Lan Yue woke to the sound of arguing.
She sat up quickly, blinking away the fog of sleep. Pale morning light filtered through the paper windows of the small servant's room she shared with Liu Ruyan and Chen Mei.
The voices were coming from outside.
"...absolutely unacceptable! The Master has summoned her!"
"The Young Miss is still recovering. She cannot..."
"Does she think she can ignore the Master's orders?!"
Lan Yue threw on her outer robe and rushed outside.
In the courtyard stood a group of servants from the main household. At the front was a middle-aged woman with a sharp face and cold eyes. She wore the uniform of a senior servant, and the jade token at her waist marked her as someone with authority.
Liu Ruyan stood between her and the main house, arms spread wide, her face pale but determined.
"Steward Fang, please!" Liu Ruyan pleaded. "The Young Miss was poisoned just last night. Her meridians are still unstable. If she's forced to move now..."
