18 BEHIND THE SMILE

Meng De tried listening to Genera Cao De and Bian's conversation in the court yard but he couldn't hear anything. He paced back and forth in front of his manor jealous of General Cao De's interaction with Bian. Meng De was even more jealous seeing that Bian can smile to another man, but not to him. "Meng De," Mother Yan called. "Yes," he turned to face his mother. "What are you doing walking back and forth?" she asked in concern of his actions. "To help with digestion," Meng De lied. "Yes," Mother Yan nodded trying to understand how walking can help, "I want to visit the Empress after the wedding, please send a message for me," Mother Yan requested. "I will do it," Meng De said. "Thank you," Mother Yan said being grateful to her son running her errands.

"Prime Minister Cao Song is returning in the afternoon," a consort informed. Everyone sighs. During his stay, most consorts and servants are in their best behavior. "Let us go to the market," a consort suggested since they were out of ingredients. Bian smiled, she haven't gone to the market with them in a long time. "I want to," another consort said. "Me," the other consorts said. "I want to go," Bian said excitedly with them. "I will go tell Mother Yan and General Meng De," a consort said. Bian remember that she had to ask Meng De about their exchange, she stopped the consort, "I can do it," Bian said.

Bian knocked on Meng De's door. "Come in," Meng De said after folding a paper and gave it to Servant Bo. Bian walks in like a consort. Meng De smiled inside seeing her. "Send the message to the Empress," Meng De told Servant Bo. Servant Bo nodded and walked out the room. "What is it?" Meng De asked seeing Bian standing there with her head lowered. Bian cleared her throat. "Minister Cao Song is leaving this afternoon," Bian said. "I know," Meng De said standing up to walk to Bian. Bian can hear his footsteps closer to her and looked up to see Meng De looking at her. "What about our agreement?" Bian asked. Meng De shrugged, "I have not talk to father about it," he said since they had been busy with other things. Bian slightly frown and nodded. "Why are you frowning when you are with me?" Meng De asked upset of how he cannot make Bian smile. Bian shook her head, "I dare not frown in front of you General Cao Cao," she said quickly fixing her facial expression. "Then give me a smile," Meng De said. Bian looked at him finding his real intentions. She couldn't smile, she wasn't happy with him. "My smile is not worthy of you," Bian lied lowering her head in fear.

Meng De nodded and turned away to point at his books, "pick out any books you want to read," he said. Bian looked at the books, spotting new ones that she know she is interested in. A small smile formed on the side of Bian's lips. Although, without seeing it, Meng De walk to his tea table to sit down and drink some tea, "I know you are not tending Lady Ding so you have nothing to do, reading books can help you kill time," Meng De said.

"General Meng De!" a consort called running in the manor. "What is it?" Meng De asked wondering why the consort was such in a rush. "Lady Guo has fallen sick," the consort said. Meng De quickly got up from his tea table and rush out the manor. Bian followed trying to catch up with Meng De's fast strides. Meng De and Bian reaches Lady Ding's manor to see everyone surrounded the bed. "What happened?" he asked as he reaches the small body of Lady Guo sleeping on the bed. "I do not know," Lady Ding sobbed in Meng De's arms as he come to hug her. "Call the physician," Meng De told one of the consorts. "The physician is on his way," the consort responded. Meng De felt Lady Guo's forehead to feel her temperature high. "Her temperature is high," he said informing the consorts.

Mother Yan and Cao Song entered the manor, "how is little Lady Guo?" they asked. Bian quickly left to the bath room to get a cold bowl of water and a towel. Bian returned and the consorts helped her as they followed her to Lady Guo to wipe her body. "Yes, wipe her body down," Mother Yan said noticing what Bian and the consorts are going to do. Meng De and Lady Ding moved out of the way for Bian and the consorts to do their job. Bian took off Lady Guo's clothes and wet the towel in the cold water. She squeezed the excess water out and started wiping Lady Guo's body.

"The physician is here," a servant led the family physician into the manor. "Please check little Lady Guo," Cao Song told the family physician. Everyone moved away from Lady Guo as the physician checked on her. The physician felt her temperature through her forehead, under her arms, and her wrist for any other symptoms. "This young child is dehydrated, it may have been from the heat," the physician told them, "she has a fever." "Fever?" Lady Ding said almost fainting. The consort helped Lady Ding to sit her down by the tea table before she faints. "What can you do to help Lady Guo?" Cao Song asked the physician. "I am sorry, Minister Cao Song, there is no medicine for children's fever," the physician said. "Is there anything to help?" Mother Yan asked in concerned. "A child's fever will go away if she is taken care of," the physician said and looked at Bian, "wiping the child to lower her hot temperature will help." Meng De looked at Bian and Bian looked at him, Bian can see the worry expression hidden behind his serious mask. "Thank you," Meng De said as he waved at the servant to take the physician back. "I can walk you out," Cao Song said walking the physician out of the manor.

"Where are the consorts?" Meng De angrily asked for the 2 consorts that care for Lady Guo and Lady Mei. Bian sees the consort gossiping about receiving the blame from Lady Ding from last night walking up to Meng De with another consort. "Servant Bo," Meng De said firmly, "prepare for 10 whips each and no food until Lady Guo is awake fully and healthy." "Please spare us," both consorts cried. Bian handed the towel and the bowl to another consort, who is shaking of Meng De's orders for the punished consorts. "Please continue," Bian mouth to the consort to continue wiping Lady Guo's body to lower her body temperature. "Mother, please take care of Lady Ding and little Lady Guo," Meng De told his mother and walked out the manor. The servants followed while pulling along the pleading consorts. Mother Yan nodded and walked towards Lady Ding. Lady Ding sobbed not knowing what to do. "She will be fine," Mother Yan comforted Lady Ding, "get the mint," Mother Yan told the consort to get the mint for Lady Ding since she felt like fainting.

Bian followed them outside. "Please spare us!" both consorts cried being pulled to get their punishment. The consort from last night saw Bian and dropped to the ground in front of Bian, "Consort Bian, please help me," she begged Bian. Bian shook in fear not knowing what to do. The consort knew Bian can find justice for her. Meng De heard the consort begging Bian and got even more mad, "would you like to be whipped too?" he asked the servant who were supposed to bring the consort begging Bian. The servant shook his head. "Then quickly bring them to their post," Meng De voice raised. The servant quickly pulled the consort away from Bian's legs. "Please spare us," the consorts cried their way to their post. "General Cao Cao," Bian called. Meng De looked at Bian with anger. Bian gulped as the words stuck in her throat. "Consort Bian, know your place," Meng De said and left. Bian stood there in fear. Who wasn't afraid of Meng De in this household.

Bian can hear the cries from the court yard. Most of the consorts and servants stood in the consort's hall waiting for the return of their people. "It is because of Lady Ding," one of the consort said. Bian looked at her to see that she was the consort from last night knowing the problem. "Watch what you say," the servants and consorts told her. "It is true," the consort rebelled and looked at Bian. "Consort Bian, you heard what had happened," the consort teared up looking at Bian, "why are you not saying anything?" Bian felt even more worse. She had always been in a great relationship with everyone and now they are blaming her. Also, she cannot take any sides, Lady Ding was her savior and these consorts were her people. Bian closed her eyes trying to control her emotions. The whips and cries from the court yard is already haunting her reminding her of her past.

After the whips and blood running down the consorts back, Meng De waved for Servant Bo to stop. "Do not feed them until Lady Guo is awake and healthy," Meng De ordered. Everyone bowed their head to follow his order. Meng De walked back to Lady Ding's manor. Cao Song, who had watched what happened, waved at the servants, "take them back to the consort's hall," he said. The servants nodded and helped the 2 consorts to return to the consort's hall.

Most of the servants and consorts received the 2 consorts who were just heavily punished. "Boil some hot water," one consort told another consort. They went to care for them as they used to do for Bian when she was punished. Bian was reminded of her medicine cream and took it out to help them. After wiping the blood away from their backs using the hot water, the consorts were laid into their beds face down. Some wounds were red and some were open, seeing their flesh. While the consorts put the medicine on their open wounds, Bian used her medicine cream on their red wounds. "What is that?" a consort asked Bian. "It is a medicine cream," she said applying it on the wounds.

"Consort Bian," Servant Bo knocked on the door. Bian handed the medicine cream to one of the consorts, "here," she said. Bian walked out the door closing it behind her since it was only the ladies treated the 2 consorts. "Prime Minister Cao Song wants your presence," Servant Bo told Bian. Bian nodded and followed Servant Bo to the living. In there, sat Cao Song and Mother Yan. "Come sit," Cao Song commanded Bian. Bian nodded and followed the order. "Yes," Bian said. "Consort Bian, I am calling you here because I will be leaving now," Cao Song said, "I have already sent messages out to our guests to attend the wedding, with anything else, Mother Yan will take care of it." Bian slightly nodded and in confusion not sure if Meng De have already talk to Cao Song about their agreement. "After the wedding, Meng De will have to immediately return to the palace for work," Cao Song said. "Yes," Mother Yan said, "I will also prepare his things for him." "Good," Cao Song and sipped his tea. He got up and waved at his servants as they followed him out of the manor.