Four Seasons Brocade – CH 125

Chapter 125 ☆、

Mei-Ying, standing out like a crane among chickens, led the way, followed by four maids with their heads bowed. Zi-Shan thought to herself, “This entourage is no less impressive than my own young lady’s. Anyone who did not know better would think she was the Princess Qi.”

Zi-Shan regretted not bringing a maid with her; it made her look shabby. Looking ahead, all the maids who saw Mei-Ying stopped and bowed to her. Zi-Shan had received this treatment before, but that was back in the Rong Mansion.

When Zi-Shan and Mei-Ying passed each other, neither paid any attention. Zi-Shan certainly would not stop to bow. Mei-Ying’s neck was held as proudly as a swan’s, and she only spoke up when Zi-Shan had taken a step past, “Um, you…”

The maid standing behind Mei-Ying whispered, “Sister Ying, this is Zi-Shan, from the Princess’s side.”

“Please tell the Princess that the Prince will not be returning to Yulan Hall tonight,” Mei-Ying said, her tone tinged with barely concealed schadenfreude.

Zi-Shan paused, watching Mei-Ying’s retreating figure, and thought fiercely, “What are you so happy about? Do you think the Prince will just go to your room if he does not return to Yulan Hall?”

This was just a minor incident for Zi-Shan. She went to the outer courtyard but could not find Wu Hanyong, so she had his errand boy relay the message. When Zi-Shan entered the hanging flower gate and was about to return to Yulan Hall, she walked a little too quickly and did not notice someone approaching from the side corridor. The two bumped into each other.

Zi-Shan then heard someone shout, “Can you not watch where you are going? You bumped into our concubine! Kneel right now!”

Only then did Zi-Shan see clearly that the person she had bumped into was He Peizhen. He Peizhen was now clutching her waist, looking pained, as if the collision had been very serious.

Zi-Shan was shrewd enough to know that she was in the wrong, even if she was extremely unwilling. But given the other woman’s status, she had no choice but to kneel.

“Oh, who is it? It’s Sister Zi-Shan from the Princess’s side! Even a dog by the Princess’s side is treated with respect, and she dares to offend even our concubine!” The maid who had spoken earlier started babbling again.

Zi-Shan glared at her. Although she could not do anything to Lady He, she would not tolerate such disrespect from a mere maid.

“Concubine, look, this Zi-Shan bumped into you and dares to glare at us! Is there even a place for us in this mansion?” the maid added fuel to the fire.

He Peizhen did not even look at Zi-Shan, only saying, “The Prince dotes on his Princess, and now he’s spoiled this little maid so much that she does not know her place and dares to insult me.”

Zi-Shan did not understand why He Peizhen was suddenly speaking like this, but she heard the maid Zhuyun say, “Miss Ying, you come and judge! This Zi-Shan deliberately bumped into our concubine, not only refusing to admit her mistake but also glaring at us. Our concubine cannot stay in this mansion anymore. She’s a girl from a good family, after all, and we cannot let this lowly brat insult her.”

“This servant did not deliberately bump into the concubine; I just did not see it for a moment.” Zi-Shan could not admit to bumping into He Peizhen, no matter what; otherwise, her mistress would be implicated. But she never expected that this Lady He would be so shameless. She herself was incompetent, yet she still tried to harm a maid like her. It was a wonder she thought so highly of her.

“Who said you did not? You did it on purpose. Miss Ying, you must have seen it over there, right?” Zhuyun said.

“Yes,” Mei-Ying said. “Although she’s become arrogant and ignorant, she’s the Princess’s head maid, more influential than any of us. Let the Princess handle her.”

He Peizhen smiled coldly. “Heh, her mistress is protecting her, is she not? Besides, Nanny Hao is in charge of everything in this mansion. Take her to Hongyao Villa and hand her over to Nanny Cai. Just say I said she will give her thirty lashes.”

Who was Nanny Cai? Nanny Cai was like Nanny Gong of Yulan Hall, in charge of disciplining servants. Which maid in this mansion was not afraid of her? Falling into her hands, she’d be lucky to escape with her life.

Zi-Shan had naturally heard of Nanny Cai’s formidable reputation. Seeing that other maids outside had witnessed the scene, she tried to run but was held back by Lady He and Mei-Ying’s people. They were determined not to allow anyone to rescue Zi-Shan. Zi-Shan, with her unyielding spirit, had never suffered such injustice in all her years as a head maid. Now, unable to escape, she decided to disregard their feelings and stood up abruptly. “This servant is not convinced! This servant was walking too fast and did not intentionally bump into Lady He. Even if I am guilty, I do not deserve the Lady He’s thirty strokes of the cane. Why is Lady He punishing me? Why is Miss Mei-Ying lying through her teeth? It’s all just jealousy of the Princess, and she’s taking it out on me!”

Zi-Shan, having put herself in a desperate situation, raised her voice, revealing their true intentions, hoping to make He Peizhen and Mei-Ying wary. Of course, neither of these groups expected Zi-Shan to be such a shameless and fearless person.

“What? You say I am lying through my teeth? Does that mean if you do something wrong, everyone will tell you it’s all lies? You are even worse than a robber!” Mei-Ying naturally denied it.

Just then, someone else arrived at the end of the corridor. Zi-Shan recognized her immediately—it was Nanny Lu.

“Oh, what’s going on?” Nanny Lu asked.

Zhu Yun quickly interjected, saying that Zi-Shan was falsely accusing Mei-Ying of lying. Nanny Lu then asked those present, “Did anyone else see this? Did Zi-Shan deliberately offend Lady He?”

No one spoke. Nanny Lu then said, “Very well, although Zi-Shan did not actually hurt Lady He, her intentions are unacceptable. In my opinion, thirty strokes of the cane are too lenient. Lady He is only being lenient because you are the Princess’s head maid. I think she should receive fifty strokes so that everyone will know that a servant is a servant, no matter which courtyard they belong to; offending one’s master deserves punishment.”

Zi-Shan was, after all, a frail woman. Fifty strokes of the cane would surely kill her or at least ruin her legs. Two people came forward to help her away, but then she heard someone sob softly, “This servant saw it! Zi-Shan bumped into Lady He by accident.”

Zi-Shan never expected anyone to speak up for her at this crucial moment. She looked closely and saw that the girl was Cai-Mei, the maid behind Mei-Ying, about the same age as Zi-Shan.

Nanny Lu asked impatiently, “Why did you not speak up when I asked earlier?”

Cai-Mei’s shoulders trembled. She glanced at Lady He, then at Mei-Ying, and did not dare speak, but her meaning was clear.

Nanny Lu immediately laughed. “So it’s all a misunderstanding. Then please, Your Highness, be magnanimous and do not take it to heart. Let her kneel here for an hour.”

Kneeling for an hour, though painless, was still a significant blow to Yulan Hall’s reputation. He Peizhen, though unwilling, had no choice but to accept it.

Mei-Ying, after being spoken to like that by Cai-Mei, also looked displeased. She ignored Nanny Lu and left directly.

Zi-Shan, however, remembered Cai-Mei, the one who had offered help in her time of need.

Speaking of which, only after this farce had ended did Ah Wu receive the news. Zi-Zhui, Cui-Ling, and others, who were close to Zi-Shan, came to plead for her.

Ah Wu sighed helplessly, “Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it’s a fact that Zi-Shan bumped into Lady He. Nanny Lu’s punishment was fair, and Hongyao Villa has every right to discipline Zi-Shan.”

All the servants in the entire household were under the management of Hongyao Villa. It was like a mother-in-law disciplining her daughter-in-law’s maid; the interference might be excessive, but it was understandable.

Ah Wu only regretted receiving the news too late, but she was helpless. Everyone was wary of Yulan Hall. Even if Princess Kongming were alive, Ah Wu could not possibly plant many people in such a short time, especially since Nanny Hao’s management was truly impenetrable, leaving Ah Wu no way to place spies.

But it did not matter; if she could not plant spies, she could find them.

However, Ah Wu still could not bear her own stupidity. She thought she was being carefree; who had the time to manage Chu Mao’s household? She thought managing a household was just about making a little money; she was not short of funds, and she did not care if others embezzled the Prince’s money. But now, thinking back, she truly regretted it to the core.

When Cui-Ling and Cui-Long helped Zi-Shan back to her room, Ah Wu personally brought some bruise-dispersing ointment to Zi-Shan’s room. Upon seeing Ah Wu, Zi-Shan struggled to sit up, but Ah Wu quickly held her hand down.

“Lie down; let Cui-Ling apply some medicine for you,” Ah Wu said, sitting down at the head of the bed.

Zi-Shan finally calmed down, looking at Ah Wu, tears welling up in her eyes. “It’s all my fault for being so careless.”

“Indeed, you were careless, but since they were determined to scheme, no amount of caution would have helped. However, today’s matter…”

Ah Wu thought the outcome was somewhat ridiculous—much ado about nothing. Zi-Shan had not suffered much; the reputation of Yulan Hall was not that valuable, and not many people gave her, the Princess, any respect anyway.

So, what was the purpose of today’s performance? Was it a signal for war? Why did Nanny Lu change her mind so easily, based solely on a maid’s account?

Ah Wu, momentarily confused, asked Zi-Shan, “Do you think anything is amiss with what happened today?”

Zi-Shan thought for a moment and shook her head.

Ah Wu pondered it further. “It’s possible He Peizhen would do something like that, given her personality. I am just wondering why Mei-Ying’s maid would suddenly switch sides and help you.”

“It was Nanny Lu who said she’d give me fifty lashes. She probably acted out of kindness…”

A moment of kindness? Ah Wu did not think so. How could someone who served Chu Mao be without cunning and scheming? Otherwise, she would have been ousted long ago. And yet, for a moment of kindness, she went against Mei-Ying, the head maid, disregarding her own safety to help Zi-Shan.

Ah Wu felt she still had to be cautious. “She acted out of kindness, disregarding the consequences, to help you. If you were in her shoes, would you have done the same?”

Zi-Shan shook her head again.

“Let’s wait and see. If I am right, they will definitely have a backup plan, probably involving Cai-Mei. If not, then consider it a momentary act of kindness, and we will repay her in the future,” Ah Wu said.

“I will not give them another chance,” Zi-Shan said earnestly.

Ah Wu shook her head. “No, if they really have a backup plan, just go along with their arrangements. We will be prepared, so we will not be afraid.”

Ah Wu really wanted to see what tricks they could pull. As for these “them,” all three groups today were suspects, but she did not know if it was a three-way alliance or a two-on-two collaboration.

Ah Wu stroked her fingers, thinking, “This is interesting. I was just looking for a reason to deal with them.” She told Zi-Shan, “You should rest well these next few days.”