" Tingfeng was also frightened out of her wits, shouting repeatedly, "Madam, what's wrong, Madam!"
In that very fraction of a second, countless small red bumps rapidly erupted across Yun Chu's neck and face.
Tingshuang's expression shifted drastically. "Manager Cheng, are there mushrooms in these dishes?"
Manager Cheng hurriedly replied, "There are many wild mushrooms on the small hill of the estate, and the chef specially used wild mushroom oil to cook the vegetarian dishes. Can Madam Xie not consume mushrooms?"
Tingshuang recalled that more than a dozen years prior, when the Madam was around four or five years old, she had also eaten wild mushrooms and broken out in red bumps all over her body.
It wasn't just on her skin; they had appeared inside her mouth as well, and her throat had even swelled shut, nearly causing her to suffocate to death...
"Go quickly and summon Physician Bi!" Chu Yi strode over from who knows where, giving a cold, stern order. "You must be fast!"
Physician Bi was the exclusive physician of his Prince's Manor, who had long been responsible for regulating and maintaining the health of the two children.
He clearly remembered that when Changsheng was a little over a year old, she had suddenly broken out in rashes all over her body one day and fallen completely unconscious, and it was Physician Bi who had saved her life.
It was only discovered later that the wet nurse had eaten mushrooms that day, and Changsheng had consumed the wet nurse's milk, resulting in a severe case of mushroom poisoning.
He didn't know if Madam Xie was suffering from the same situation, but he had to get Physician Bi here first before anything else.
Seeing Yun Chu slumped limply in the arms of the two maidservants, Tingshuang and Tingfeng, he didn't even stop to think before striding over, bending down, and preparing to scoop her up horizontally in his arms.
As he drew close, he distinctly caught the fragrance that belonged uniquely to her.
His fingers paused, and he stepped back a few paces, giving a calm command. "You two, help support Madam Xie to the inner chambers."
The nannies specifically tasked with tending to the children hurriedly stepped over to assist Tingshuang and Tingfeng. Supporting Yun Chu, they led her out of the floral hall and into the courtyard, laying her down gently upon the bed.
"Your Highness, this humble servant deserves ten thousand deaths!"
Manager Cheng dropped to his knees with a loud thud, raising his hand to deal two heavy slaps across his own face.
Having followed Chu Yi for many years, how could he fail to understand that this Madam Xie was extraordinary in the Prince's eyes? Yet he was the one who had caused Madam Xie to collapse into unconsciousness.
If anything happened to Madam Xie, his life wouldn't be enough to pay for it.
The sudden display frightened Chu Hongyu into wailing at the top of his lungs. "Prince Father, is Aunt Yun going to die? No, I don't want that..."
A heavy film of moisture welled up in Chu Changsheng's large eyes, and giant teardrops fell as she wept in absolute silence.
Chu Yi, who had originally intended to flare up in anger, suppressed his wrath and commanded coldly, "If this Prince ever sees wild mushrooms in this estate again, you can say goodbye to the head on your shoulders."
Manager Cheng wiped the sweat from his brow. "Understood, Your Highness!"
Chu Yi picked up his daughter. "Changsheng, be a good girl, stop crying. Prince Father will take you to see Aunt Yun."
Sniffling tearfully, Chu Hongyu followed closely behind him. The father and three children entered the courtyard where Yun Chu rested together, with Jiuer keeping watch at the courtyard gate while Tingfeng and Tingshuang attended inside.
Wiping away his tears, Chu Hongyu asked in a small, choked voice, "Jiuer Sister, how is Aunt Yun doing?"
He didn't quite dare to go inside, fearing he wouldn't be able to hold back a howling cry and might frighten his younger sister into weeping along with him.
Jiuer shook her head. "Replying to the Young Heir, Madam is still unconscious."
Just as she spoke, Tingshuang's joyful voice rang out from the inner chamber. "Madam, you're awake!"
Yun Chu slowly opened her eyes.
She felt as though something was blocking her throat, making speech somewhat difficult; though uncomfortable, there was no feeling of suffocation.
She vaguely remembered that when she was four or five years old, she had similarly eaten wild mushrooms and then slept soundly for three whole days and nights. It must be that now, being older, her body possessed a slightly stronger resistance against wild mushrooms; otherwise, she wouldn't have woken up so quickly.
"Aunt Yun, it's so good that you're okay!"
Disregarding everything else, Chu Hongyu charged right in, grabbed Yun Chu's hand, and ultimately failed to hold back his tears as he wept secretly.
He had finally found a mother he loved so dearly, before they even had the chance to truly live together—he simply had no way to bear the thought of losing her...
Changsheng broke free from Chu Yi's embrace and hurried inward, but failing to notice the raised threshold, she nearly tumbled flat on her face.
Promptly scooping his daughter up, Chu Yi carried her inside. However, he merely stopped at the doorway and did not step any further in. The little girl skirted around the privacy screen, lunged onto Yun Chu, and pressed against her affectionately, not minding the red rashes on her face in the least.
Through the gaps in the screen, Chu Yi dimly caught sight of the two children leaning against Yun Chu.
At that moment, he found himself thinking: if she weren't married, would he be able to walk past that screen and go inside?
It seemed even then he couldn't; unmarried young maidens were bound by stricter rules of separation between men and women than married matrons. He probably would have found it difficult even just to catch a glimpse of her.
Whether married or unmarried, he had no qualification to stand before her bedside.
Unless he were her husband.
The moment this thought surfaced, it took root like wild grass, growing and spreading wildly across the depths of his heart.