Chapter 200

Chapter 200 Yueya'er laughed: "If Sister Xiaoshu heard this, she'd definitely refuse to accept it. She'd insist on proving her skill to the mistress." The reason Xiaoshu had been directly assigned to Xie Run's quarters as a second-rank maid was twofold: first, her father and mother were longtime servants of the household, and second, she possessed superb embroidery skills. The flowers she embroidered were so lifelike that viewing them from different angles seemed to reveal blossoms unfurling from different perspectives. When she first came to serve Xie Run, her talent wasn't yet apparent. But as time passed and more of her embroidered pieces emerged, everyone was utterly impressed by her skill. Xie Run had even muttered privately about it. In modern times, Xiaoshu would easily qualify as an intangible cultural heritage master. Talking and laughing, time flew by quickly. After finishing her lunch, Xie Run would practice calligraphy in the study. Over the past year or two, she hadn't slacked off, and her handwriting had improved greatly. Last time she wrote home, she'd even been praised for it. Dantao set a cup of tea to the side: "Mistress, you said Side Consort Fang sought favor in the middle of the night—could she be getting restless?" Xie Run didn't even twitch an eyebrow. She wrote a line of characters in one breath, then admired her work with considerable self-satisfaction. After a moment, she finally answered Dantao's question: "Restless? She's probably already starting to panic." "The Prince An's residence, in order to welcome a new Side Consort, demoted the favored Consort Wu to Concubine Consort." "Our residence is also about to receive a new Side Consort, and she just happened to make a mistake. The Prince even said that if she couldn't properly care for the child, she'd be demoted... How could she not be flustered?" As an outsider, Xie Run could calmly analyze whether Prince Jing was joking or speaking seriously. Fang Yuan'er was the one directly involved, trapped in the situation, and thus more easily swayed by emotion. Xie Run smiled: "It's just that she underestimates the Prince!" Prince Jing was a man of considerable pride and strong principles. He looked down on the Emperor for not following proper rules, and had deliberately filled both Side Consort slots before the Emperor could bestow a new one, just to spite him. As for what Prince An had done afterward, Prince Jing had also expressed disdain between the lines. With his temperament, even if he were truly dissatisfied with Fang Yuan'er and wanted to demote her to Concubine Consort, it wouldn't happen now—he'd wait until the new Side Consort had entered the household. That way, no one could say Prince Jing was currying favor with the Emperor through sycophantic actions. People who care about their reputation generally don't do things that look too ugly. Just as she was saying this, a young maid suddenly came in to report. "Mistress, the Prince suddenly reprimanded Side Consort Fang, saying that the servants of Songya Courtyard don't follow the rules and bully others through their position." "The Prince said Side Consort Fang doesn't know how to manage her people, ordered her to reflect on her actions behind closed doors, and also docked three months of her allowance." Xie Run was somewhat surprised: "Out of nowhere, why would the Prince suddenly reprimand Side Consort Fang?" Xie Run suddenly recalled what Concubine Lu had just said. The young maid had already explained: "It's said that last night, Side Consort Fang's maid bullied Consort Jiang's maid on the road. Consort Jiang refused to accept it, so she brought her maid to lodge a complaint with the Prince." Xie Run was momentarily stunned: "I thought I remembered Concubine Lu saying that Fang Yuan'er's maid was pushed and had her soup bowl shattered?" Jiang Baobao was indeed still Jiang Baobao. Her maid got into a conflict with a Side Consort's maid, shattered the other's soup bowl, and she still had the audacity to lodge the first complaint?! What's even more absurd is that she won the case! Prince Jing, over such a trivial matter, had actually sent someone specifically to reprimand Fang Yuan'er. As Xie Run thought about it, she suddenly burst out laughing. Dantao looked at her in confusion: "Mistress, what are you laughing at?" Was there something funny about this? Could it be that the mistress was happy to hear Side Consort Fang had been punished? Xie Run laughed and shook her head: "I'm laughing at how wicked the Prince is." "Using an excuse to knock Fang Yuan'er down a peg at a time like this—he's probably scared her half to death." Actually, Prince Jing's intentions weren't hard to guess. He didn't want to touch Fang Yuan'er's rank for now. But since she had made a mistake, he couldn't just let it go unpunished. So he found another excuse instead, to scare Fang Yuan'er a little and simultaneously suppress her arrogance. Only then did Dantao remember—they had just been saying that Side Consort Fang feared Prince Jing would follow Prince An's example, and right after, the Prince reprimanded her. It was as if he were deliberately trying to frighten her. Dantao said softly: "In recent days, Side Consort Fang has been riding high, growing arrogant and willful, daring to drug the young master." "Even with irrefutable evidence, she still tried to turn the tables and accuse you... Now that the Prince has reprimanded her and cut down her arrogance, we servants find it quite satisfying to watch." Xie Run paused, then suddenly smiled: "Actually... I find it quite satisfying too." She wasn't some prime minister with a heart vast enough to sail ships in. When Fang Yuan'er had aggressively confronted her at Chunshan Courtyard that day, Xie Run had been furious too. It was only because Prince Jing had already punished her that Xie Run couldn't keep harping on it, so she'd swallowed her anger. Now that she had a chance to watch Fang Yuan'er's drama unfold, she was naturally all for it. Xie Run thought for a moment, then said to Dantao: "Have the small kitchen simmer a pot of soup, and once the snow stops, send someone to deliver it to the Prince." Dantao: "Mistress, what kind of soup should we make?" "I don't know—just have the cook make something simple." The soup wasn't the point; the point was to seek favor with Prince Jing. And even if she didn't succeed in luring him over, if she could get the Prince to come to Chunshan Courtyard, wouldn't that be a slap in Fang Yuan'er's face? Prince Jing had already spoken to punish Fang Yuan'er, so it was impossible that he didn't know why her maidservant had gone out late at night. Dantao guessed her mistress's intentions and chuckled softly. "Side Consort Fang sent someone to curry favor, but the maidservant spilled the soup and even drew the Prince's rebuke." "If the mistress's attempt to curry favor had succeeded, everyone in the manor would know who the Prince favors more!" "I wonder if Side Consort Fang will be so angry she'll start throwing things in Songya Courtyard." Fang Yuan'er's habit of throwing things when angry had already spread throughout Prince Jing's manor. Just as she finished speaking, Dantao added, "But mistress, don't you usually avoid standing out, afraid of being made a target?" "Silly Dantao." Xie Run chuckled softly. "Usually, one doesn't stand out, but if you suffer a grievance and stay silent, that's not playing the fool to catch the wise—that's just becoming a fool." "Since the Prince has already determined she's guilty of giving Taotao polygonum multiflorum, she and I are enemies." "If I deliberately slap my enemy in the face, everyone will just think I'm acting out of spite, not that I'm showing off or being spoiled by favor." "If there really are people who think I'm being ostentatious because of this, then no matter how harmless I pretend to be, they wouldn't let me off anyway."