Leaving Hong Yan’s room, Yu Yi turned back halfway. Near the small courtyard, she saw Hong Yan’s maidservant Cui’er guarding the gate, knowing she was watching for signals while Hong Yan altered the accounts inside.
If she approached now, Cui’er would alert Hong Yan, who would hide the account books.
Yu Yi pulled the window frame, estimating it could bear her weight. After a moment’s hesitation, she gripped the frame, stepped onto the window sill, and propelled herself over.
The accompanying maidservants stood dumbfounded, watching their usually dignified mistress climb over the wall using the decorative window frame.
Even so, Yu Yi was sweating when climbing the wall, not entirely due to the heat. When she finally stood steadily in the small courtyard, her nervous mood gradually calmed. She took a deep breath, brushed off the dust from her skirt, straightened her clothes, and walked towards the house.
Cui’er was guarding outside the courtyard, and another maidservant was serving inside. At this moment, the courtyard was empty, and Yu Yi went directly into the room.
Hong Yan was buried in copying documents. Noticing a shadow moving in the doorway, she looked up, about to scold Cui’er for not guarding outside. When she saw Yu Yi enter, her eyes widened.
She was quick-witted and tried to cover things up, forcing out a smile: “Why has madam returned so suddenly? Hong Yan just found the account books and noticed they were written too messily, so I wanted to recopy them to make it easier for madam to read.”
Yu Yi smiled: “Madam Zhou is thoughtful. You are in a delicate condition and shouldn’t work so hard. Just give me the account books, and I will handle them.”
“It’s not hard, as it should be,” Hong Yan hurriedly shook her head.
Yu Yi collected all the old account books: “Madam Zhou, the key.”
Hong Yan’s face turned pale as she handed over the key, glaring at Yu Yi’s back.
Yu Yi returned to the main hall, had some water, and then began checking the accounts.
Liu Zhengyu saw the problematic accounts and was furious, wanting to teach Hong Yan a lesson.
Yu Yi advised: “Master, don’t be hasty. Although Madam Zhou has done wrong, she is pregnant.”
