Li Jin Qing: The one behind it all

Chapter 37

"Miss, you need to take a break. Dinner's ready."

"I'll be there in just a second."

"You said that ten minutes ago."

Jin qing sighed and put down her pen. "I need to get this done. I wasted too much time during the past week."

"Miss, you're going to make yourself sick from all the work." Ye bing let out a heavy sigh. "Your body is still recovering from both the poison and the wounds you received during the battle is still present and hasn't healed yet."

"I'll be fine. Set my food down on the side, I'll eat it when I'm done."

"Miss, you'll never be done. Please, can you just clear this away and eat something? Or take a break? You've been working for three days without stopping." Bai yan sat down next to Jin qing and massaged her tense shoulders. "Miss, you're going to get sick."

Jin qing shook her maid's hand off her shoulders and sighed. "I'll be alright, trust me. We may have won one battle, but we must not get so cocky."

Ye bing and Bai yan exchanged glances, then with their combined efforts, they managed to push a few papers away and placed a bowl in front of Jin qing.

Jin qing looked up at her maids, noticing how they weren't going to back down, then sighed. "Alright, fine."

"Miss, would you please just take a break today? You're pretty much done with all the assignments and things you have to look over. You deserve some kind of break." Bai yan said, watching her miss eat her food.

"I might go to the doctors and physicians to help with their work." Jin qing answered "With the upcoming war, there will never be enough medicine and such to treat the men on the battlefield.  Not to mention making poisons, antidotes, and-"

"No. Miss." Ye bing shook her head "I apologize for interrupting, but can you please do something that relaxes you? Miss, you're under a lot of stress right now, and it'll help you a great deal if you did something more calming."

"Miss, it's not a sin for you to be relaxed and rested." Bai yan reminded her. "You can walk around, visit the town, do some sewing, you know, whatever."

"I don't have the time to relax. We're in the middle of a war, there is no time for someone like me to take a break."

Ye bing and Bai yan exchanged looks and mumble a few words too softly for Jin qing to make out the words.

"What are you two whispering about?" Jin qing asked, not looking up from her food.

"Trying to figure out the best way to convince you to take a rest." Ye bing answered.

"Well, you two can give up."

"We're not." Bai yan said with determination. "We know you're trying to focus on your work by you also need to rest."

Jiaqing didn't answer them anymore and continued to eat her food. Even if she did reply to them, they wouldn't listen to her and they'll just end up repeating over and over what they were saying.

Someone knocked on the door, and Jin qing looked up from her food.
Who can that be?

Shang ye carefully walked in, a box in his hand. "Good afternoon, Jin qing."

"Good afternoon, Shang ye." She answered simply, looking back down at her food.

"I heard... I heard that you have been shutting yourself in your room for the past few days."

"Yes. I have work to do."

Shang ye sat down in front of her, staring into her eyes as if he was trying to spot some sort of difference. "I know you have work but sitting in your room for three days straight isn't normal."