The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 52: Not Interested in Managing the Household (1)

Yun Qianyue slept soundly for two whole days and nights, and finally woke up, roused by hunger.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Cailian and two young maids, along with a mama, all standing by her bed, looking at her with concern. Upon seeing her awake, they all showed signs of joy, almost in tears. Cailian rushed forward and hugged her tightly, excitedly saying, "Miss, you scared me to death! You finally woke up!"

"What's going on with everyone? What happened?" Yun Qianyue looked at Cailian, then at the others in the room. The scene made it seem like she had come back from the dead. It was just a sleep, after all! But what a comfortable sleep it had been! After years of busyness, it felt like she had finally gotten some well-deserved rest.

"You still have the nerve to ask! You slept for too long—two whole days and nights! It scared me so much that I wanted to find the old lord. Just as I left Qianyue Pavilion, I ran into the Young Master. He came to see you and said you were just in a deep sleep, so I finally relaxed," Cailian let go of Yun Qianyue, still pouting at her. "Miss, you really can sleep!"

"Young Master? Which Young Master?" Yun Qianyue's mind was still a bit foggy.

"Miss, have you really slept that muddled? Who else could it be but our Young Master? Do you think it's Young Master Jing? He hasn't been to the residence these past two days," Cailian replied immediately.

"Oh, it's my brother!" Yun Qianyue realized.

"Yes, it's your brother," Cailian replied with a smile.

"He's my biological brother?" Yun Qianyue frowned, recalling that she had only met her brother once in the palace, when he had spoken a word for her. Since returning home, she hadn't seen him again.

"Oh my, Miss, you really must be confused from sleeping! The Young Master is the biological son of the Princess, and so are you! He's three years older than you, now eighteen, while you're fifteen. The Princess passed away two years after giving birth to you. He is your only close relative aside from Old Prince and the Prince! How could he not be your brother?" Cailian reached out to touch Yun Qianyue's head, her eyes filled with concern. Was it possible she really had lost her senses from sleeping?

So he was indeed her biological brother! And he was only eighteen, while her body was fifteen...

Yun Qianyue thought to herself that she was quite lucky, feeling younger by the day. Pushing Cailian's hand away, she pouted, "I know he's my brother, but what kind of brother doesn't even come to see his younger sister when she's in trouble? How many brothers like that are there?"

Cailian fell silent at once.

Mama Zhao couldn't help but interject, "Miss, don't blame the Young Master for being distant. He suffered a great disaster ten years ago and fell into a coma for three months after being rescued. After waking up, he has been indifferent to everyone, even to Old Prince and the Prince. At that time, they kept this from you, who were only five, so you didn't know and thought the Young Master didn't like you."

"So that's how it is," Yun Qianyue said with a sigh, reflecting on how significant that disaster must have been for him to remain unconscious for three months. Her moment of sentimentality appeared as sorrow in the eyes of the three around her.

Mama Zhao secretly scolded herself for speaking too much and quickly remedied it, saying, "But over the years, even though the Young Master is indifferent to everyone, he has still taken good care of you in secret. He has helped you avoid many hidden dangers in the household. It's just that you are too stubborn, always clinging to the Crown Prince, making it hard for the Young Master to get closer to you."

Yun Qianyue thought that perhaps the owner of this body had clung to Ye Tianqing, leaving no room for her brother. Since her brother hadn't grown close to her, she certainly wouldn't take the initiative. One thing led to another, and they naturally grew distant. She nodded, "It was my fault; he didn't get close to me, so I should get close to him instead."

"Exactly! The Young Master is actually quite nice. Yesterday, when he heard about your situation, he came without hesitation and checked your pulse. When he found out you were just in a deep sleep, he left," Cailian chimed in.

Upon hearing this, Yun Qianyue immediately pressed her wrist and asked anxiously, "He checked my pulse? Did he say anything else?"

"He just said you have been suffering from long-term insomnia, leading to a deficiency in both qi and blood, and that you should supplement yourself more. He didn't mention anything else," Cailian shook her head.

Yun Qianyue let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't allowed the Fourth Prince to summon the doctor that day in the palace, and now it seemed her brother understood medicine. She checked her own pulse and found everything normal except for a general weakness. He probably wouldn't be able to discern that she had changed identities. Unless he was some kind of sorcerer who could see through it, which she thought was highly unlikely. She figured she wouldn't be that unlucky. If he had discovered anything, she surely wouldn't be able to stay here peacefully now. With that thought, she finally felt at ease, just as her stomach grumbled in response.

"I knew you were hungry! Quickly get up, wash up, and have something to eat! Mama Zhao has been preparing meals for you the whole time," Cailian said with a smile.

"Yes, I'll go to the kitchen to get the dishes for you right now," Mama Zhao also said, smiling as she went.

"We'll go with Mama Zhao to help get the dishes for you!" Tingyu and Tingshui chimed in cheerfully.

Yun Qianyue felt a bit embarrassed but dismissed it, thinking about eating and drinking—it was a normal human need. After being assisted by Cailian in changing clothes and freshening up, she sat at the table, where Mama Zhao and the two younger maids had already brought the dishes. She immediately picked up her chopsticks and began to eat voraciously.

Her table manners were quite uncouth, and in just a short while, half of the dishes were devoured as if by a whirlwind, leaving the four of them gaping in disbelief.

"Hey, Miss, even if you didn't follow the rules of the inner chamber before, you still had a graceful demeanor when sitting, standing, and eating. How come you've become so crude now?" Cailian looked at Yun Qianyue, a pained expression on her face.

Yun Qianyue said nothing. Filling her belly was the priority. What did it matter if it was considered crude?

"If you keep this up, who will dare to marry you in the future?" Cailian remarked, having noted the improvement in Yun Qianyue's demeanor since returning from the palace.

"If no one marries me, then no one marries me. Aren't you also not marrying? Then we'll just rely on each other in the future," Yun Qianyue replied nonchalantly, snorting a couple of times. In her previous life, she had reached twenty-seven without dating anyone. It wasn't that no one pursued her; those who did would back off when they learned about her background. In this life, she was only fifteen—what was the rush? Not marrying could be just fine.

"How can I be the same as you, Miss? It's fine if I don't marry, but how can you not marry?" Cailian shot a disapproving glance at Yun Qianyue.