Chapter 239

Chapter 239 Mama Du was so angry she nearly laughed. "Your mistress served the Prince last night, and today she sends gifts to my mistress—who exactly is she trying to dismiss?" "Or is it that your mistress is so pleased with herself that she wants to reward my mistress?" Mama Du had raised Consort Sun from infancy with her own hands, and she had never seen her young lady suffer such humiliation. This Consort Hua—it was bad enough that she had lured the Prince away on their wedding night, but apparently that wasn't enough, so she'd sent a maidservant to their doorstep to insult them?! Killing a person was nothing compared to this! Zhiqiu was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead. "Consort Sun is a Side Consort, while my mistress is a Concubine Consort. She wouldn't dare to show anything but respect—how could she possibly speak of rewarding anyone?!" Mama Du let out a cold laugh. "She says she wouldn't dare with her mouth, but who knows what your mistress is really thinking in her heart?" Mama Du said slowly, "I heard your mistress refused to serve the Prince at first, saying she needed to observe mourning. Now that she sees more people in the household, she can't be bothered with filial piety anymore..." Mama Du even mimicked the maidservant's tone, speaking with great seriousness. But Zhiqiu had a thin skin, and she also knew that Consort Hua's serving Prince Jing during mourning was somewhat disgraceful. Her face immediately flushed red, and she nearly burst into tears. Only then did Consort Sun slowly wave her hand, signaling Mama Du to withdraw. "Miss Zhiqiu, take this fan back to Autumn Maple Court." "Mama Du is devoted to me. Though her words were somewhat offensive, what she said wasn't wrong." "Consort Hua serving the Prince was the Prince's wish. But for Consort Hua to send someone with gifts and apologies today is highly improper. There will inevitably be gossip... I wouldn't dare accept this gift either." Consort Sun was indeed composed and steady, but she was a Side Consort—she had no need to endure everything. Whatever Hua Yu had done, whether intentional or not, was deeply humiliating. If Consort Sun had actually accepted the gift Hua Yu sent, then she truly would be a soft pushover without any backbone. Zhiqiu wiped her tears and returned to Autumn Maple Court, recounting Consort Sun's and Mama Du's words to her mistress in full detail. Hua Yu had initially felt some guilt, but after hearing all this, she was furious. "What they said isn't even right. It wasn't a formal wedding anyway—the Prince can go to whichever courtyard he pleases. He wasn't obligated to stay in hers." "I only thought that since she's a Side Consort and the Prince stayed in my quarters, it bruised her pride, so I wanted to go apologize and smooth things over." "She doesn't appreciate kindness. If I go groveling to her again, wouldn't that just make myself look pathetic?!" "Forget it—no more gifts. Let things be however they'll be!" Zhiqiu gently advised, "Mistress, Consort Sun is, after all, a Side Consort. You can't offend her too greatly." Consort Hua retorted in dissatisfaction, "How have I offended her?" She picked up the fan and examined it, saying with heartache, "This bamboo-silk fan gleams like brocade and is as thin as a cicada's wing. It was gifted to me by the Prince when I entered the household—even the noble ladies in the palace don't have one." "I was willing to part with this treasure to give to her. Not only does she not appreciate it, she even mocks me..." Zhiqiu steeled herself and said, "This servant dares to speak out of turn—you shouldn't have sent someone to her door, mistress..." Consort Hua's expression turned unpleasant. "Wasn't I just following your advice, not wanting to offend her too much?" Zhiqiu was silenced by that retort. Gritting her teeth inwardly, she could only force herself to continue. "Mistress, never mind that Consort Sun is a Side Consort and you are a Concubine Consort—even if she were just a concubine, the situation would be the same. You served the Prince last night, and today you suddenly send someone to deliver things to her... You may feel guilty in your heart, but no matter how nicely you phrase it, in others' eyes it becomes showing off." Consort Hua disagreed. "How is that showing off? If I wanted to show off, why would I send you? Wouldn't it be better for me to go myself?" Zhiqiu thought to herself, if you went yourself, you'd probably be chased out with a broom by that Mama Du. Zhiqiu said earnestly, "Please don't think me presumptuous, mistress." "Why not consider this: yesterday Consort Jiang just announced she was pregnant. If today she ran to our courtyard to apologize to you, saying she shouldn't have gotten pregnant before you—how would that sound to you?" This wasn't something a servant should say to her mistress. But Zhiqiu was truly afraid of Consort Hua's foolishness and audacity, terrified that one day she would do something stupid to offend people and drag her down with her. If her mistress fell on hard times, how could she, as a servant, fare well? Consort Hua's first reaction upon hearing this was also discomfort, though her mouth remained stubborn: "Jiang Baobao has her eyes on top of her head. Now that she's pregnant, she wishes the Prince would put her on a pedestal. How could she ever come apologize to me?" Seeing that she was impervious to reason, Zhiqiu was nearly so angry she spat blood. After a moment, Consort Hua leaned in closer, lowered her voice, and asked with feigned nonchalance, "Then what do you say I should do about this?" Zhiqiu finally managed to swallow that mouthful of blood. "You don't need to do anything at all, mistress." Hua Yu blinked her clear, big eyes, looking somewhat bewildered at Zhiqiu. Zhiqiu analyzed it for her: "Competition for favor in the inner court is a common matter. If the Prince wants to stay at Autumn Maple Court, could you have refused?" "By all reasoning, you've done nothing wrong at all. There's no need to apologize to anyone. As for offending Consort Sun... well, she's already offended now." Hua Yu had been listening quite happily until she heard about offending Consort Sun—then she immediately fell silent. "After all, you can never become sisters with Consort Sun. If you offend her, so be it. As long as you don't make mistakes, she can't do anything to you." Hua Yu's mind finally showed a glimmer of wit. "But the Princess Consort has put her in charge of household management. What if she uses that to target me?" Zhiqiu explained to Hua Yu as if teaching a child, "The Princess Consort didn't just put Consort Sun in charge of household management—Consort Xie is also keeping an eye on her." "Besides, she's only just entered the household with no foundation or backing. How would she dare to pull any tricks?" "If she dares to shortchange your supplies, you can go to Consort Xie or the Princess Consort to seek justice. She'd be more worried about not doing well enough and ruining her own reputation." Hua Yu nodded seriously. "So not only does she not dare bully me, she now has to take good care of me?" Zhiqiu nodded eagerly, finally having talked some sense into her mistress. Xie Run hadn't expected the Princess Consort to move so quickly. She had only made the suggestion yesterday, and today the Princess Consort had already brought in two nannies from the palace. Judging by the Princess Consort's speed, Xie Run seriously suspected that she too was afraid of Jiang Baobao. Beat her and she wouldn't change, scold her and she wouldn't listen, and now she had a belly to rely on. If they didn't take more care, Jiang Baobao would soon be climbing to the heavens. Early in the morning, Xie Run received Nanny Yan and Nanny An from the palace at Green Pine Courtyard and led them toward Jiang Baobao's residence. Passing by the main kitchen, she sensed something amiss in the atmosphere, so she took her maids and stepped inside for a look. Just as she reached the doorway, she heard a maidservant shouting in an arrogant tone: "My mistress said she wants to drink the overlord flower beef bone soup, a specialty of southern Fujian—it must be made with fresh overlord flowers." "She also wants peach blossom cakes and shrimp dumplings from Mizhou, and they must be made with fresh peach blossoms and fresh shrimp. You all draw salaries from the prince's household—don't tell me you can't make these?"