Chapter 14: Apology

A good night's sleep.

In the morning, the warm sunlight shone through the carved windows, filling the room with warmth.

The person in bed stretched lazily, their half-asleep eyes feeling hazy, feeling as if every bone in their body had turned to jelly.

Outside, Xi'er brought in hot water, the steaming heat causing her delicate face to appear even more misty. After placing the copper basin down, she came to draw the mosquito net and smiled, "Miss is finally awake."

Ming Wei rubbed her neck and, realizing she was in the Su residence from Xi'er's tone, casually asked, "Did I oversleep?"

Xi'er shook her head, "Not really late, it's just that the old lady's condition has greatly improved. Madam and the young ladies came to pay their respects early in the morning."

It wasn't considered late yet, and everyone had already come to pay their respects. She had overslept after all. Ming Wei quickly threw off the quilt, and Xi'er came to help her dress and freshen up.

The courtyard was small, and the room's soundproofing was poor. Just as Ming Wei finished dressing, the maidservant's voice came from outside.

Madam Su had arrived.

Inside the room, Su Shi was finishing her breakfast and rinsing her mouth when she saw Madam Su come in. Su Shi quickly put down her teacup and smiled, "I was just about to head to the main hall, why did you come here?"

Su Shi's complexion deteriorated, and she staggered a bit. Madam Su hurried over to help her sit down, saying, "You are too stubborn. With your poor health, you should not push yourself too hard. If you exhaust yourself, even if the old lady recovers, she will not be happy."

Su Shi forced a smile, "I couldn't sleep. I tend to get dizzy when I suddenly stand up harder, but resting for a while will be fine."

Madam Su sighed inwardly, knowing the suffering Su Shi had endured these days, so she tried to change the subject to something cheerful, "Ming Wei's prescription worked. The old lady's illness improved by half overnight, and she ate more this morning than she did in a whole day before."

Being able to eat was a blessing, especially when one was sick and in pain. When one could eat, the younger generation could also be a little more at ease.

After hanging by a thread for half a month, it felt as if they had been relieved with a bowl of porridge.

The Su family could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As Ming Wei entered the room, she heard this and said, "I said good things will happen to good people. I knew my grandmother would be fine, but Mother refused to believe it. Now she should believe it, right?"

Su Shi scolded Ming Wei with a glance and asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

"... Not yet."

Su Shi said, "Go have breakfast first, then come with me to pay your respects to your grandmother. After that, we will go to the Duke of Dongning's mansion to apologize to Miss Shen."

Having breakfast, paying respects, Ming Wei had no choice but to agree. But going to apologize to Miss Shen at the Duke of Dongning's mansion, she was unwilling. On the day she disappeared, she was responsible for the carriage from the Duke of Dingbei's mansion that caused Miss Shen to hit her head, but it wasn't her who was on the carriage. She had suffered at the bottom of the cliff for so long, and she couldn't even take a proper rest when she returned. Now they rushed her to apologize. Was this fair?

Seeing Ming Wei's reluctance, Madam Su said, "Wei'er has just returned, and you're being so strict with her..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Su Shi silenced her with her eyes. Ming Wei couldn't do anything. In front of the Su family, she couldn't disobey Su Shi. Besides, everyone thought it was her who was in the carriage, so it was only right for her to apologize personally.

Displaying a sulky manner, Ming Wei turned away without offering her respects.

But as she reached the folding screen, she stopped. Her maidservant wanted to speak, but she gestured her to silence with her eyes.

Inside the room, Madam Su disagreed, "Ming Wei has just recovered, and she is so obedient and sensible. Miss Shen's injury is not her fault. Why are you being so strict with her?"

Su Shi sighed, unable to bear it, "Just now, the Marquis sent me a message. The Fourth Prince and Ru'er are coming to visit the old lady. Ru'er has already married the Fourth Prince. Wei'er has conveniently forgotten about the Fourth Prince. I'm afraid that if she sees him, she might recall, and then..."

Madam Su nodded repeatedly, "It's better to avoid it."

Xi'er, listening nearby, was nervous. She was afraid that Ming Wei might rush in and refuse to go. However, Ming Wei simply rolled her eyes and left the room.

Su Shi was worried about her beloved daughter and also cared for Ming Wei and Wei Ru, so she pushed them away for their own good. Ming Wei had nothing to say, but there was a saying, "You can dodge the first, but not the fifteenth." Could she avoid seeing the Fourth Prince and Wei Ru her whole life?

Even though she had an engagement with the Fourth Prince and Wei Ru was a marriage proxy, would she still go and fight for them? She would never do something so disgraceful.

However, if she said this, no one might believe her. Ming Wei couldn't be bothered to explain. She had to make apologies, sooner or later.

After having breakfast and paying her respects, Ming Wei took Xi'er with her to the Duke of Dongning's mansion to apologize.

Because it was an apology, sincerity was essential, so she did not ask Su Li and the others to accompany her, to avoid any sense of pressure.

As they left Autumn Waters Courtyard, Ming Wei asked Xi'er as they walked, "What did the Madam say to you earlier?"

Apparently, no matter what, nothing could be hidden from the young lady. Xi'er hesitated and said, "The Madam gave me two hundred taels of silver to make amends. If it's still early when we return, she instructed me to take you out for some shopping and buy things you like."

This statement pleased Ming Wei immensely. It made the unpleasantness of apologizing vanish into thin air because she could go out and shop.

The Su residence was quite far from the Duke of Dongning's mansion. As they passed through the bustling streets, the carriage stopped and went, making Ming Wei even more uncomfortable. She felt dizzy and wished she could walk instead. Then, the voice of the carter came, "Miss, we have arrived at the Duke of Dongning's mansion."