The Scheming Minister's Kitchen Maid

CHAPTER 3

9

　　

The night was dark and windy.

To show my sincerity to the master, I decided to stay up with Brother Shadow Guard to guard the master tonight.

It's early summer now, and it's not too hot yet.

I sat down on the grass by the window, leaning against the wall, prepared to spend the night like this.

“Hairpins long, chasing the coiled locks~ Socks so small, they match the slender waist~ Night after night, words of charm never end~ Day after day, grace renews itself~”

He Xu loves money and singing songs. Although I don't understand what he's singing, I think it's very beautiful.

Once, I praised the master's singing to Guard Sun, and Guard Sun blushed and scolded me.

“The songs the master sings, you should listen to them less in the future, it's not good for you.”

Guard Sun thinks too much. What's good or bad? After a hard day's work, listening to music can help you sleep...

I was woken up in the middle of the night.

“Mmm mmm…”

I heard a series of muffled sounds from He Xu's room, along with clanging noises.

No good!

There's a thief!

　　

I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth and leaped through the window.

Sure enough, I saw a figure weighing over two hundred jin pressing down on He Xu.

He Xu's mouth was covered, his hands flailing as he knocked things over, but the figure on top of him remained motionless, looking extremely painful.

“Where did this thief come from! Don't be afraid, Master, I'm here to save you!”

I roared with all my might, the assassin turned to look at me, disdainfully saying, “Black brat, this doesn't concern you, if you don't want to die, scram!”

Saying so, he raised his leg to kick me.

I forcefully grabbed his thick leg and pulled hard, smoothly dragging the assassin to the ground.

The assassin and He Xu stared at me in stunned silence, a hint of shock in their eyes.

By the moonlight, I also saw the assassin's appearance clearly.

　　

My goodness, how frightening he looks.

His head is a whole circle larger than a normal person's, and the scar on his face is bigger than the Master's face, dark and thick, and his build is absurdly large.

The assassin reacted at this moment, pushing himself up to grab me.

I closed my eyes in fear, afraid of being caught and beaten to death. 

Without thinking, I just started pounding him relentlessly.

“F**k…”

“Ah…”

“Ouch…”

“Your fists are really damn hard…”

　　……

　　

A quarter of an hour later, Brother Shadow Guard knelt down to plead guilty, dumbfounded.

“Master, I ate the beef jerky given by Guard Sun and had a bit of diarrhea…”

“I didn't expect someone to attempt an assassination. It's all my fault. Please punish me, Master!”

The lights were turned on in the room.

He Xu's clothes were disheveled, especially his face, which was red from being smothered, looking like a ravaged beauty...

The assassin lay on the ground covered in blood, gasping for breath and glaring at me. His voice was hoarse from shouting, he had no strength left, and he didn't say another word as the guards dragged him away.

I was also terrified. This was the first time I'd ever beaten someone. The last time I'd used so much force was when I fought a rabid wolf...

“You know martial arts?”

He Xu ignored the shadow guard and looked up at me.

I timidly squatted on the ground, rubbing my hands, “No, I just dug the ground since I was little, I'm just strong…”

He Xu hummed, and then his expression suddenly changed. He pulled his clothes tight, looking at me warily.

“Hei Zi, what are you doing in this official's courtyard so late?”

“I'm here to guard you, Master. You gave me so much money, I wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't do something for you... My mother said, you should repay kindness…”

　　

The shadow guard nodded in agreement, “Master, I can testify. Hei Zi was dozing by the window the whole time, she definitely didn't climb into your bed.”

He Xu glanced at me, looking unconvinced, “Hei Zi, go back now. I'll give you a reward tomorrow.”

Hearing about the reward, I wasn't afraid anymore and happily walked out. As I reached the gate, I heard He Xu quietly instructing the shadow guard.

“Be more alert in the future, don't let Hei Zi into the courtyard at night. You saw it yourself. She's different from those other girls. If she climbs into bed, the two of us together might not be able to beat her…”

“Master, Hei Zi wouldn't do that.”

“Hard to say. With my looks, it's normal for her to lose control. Be careful. Also, flay the assassin and throw him to the Taiwei Mansion.”

“Yes.”

10

　　

The next day, He Xu gave me two taels of silver as a reward, and he was more polite than usual.

But for some reason, in the middle of summer, he was wearing a mink collar around his neck…

Of course, I understand that Masters have their quirks.

I held the silver and ran to find Guard Sun. He happened to be coming out of the latrine, looking a little pale.

“Brother Sun, what's wrong with you?”

Seeing me, Guard Sun walked over, clutching his bottom, and said with difficulty.

“Miss Hei, may I ask, did the master eat your beef jerky?”

I shook my head, “No, that was for Black Eagle. The master said it was getting too much heat and needed to cool down.”

Guard Sun's face stiffened, “Oh… I see. Miss Hei, thank you for the beef jerky.”

“You're welcome, Brother Sun. Black Eagle couldn't eat that much, do you want some? I still have some left.”

　　

“No, no, no need. If no one eats it, just throw it away, don't give it to anyone else.”

I said “Oh” without understanding, and handed the wrapped silver to Guard Sun.

“Um, the master gave me two taels of silver today, and I want to ask you to help send it back to my village, okay?”

Guard Sun looked at the paper packet, hesitating to speak, “Didn't you just give it to him? Why give it away? Can't you keep it to yourself?”

“No, no, I have no use for money here in the manor. Brother Cui is different, he needs money for studying, eating, and preparing for the exam. Please help me, I'll make you something else delicious next time.”

Guard Sun's stomach started rumbling again. He didn't have time to say more, took the silver and ran back to the latrine.

“Hey, Brother Sun, slow down when you take off your pants, don't drop the silver into the pit…”

11

　　

Summer passed, autumn came, and then winter arrived.

After several months together, He Xu and I had become very familiar, even his Black Eagle knew to come to me when it was hungry.

On the Winter Solstice, I was serving the master dumplings when the guards suddenly came looking for me.

“Miss Hei, there's a man outside looking for you, saying he's your distant cousin.”

Huh???

I don't have any distant cousins?

I followed the guards to the gate and saw a thinly clad man standing at the entrance, looking around from afar.

Upon closer inspection, it was Brother Cui.

“Brother Cui, why are you here?”

Brother Cui's face was much thinner. 

Seeing me, he wiped away tears, aggrieved.

“Xin Xi, you don't know, to find you, I suffered so much hardship along the way, even the soles of my shoes are worn out.”

I looked down, and indeed, there was a large hole worn in his shoes, and his exposed toes were red and swollen from the cold. My heart ached, and I started to cry.

　　

“Brother Cui, why did you just come without saying anything? It's such a long way, and it's about to snow. What if you catch a cold?”

Brother Cui wiped his tears and pointed to a carriage behind him, “I walked for a while at first, I was afraid you'd worry about me, so I didn't continue. I rented a carriage, five taels of silver, you give the money to the driver.”

Five taels?

“I... I don't have any money, I sent all the money to you…”

Brother Cui was stunned and pulled me to a corner.

“Then what do we do? I rented the carriage all for you. This is the capital city, you're the only relative I have, you can't ignore me.

Isn't that Shangshu treating you well? I heard from his guards that he lets you serve him closely. He's so rich, he would give you more than this with a flick of his wrist, right? You're not unwilling to give me any, are you?”

Brother Cui became more and more agitated, his tone becoming sharper, “Xin Xi, don't forget, it was I who showed you the way, that's why you're where you are today. Don't be ungrateful!”

I'm most afraid of Brother Cui getting angry, so I quickly grabbed his sleeve and explained.

“It's not like that, I really sent all the money to you. But don't worry, I'll ask the master for some more, just wait a moment.”

Brother Cui's expression improved slightly, “Hurry, hurry, I'll wait for you.”

12

　　

“Ma... Master…”

He Xu, who had just finished eating and was currently tending to the eagle, didn't turn his head.

“Did you cut your tongue?”

“No, I just wanted to ask if you could give me another five taels of silver?”

“Reason.”

I told him about Brother Cui coming to the Capital, but since it was about asking for money, I felt a bit guilty and lowered my head, speaking softly.

“I know the twenty taels you gave last time has just been settled, but you know I'm strong. I can do more work!

I can chop firewood, do laundry, sweep the courtyard, and clean the latrine in the back yard! I can do all of that! No need for extra pay!”

He Xu propped his head up and looked at me, his tone indifferent, “Is that enough?”

“If you think it's not enough, I can... I can guard the night too! I can do the shadow guard's work as well!”

　　

A hint of amusement flickered in He Xu's eyes, “I asked if five taels is enough. The carriage fare is five taels, won't he need to stay somewhere? What about food and lodging?”

Unexpectedly, He Xu was so easy to talk to. I lowered my head, my eyes reddening, and tears began to fall.

“Master... you're such a good person... I've never met anyone kinder to me in my whole life…”

“Alright, stop flattering me. Go to the accountant and get fifty taels. You'll still only serve me, just consider it an advance payment. Oh, the rest doesn't matter, just remember one thing, absolutely don't climb into my bed!”

I looked at He Xu gratefully, uncontrollably taking two steps forward.

He Xu, thinking I was going to hug him, instinctively half-bent his body.

　　

As he stood up, I suddenly knelt down and kowtowed three times.

“Master, I swear, I will serve you like my own father from now on, Father, let me kowtow to you a few times…”

“Get lost!” (T/N: Hahahaha! Father! 🤭)

13

　　

“Is this from the Shangshu?”

Guard Sun, who was on duty outside the manor, touched his sword and glared at Brother Cui with a hostile expression.

Brother Cui was a little scared, so he pulled me closer to the carriage.

“The master is a good man. Use this money to rent a house. Now that you're here, study hard and settle down.”

Brother Cui held the money, turning it over and over in his hands, and even put it in his mouth to bite it, overwhelmed with excitement.

“Xin Xi, I really didn't expect you to be so capable. What kind of person is that Shangshu, to treat you so well. Now that we have such a powerful connection, we'll have someone to rely on in the capital. Did you tell him about my exam?”

I said blankly, “Yes, I did. What's wrong?”

“That's great! If he really values you, he will surely help me. That way, passing the autumn examination will be much easier!”

　　

Thinking of those who asked He Xu for favors, they often offered tens of thousands of taels, I quickly shook my head.

“Brother Cui, the master is a good person, but he charges a lot. We don't have the money to pay him, he won't help you!”

Brother Cui suddenly used his fingers to rub my hand back and forth, winking and saying.

“That's for others, you're right beside him. As long as you're willing to serve him well, to make him comfortable, how could he be unwilling to give you some benefits?”

Seeing that I still didn't agree, Brother Cui didn't say anything more, just put the money away.

“Xin Xi, you've been out for a while, go serve the master. I'll go find a house. We can talk later.”

Thinking about Brother Cui's first time in the capital, I was a little worried.

“You're not familiar with this city, why don't I take you…”

　　

Brother Cui's face looked a little unnatural. He waved to me and quickly got into the carriage.

“No need, I can manage myself. Go back.”

Watching the carriage drive further and further away, I felt a little happy. In this huge capital city, I finally have a relative.  

I feel more energetic about my work.

14

　　

Brother Cui rented a small courtyard house in the city.

It wasn't big, but it was enough to live in.

He Xu was used to being served by me and didn't like others to get close.

So I rarely went out, only able to talk to him for a few minutes when I went out to buy groceries.

Brother Cui seemed very interested in He Xu and always asked me about He Xu's hobbies and temperament.

I thought he was grateful to the master, so I told him everything, and also encouraged him to study hard and repay the master's kindness in the future.

Brother Cui was a grateful person. He smiled and agreed, and even wrote a letter for me to give to the master.

“What is this?”

I know some characters, I can read simple words, but not complex ones.

　　

“Xin Xi, the master is so good to you, I should thank him. Give him this letter, he will understand my meaning.”

I nodded and gave the letter to He Xu during dinner.

He Xu opened the letter, glanced at it twice, then put it down without saying anything more.

Previous Chapter | Table of Contents | Next Chapter