That night, Hai Yue fell ill.
She couldn't go to give the old lady a meridian massage.
The old lady, who had long been accustomed to the meridian massages, indeed felt uncomfortable all over.
She sent someone to express her sympathy for Hai Yue and even summoned a doctor.
However, a doctor is not omnipotent; some ailments are difficult to diagnose, and when the patient complains of discomfort, the doctor naturally goes along with what they say and then prescribes some medicines to finish the task.
After all, doctors never take treating maids seriously.
In any case, it appeared to others that Hai Yue was truly sick and couldn't go to give the old lady a massage.
The old lady, whose insomnia symptoms had been cured, found herself unable to sleep well again that night.
This indeed alarmed the Princely Heir.
When Pei Ji'an returned to the mansion, he heard people saying that the old lady hadn't slept well the previous night and that her spirits were low today.
"Weren't the insomnia symptoms already cured? How did they recur, and what does the doctor say?"
As the servant ran alongside, he recounted that the old lady had grown accustomed to Hai Yue's massages.
"Hai Yue fell ill, and without her massages, the old lady became like this."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji'an slowed down slightly.
He had always heard that one can't do without a doctor when sick, but had never known anyone who couldn't do without a masseuse for body aches and pains.
After all, having practiced martial arts since childhood, he knew well that as long as one is well-versed in meridians and acupuncture points, combined with proper strength, with enough practice, no one would be irreplaceable in massages.
The servant, seeing his master pause, took the opportunity to add, "The old lady now wants Haitang to come over and says she wants her to prepare some medicine."
Hear this, Pei Ji'an frowned; medicine is not to be overly relied upon, as it can be harmful.
Meanwhile, lying in bed, Hai Yue, hearing someone had come to fetch Haitang, subconsciously felt anxious. If the merits she painstakingly accumulated were undone by Haitang, her whole scheme would be in vain.
She tried to "struggle" to get up but lay back down halfway.
She was over-worried; even if Haitang could cure the old lady's insomnia, she wouldn't be able to relieve the old lady's body aches and pains, which could only be alleviated through massages to promote meridian flow.
If she held out for just two or three more days, the old lady would undoubtedly feel uncomfortable. Then when she continued her massages, everyone would realize her importance.
Hai Yue calculated her plan well in her mind.
Thinking thus, she felt much more at ease—let them go; no one can replace her position, Hai Yue coldly laughed.
Massages are beneficial to the body and can be relied upon long-term, but medicine is different; it has its dangers. Even if Haitang wanted to use medicine to make the old lady reliant on her as before, the Princely Heir likely wouldn't agree.
Many in the mansion were eager to please the old lady, and some always tried to achieve their goals through unorthodox means.
The Princely Heir was wise; previously, he couldn't promptly detect Haitang's dubious intentions due to time constraints. But now, having been here longer, he would certainly perceive it.
Let Haitang bear this misfortune so the Princely Heir can properly reprimand her, making her clearly understand what should be done in the future and that what doesn't belong to her cannot be seized.
Thus, when Qu Fulan arrived in the old lady's room, she was surprised to find the Heir Pei also there.
The distinguished young man stood there, a figure that could not be ignored.
Without much thought, she went forward and paid her respects.
The old lady must not have slept well last night, judging by her very haggard complexion now.
"You have always been in charge of the old lady's sleep care, so first check her pulse to see what's going on," Pei Ji'an decisively instructed.
Qu Fulan complied and went to check the old lady's pulse, discovering it was disordered, with an irregular heartbeat due to poor rest.
Younger people not resting well can lead to hormonal imbalances, not to mention the elderly?
She reported the reality truthfully.
"Is there a solution?" Pei Ji'an asked.
"We need to prescribe a dose of medicine for the old lady," Qu Fulan replied.
Pei Ji'an seemed displeased, "Medicine is harmful in part; is there no other method?"
This remark was rather cold, making even Hua Hao and Yueyuan shiver inside.
Qu Fulan steadied her mind, lowered her head, and replied gently.
"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. If it were under normal circumstances, reliance on Sister Hai Yue's massage would surely solve the problem. However, the current situation, where the old lady has already experienced a night of insomnia causing internal meridian chaos, even someone extremely proficient in meridians wouldn't be helpful. Therefore, the primary issue is to let the old lady rest soundly first for her internal meridians to stabilize, after which reliance on massages will suffice, with no need to depend on medicine long-term."
Once she finished, her reasoning was sound enough that even the doctor beside her nodded in agreement.
Indeed, when a person isn't sleeping well, talking about health maintenance becomes misplaced priorities.
Pei Ji'an no longer looked at Haitang as coldly as before.
Actually, before she arrived, he had already, based on his understanding of human meridians, given his grandmother a brief massage, but it hadn't been effective, which is why he had no choice but to call Haitang.
"In that case, you may go ahead and prepare the medicine for the old lady."
Thus, Qu Fulan prepared a decoction for the old lady according to the previous prescription.
Hai Yue learned of the whole course of events from the mouths of two other maids, hearing that initially, the Heir had disagreed with continuing medicine for the old lady, but Haitang had said that just one dosage would do, without dependency, continuing afterward with massages.
Hai Yue felt she had overestimated Haitang before; genuinely smart people wouldn't make their words too perfect, for in the end, being slapped in the face and suffering losses on one's account.
Wait another two days, Hai Yue thought; as long as the old lady goes without her massages for even a day and cannot sleep, Haitang would need to keep prescribing medicine for the old lady, and the Heir certainly wouldn't be pleased. By then, how would Haitang explain herself?
Meanwhile, while Qu Fulan was preparing the medicine for the old lady, she pondered on the Heir's attitude.
The Heir Pei was not usually stern, often speaking with a smile to others, and those unfamiliar might assume he was easygoing. But Qu Fulan knew he wasn't as easy as he appeared.
Qu Fulan didn't want dealings with such people, as they could ruin things easily.
And the Heir Pei was also someone who valued talent, rewarding accomplishments and making one wish for death if they mess things up.
So, here came the problem.
Why would such a clear-cut person like the Heir Pei give her such precious earrings?
What exactly was the motive?
Qu Fulan couldn't understand.
This truly was an eternal enigma.
Unable to fathom it, she thought it best not to dwell, proceeding honestly to prepare the medicine for the old lady.
After taking the medicine, the old lady slept for a few hours and indeed felt much better upon waking.
However, come evening, she still required massages to assist her sleeping.
This time, it was unknown who temporarily replaced Hai Yue.
Just as Qu Fulan was about to sleep, someone arrived outside.
"Haitang, the Heir calls for you to attend to the old lady."
Qu Fulan: Why is it her again?
Had she accidentally revealed her disinterest in being a maid, and thus was the Heir testing her?