Chapter 141

Chapter 141 Nanny Huang, who was attending at the side, watched her mistress with eyes full of heartache. As soon as the imperial physician left, she cursed, "That vixen Xie! Relying on the Prince's favor, she's simply lawless!" "When the Prince returns, he will surely seek justice for you, mistress." "This Prince's residence has no proper rules at all—a mere Concubine Consort dares to bully a Side Consort!" In her heart, she wished nothing more than to tear Xie Run to pieces. But Nanny Huang didn't dare curse too harshly. After today's ordeal, she had learned her lesson. None of the maids and matrons in Songya Court were loyal! If she cursed too fiercely, who knew whose ears it would reach by tomorrow? Nanny Huang hugged Consort Jiang with heartache. "My poor young miss." "At home, the master and madam doted on you endlessly, wouldn't even let a scratch mar your skin. Now that you've come to the Prince's residence, you're being bullied like this!" Consort Jiang's eyes lit up. "Right, I'll write a letter to Father and Mother!" "I'll have Father write to the Prince, demanding he severely punish that wretch Xie!" When she mentioned the name Xie, Consort Jiang's heart suddenly trembled. Nanny Huang vaguely felt it wasn't a good idea, but her heartache for her mistress won out, and she immediately said, "This old servant will go fetch paper and brush." Xing'er, who had been standing nearby, could no longer hold back. "Mistress, stop listening to Nanny Huang's instigations!" "If the master truly writes to the Prince, the first person the Prince will deal with upon his return will be you!" Xing'er knelt before Consort Jiang, kowtowing with tears streaming down her face. "I beg you, mistress, listen to this servant's words!" "Today's incident has caused the entire Songya Court to be punished. The maids and matrons in this courtyard already refuse to follow orders—from now on, they'll likely treat you as an enemy!" "When other Concubine Consorts and concubines come knocking, these people will probably fan the flames." "We won't have a single peaceful day in this residence from now on!" Nanny Huang snapped angrily, "How dare you!" "Xing'er, you grew up alongside our mistress!" "What have the master and madam taught you all these years? Your mistress has been wronged, and you want her to swallow her anger?!" Xing'er gritted her teeth. "This servant cares for the mistress, but this servant also wants to live!" "Stupid as this servant may be, I can still see the situation clearly! If you keep stirring things up, you'll truly be the ruin of our mistress!" Xing'er had indeed followed Consort Jiang in abetting her misdeeds many times before. But she wasn't a fool, was she? Lizhi and Yingtao had been whipped dozens of times in front of everyone that day and sent back to Mizhou—they had long since lost their lives. Today the Princess Consort had already made it clear: if Consort Jiang kept making trouble, the next to be dealt with would be her and Dong'er. It was plainly obvious that she had it out for their dowry maids. Xing'er knelt before Consort Jiang, pleading, "Mistress, this servant would never harm you. Please, just listen to this one piece of advice!" "Today's affair is clearly a trap set by the Princess Consort and Concubine Xie working together!" "How could there be such a coincidence in this world? The Princess Consort uses the excuse of distributing fabric to transfer four people away from the courtyard, and right after, Concubine Xie comes knocking with her people?" "You smashed the kitchen two days in a row, and the Princess Consort didn't hold it against you—she only punished you verbally. But today, she bypassed you entirely and directly punished all the servants of Songya Court. She's clearly playing the game of killing with praise, while also driving a wedge between you and everyone in the courtyard!" "If you don't have your own people in this rear courtyard, you'll truly be at the Princess Consort's mercy from now on!" In the past, Consort Jiang never liked hearing such words. Any maid who dared offer a word of admonition would be immediately dismissed by Consort Jiang. Thus, the maids around Consort Jiang only ever said things that pleased her, goading her into becoming ever more arrogant and domineering. Xing'er had reached her limit today, and only then risked being alienated to speak these words. Perhaps it was because Xie Run had truly frightened her—Consort Jiang was silent for a long time, and actually took Xing'er's words to heart. Suppressing her nausea, she asked, "Then tell me, what should this Side Consort do?" Xing'er wiped away her tears, her eyes brimming with surprise, and immediately said, "Mistress, the Princess Consort docked three months' allowance from all the servants of Songya Court. The first thing you must do is make up their allowances!" "You need to let them know that you are the mistress, and take complete control of Songya Court. Only then will today's incident not repeat itself." Hearing the words "repeat itself," Consort Jiang's belly began to ache faintly again. She immediately nodded. "Go handle this at once!" Today, the maids and matrons of Songya Court had cowered in the corners watching her be humiliated. Jiang Baobao had wished she could kill every single one of them. But she also knew she should listen to Xing'er. She would keep supporting these people for now—if accounts were to be settled, it could wait until later! Concealing the murderous intent in her eyes, Consort Jiang said to Xing'er, "And what about that Xie woman? Am I to just let her run rampant?!" Xing'er's original intention was naturally to have Consort Jiang take the initiative to go apologize to Concubine Xie. But she also knew well that a leopard cannot change its spots. Jiang Baobao would always be Jiang Baobao—she might stay quiet for a while after being wronged, but she would never truly change her nature. She could only persuade her differently. "Mistress, what you should be worried about now is the Prince!" Jiang Baobao stiffened, then said indignantly, "I, this Side Consort, have suffered such a great grievance. When the Prince returns, if he doesn't seek justice for me, surely he wouldn't indulge that vile woman Xie?" And if he did?! Xing'er nearly vomited a mouthful of blood, yet still had to patiently reason with Jiang Baobao. "That is precisely why this servant said the Princess Consort and Concubine Xie are deeply scheming and utterly vicious!" This, Consort Jiang liked to hear, so she did not refute it. "Master, you have been making a scene in the main kitchen for two days straight now. If word of this gets out, you would be the one in the wrong first—this is precisely the Princess Consort's scheme of killing with praise." "Now that the Princess Consort holds the moral high ground, even if you go to complain to the Prince later, the Princess Consort will say you broke the rules first, and Concubine Xie will say you snatched her meals first. Even if the Prince wishes to favor you, he cannot disregard the household's rules, can he?" Xing'er also quietly slipped in her own agenda, speaking softly: "That is why this servant said that those who instigated you to cause trouble are all trying to harm you." She shot a glare at Nanny Huang as well. Consort Jiang was somewhat persuaded. Xing'er continued: "You are a Side Consort; Concubine Xie is merely a Concubine Consort." "If you wish to take revenge on Concubine Xie, you need not worry about finding an opportunity. Just suppress her with the rules—if she breaks them, then you may punish her. At that point, neither the Prince nor the Princess Consort can say a single word!" By now, Consort Jiang's stomach ached at the mere mention of Concubine Xie's name. She wanted to take revenge on Xie Run, yet was truly afraid. "Xie is deeply scheming and ruthless in her methods. Matters of revenge can be discussed another day." Xing'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Exactly so. Master should first win over the people of Songya Courtyard." "When the Prince returns, the storm will have passed. You can first go and admit your fault, then lodge a complaint against Concubine Xie, so that the Prince may seek justice for you." "As for Concubine Lian, you should also stop teaching her the rules for now. You can hold her up like a placard, treating her only with kindness, to salvage some of your reputation within the household—and that will also ruin the Princess Consort's schemes."