Yu Ling has been waiting outside her door the entire time. She wanted to go in and ask her lady to have dinner and wash up but remembering Qingli's warning, she dares not. All she could do was to stand guard outside her mistress's door and wait.
Yu Ling can be considered Qingli's childhood playmate. They were very close and everyone knows that Qingli does not treat this maidservant of hers as a servant but rather, she treats her like her sister. Given their close relationship, Yu Ling hated Qingle who would exploit the kindness of Qingli and cause her harm. Yu Ling was not as dense as Qingli and she is not as forgiving. She was very frustrated at seeing Qingli being bullied and almost wanted to tear her hair out.
However, Qingli's performance yesterday stunned Yu Ling. Was her friend always this fierce? Whenever Qingle or Duchess Qian slandered her in the past, she would be ignorant of the hidden meaning but the Qingli yesterday was as if she was a different person.
Yu Ling had felt fear the moment she saw the scene yesterday. She had always thought, as the one closest to Qingli, she would know her best. But Yu Ling couldn't recognize the current Qingli at all.
This made Yu Ling very confused. She knows that Qingli had gone out the previous day to meet with the "Crown Prince" but now she knows it was a trap. She could not wrap her head around how her normally weak and dense mistress managed to evade the scheme and returned to her room without her knowing.
Yu Ling spent the entire time thinking and decided to act as per normal. She feels that Qingli would feel hurt if Yu Ling decided to distance herself and act as a servant around her but the scene yesterday where Qingli stood against her mother and sister gave her chills which is why she is now waiting outside her mistress door obediently instead of barging into Qingli's room to wake her up for meals.
The moment she heard the door open, Yu Ling turned around and gave a slight bow.
"Young miss, the bathing water has been readied, does young miss wish to bathe or dine first?" Yu Ling dare not look at Qingli in the eye. She kept her eyes lowered as she waited for Qingli's answer.
"Dinner after the bath. What about the soup from this afternoon?" Qingli looked at Yu Ling with cold eyes void of emotions.
Yu Ling shuddered at the cold tone and her eyes reddened slightly. Qingli had never spoken to her in such a tone in the past.
"Replying to young miss, the soup is still on the table."
Qingli nodded and went over to the table. The soup was still in the pot but it has long cooled. Qingli took the ladle and scooped up some to her nose. She sniffed it and eyed the soup for a moment before she put it back down.
"Heat this soup up as well," Qingli said before she went to take her bath.
Yu Ling nodded before she took the soup to the kitchen for it to be re-heated. The soup was Qingli's favorite after all so nobody actually paid much attention to Qingli's request.
After Qingli bathed and ate her dinner, she set her chopsticks neatly on the table before she turned to look at one of the maids.
"Your name is MianMian, am I correct?" The maidservant never expected to be addressed by Qingli and she jumped in fright.
After yesterday's scene, all the servants in her courtyard seemed to develop some degree of fear towards her which Qingli thinks is good. This way, nobody will disrupt her or question her actions. Fear is useful to control the servants around her and very useful for her plans.
"Replying to young miss, this servant's name is indeed Mian Mian."
"Bring this soup and follow me," Qingli told her and stood up from her seat. Yu Ling immediately fetched her coat and drape it on Qingli before she retreated.
Nobody asked any questions and acted quickly. As MianMian slowly followed her mistress out, she gathered enough courage to ask Qingli a question.
"Young miss, may this servant ask where are we going?" Mian Mian glanced at Qingli nervously.
"My dear sister's courtyard." Qingli gave a slight smirk.