The side room was as warm as spring. Rui Lan, draped in a small jacket and leaning against the bed frame with a quilt wrapped around her, bore a face with red swelling that had turned purple and blue, showing how severe the beating she had received earlier was.
On the small table by the bedside sat a plate of fragrant roasted sunflower seeds. Yu Xiang had pulled over a folding stool to sit beside the small table, warming herself by the fire while cracking sunflower seeds, using her chin to point toward the main room as she spat and cursed:
“…She doesn’t even look at what her own background is! Just returned to our mansion and already acting so arrogantly. You just watch—the Old Madam dotes on Fourth Miss so much, but now Fourth Miss has been beaten by her. The Old Madam won’t skin her alive for this!”
Seeing Yu Xiang’s voice growing louder without any regard for consequences, Rui Lan said anxiously, “My dear ancestor, please keep your voice down. If Miss happens to come back and overhear this, will we still be able to stay in Xueli Courtyard?”
“You’re afraid of her? Well, I’m not!” Yu Xiang spat, wiping away the sunflower seed shells stuck to the corner of her mouth. “Didn’t you see the attitude the Old Madam and the Great Madam had toward her? This person is also a fool—just returned and already offended the two highest-ranking people in the mansion. Even her own mother, the Madam, doesn’t favor her. What good days does she have ahead?”
Casually tossing sunflower seed shells into the burning charcoal brazier, a burnt smell gradually spread, but Yu Xiang seemed oblivious, continuing to throw shells into it while sneering coldly:
“We’re also unlucky. We were serving well in Xingning Garden, and with our qualifications, frequently serving near the Master, who knows—we might have become mistresses ourselves someday. Now look—we’ve been thrown into this godforsaken place, stuck with a crude country bumpkin. What good prospects can we have now? What terrible luck!”
This remark truly struck at Rui Lan’s heart.
Although Rui Lan was only a second-class maid and didn’t have many opportunities to serve closely when in Xingning Garden, the Prime Minister was such a handsome and distinguished figure that even a casual glance could make one’s heart race. The Madam had never borne another child, and her own conditions weren’t bad either—she had long harbored certain thoughts. Who would have known she’d be assigned to Xueli Courtyard and receive such a beating on the very first day?
Thinking of Qin Yining’s fierce appearance, Rui Lan felt a chill down her spine and couldn’t help but frown as she advised, “You didn’t see how formidable Miss is. I advise you to cause less trouble. No matter what, Miss is still the Master’s legitimate daughter.”
“So what if she’s a legitimate daughter? Doesn’t she still have to live according to our moods? Nanny Jin is also being meddlesome—why give her such good charcoal? She’s used to picking up firewood to burn in the mountains, probably doesn’t even know there’s such a thing as smokeless silver frost charcoal.” Speaking thus, she laughed with a “pfft” sound: “But it’s still a bargain for us to enjoy.”
“You…” Rui Lan remembered how Qin Yining didn’t get angry even after discovering her things had been withheld, and could still smile and talk with them, then thought of the main room cold as an ice cellar, feeling inexplicably pleased in her heart.
Yu Xiang cracked a few more sunflower seeds, then suddenly laughed again: “The way she beat Miss Huining today, who knows if she’ll even be able to come back.”
“That’s true too.” Hearing this, Rui Lan couldn’t help but laugh as well.
Just as they were secretly gloating, the door to the side room was suddenly pushed open with a “creak.”
Both were startled, thinking it was one of the little maids from outside. They were about to scold a few words when they saw who it was and froze.
Standing in the doorway, wearing a honey-colored cloak, with a slender figure and beautiful appearance, was none other than Qin Yining—the very person they had been despising!
As their eyes met, Rui Lan saw killing intent in Qin Yining’s cold gaze. Looking at the faint smile playing at the corners of Qin Yining’s mouth, she couldn’t help but feel the hair on her back stand on end. She hastily got down from the bed and slipped on her shoes, not even caring about the pain in her body.
“Fourth Miss, you’ve returned.” Rui Lan curtsied.
Yu Xiang’s complexion was also very ugly as she followed Rui Lan in bowing: “Fourth Miss.”
“I don’t dare accept such courtesy. I’m just a crude country bumpkin—how could I bear your respectful bows? After all, Miss Yu Xiang has such character that if she stays in Xingning Garden in the future, she might even become a concubine.”
Qin Yining walked with her hands behind her back to the bedside, looking at the fine silver frost charcoal in the warming stove and the unburned sunflower seed shells in the charcoal fire, smiling as she said, “How is it? The good charcoal Nanny Jin gave—is it sufficient for you two? Should I request some more to be sent over?”
Rui Lan’s heart skipped a beat, and her knees went weak as she knelt down.
The words they had just spoken had all been overheard by this fallen noble!
This one was a master who killed without batting an eye. Even if she beat them to death, nothing would happen—at most, when reporting to the authorities, she could randomly pin some crime on them and pay ten taels of silver to settle it. No matter how much the Old Madam disliked her granddaughter, she wouldn’t begrudge ten taels of silver.
Rui Lan trembled all over, beginning to recall what she had said. Fortunately, it was mostly Yu Xiang who had been running her mouth—she herself hadn’t said much.
Thinking of this, Rui Lan quickly kowtowed: “Miss, please calm your anger.”
“Calm my anger? I am not angry, so where does calming anger come from?” Qin Yining didn’t look at Rui Lan, only gazed at Yu Xiang with slightly upturned lips.
Seeing that things had come to this point, Yu Xiang proved more defiant than expected, arrogantly lifting her chin: “Miss is joking. Who did you see appointing me as a concubine?”
Qin Yining carefully looked Yu Xiang up and down, her gaze like an ice-cold blade, making Yu Xiang shiver all over.
Yu Xiang felt she was about to meet disaster, wondering how this person would deal with her.
But she was just a girl who had recently returned to the mansion, didn’t understand the rules of great households—probably wouldn’t do much to her, at most give her a beating or two. Thinking this way, Yu Xiang felt much more at ease.
Just as Yu Xiang was thinking about how to report to her parents for help later, Qin Yining gave an inscrutable smile.
“I need to copy the Classic of Filial Piety. Rui Lan, come help me grind ink.”
So she wasn’t going to punish her?
Yu Xiang was secretly pleased.
Rui Lan also breathed a sigh of relief, responding “Yes” as she got up, pulling at her injured areas and hissing in pain.
Yu Xiang reached out to support Rui Lan, saying dissatisfiedly, “Miss is too inconsiderate. Rui Lan is in such condition—how can she still serve with brush and ink? Why don’t I go serve and grind ink for you, and you allow Rui Lan to rest today.”
Her tone was forceful, as if she were the master.
Rui Lan began trembling all over, saying repeatedly, “This servant is fine, this servant will immediately go serve Miss with brush and ink.”
Hearing this, Yu Xiang glared at Rui Lan dissatisfiedly, looking as if she was determined to stand up for her today.
Seeing Yu Xiang like this, Qin Yining said with amusement, “Rui Lan will serve with brush and ink, Yu Xiang will boil water—I want to bathe.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiang’s eyes widened.
She was a house-born servant, her parents were both stewards in the outer courtyard. Since childhood, she had stood out among the servants and could walk freely among the masters, gaining their respect. When had she ever done such menial work as boiling water?
“Miss, you’ve just returned to the mansion and probably don’t understand. We people each manage only one thing, each with our own duties. For instance, menial work like boiling water is naturally handled by little maids. I’ve never heard of other houses having their personal senior maids boil water. For the sake of your reputation, this servant should still come serve Miss with brush and ink.” Yu Xiang not only expressed her dissatisfaction but also made no attempt to hide her disdain for Qin Yining’s ignorance of proper rules.
Rui Lan broke out in cold sweat upon hearing this, hastily declaring her position: “This servant is fine. This servant can serve Miss with brush and ink.”
Yu Xiang was quite angry upon hearing this, viciously pinching Rui Lan’s arm. What was wrong with this person? She was trying to stand up for her, yet she showed no gratitude!
Rui Lan frowned in pain, nearly crying.
“Who exactly is the master in this courtyard? Does Miss Yu Xiang want to be the one in charge?” Qin Yining turned to walk outside, saying without room for argument, “Yu Xiang, go boil water. Everyone else, follow me.”
“Yes.” All the maids in the corridor responded in unison.
Only then did Rui Lan and Yu Xiang realize that outside the small side room, Nanny Zhu, Qiu Lu, Liu Ya, and a crowd of others were all standing neatly outside—who knew how long they had been there.
Rui Lan hurriedly followed.
Yu Xiang pursed her lips, reluctantly going to the small kitchen in the reverse courtyard to boil water.
In the main room, Liu Ya and Qiu Lu busied themselves lighting lamps, while the little maids, following Nanny Zhu’s instructions, went to prepare the charcoal fire properly. Qin Yining settled into the rose chair with light green cushions in front of the black lacquer cloud-and-scroll-pattern writing desk. Rui Lan immediately placed a blue and white covered bowl with a carp-playing-with-lotus pattern within her easy reach and handed over an exquisite hand warmer: “Miss, warm yourself before writing.”
Qin Yining found it quite amusing. This person, after taking a beating, had become attentive—truly proving the principle that good people get bullied!
The room gradually warmed up.
Rui Lan then brought brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, spreading out the rice paper and taking an ink stick to grind carefully.
Qin Yining casually picked up a wolf-hair brush, playing with the brush tip with her scallion-white slender fingers while speaking slowly and gently, “Your coming here to serve me has indeed been a grievance for you, delaying your good prospects.”
“We servants dare not say so.” Led by Nanny Zhu, Rui Lan, Qiu Lu, Liu Ya, and the three little maids all knelt down in unison.
Qin Yining laughed lightly, revealing teeth like pearls. Under the lamplight, her beautiful and bright countenance became even more dazzlingly enchanting.
“Living in the Prime Minister’s mansion, one must follow the Prime Minister’s mansion’s rules,” Qin Yining put down the wolf-hair brush, looking directly at the bowing crowd, her eyes sparkling as she spoke deliberately, “Since Nanny Jin arranged for you to come to Xueli Courtyard, you are my people. Though I’m new here and unfamiliar with the Prime Minister’s mansion’s affairs, and don’t really understand the rules of great family ladies, the nanny who will teach etiquette and the tutor will both arrive tomorrow. Do you think I’ll remain ignorant of everything forever?”
“Miss speaks too seriously, we servants dare not.” Everyone kowtowed, suddenly enlightened as if awakened.
“Bullying the newcomer” also had to have limits, not to mention this Miss was the Master’s only flesh and blood—her rise was just a matter of time!
Qin Yining’s words made everyone’s attitude toward her more cautious and respectful, and also gave these people who had initially come to Xueli Courtyard after abandoning their former prospects a sense of belonging.
At least, they now felt that following this Miss wouldn’t be a future without light!
Having grown up in the marketplace, Qin Yining understood best the principle that “all the world’s bustling is for profit’s sake, all the world’s hustling is for profit’s gain.” If she wanted people to follow her wholeheartedly, she had to at least ensure they wouldn’t feel they could lose their support at any moment. The words she had just spoken had been turned over several times in her mind before being voiced. Having no experience commanding servants, much less giving people lectures, Qin Yining was actually afraid of saying the wrong thing.